PUSH AGAINST INNER RING

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 228, 23 June 1944, Page 5

PUSH AGAINST INNER RING

Cherbourg Battle TROOP MOVEMENT IN FRANCE

ißv Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyri*?* 1 * (Received June 22, 11.10 p.m.) LONDON, June 22. Allied advance troops had reached and were attacking the inner defence ring of the port of Cherbourg, reported a correspondent at the headquarters last night. Behind these foremost unflto supporting troops were moving swiftly across country from many d,reC Reports today state that the advance on Cherbourg is going well, and there have been gains of from two to three miles, but a correspondent at the headquarters says the mam defences of the port have not yet been penetrated. West of the port American units are within four miles of the sea and in the centre of the front a substantial new advance has been made up the road from Valognes to Cherbourg. Allied pilots report that the Germans are running dozens of troop-trains from northern France and Belgium to Paris, possibly in preparation for a big counter-move against the Normandy front.

There is no change along the front south of the corridor. In the TillyCaen area very heavy fighting is proceeding. There are many fierce attacks and counter-attacks, but no change is reported in the general position. In armoured battles round Tilly our troops had destroyed nearly 80 enemy tanks up to last night, and put many others out of action. Savage fighting is going on night and day in the Tiily-Hottot area, but a staff officer said: “We are well on top of the Germans, and have stacks of tanks, stated a Reuter correspondent with the forward British forces. The Lehr Panzer Division is fighting fanatically in spite of enormous losses, the officer added. British units who are about 3000 yards beyond Tilly on one sector are meeting with very stiff opposition. The Germans make a stand wherever there is a natural defence position, and there is often house-to-house fighting, and even hand-to-hand encounters. Every hundred yards advance means another, hundred yards to be cleared of snipers. A British United Press correspondent with the Allied forces says: “Nearly 4000 men fought all -last night and this morning for the little hamlet of Hottot. It was a battle from hedgerow to hedgerow, from barn to barn, and from house to house. It was a case of clenching the teeth and fighting back grimly—and we held.” - The Germans have brought up some heavy guns with a range of 23,000 yards, but they are not getting all the reinforcements they have been promised.

AMERICANS MASS ALONG HILLS Early Preparation Of Big Assault LONDON, June 21. An order from General Eisenhower was broadcast today to the people of Cherbourg. It asked the dock and railway workers to protect industrial machinery, locomotives, and public utility plants from destruction by the Germans. Leaflets have been dropped on Cher-, bourg telling the Germans: 4 There is only the one question of how many of you must die senselessly before the inevitable end.” The leaflet promised the Germans who surrender decent treatment, good food and medical attention, letters home, vocational training as prisoners and return home after the war. Another leaflet told the Germans that the whole of the German 716th Infantry Division was killed or captured in the first three days of the fighting in France, the survivors being now prisoners in England. “The Allied forces have made further progress in the battle for Cherbourg.” said an Allied communique, “and the area the enemy holds is steadily diminishing. Our advance up the entire peninsula has been rapid. On the east we have /driven forward astride the main road north of Valognes, and to the west a broad thrust has taken us to within five miles of the sea, liberating the villages of Tburtheville. Hague and Acqueviile. Heavy fighting continues in the Tilly-Caen area, where attacks and coun-ter-attacks have left the front generally unchanged. On other sectors there has been patrol activity.” A correspondent says tonight that comparatively little fighting is going on. but the situation itself could scarcely be more intense. The American infantry have made themselves more secure on the high ground south, south-west and. south-east of Cherbourg. They are officially stated to be within three and a half miles of the city, and that, says the correspondent, is very close for swift-moving infantry backed up by artillery which has shown itself to be far superior in weight and numbers to what the enemy has got. The German artillery has been more active today, and this morning American infantry probing into the hills west of the city engaged in a short small-arms battle; but generally speaking the enemy in the ' fortress of Cherbourg are sitting tight and waiting. Great explosions have been heard from the city. Some of these are caused by shells from Allied guns, and others by the Germans dynamiting the ■port facilities.

Strong German Fort A “Daily Telegraph” correspondent with the United States forces before Cherbourg says: “Everything now points to the possibility of the Germans trying to make a last stand from Fort du Roule, which is a-small-scale Gibraltar. Big guns protected by concrete bunkers, scores of machinegun pill-boxes, and a network of underground passages make this a formidable position. The fort can be blasted by bombs and shells if it attempts to hold up our advance. Another correspondent says that the Allies can. at the appointed time, strike a tremendous blow at Cherbourg from land, sea and air. The results may be very swift. Algiers radio reported tonight that violent street fighting had occurred in suburbs of Cherbourg and that Americans were attacking Fort Docteville and Fort du Roule. west and east of the railway station respectively. The German news agency reported this evening: “Wave after wave of powerful bomber formations since noon yesterday have been blasting the port and its fortifications. General Bradley’s men are crashing against the inner defences, but extremely vicious fighting is raging in some of the outer defences. Considerable American reinforcements arrived at the tip of the peninsula, including heavy artillery.” “Astonishing Break-through.” Describing the push up the peninsula which forced the Germans back on Cherbourg. the “Dailv Express” correspondent bays ■ . ~ , , “It has been an astonishing breakthrough. The whole of the German western wing for 30 miles behind us was chopped up into little pockets and hopelessly out-manoeuvred. Village, after village is in ruins. The destruction is appalling. It is the nearest thing to complete annihilation I have ever seen in this war. “While the Americans kept pushing through the debris bulldozers smashed their way past the rubble, bridge-builders followed, and signallers kept paying out their lines for miles in the almost impossible iob of keeping up with the advance. The Germans abandoned one roadblock after another. The snipers thev left behind were mopped up by second-line troops. “This final push was a lesson for all tommanders. Americans were weaving back and forth across the promontory, always running round centres of resist-

ance and always sacrificing everything to the principle of pushing on and getting behind the enemy. There was an almost sharp line where the German resistance was abruptly turned into rout that, is where the destruction ended and the break out into clear country round Cherbourg began. The Germans had no time to lay mines and booby-traps or to deface the direction boards in the last score of villages.’’ CHERBOURG OUTLOOK Strong Stand Possible (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 21. While reports have been coming in of enemy demolitions in the port of Cherbourg, there is no strong reason to expect an early capitulation. There are two alternatives to surrender, either to withstand a siege or temporarily hold off the Allies with the rearguard while an attempted evacuation of the more useful elements takes place. Against the latter alternative is the lack of a practicable exit. The enemy lacks sufficient shipping to make a largescale retreat by sea except, under cover of darkness. If he decides-to withstand a siege the difficult terrain and the strong fortifications could resist or considerably impede a frontal attack.

NORMANDY DEFENCE Relatively Few Mines

(British Official Wireless.) (Received June 22, 7 p.m.)

.RUGBY, June 21. German mines and booby-traps were encountered in smaller numbers in France than expected. Engineers reported that the first airfields constructed by engineer battalions of the Ninth Air Force in France were built without any delay caused by mines and traps. So far, less than a dozen men have been injured by mines and hidden explosives, which are usually sown thickly over areas abandoned by the German Army. However, the engineers are continuing to take all precautions and are fully equipped to deal with mines in “enormous numbers” if and when they are met. WEATHER-BOUND Normandy Air Force • (Received June 22, 8.20 p.m.) LONDON, June 21. Allied pilots in Normandy spent the year’s longest day standing by ready for an immediate take-off under skies laden with low cloud, says an Exchange Telegraph correspondent at a Normandy airfield. There" had been almost a clampdown on activity from the Normandy airfields, but the Hurricanes which fly between England and Normandy with special communications kept up their service.

No matter how low the clouds, the Hurricanes arrive at Normandy bases on time, and after the briefest halt turn round and take dispatches back British headquarters. It is officially stated that four Mustangs of the Second Tactical Air Force attacked 15 Messerschmitt 109’s west of Evreux last night, and without loss shot, down four and damaged others. . Thunderbolt, Mustang and Lightning fighter-bombers swept over France at dusk yesterday, attacking road and rail communioations, flak towers and military traffic. Fighters in the course of the, day destroyed 17 enemy planes.- One Lightning is missing. Air Vice Marshal Broadhurst commands the fighter group of the Second Tactical Air Force operating from advanced bases in Normandy. x Lightnings art now employed as highlevel precision bombers against targets behind the German lines. They can carry up to 2000 pounds of bombs and release them from more than 20,000 feet with precision-bombing technique.