Evening star., 1944-06-27
Germun Forces
Lose 70, 900 Dead,
Wounded, Captured
MAP on Page Az
By the Associated Press.


SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS; June 27.-Ameri-
can troops completed conquest
of Cherbourg today, while a
powerful British offensive swept
up three more towns and drove
to within miles of the Eastern
Normandy bastion Of Caen.
In the battle TOR Cherbourg "the
enemy has lost the greater part OF
four infantry divisions, numerous
naval and marine units and line OF
communication troops" supreme
headquarters declared.
The Germans have lost mot less
than 10000" men in killed, wounded
and captured in France since D-day,
headquarters estimated unofficially
today.
The 10th Division from Pennsyl-
vania, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ira
Wyche, the 4th Division and the 9th
Division comprised the 7th Corps
which captured Cherbourg.
The British assault in the Tilly
area was described as a major at
tack" on front to z miles wide,
and fighting yesterday was very
fierce" headquarters said.
It was estimated that $4,000 Ger
mans have been captured since the
invasion began.
Prisoners Piling In.
A front-line dispatch said thou
sands of German prisoners are
streaming into American prison
cages today and a huge amount of
enemy equipment has fallen into
doughboy hands-with no one yet
having time to assess the great
stores of ammunition and supplies
captured in Cherbourg.
The doughboys went in today to
clear out the last stubborn defenses
in the arsenal area on the western
side of the city and to mop up iso-
lated resistance around Hardinvast,
4 miles south of the city.
One of the most stubborn knots
of resistance finally broke this
morning when a German artillery
colonel radioed to the Americans he
wished to surrender. He was taken
prisoner along with 300 others.
About 5000 prisoners surrendered
yesterday.
"a Berlin broadcast heard in
New York by CHS said today
that "a second American Army
corps, the 9th, has lanoed on the
Cotentin (Cherbourg) Peninsula
and taken over the southern
sector" There was no amplifi-
cation)
Advance on Main Road.
Field dispatches which told OF
Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's
offensive, said his forward elements
were less than miles due west OF
Caen, and within mile of the main
road running southwest from Caen
across the base of the Normandy
Peninsula.
The three additional towns cap
tured were La Gaulle, Cheux and St
Manvieu, in q stretch running about
s miles east of Tiliy.
Warship guns supported this push,
battling against the most violent
kind of opposition in the sector
where the German command had
concentrated four armored divisions
Supreme headquarters declared
"the fall of Cherbourg ends the sec
ond phase in the campaign of lib
notwithstanding the immediate
German tactical reserves and OBJ
tanning a harbor for larger oper-
ations.
There were indications that Gen
Montgomery already had begun the
third phase, that of engaging the
full strength of the German Army
and defeating its strategic reserves.
Five Days of Furious Fighting.
Today's Allied communique was
Issued about four hours after
supreme headquarters had given the
first official word of the capture of
Cherbourg with the terse announce
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. fallen"
A short time later came this spe-
clal communique:
"Cherbourg was liberated by Allied
troops last night"
Thus after five days of furious
fighting 1t. Gen. Omar N. Bradley's
forces had won for the Allies
Frances third most important port.
Although the last resistance in
the battered port ended last night
several pockets of Germans still were
holding out today in the peninsula
itself.
Nazis Hold Airfield.
One of these held Maupertus air
field S miles east of the port, while
the main remaining German force
was bottled up in Cap de la Hague
at the northwest tip Of the peninsula
where Gen. Bradley's men can deal
with them at will.
Berlin radio declared today
the arsenal and harbor of Cher
bourg continue to be stubborn
ly held by the Germans" but ad-
mitted Nazi troops within the
town were beaten after the heav-
lest struggle by masses of at
tackers.")
The British in the east were ad-
vancing under heavy cloud cover
which robbed them of the benefits
OF Allied air superiority and in the
lace of stubborn resistance.
The attack was typical of Gen.
Montgomery's famous assaults. Ar
tluery was packed along the front,
eight yards from wheel to wheel
and the thunderous barrage was
the greatest laid down on a single
sector since the original landings
Added to the land artillery was
the terrific explosions of naval
shells hurled more than 10 miles
inland from Allied warships stand
ing offshore.
All of the Caen area is within
range of these ships and Gen
tsee INVASION, Page A-2J