Evening star., 1944-08-24
Yanks Pull New Trap
To EncircIe Germans
Fleeing 10 Seine
Lightning U. S. Drive
EneuIfs EIbeub for
Advance Of IS Miles
BY the Associated Press.

SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, Aug. 24.-American
armored columns streaked along
the Seine today in a drive toward
the sea, capturing Elbeuf, 80
miles from the rivers broad
mouth, and rapidly throwing a
roose around another huge
force of Germans in Northern
France.
A new lightning advance of Is
miles from last reported positions
overran Elbeuf, south of the river,
and drove the Germans from posi-
tions where in the past few days
they have been hurriedly ferrying
out their fleeing troops. In that
area Allied airmen destroyed 500
German vehicles yesterday.
At Elbeuf the Americans stood
/ within airline miles of Rouen, old
capital of Normandy and city of
more than 100000 which is astride a
| bend in the river to the north.
Advance Beyond Sens.
Southeast of Paris the Americans
thrust two more spearheads across
the Seine in the vicinity of Fon-
tainebleau. There was no further
news of an American armored
column which last was reported Is
miles beyond Sens, 65 miles south
east of Paris, in a drive aimed
toward the borders of Germany, $50
miles away
"a Berlin broadcast reporting
fighting in the "Yonne sector"
southeast of Paris. said today the
situation has yet to be clarified"
in the Romilly and Troyes areas,
indicating American spearheads
may have approached those
towns. Troyes is 35 miles east of
/ Sens and Rommilly is 30 miles
| northwest of Troyes.
Canadian and British armies drove
deep indentations into the western
trlnges of the trap to the north
west of Paris, although meet
ing some determined German re-
sistance, particularly east of cap
! tured LisieuX.
Supreme headquarters gave no re-
port on progress of the American
hridgehead which was thrown across
the Seine between Vernon and
Nantes northwest of Paris several
days ago.
CThe German high command
declared today German troops
had pushed American formations
back across the Seine at La
Roche -Guyon, miles northwest
of Nantes.
(The broadcast communiuue
declared American forces which
had crossed the Seine northeast
OF Fontainebleau, southeast of
Paris also had been pushed
back.)
Shift to Other Crossings.
Field dispatches said the Ger
mans, now denied ferry crossings in
the Rouen area, had shifted to
others, still more difficult, nearer
the Seine delta.
Inc German Air Force reacted
violently to the latest direct
American advances toward the
Reich, but Allied flyers shot down
81 of the enemys planes. Thirty
two fell to Spitflre squadron in
swirling dogfights over battlefields
of the last war northeast of Paris
The Allied flyers, led by Wing
Comdr. Johnson, a Canadian fight
er ace, lost four of their own planes,
The German high command,
however, gave no air support to its
trapped 7th and 18th Army forces
south of the lower Seine.
Night attacks by Raj Mosquitoes
raised the 24-hour bag of German
tanks, barges and vehicles DESTROYED
and damaged to around 1000.
The American advance to Elbeuf,
which captured Louviers en- route,
blocked the Germans from two of
their principal Seine crossing points
near Elbeuf. The main crossings
remaining were at Rouen. Duclair.
Caudebec and Quillebeuf. Mos
quitos last night bombed dozen
barges at Duclair, setting of heavy
explosions, an indication the Ger
(see FRANCE, Page A-3J
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