The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-06-08

air and sea at the crucial time wher
the Germans were known to bt
massing reserves for an attempt tx
drive the invaders back into thu
sea.
The Allies already have thrown
back one German counter-attacF
on the approaches to Caen, min:
miles inland and % miles southwes'
of lie Harvre. and General Dwight
D. Eisenhower reported in his fifth
communique of the invasion at II
a. m. Is a. m, EWT) today:
Progress continues despite de-
termined enemy resistance fierce
armored and infantry fighting has
taken place"
Eisenhower also disclosed thai
sea-borne infantry and tanks driv'
ing inland from beaches along 9
front of 60 or more miles have made
contact with paratroops and glider
borne forces landed behind the
enemy's defenses, presumably In the
Caen and other areas.
The fall of Bayeux, town Of T..
1885 population five miles from the
Normandy north coast and about
half way between Cherbourg and Lie
Havre, to a British Empire force
yesterday split the enemys coasta
forces and cut his main highway
and railroad from Cherbourg tc
Paris.
The invaders also stormed across
the Bayeux-Caen road at a point
to the southeast and at last reports
were tanning out along roads to the
southwest toward st. Lo and Govt
ances and northwest toward Cher
bourg.
A spokesman for Eisenhower said
the capture Of Bayeux "opens up an
advance in many directions" He
called the town a focal point for
highway and railway communica-
lions.
If the German report of Allied
paratroop landings in the count
ances area of the west coast, sc
miles southwest Of Bayeux, proves
true, all of Germany's communica-
tons with Cherbourg would be
threatened and the enemy would be
obliged to evacuate the area.
Cherbourg is one Of the two prin-
cipal ports of Paris and has one OF
the best harbors in France.
A front dispatch from Richard D.
Mcmillan, United Press War Cor
respondent, said he entered BayeuX
with Allied Forces at noon yester-
day Crowds went wild, he said, and
waved French Tri-Colors and Brit
ish Union Jacks.
God Save the Kingl" the well
coming villagers cried. ION the
Paris! Vive Tommy! Vive Amer
ique!"
A front dispatch from the Caen
front said forward troops of an
other empire column had reached
the outskirts of Caen and joined up
with a Canadian force for an as
sault on the town, nine miles in
land and another commullica-
tons center.
1t was on the approaches to Caen
that a counter-attack by German
panzerS and infantry was smashed
yesterday. German planes also were
active in this area. blasting and
strafing the Allied troops.
German broadcastS reported new
Allied paratroop and glider land
ings east and south of Caen, some
as far in the interior as Argentan
80 miles below Caen. One hundred
freight gliders were sighted near
Falaise, 10 miles northwest of Ar
gentan, one broadcast said.
Colin Wills, correspondent with a
British column in France, said Brit
ish paratroopS had seized bridge
heads across canal and river
against superior forces and held
them for Sea-borne forces, though
at high" cost.
German br0adcasts indicated the
British had secured beachheads
along a stretch of the coast start
ing well east of the mouth of the
Orne river to a point northwest oil
Bayeux, while American air and
sea-borne forces were fighting Their
cay inland only dozen or so miles
from Cherbourg and southeast
along the coast almost to Isigny, 81
miles below Cherbourg and Is miles
west of Bayeux.
Gen. Kurt Dittmar, German mil
itary commentator, said the Allies
were fighting on a broad front Of
14O miles, but radio Berlin reported
that Montgomery SO far had hurled
into battle only eight to II division.
possibly 10000 men-of the 80.
odd divisions at his disposal.
Berlin said the American unit
already in action included tanl
division ana the 82nd and 10lst air.
borne divisions. American air-bornt
troops were resisting stubbornl,
between Carentan, six miles west
OF Isigny, and st. Pierre Eglise, 2:
miles to the northwest and IL mile!
east OF Cherbourg. DNB said.
House-to-house fighting was sale
to be raging in st. Mere Eglise
seven miles above Carentan.
Both German. and Allied &C.
counts indicated that the Allies hac
won the first round by establishing
themselves securely on the Nor.
mandy coast, but both sides agreed
that the decisive battle had not vel
been Joined.
Reinforcing
German Marshal Erwin Romme
was reported rushing reinforcement
from his two armies into the threat
ened area for an attempt to save
Cherbourg. and the Allies obviously
were building up their strength