The Wilmington morning star., 1944-06-07

landings deep within the enemy's
Wanted defenses suffered Eek
tremely smalr' losses in the air,
headquarters announced, and sea-
borne losses were described as
very, very SMALL.
Nazi coastal defenses had been
cilenced until they offered only
sporadic fire and Allied air power
completely dominated the battle
area. Several of the toughest in
vasion hurdles had been success
fully cleared, but an Allied spokes-
man warned that many more re-
main" Huge Allied reinforcements
of men and armor were pouring
ashore tonight.
Guns Blown Apart
Fixed German guns along the
coast were literally blown apart
by a 10,000-ton aerial barrage in
the eight hours receding the land
ingS, and then formidable fleet
of American and British warships
including battleships with Is -
inch rifles stood close inshore and
destroyed enemy bunkers and
gun positions with point-blank fire.
Despite a command by Reichs-
marshal Hermann Goering that the
invasion must be beaten off even
if the Luftwaffe perishes," only so
German planes appeared in the
early hours of the attack. Allied
fighters ranged rs miles inland
without meeting opposition.
The German radio reported bit
ter fighting at haf-dozen points
in Normandy and claimed to have
identified two U. S. Air-borne di-
visions in the Cherbourg peninsula
and two British air-borne divisions
in the Seine area near lie Havre.
First to report that the invasion
was underway early today, the
Nazis specialized that the Norman
dy assault was diversionary in
nature and declared the invasion
troops were "going into an inferno
in comparison with which Dante's
hell was child's play" The enemy
broadcasters said German rein
forcements were being rushed to
meet the onslaught and that
counterattacks already had been
struck.
Churchill Issues Warning
Churchill, though his night report
to Commons was extremely opti-
mistic in the main, warned that
the days fighting gives no indi-
cation whatever of what may be
the course of the battle in the
next days anG weeks, because the
enemy will now probably endeavor
to concentrate on this area.
I'm that event, heavy fighting
will soon begin and will continue.
1t is theefore most serious time
that we are entering upon
In addition to the heavy counter
attacks expected to be launched
by German ground troop within
matter of days or even hours. it
also was anticipated that the Nazi
air force would pitch violently into
the battle soon. The Germans are
estimated to have probably 1,75O
fighters and 500 bombers available
for the defense of the west.
BY comparison, the great Allied
plane fleets which led the assault
before dawn today extended across
200 miles of sky and used navi-
cation lights to maintain formation.
Headquarters tonight praised troop
carrier of the Ninth air force for
having conducted Every large
SCALE airborne operations with
VERY small losses
1.-The sky was black with them as
they headed for France" said an
American fighter pilot. He said a
thick overcast up to 1000 feet
might have contributed to keeping
the German air force on the ground
other airmen told or seeing Allied
Ground troops hit the beaches and
literally run inland through the
shattered enemy defenses.
POSTPONED
PHILADELPHIA, June 6. -P)-