The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-07-08

Striking In the wake Of o 2,300s
ton aerial attack and one Of the
heaviest artillery barrages Of the
Normandy campaign, British ana
Canadian troops plunged into the
burning suburbs Of Caen on q broad
front and began a showdown battle
that may determine the length OF
the war in the west.
Ronald Clark, United Press War
Correspondent, reported from the
front at $3.50 a. m. (12:30 a. M
ewt) that fierce hand-to-hand fights
ing was raging at key points deep
inside the enemy's so-called Byron
line of fortified villages on the APP
proaches to Caen, the GermansJ
eastern anchor Athwart the Cher-
bourg- Paris highway and railroad.
U. s. Troops Confident
Progress was made in the first
stages Of the attack and a numberI
Of the enemy were wiped out" Clark
said. "Our troops are sure and
confident of the results"
Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery
unleashed his clirnactic offensive
against the strongest sector Of
the whole Normandy front, defended
by nearly seven crack enemy panzeEl
divisions-1, 400 tanks and $4,000 men
at full strength.
But Montgomery never makes 6
full-scale effort unless he believes
he has better than even chance,
of success, and he has had nearly
five weeks In which to build up his
forces.
More than $50 huge four enginedA
Halifax and Lancaster bombers ON
the Raj struck the first blow of the
long-expected offensive at dusk last
night when they roared over the
front lines in two waves and dropped
1890 or more tons of explosives on
German troops, guns and strong
points just north of Caen in half
hour parade Of destruction.
Flame and smoke still belche0
from Caen and its northern defens~
es early today as nlassed British are
tillery began q bombardment rernins
iscent of the mighty harrages thab
cleared the way for Montgomery's
breakthroughs at FL Alamein and
the Mareth line in Africa.
mo cannonading like that during
the first half-hour had been heard
on this front since the assault ON
the beaches D-Day", United Press
War Correspondent Samuel D. Hale9
reported from Normandy.
The barrage shifted to provide O
creeping curtain of protective shells.
bursting few hundred yards in ad-
vance as the infantry rose from
their trenches and prepared defense
es and moved toward the German
lines with Tommy Guns, bayonets
and grenades.
1t. Gen. Sir Miles C. Dempsey'a
End Army held positions two to four
miles east. north, west and south-
west Of Caen, but the disclosure thaS
the mighty Raj bomber force
struck principally north of the town
indicated the main weight Of the
attack also was concentrated there
Allies Cautious
British patrols thrust into the
dock area Of Caen yesterday and
found it empty Of Germans, bug
Allied authorities were cautious
about interpreting this Is > sign
that the enemy has decided to pull
out Of town without q Finish fighfs
Nevertheless, German broadcast9
belittling the importance OF Caerf
and contending that the Allies, IL
they capture the town, viii find
only ruins was taken as . sign thae
they will not make q costly or pro7
tracted defense before they fat
back to less exposed defenses.
The new offensive put the Allies
on the march along the entire lila
mile front in Normandy.
Americans on the central sectcFs
streaming across the Wire river - /,
the west bank above st. 10 on an
Overwhelming front pushed to With