Evening star., 1944-06-24
~ the Associated Press.

BY the Associated rfess.
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, June 24.-American
doughboys smashing yard by
yard deep into the powerful
outer shell of the Cherbourg
Line drove this morning within
1000 yards of the port on the
south, and enemy defenses
showed signs ef crnmbling," q
field dispatch declared.
An American spearhead puncturee
the stubborn, interlaced Nazi pill.
box defenses southeast of Octeville
the fortress just southwest of Cher
bourg, after a pulverizing air anc
artillery bombardment, Associated
Press Correspondent Don Whitehead
said in q dispatch written early
today.
Headquarters said the Doughboys
fought forward slowly and had al
but reached the sea on both sides Of
the besieged port in d-to-hand
struggle with Germans resisting
fanatically. The assault troops are
battling within sight of the docks,
supreme headquarters said.
1900 Prisoners Captured.
MIR. Whitehead wrote that 1,20O
prisoners have been taken in the
last "a hours, and that the Cher
bourg Line had become a death
trap" for hundreds of NaZis who
refused an Allied ultimatum to sur
render and were forced to fight by
German officers holding guns at
their backs.
In bitter battle, the Americans
have blasted wedge deep into the
German line, and "Cherbourg is
doomed as an enemy stronghold,
he added.
On the eastern wing of the Nor
mandy beachhead, Gen. Sir Bernard
L. Montgomery lashed out in a
swift attack yesterday at the outer
perimeter of Caen's defenses, and
20 Nazi tanks were wrecked in day.
long battle. British troops captured
Ste. Honorine la Chardonnerette,
miles northeast of Caen, and the
Germans fell back to Cuverville, q
mile to the southeast Gen. Mont
gomery struck after a powerful
huildup of his forces.
Naxis Move Up Fresh Troops.
A field dispatch from this British
sector declared the German COM
mand was moving up reinforcements
from deep within France, and ever
drawing on strategic reserves ir
Germany itself Ito replace forces
thrown into the beachhead area
Clear, calm weather sped the flow
of power into Germany today from
hundreds of landing craft, and sky
trains of Allied bombers roared over
France
Cherbourg's elaborate defenses
buckled under the massive artillery
aid air bombardment, and so close
were the doughboys to the Germans
in the desperate struggle that 1t
Gen. Omar N. Bradley pulled his
men back while the bombers came
in to soften up the enemy pillboxes
and trenches.
A field dispatch said one American
breakthrough in the Cherbourl
drive was made between Mont dl
Roc and Octeville. Fortified Mon
du Roc is 21a miles southwest o.
Cherbourg's city limits near Nouain
vile, where rises one of the thre,
peaks dominating the port. Octe
vile is 2 miles east of Nouainville.
Another Peak Captured.
Before this breakthrough othe
American forces captured by storm
a fortified high point at Tourlaville
mile east of Cherbourg, anothe
Of the peaks.
Presumably these two break
throughs were being exploited il
bitter fighting because the suprem,
commands communique No. 8
noted this morning that we ar,
making steady progress and nov
are within short distance of tn,
north coast on both sides of tn,
fortress"
Berlin radio this morning said
after several hours of heavy
fighting the Americans had
broken into the outer defense
zone in the south and southeast,
but asserted they were stopped
there. 1t declared no less than
eight infantry and two tank divi-
sions" had been thrown into the
assault.
(Today's German communioue
acknowledged that Americans
had captured a number of strong
points and made further progress
toward Cherbourg. Local attacks
were repulsed elsewhere in Nor
(See INVASION, Page ABB