The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-07-16
AMERICANS STRIKE
LESSAY'S SUBURBS
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strafed enemy troops and artillery
positions around St. Lo from a
minimum altitude.
Periers is six miles southeast OF
inperilled Lessays and St. Lo.
hinge city at the other end OF the
churning American front, is ~
miles southeast of Lessay. The US
ual bitter house-to-house fighting
was expected from German rear.
guards left in Lessay to protect
the withdrawal of the main Nazl
forces to higher and more readily
defensible ground south OF Lessay.
Take Villages
The villages of St. Opportune
Pissot and st. Patrice de Clalds
were taken in the enveloping move
ment on Lessay, the communlque
fought their way through Gongre'
vile and Nay and reached the
Seves river.
Allied airmen shot down two OF
80 enemy aircraft encountered near
Caen during the day without them
selves suffering loss. Antl-alrcra1t
gunners in the eastern sector also
shot down five enemy AIRCRAFT FIJI
day, the bulletin said.
One enemy E-boat was set aflre
and others damaged when inter-
cepted in Seine bay as they were
attempting to make a foray west
ward from LIE Havre.
At midnight reports reaching
headquarters said the Americans
attacking outside st. Lo under a
big artillery barrage had gained
500 more yards in their fight across
some of the toughest military ter
rain.
Other units operating midway
between St. 10 and Periers were
within two miles of the road con-
Meeting those two cities after ad-
vancing one mile from Chaps de
L'Osque to the edge of remilly-
sur-LoZon.
Build Up Strength
British and Canadian troops
were building up their strength for
a showdown battle around tie
wrecked city of Caen at the east
ern end of the Normandy front
The British in their salient across
the Odon river southwest of Caen
again had seized Maltot, four miles
below Caen, and also the nearby
strategic Hill 112. or Crucifix Hill.
Both points had changed hands sew
eral times.
Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery
was jockeying for position before
again trying to break into open
country in this sector 120 miles
west of Paris.
After taking the Lessay harbor
village of St. Germain-sur-Ay on
Friday, the Americans pushed on
two miles and reached the north
bank of the Ay river just outside
Lessay. The Germans had flooded
the valley in their retreat, but the
Americans now held commanding
high ground and were laying down
a close-range fire on the roads
leading into Lessay from Coutan-
ces, IL miles to the south.
Taking Pissot, two miles east OF
Lessay other American units were
only about a mile from the Les
say-Periers- Lo road, the main
German defense line which is
crumbling.
Capture of Lessay probably would
force the Germans back from five
to 10 miles into the high ground
between that road and the St. Lo-
Countances highway, and give the
Americans greater elbow room by
clearing the enemy out of the neck
of the Cherbourg peninsula.
"These are tougher troops than
those on the beaches" an Ameri-
can officer warned in a dispatch
from the field. The Germans, it
was disclosed at headquarters, had
II or IL divisions facing the Am
orleans on a 48-mile front, and an
overall strength of 20 to Is divi-
sions in Normandy compared to
the seven which were on guard
there on D-day, June 6.