Evening star., 1944-06-23
Two Remuininq
Fortified Heights
Under Attack
MAP on Page A-3.)
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, June 23.-Lt. Gen
Omar N. Bradley's American
assault troops have stormed over
one of the three fortified peaks
dominating Cherbourg's military
harbor, supreme headquarters
announced today, and speedy
fall of the city is expected.
Describing Cherbourg's defenses
as fairly formidable" head
quarters announcement said pro
longed siege is unlikely" now.
Attacking with a storm of artil-
lery fire, and huge array of in
struments of destruction, the Ameri-
cans captured height at Tourla-
vile, four miles from the sea south
east of Cherbourg. The Germans
had been reduced to machineguns,
small arms and light artillery in
defending their pillboxes and pre-
pared defenses.
Americans and Germans were SO
closely interlocked in the grim
battle that Allied air forces were
unable to give the close battlefront
the support which marked the OPEN
ing of the all-out attack yesterday
Smash at Last Bastions.
British and American planes con-
centrated on hammering the battle
area. hitting rail and road COM
munications in a semicircle 100 miles
deep in France as the Americans
clamped a wise on Cherbourg and
smashed at the other two remaining
hilltop bastions.
These were at Nouainville, 21a
miles southwest OF the port and 8
miles from the coast, and at La
Mare Conards, 11a miles directly
to the south of the city.
Three German divisions, mixed
with German naval units and a
defense garrison, were believed
caught in the American clamp.
The Germans apparently had
withdrawn completely from the
eastern tip of the peninsula in order
to concentrate on defense of Cher
bourg.
May Have Evacuated Caen.
A Canadian Press correspondent
reported that the Germans may
have evacuated Caen. at the eastern
end of the Allied line in Normandy
and dispersed their forces outside
the city because Of the terrific
bombing to which the long-con-
tested town had been subjected.
There was no confirmation at su-
preme headquarters of a German
RADIO report that new Allied air.
borne landings had been made at
Gavray east of Granville on the
peninsula's west coast go miles be-
low Cherbourg.
The Germans were making a
desperate bid to hold the strategic
port as long as possible. Every
where fierce resistance was encoun-
tered, and a particularly vicious bat
tie was being fought for control OF
the big airfield at Maupertus, s
miles east of the city.
Gains in Other Sectors.
Inside the besieged port, the Ger
man garrison stood up stubbornly
under yesterdays 1.000-plane assault
on the forts and pillboxes compris-
ing the city's defense. American
ground troops had to fight for every
inch of their advance
Small gains were registered around
the port itself, but progress was
made on both the eastern and west
ern sides of the peninsula.
(The German high command
acknowledged today that the
Americans made slight gains yes
terday in the attack against
Cherbourg. The broadcast COM
nunique was recorded in London
by the Associated Press
Only slight German resistance was
reported by American troops which
cut off the eastern tip of the
peninsula by capturing the road
junction of st. Pierre Eglise and
then driving miles westward and
tSee INVASION, Page ABB