Current Events September 25, 1943

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY SEPTEMBER 25, 1943:

American and British troops of the Fifth Army, meeting some of the toughest opposition so far in the battle for Italy, yesterday launched a full-scale offensive and drove back German forces blocking their way into
the strategic port of Naples. At the same time, the Eighth Army sped northward all along the MO-mile front across Italy hindered by nothing more serious than road blocks and minefields.

Swift and powerful attacks brought Allied troops to the edge of Finschafen airfield yesterday —less than 24 hours after their landing six miles north of the  strategic New Guinea port. Jap resistance rapidly is crumbling under the strong U.S. and Australian attacks. Already fierce Allied artillery tire is raking the Jap headquarters and installations in tlic harbor area. Fall of  the base is imminent.

American and British bombers rounded out 48 hours of continuous hammering of enemy targets in northwestern Europe yesterday, with no indication of a let-up in the round the-clock offensive.



                 THE STARS AND STRIPES
                 Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
Vol. 3 No. 279                                          New York, N.Y.—London, England Saturday, Sept. 25, 1943

         Fifth Launches Full-Scale Offensive

Nazis Pushed Back
After Stubborn Fight
In Hills Near Naples
Eighth Speeds North on 140-Mile Front;
Germans Battle Fiercely to Hold
Clark's Army At Naples
American and British troops of ihe Fifth Army, meeting some of the toughest opposition so far in the battle for Italy, yesterday launched a full-scale offensive and drove back German forces blocking their way into
the strategic port of Naples. At the same time, the Eighth Army sped northward all along the MO-mile front across Italy hindered by nothing more serious than road blocks and minefields.
Enemy forces were fighting with rising savagery, apparently in an attempt to hold the F i f t h Army's offensive as long as possible, but they were being hurled back steadily by Lt. Gen. Mark \V. Clark's forces which last night were eight miles up the Sele river from Contursi. The Nazis earlier admitted an Allied  break-through in this sector.
The Germans, evidently realizing that  they will be forced to fight it out for the area very soon, have assembled strong alrtilery concentrations in the hills between Naples and Salerno and intend to fight hard before they allow the great Port to fall into Allied' hands.
Another Fifth Army thrust is being made further to the east. Olivetro Citra, 20 miles east of Salerno. has been capturcd. The object in this area is to capture the railway joining Naples with Foggia. objective of British troops advancing on the eastern side of the mainland.
                                                     Eighth Advances Swiftly
With enemy pressure concentrated almost entirely against Gen. Clark's troops, the Eighth Army advanced swiftly practically without enemy opposition and captured Altamura and Matera. Altamura. an important railway junction. is 30 miles west of Bari, while Matera. at an altitude of 1.200 feet, is an excellent observation point overlooking all enemy positions to the northwest. Foggia, with its airfield. is the big objective of the Eighth Army troops moving nonh along the eastern side of the I t a l i a n boot.
Allies On Edge
Of Jap Airfield
Fall of Finschafen Near;
Yanks, Aussies Raking
Base With Artillery
ALLIED HQ. Southwest Pacific. Sept. 24--
Swift and powerful attacks brought Allied troops to the edge of Finschafen airfield yesterday —less than 24 hours after their landing six miles north of th  strategic New Guinea port. Jap resistance rapidly is crumbling under the strong U.S. and Australian attacks. Already fierce Allied artillery tire is raking the Jap headquarters and installations in tlic harbor area. Fall of  ihe base is imminent.
Planes of the Tenth Air Force which covered ihe Finschafen landings on Wednesday returned today to give ground forces strong support by a i wide spread s t r a f i n g and bombing a t t a c k .
Meanwhile. Allied naval "units — mostly U.S.—shot down 40 Jap planes which tried to intercept them in Houn Gulf. The battle lasted for 25 minuies and only three U.S. planes were lost. No ship in the Allied fleet was even damaged.
Back at Salamaua. about 60  miles south of Finschafen. Allied occupation troops revealed the count of Japanese dead had soared to a figure nearly reaching 7.000.
Total enemy casualties were set at 12.000 or more.

RAF Pounds
Vital Plants
In Germany
Marauders Repeat Long
Mission Against Nazi
Fields in France
American and British bombers rounded out 48 hours of continuous hammering of enemy targets in northwestern Europe yesterday, with no indication of a let-up in the round the-clock offensive.
Following a heavy RAF night attack on important Nazi engineering and chemical works at Mannheim- Ludwigshafen. USAAF Marauders yesterday morning repealed their deepest penetration of Europe to bomb for a second time in three days the Nazi airfields at Evreux-Fauville, 45 miles west of
Paris. Spitfires escorted them.
The RAF raid on the twin cities of Mannheim-Ludwigshafcn — across the Rhine from each other 130 miles north of the Swiss frontier—was aimed at the huge electrical and general engineering plants, the big chemical works of the I. G. Farbenindustrie. and the river docks and railways which handle traffic on the way
to southern Germany and Italy.
                                                        32 Bombers Missing
Fierce fires were burning soon a f i c r the beginning of the attack, 60th o! the war on Mannheim. There was heavy a n t i -aircraft and fighter opposition, and 32 RAF bombers were reported last night to be missing.