Evening star., 1944-06-18

of the Cherbourg Peninsula,
cutting off the port of Cher
bourg.
U. S. CASUALTIES IN FRANCE,
3,238 dead, 12.6oo wounded.
Page AS.
BY the Associated Press
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, Sunday, June 18.-
The American 9th Division,
which shattered the Germans at
Bizerte in Tunisia, teamed up
yesterday with he 82d Airborne
Division in a powerful break
through of German lines which
put the Americans on high
ground only 4 miles from the
west coast and virtually cut in
two the Cherbourg Peninsula.
Thousands of German troops were
on the verge of being trapped inside
Cherbourg port, 18 miles north of
the corridor driven west of cap
tured st. Sauveur, according to a
front dispatch from Don White
head, Associated Press correspond
ent. The west coast road was under
American artillery bombardment.
1t. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, ground
commander who led the Americans
to their triumph of Bizerte in May,
1943, was directing the swift break
through which had rolled to within
a mile of st. Lo-D 'Ourville on the
west coast road-last possible Ger
man escape route out of Cherbourg.
Fighting Inside Montebourg.
Some front dispatches said the
Germans were fleeing southwark to
escape the American trap, but Gen.
Bradley earlier had predicted q last
ditch German stand In Cherbourg,
whose harbor is vital to the Allies
In order to hasten supplies and re-
Inducements. German broadcasts
last night. however, began minimiz-
ing Cherbourg's importance. which
could mean Nazi resignation to its
eventual isolation and capture.
Civilian refugees said the Germans
already were forcing civilians to
evaeuate the city.
American troops were fighting
fierce fand-to-hand battles in the
streets of Montebourg, IA miles
southeast of Cherbougr.
The Whitehead dispatch disclosed
the presence of the 9Th Division in
action for the first time in Nor
mandy. The 9th was the division
which took Port Lyautey in the
French Morocco landing in Novem-
Der, 1942, fought at Ell Guettar in
Southern Tunisia, and participated
in the final encirclement of scores
of thousands of Germans and Ital-
ians on Cap Bon.
Originally composed of men large
ly from New York and Pennsyl-
vania with artillery from the New
England States. requirements have
made it an all-American division
with men from every State and the
District of Columbia.
North of st. Sauveur, Mr.. White
head said, the Yanks infantry men
broke across the Douve River. They
rode on tanks and fired machine
guns as the armored units plunged
through shallow waters in the his
toric drive to seal off Cherbourg.
Retreat Lines Strafed.
American airmen were strafing
the German lines of retreat out of
the area.
One front-line correspondent said
an American column rolled through
st. Jacoues-De Nehou, miles
northwest of st. Sauveur and z
miles from the west coast, in a swift
exploitation of German disorgani-
zation.
The two American divisions had
heavy support from artillerymen.
Mr. Whitehead said their fire al
ready had effectively cut the west
coast road.
The headquarters communique
issued just before midnight merely
announced that Allied forces have
pushed deeper into Normandy" in
gains which swept through st. Sau-
veur and reached the Vire-Et- -Taute
Canal south of Isigny. Villages east
and west of Tilly-Surseulles on the
British end of the front also were
captured, 1t said.
Gen. Bradley said there were no