Evening star., 1944-06-08
Headquarters
Says FoothoId .
Is Now Secure
MAP on Page A-6.)
BY IVES GALLAGHER,
Associated Press War Correspondent,


SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, June 8.-Allied in
vasion troops, constantly rein
forced by air and sea, struck
south of fallen Bayeux in fierce
fighting today, striving to chop
off the Cherbourg Peninsula, and
Berlin reported a pincers threat
to seize the tip of the jutting
coast and its strategic port OF
Cherbourg.
Capture of Bayeux cut the rail-
way between Paris and Cherbourg,
Is miles to the northwest, and
opened the way for thrust deeper
inland.
The first phase of the invasion
that of securing a foothold in Nor
mandy and defeating local Nazi re-
serves-has been accomplished, Al
lied headquarters declared.
The invasion now is entering the
second phase of defeating tactical
reserves. The third critical phase
which must be won before the Allies
are secure is that of defeating "stra-
tegic reserves"-the enemy's mobile
tank armies.
To the west of Bayeux the Ger
mans pictured Allied forces already
within 20 miles of junction which
would choke off Cherbourg itself.
Berlin declared house-to-house
fighting ragged in ste. Mere-Eglise,
90 miles southeast of the port, and
said parachutists had landed on the
west coast only score of miles
southwest of Ste. Mere-Eglise.
There was no Allied confirmation
of west coast landings or fighting
at ste. Mere-Eglise, on one of the
two main roads to Cherbourg.
Heavy Battles Flare.
Heavy battles, with tanks and re-
serves sped up by both sides, fiared
over the peninsula. Allied beach
head troops are linking up with air.
borne forces dropped deeper inland.
headquarters said, and improvement
in adverse weather aided reinforce
ments from glider sky trains.
Field reports declared British
Canadian troops had captured a
number of French towns and vii
lagos, advancing on open roads to
points some miles from the coast.
Infantrymen rode up to battle on
bicycles and tanks to speed the ad-
vance.
A Berlin broadcast said British
troops pushed through Bayeux ear
fy today and are advancing south
west toward the Wire River, which
cuts across the peninsula.
Allied headquarters described the
capture of Bayeux, miles inland
from the Central Normandy coast
and first French city to fall to the
invaders, as very important news
because it opens up avenues for a
new advance deeper into France.
Progress continues despite deter
mined enemy resistance" said this
mornings communique. Fierce ar
mored and infantry fighting has
taken place"
Nazis Report Allied Attack.
A broadcast by the German high
command said the Allies had
launched an attack to the southwest
from their bridgehead between Bay
eux and Caen and that heavy fight
ing was in progress, with the Ger
mans throwing reserves into coun-
terattacks.
The Nazi eommunique declared
the German counterattacks on the
flanks of the beachhead were max
ing progress, however.
1t said the Allies had been COM
pressed into a narrow space east
of the Orne, on the eastern flank,
and pushed away from the coast"
To the west, Americans who had
gained a foothold north of Carentan,
slightly over 20 miles south of Cher
bourg, were declared to have suf-
fered "heavy casualties"
The Allies were trying to rein
force their bridgeheads, but had at
tempted to establish no new ones
except at the Bay of st. Martin at
Sec INVASION pace 49,