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AMERICAN GAIN ON PENINSULA

Increasing Resistance In Normandy SLIGHT LULL IN TANK STRUGGLE (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) ' (Received June 16, 11.10 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. The threat to cut off the Cherbourg Peninsula has increased in face of growing German resistance. This morning’s Allied communique states that there is no major change on any sector, but that Allied troops have made further progress west of Carentan. Elsewhere all attempts by the enemy to gain the initiative have been frustrated and the counter-attacks successfully repelled.

Correspondents report that the tank battle on the eastern sectors has become slightly less severe. This may mean that both sides have slightly withdrawn their armour forces to regroup, though the infantry is no doubt still engaged.

The Allies, according to S.H.A.E.F., are further advancing west of Carentan and are now north-west of Baupte. A German report goes further, saying that they have reached Pretot, which is 4j miles from La Haye, the capture of which would finally seal the peninsula. The momentum of the Allied drive toward Caen from the north-west has slowed down in the last 12 hours owing to the stiffening German resistance, says Reuter’s correspondent with the British forces near Caen. Our armoured units have fallen back to a commanding ridge, but not before inflicting many casualties on the enemy. Nine Tiger tanks, were knocked out in a few hours in a pitched battle. British artillery and Canadian AnForce rocket-firing Typhoons in Normandy yesterday demonstrated, co-oper-ation between the land and air forces, states Reuter’s correspondent at S.H.A.E.F. The Typhoons, in searching a certain area behind the battlefront, were unable to find' any, tanks in the wooded country. Our artillery, knowing the presence of the enemy and realizing that they were invisible to the Typhoons, put up some smoke over a wood in which the tanks were concealed. The Typhoon pilots took the hint and released rockets over the spot till large sheets of flame rose up. NORTHWARD MOVE ON COAST Earlier Operations LONDON, June 16. The'Americans have captured QuineVille, on the coast north-east of Montebourg. Quineville possesses a useful landing-beach, but it is in easy range of enemy artillery. A correspondent at S.H.A.E.F. emphasizes that heavy fighting will be necessary before the Cherbourg Peninsula can be taken. ’ Quineville is the most northerly position held' by the Allies on the peninsula. Great difficulty has been experienced in negotiating enemy inundated areas, which stretch some 11 miles south of Quineville down the east coast of the peninsula varying from one to two miles in width. Near the middle of this sector the Americans have hammered a bulge nearly three miles deep, bringing them half-way across the peninsula and across a great part of the main inundations.

United States infantry captured Quineville with the bayonet, states a British United Press correspondent. They also advanced westward to within three miles of St. Sauveur le Vicomte, which is 10 miles west of St. Mere Eglise and less than that distance from the western side of the Cherbourg Peninsula. Another correspondent says the Americans have captured Reignville, nearly eight miles south of Valognes. Fifth Panzer Division.

Headquarters of the 21st Army Group announced that five German armoured divisions are now in action against the Allies —four on the Caen sector and one at Carentan. Further steady progress has been made west of Carentan and also between the Rivers Vire and Elie, says a iS.H.A.E.F. communique. Allied troops repulsed several violent armoured attacks in the Gaumont-Tilly sector, with considerable losses to the enemy. On the Cherbourg Peninsula the ground gained in the Quineville area has made available a valuable new outlet from the beaches. Mobile batteries were engaged as was necessary by Allied warships. 11.M.5. Bifast, on the eastern flank, gave valuable support against enemy concentrations, H.M.S. Nelson engaged the Le Havre batteries, and the United States cruiser Augusta, during an unsuccessful enemy air attack in the western assault area, shot down an enemy plane. Convoys of Allied merchantmen are arriving satisfactorily, and the armies continue to be built up with men, stores and equipment.

Very Heavy Fighting. It was learned from S.H.A.E.F. at midnight that very little change has occurred i» the general situation m the last 24 hours. Ground has been constantly yielded and regained by either side, and fighting has been very heavy along the whole line, with the battle still extremely fluid. We still have about seven miles to go before cutting the enemy s communications to Cherbourg. Street fighting is still occurring in Montebourg, which has changed hands several times. We have made slight progress round Tilly, but in the Villers Bocage area our armour, in face of •vicious.enemy attacks, has gone back to a point about two and a half miles south-east of Gaumont. The Germans yesterday evening used a large force of infantry, with supporting Tiger tanks, in a heavy counterattack against our armoured forces in the Villers Bocage area, says the Exchange Telegraph correspondent. \Vc threw back the Germans after two hours of the fiercest fighting yet experienced on the British sector. . The Germans opened the attack just after supper and sent wave after wave of infantry through a barrage from a large concentration of our guns. Then they encountered determined fire from our self-propelled guns holding high ground. Our tanks and guns at one time were firing from a range of less than -100 yards. The Germans were mown down as they advanced through long grass up the slopes, and left many hundreds of dead and wounded when they were finally thrown back.

TREATMENT OF WOMEN SNIPERS

LONDON, June 15. Women snipers captured in Normandy will be treated as prisoners of war and not as francs-tireurs, who are liable under military law to be summarily executed. , , , ~ A War Office official was quoted by the “Daily Mail” as saying that theoretically, because they did not wear uniform or distinctive markings, these snipers could be shot, but that this would not be done. Women are lighting with Marshal Tito’s Partisans and in the Russian Army, but they all wear uniform or distinctive markings. The "Daily Mail” says that the women captured in Normandy are auxiliaries trained in the use of small arms.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19440617.2.57

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 223, 17 June 1944, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,029

AMERICAN GAIN ON PENINSULA Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 223, 17 June 1944, Page 7

AMERICAN GAIN ON PENINSULA Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 223, 17 June 1944, Page 7

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