Evening star., 1944-06-30
Caen AirfieId
Is Menaced by
British Drive
Attacks on Odon
River Bridgeheods
Are RepuIsed
BULLETIN.

oASSPo ooAoJ oAu66Cu OuU d
considerable salient in the
German line between the
Odon and Orne Rivers" head
quarters announced tonight.
"Rommel is using fresh re-
serves previously not in COM
bat in Normandy" the su-
preme command said, but
the Germans are suffering
very heavy casualties in
counterattacks."
The situation was described
as altogether satisfactory"
BY the Associated Press.
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, June 3O.-Advance
elements of two British columns
driving around Caen in opposite
directions were within IL miles
of completely encircling the in
land French port today as the
Germans threw large armored
forces against the Odon River
bridgehead in unsuccessful flank
attacks.
From newly captured Marcelet,
Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's
troops struck due east toward Caen
in thrust which menaced one of
the city's main airf1elds. At last
reports Allied troops were only half
a mile from this field.
Thus far the Allies have taken
only one important airfield in the
bridgehead-that at Maupertus near
Cherbourg.
In the American sector to the west.
1t. Gen. Omar N. Bradley's troops
made a series of small attacks
southwark toward the important
road junction of st. Lo in An effort
to straighten their lines.
Beating Down Last Resistance.
The doughboys also were beating
down dwindling resistance on the
Cap de La Hague, at the northwest
ern tip of the Cherbourg Peninsula.
(Today's German communique
announced British break
through near Caen and Ameri-
can gains In the st. Lo area. The
Germans asserted most Allied
gains were liquidated in counter
attackS.)
Meanwhile, the Allied command
announced that Commodore viii
liam Sullivan, one of the foremost
salvage experts in the American
Navy, has been put to work to bring
,Cherbourg's docking facilities back
into operation. He worked at Pearl
Harbor, cleared Casablanca and
Oran harbors and was one OF the
directors Of the Naples operation.
In the drive to encircle Caen.
forward British elements fought In
the Esquay sector, southwest Of the
city, and in the Troarn area to the
east. Advances totaling ii miles
would effect junction.
Four Roads Under Fire.
-Four main roads leading to Caen
flow through this bottleneck, and it
was considered likely that all were
under some sort or artillery fire
from the Allied lines.
The Navy announced that the
British assault around Esquay on
the still-widening bridgehead across
the Odon River some S miles south
west OF Caen, was supported by the
big guns of the British battleship
Rodney, lying off the Allied beaches
to the north. The Rodney's gun;
have a range of $4,000 yards (near-
ly 10 miles,.
Marshal Erwin Rommel. who Is
now reported rushing strategic re-
serves to Normandy from both
Germany and France, tried to cut
on the British Odon salient with
one heavy and three smaller coun-
terattacks, but all were broken up.
Little fighting was reported di-
rectly north of Caen, where forward
elements stand about 2 miles from
the city's outskirts, but to the north
east British raiders attacked Bre-
vile, mile east of the Orne River
and miles south of it's mouth.
CT'he Paris radio declared in
a broadcast early today that
British and Canadian troops had
landed on the east bank of the
Orne Estuary and had captured
the port of Cabourg, 4 miles be-
yond, but there was no Allied
report of operations that far to
the eastward)
NaZis Use All Available Armor.
A British staff officer told Asso-
ciated Press War Correspondent
Roger D. Greene last night that
the Germans were throwing all
available armor into a flank attack
against the British surge across the
Odon
THE Germans are committing
every piece of armor they have In
this area trying to dent our lines,
but they definitely are not succeed
ing" Mr.. Greene quoted the officer
(see INVASION, Page A-3J