ALLIED STRATEGY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 225, 20 June 1944, Page 5

ALLIED STRATEGY

Hope Of Forcing’ Big Frontal Battle BRITISH DIVERSION AIDED DRIVE (British Official Wireless.) (Received June 19, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, June 18. A commentator Observes that the past week’s fighting in Normandy has 'been summed up by the American Secretary of War, Mr. Stimson, in two sentences: "There has been wonderful collaboration between the Allies and the various services. While the British bore the brunt of the German attack on the eastern flank of the Allied bridgehead the American forces were left comparatively free to thrust out across the Cherbourg Peninsula.’’ ’ The commentator says that as a result of the British armoured thrust there has been hard pounding in the Tilly-Caen area. This must have been foreseen. The enemy was bound to react strongly to any threat against the important road and rail junction of Caen. What was perhaps unexpected was that' Rommel would be so hard pressed for immediate tactical reserves that he would have to throw units into the battle as they arrived and (thug carry out a policy of patching instead of mounting a co-ordin-ated counter-attack. And he is still patching, though there are four German panzer divisions in the area. The British stroke on the right then evidently caught Rommel off balance. The field marshal’s lack of poise had no doubt been caused initially by the speed and weight of our initial landing and the tremendous pounding which the Allied'air forces had given his communications. He may recover a'nd launch the counter-attack , that we have been expecting every day for the pest week. The longer he delays the less will be his chance of breaking up our offensive power,, and as it is he has already lost the chance of driving us into the sea. Wsth the armour clashing near Tilly, the Americans have forged right across the Cherbourg Peninsula. If they can keep the Cherbourg lifelines cut the Germans on the peninsula may have ugly memories of another peninsula—that of Cape Bon, “Battle of the Box.”

An analysis of the broader lines of Allied strategy in the Normandy landings was also given today by the war correspondent Robert Barr, who has had the opportunity of conversations with some of- the higher officers at the supreme Allied headquarters. “The pre-invasion bombing and destruction of the bridges across the Seine did not disclose to the enemy the intended direction of the Allied stroke,’’ be says. “As soon as the landings had begun, however, the air attack was shifted and the bridges across the Loire were also destroyed. This had the effect of creating a ‘box’ inside which was the chosen landing area. "Both the Seine and the Loire are swift running, and it is not possible to move large bodies of troops quickly across such rivers without permanent bridges. That is the problem which faced the Germans.

“Inside the ‘box’ they are said to have about 300,000 troops, and all their divisions there have been entirely or in part engaged in the fighting. The German High Command does not wish to fight any major battle in which its men are outnumbered. The Allies, however, intend to force them to do this. We intend to fight a battle inside the box in which about 1,000,000 men will be engaged. "The Germans will find it very difficult to avoid this battle, for it is just as hard for them to get their troops out of the box as to get reinforcements in.” FIFTEEN THOUSAND PRISONERS r LONDON, June IS. The number of prisoners taken since the landing in Normandy now’ exceeds 15.000, and the territory held by *the Allies consists of 52 miles of coastline, with a perimeter of about .116 miles. The greatest penetration is just, under 24 miles westward and .18 miles to the south.