Evening star., 1944-07-18

ooA 1NENC AAAAcD l1EAO-
QUAR- TIERS R'. British
troops crossed the Orne River
today in a major break
through of the German line
at Caen.
1y the Associated Press.
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, July 18.-Smashing
through suddenly crumpled Nazi
defenses, American troops to-
night won firm control of St. Lo,
middle link of the German line
in France.
The enemy had been forced into
withdrawal up to miles deep along
the eastern two-thirds of the 48-mile
American front.
The Germans pulled back abruptly
and the doughboys charged into the
prize bastion-from which roads
radiate thorugh Normandy like
spokes from wheel-against light
opposition.
The last German has been driven
out Of the town. a staff officer at
1t. Gen. Omar N. Bradley's Ameri-
can 1st Army headquarters an
nounced.
American breakthrough on the
eighth day of the siege of St. Lo
followed fierce German counterat-
tacks which had forced the dough-
boys to pull back to positions just
outside the eastern suburb of Ste.
Croi.
Ste. Croix Captured.
Ste. Croix was captured in the
new advance on St. Lo. supreme
headquarters announced tonight.
Other doughboys pounded to
within 200 yards of the road lead
ing westward to Periers, raking it
with artillery fire and closely en-
veloping st. Lo. >-
The counterbiows which forced
the earlier American pullback were
the dying gasps Of the Germans.
Associated Press Correspondent Don
Whitehead said, and even as
they were made the Nazi defenders
were being pulled back Some units
were cut of and did not know of
the order to withdraw.
One American column opened an
assault at 8 am. today from north
east of the town and met scarcely
any opposition before it penetrated
into the outskirts
Earlier dispatches said the Ameri-
cans we're forcing the Germans to
send their gasoline-famished We
hicles over long detours to bring up
food and ammunition to their
troops
Wire River Locks Closed.
United States Army engineers
closed the Wire River locks. back
ing water up over all the German
escape roads from ST. Lo except one.
This turned the tables on the Ger
mans. who earlier in the campaign
had inundated the Wire River VAL
ley and held up the Americans
around Carentan.
Supreme headquarters declared
the Allies had gained important and
commanding ground at points all
along the front, including advances
in the area of Lessay, western en-
emy anchor in Normandy.
There were no late reports. how
ever, on specific progress at Lessay
which previously had been reported
ready to fall to the Americans. It's
capture would require the Germans
to fall back at least IL miles to
CountanceS.
On the Allied right flank of the
Normandy front British troops
pushed forward again today,
strengthening the hold on their
broadened Odon salient southwest
of Caen, and front reports said the
Germans had halted their counter
iabs seeking weak spot in the
British defenses.
Evrecy Is Abandoned.
The British, striking out in sew
eral directions. showed forward
down the road to Villers- -Bocage
and bypassed Evrecy, which the
supreme command said had been
abandoned by both sides because it
Is in low territory.
Berlin broadcasts declared the
British attack had spread east of
the Orne River near Caen. sup
ported by intense artillery fire
and air bombardmentD
The British pushed forward once
more at dawn after a night in which
(See INVASION, Page A-3D