Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-10
.Armor Pushes
Inside 50.Mi|e
Defense Zone
Nozis Apparently
Abandon Stand Just
Beyond lie Mans
MAP on Page AID


By the Associated Press
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, Aug. 10.-American
armor was believed to be driving
into the last 50-mile zone of de-
tense for Paris today, and the
Germans, confronted by a pow
erful 175-mile British Canadian
American arc, called the fight a
battle for Paris"
The Nazis had abandoned with
out serious fight the key city of LIE
Mans. ITO miles from the French
capital. apparently giving up all idea
Of a stand along the Alencon-Le
Mans-Tours line, and their next
comparable system of lateral COM
munlcations ran from Orleans
northward through Chartres-ap-
proximately so miles from Paris.
Supreme headquarters wrapped
in official mystery the actual where
abouts of the American spearheads
which last were reported by the
Germans to be probing points 81
miles from Paris, but one qualified
observer declared, You can be
pretty sure they are not just camp
ing outside LIE Mans"
Nazis Rush in Troops.
At the northern end of the arc,
however, the Germans were rushing
troops southwark across the Seine,
and had succeeded in erecting a
new, but makeshift, antitank screen
around the Canadian wedge driven
l6 miles south of Caen to within 5
miles of Falaise.
The Canadian LIST Army was find
ing the going harder, but it lunged
out to the east toward Vimont and
the road TO Paris, where Gen. Sir
Bernard L. Montgomery's original
push stalled three weeks ago.
(CBS said there were uncon-
firmed reports that American
troops had driven so miles be-
yond LIE Mans-to a point so
! miles from Paris-and another
unofhcial and unconflrmed report
that the Americans were only 40
miles from the French capital.
american tank spearheads
which passed through LIE Mans
have been stopped at Monfort,"
10 miles east of LIE Mans, the
German radio commentator, Alex
Schmalfuss, reported. Previous
German broadcastS put American
forces 81 miles from Paris.
about 10 divisions of the fully
mechanical American Sd Army"
are operating in the coastal area
OF Brittany, Schmalfuss said)
Yanks Reach Nantes.
Behind the moving battleIine,
American infantry and armor,
speeding the one-by-one reduction
OF Brlttany's strategic ports, broke
into Nantes, according to unofficial
reports. Today's official announce
ments only mentioned the reaching
of that city, 80 miles up the Loire
River
! Both Anglers, a city 80 miles up
the Loire and just north of that
river and Lorient. U-boat base on
the south coast of Brittany, were
surrounded by American forces.
/ st. Malo, famous resort and fish
ing village, was captured, although
today's communique said few Ger
mains remained to be dealt with.
Brest, French naval base at the
western tip of Brittany and most
important prize in the peninsula,
was under heavy attack by Amer
leans fighting the remnants of three
Nazi divisions who had refused to
surrender.
Desperate Evacuation Attempts.
The Germans apparently were
making desperate and seemingly
foolharoy attempts to evacuate both
Brest and Lorient, as unofficial re-
ports said German ships had risked
Allied air power to enter the harbors.
East OF Avranches the Germans
persisted in counterattacks, attempt
ing to cut Allied forces into two
segments.
The Allied communique said the
enemy again had recaptured Nor
tain and heavy fighting has been
gong on north and west of the
town.. A German counterattack at
Gathemo to the northwest was
checked.
lhere was not much active re-
slstance to 1t. Gen. Omar N. Brad
leys columns at Nantes, eighth
largest French city with a popula-
ton of $4,000, but the Germans
mad planted many minefields.
(The British radio said in a
broadcast recorded by NBC that
(See FRANCE, Page A-l4J