The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-06-07
Rommel, Two Armies
Race To Beachhead
Continued from Page u

Seventh and 18th armies command
ed by Rommel were speeding pan1er
and infantry divisions toward the
Normandy beachheads.
Another dispatch by FARRELL writ
ten yesterday morning said 1t. Gen,
Omar N. Bradley, commanding the
American First Army, was aboard
the Augusta, and had admitted that
the heavy surf and other difficulties
made the operations hazardous.
Americans In one sector were hav-
ing the toughest sort of opposition
in battling with the Nazis from
the landing craft and on the
beaches" FARRELL said
Tanks Land Early
The Americans were able to land
tanks early, which was of the great
est help, he said.
Air borne troops landed behind
one area with specific orders to
hold causeways and block the move
ment of reinforcements, the dis
patch from the Augusta reported.
THE Allies this morning made a
fresh attack in daylight across the
Straits of Dover in the Pas De
Calais region to land troops on
the coast from amphibious craft"
newspapers quoted the German
radio. German naval long range
guns shelled the enemy ships. The
result of the fire could not he OBJ
served as the enemy put up a smoke
screen"
A later broadcast by the German
Transocean News Agency said that
second daylight invasion at
tempt in the Pas De Calais area
this morning was attacked by Ger
man long-range artillery"
Another Transocean report said
Caen described by the NaZis as the
main base of an Allied beachhead
on the Norman coast, was ablaze
last night, the flames being visible
for many kilometers. Other places
in the area also were on fire, the
agency said
The DNB Agency reported brisk
fighting at St. Mere Eglise, at the
southeastern base of the Cherbourg
peninsula. involving the American
82nd and l0lst air-borne divisions
Five waves of troop carriers de-
livered reinforcements to the French
beachheads during the night, and
another today. Twelve gliders and
IL CAT transport planes were miss
ing in the day and night operations
American, British and Canadian
assault forces firmly held pockets
of undisclosed size and location
along a 60-mile stretch Of the north
west coast VI France between Cher
bourg and the Seine. and were tight
ening their grip on them and eX-
banding them in heavy fighting.
A spokesman at Gen. Dwight D
Eisenhower's headquarters said the
fighting was very heavy in some
sectors of the Normandy invasion
zone. and Berlin claimed that Ger
man reserves had massed around
the Allied lines during the night
and now were attacking with ter
rife ferocity."
Communique No. of Allied SUI
preme headquarters announced thai
satisfactory progress has beer
made" and reinforcements were
moving steadily into the first Allied
pockets carved out of the Nazi At
lantic wall. which was penetrated
in the first few hours of the in
vasion.
Three waves OF United States
Ninth Air force gliders towed by c.
AZ cargo planes scared away In
50-mile train last night and deliver
ed thousands of men to the Cher
bourg Peninsula of Normandy.
Two more such waves followed II
the wake of the mighty aerial pro
cession. Landing at positions desig
mated in advance. the gliders botf
fed men and supplies into con
solidated positions and seized new
footholds on the peninsula.
Germans In Doubt
For good reasons the Allies wer'
not telling anyone much about thu
invasion. If they did it would be
Godsend to the German high com
mand. which still does not know
wether more landings are cominl
land II so whether they will over