The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-06-12
Soviiets Crack
Mannerheirn
Line
(By the AssociA.ed Press)

(by the ASBoclA ed PTeBsD
The German line on the Cher.
bourg Peninsula was cracking
open today before a mighty sus.
tanned American onslaught which
the enemy said had overrun ths
key communications center OF
Carentan.
Embattled Caen appeared virtua.
ly surrounded and perhaps by.
passed as the Germans reported
fresh air troops landed south os
the city to join the great. continn.
ing tank battle between there aud
Bayeaux. The Nazia estimated rs
Allied divisions were In France,
maximum OF $4,000 men. The
priced port OF Cherbourg tottered;
II was in range Of guns on land
IL miles away and naval rifles.
Enemy lines also we're rolling
up In southeast Finland and north.
central Italy. Throughout France.
the Partlsans were stirring violent.
ly and clutching at hated enemy
threats and rail lines Berlin was
bombed for the third time In three
nights by the Raj.
In a swift. dlyersionary offensivs
10 knock Finland and her 20 dlvi.
slons out OF the war and Isolate
100000 German troops in tho
north, the Russians cracked
through most OF the Mannerheim
line on 25-mile front In gains up
TO 20 miles. Terljoh was one OF
So towns captured. II lies 100
miles east OF the Finnish capital.
Helsinki. The drive from SCARED
Leningrad carried gix miles across
the 1898 front. But the main RUS
Sian blow Is still to come-prob-
ably across southern Poland.
suffer Catastrophe
The Fifth Army raced IS miles
up the Italian west coast. occupied
Montefiascone and approached
Orbetello. about 80 miles below
Florence and Pisa where the shat
tered Germans might try a stand.
The advance was general across
10 the Adriatic. A headquarters
announcement said 1T Is now clear
that the original lith army OF Won
Mackensen has been dispersed to-
had suffered a catastrophe. Ayez-
zano and Pescara were ours.
Throughout Normandy. tho Is.
mile Allied front was pushing in
land, slowly In the Caen TO BayeuG
area. more rapidlJ on the east side
OF the Cherbourg peninsula where
the Americans reached points half
way across. Gen. Montgomery
threw strong tank columns on
both sides OF rayaged Caen anu
German defenses swayed South
west OF Bayeux. other Americans
approached 81. To, the most i'm
portant communications center In
the base OF the Cherbourg PENN.
sula below Carentan. through de-
Cerisy forest.
New Landings
The Immediate threat to the ma
Jor port OF Cherbourg was increas-
ed by new seaborne landings due
east at st. Vast, the Germans
said. Other enemy reports said
that the Allies had landed near
Troarn, nine miles east OF Caen and
that pressure had increased from
Caen TO the bay OF the Seine. Ber-
lin asserted another invasion Is
imminent: sixty Allied divisions
are waiting In the British Isles to
take another leap across the water
to land on q different spot in
Europe"
Gen. Eisenhower's supreme head
quarters declared the Normandy
front now was firm and secure and
that the Germans never could
break the Allied hold in France.
Some. 500 or so square miles OF
France we're liberated; the area
OF the tortured republic Is 2l2,G59
square miles.
As the first week OF the invasion
was rounding out, blue skies and
CLASSY sea gave the Allies their
best weather since D-Day. Some
1000 planes flew against the Zoe
Sunday before weather interviewed,
but the play OF predominant Allied
air power was resumed last night
and today.