The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-07-10

Continued from Page D announced at il a. m. 6 a. m, EWT today that British and Canadian Arnor and Infantry, thrusting down all roads leading into Caen from the north and west, forced the enemy out of the city and back to the line of the River Orne yesterday.
 Reports received indicate that the enemy has suffered heavy cas- ualties in this operation" the com- munique said.
 The liberation of Caen cleared away one of the strongest obsta- cles on the highway and railway from Cherbourg to Paris. 120 miles to the east, and gave the Allies @ first-class port which had a peace time capacity of 100000 tons of cargo a year. Caen, the largest city yet captured by the Allies in France, ha da peacetime population of 50.- 900, some 10000 more than Cher bourg.
 The British were expected mo- mentarily to link up with Canadian Forces which drove two bridge heads across the Odon near its con- fluence with the Orne short dist ance wrom the outskirts of Caen last night, thus trapping a German force still holding out on the north bank between them.
 The new British offensive, along with the Canadian thrusts across the Odon, also outflanked German troops defending the industrial sub- urbs of Caen on the south bank of the Orne, which turns sharply south after flowing east-west through Caen itself.
 Front Dispatches disclosed that General Sir Bernard L. Montgom- ery's tanks and infantry, supported by warships and rocket firing planes had cleared a six-mile stretch of the north bank of the Orne in Caen and on either side os the city.
 A headquarters spokesman said the final stages of the British ad- vance into Caen yesterday were so rapid that the Germans were not believed to have had time to destroy all the bridges across the Orne.
 The British first pushed across the Odon river some i've miles south west of Caen nearly two weeks ago and so developed their threat to the Orne river that the Germans conn- mitted a major portion of their armor there.
 The line swayed back and forth during fierce German counter-at tacks, but the British held firmly to their bridgehead and paved the way for the offensive launched today from its southeastern corner.
 Caen was little more than a crumbling mass of ruins when 1t fell into British hands yesterday, but its port installations and the Orne canal leading seven miles northward to the sea were believed largely in- tact.
 American bulldozers cleared away the rubble of masonry, bricks, glass and wood to permit tanks to enter the city. Snipers were found in al- most every building, but they quick ly were being routed out.
 Front dispatches said British and Canadian forces last night were lHoppipg up the last enemy snipers and isolated pockets of resistance il and north of caep, 4 sizeable force was enciFcled firmly in three small villages north Of Caen,
 South of the 0Fpe, German aFtil' lery and moFtaFs kept up Q steady rain of fire from the suburbs Of Faub0Fg De Vaucelles in an ap- parent effort to delay an Allied ads vance across the river, The enemy was believed holding the south bank in some strength and fierce Tesiats anee was anticipated.
 Once well across the 0FDe, h0Ws ever, Allied RFln0r ean fan out across rolling country without . natuFRl defense obstacle for % miles, Any German attempt te make Q stand short Of . ridge Funs ming northwest from Falalse, % miles southeast Of caen, to the caus mont RFaa was expected ie touch of' an aFHl0Eea battle that may dotaFs Mllle the length of enemy rasials sllee ln western France,