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MOVES IN
, ITALY
Arno River
Battle
LONDON, Aug. 8 (A.A.P.).
British troops ot trie Eignth
Army have switched , operations
north of Arezzo and captured im
portant hill positions which were
heavily defended.: The Germans
launched five counter-attacks to
recapture the positions, but all
were broken by artillery, sup
ported by infantry.
Savage fighting is : raging to
day along the south bank of the
Arno River to the east and west
of Florence, where the German
forces are doggedly holding on to
two pockets. ..
Reuter's correspondent said
that, after heavy thunder- storms
on Monday , the Amo has risen
between its stone-faced embank
ments from a. sluggish stream into
a"- swift-fiowing river.
The Eighth Army east of Flor
ence is still clearing the bend of
the Arno, where the Germans are
strongly , holding dominant posi
tions south-west of Pont Assleve
on a ridge running from north to
south.
Civilian life inside Florence is
going on almost normally, de
spite machine-gun bullets zipping
over the river into the heart of
the city and German shells drop-
pingi'jin- the iarea--' south H-of-the
riveiv Housewives are thronging
the markets, apparently oblivious
of the battle around them. : . ,
Aerial Photos
) Low-level air photographs show
an entire absence of damage in
the north part of Florence.'. An
official statement says the. pho
tographs disprove the enemy's
allegation that the Allies shelled
Florence. Italians sav the de
struction of the bridges' and de
molitions on both sides of ;Ponte
Vecchio were , the result of in
structions from Kesselrlng : to the
commander of the Fourth- Para?
troop Division giving, him a free
hand to take whatever action he
thought necessary.
Fierce fighting continues, in the
mountains on., both sides, of the
Arezzo-Florence road, where
Gurkhas and Sikhs captured
Ponte Nano, which is almost on
the crest of the Prato Magno
Massif. v
Indian troops also captured the
4000 feet high Lacesta feature.
A strong German counter
attack recaptured ' Monte-' Grillo.
The British firmly hold tlie Fli-
cita Ridge and. Filetto. .
Reports from' Switzerland state
that Marshal Grazlano has taken
over command of all troops in
Italy from Marshal Kesselring,
who was badly wounded and left
Italy after telling Hitler he could
not -continue his command.
Jockeying for positions to effect
a double flanking of besieged Flo
rence continues with patrol prob-
ings' across the Arno, says Reu
ter's correspondent. "Empoli, on
the west flank of the siege line,
is still in No Man's Land, but
Eighth Army troops on Tuesday
captured Monte .Lupo, eleven
miles .west of Florence. The
enemy is still occupying a
pocket between the Arno and
Highway 67 from Empoli to
Monte Lupo.
$