INCH AFTER INCH

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 230, 26 June 1944, Page 5

INCH AFTER INCH

Tough Going Toward

Cherbourg

UNDER MILE CITY

(British Official Wireless and Press Assn.)

(Received June 25, 10 p.m.)

LONDON, June 2.5,

We are less than a mile from the city which can be seen hazily through smoke and fire, says Reuter s correspondent with the Americans overlooking Cherbourg. Only a few fortified positions now stand between the Americans and the harbour. The Americans on land and sea and in the air undoubtedly have complete mastery of the harbour. South of Cherbourg, progress was not spectacular yesterday, because it was tough going through hedgerows and over German pillboxes against a hail of German counter-fire, but the Americans at some points made as much as one-half to three-quarters of a mile. . , The story is the same all along the front—a drive forward meh after inch through some of the most formidable defences the Amei ricans have encountered in Europe.

It is learnt from Allied headquarters that the Germans in Cherbourg have dug themselves in in every hillock and piece of ground affording a good held ot fire, and have sited their weapons, enabling them to bring a cross-fire to bear wth machine-guns and light artillery. Th® Americans at present are pushing along high ground west of the Divette River, where a plateau called Les Terres Rouges rises to 400 ft. The ground on the other side of the river rises to 300 ft. Fighting has been particularly bitter in the region of this high ground. The ravine through which the river flows would be a deathtrap for advancing troops unless the high ground was first cleared. . • There are two forts west of the port, one at Equerdreville near the sea and another farther south at Leton. fl he armament of these forts, which are part of the permanent defences of Cherbourg, is no doubt being brought to bear inthe current fighting. Cherbourg won t fall easily, and it may be days yet before the port is liberated. No Sign of Surrender. There is no sign of German surrender in Cherbourg, according to Allied headquarters. The Germans continue to put up a tremendous fight, their strongpoints resisting savagely. The Americans are advancing from one spot to another only after intense and bitter fighting. It is hard to sav where they are in some sectors, but it is believed that there has been an advance of about a mile. Except in the Cherbourg area, the Allies have made no large-scale changes on the Normandy battlefront. In the Cherbourg area progress has been steady. It is probable that the next step in the battle for Cherbourg will be stubborn street fighting. Allied troops continue to work their way through a series ot strongpoints which fringe the suburbs. If street fighting ensues the enemy mayhold out for a considerable period. On the flanks of the city the Americans are advancing steadily toward the sea The Allied forces are still reported to be two miles from the centre of Cherbourg, American patrols on the southern front reported heavy mortar and machinegun fire from high ground south of Saint Sauver. The rest of the American front is quiet.

, “Barrel of Hell.” Reuter’s correspondent with the Americans two miles inside Cherbourg said that “Barrel of Hell” is how the Americans described the Cherbourg Line which is composed of massive forts and outsize pill-boxes, capable of holding So men plus armaments, road-blocks, barbed wire and many other formidable contraptions. “Here in the front line,” he says, “you realize the strength of the Germans who are fighting to the death. They are using every available weapon. There us a continual deafening noise of mortals, artillery, machineguns and rifles. Ine Germans are also firing airbursts, which are deadly shell explosions in the air, scattering pieces of steel six inches long and half an inch thick over hundreds of yards.” In the face of very fierce resistance, the Allies are continuing steadily to close in on Cherbourg on all sides, states a correspondent. Though east and west of the port the Allied line has not actually reached the coast, it is safe to say that to all intents and purposes Cherbourg is encircled. “West of the port, the line reaches to within just over two miles of the sea at St. Croix Hague,” he said. “We are astride the main highway to the east of St. Germaine des Vaux, in the northernmost tip of the peninsula, to Cherbourg. Ou the east, Allied soldiers are within 1A miles of the sea. It is thought there are very few, if any, Germans left fighting outside our line all the way down to t]y» coast, ■ “A captured order issued by the Cherbourg commander shows that the Germans have been ordered to defend the port to the last man and sb far the toughness of the opposition shows that they are doing so. As a result, no rush success should be expected.” German Tanks Knocked Out.

A local advance, in the Caen area followed a fierce attack by the enemy's infantry and tank forces in the vicinity of Saint Honorine La Chardonneretet, four miles north-east of Caen. The Germans threw in about 35 tanks,, at least 15 of which were knocked out, including six by rocket-firing Typhoons. A staff officer said that the fighting, .though confused, was still going satisfactorily. St. Honorine La Chardonnerette, which is east of the River Orne, is reported to be in Allied hands. Fighting on the Tilly sector is still local in character. There are enemy units between Tillv and Hottot. It is believed that Hottot is held by Allied troops. British armour won a smashing victory on a vital sector east of the River Orne when, for slight losses, it put out of action 20 -of a force of 35 German Mark Four and Tiger tanks, stated Reuter's correspondent with the British forces in France. Tanks, anti-tank guns and rocket-firing Typhoons on Friday night cut the enemy to ribbons. Our infantry following up this success is now consolidating its positions. The Saint Honorine sector has now quietened down, with the British sitting securely in positions more than 1009 yards forward of the line we held on Friday. Aproximately 3000 sorties were flown in the 21 hours to 6 a.m. today. Though this was under the average, attacks against the enemy’s communications were described as an “aerial cat-o’-nine-tails scourging the country to the limit of endurance of the aircraft crews. . It is learnt from Aliled headquarters* that elements of four divisions are defending Cherbourg. They are the irtli and the 91st, both of which are newly formed aud not of high category, but not poor, the 243rd. which includes a fair number of Bavarians and Austrians and has some foreign equipment, and the General Salley, commander of the 91st Division, is reported to have been killed, making the fourth German general killed in Normandy.