Evening star., 1944-07-28

american drmOreQ columns
captured TesSy-Sur-Vire and
reached the outskirts of Cou-
tances late today as the pris-
oner bag for the four-day
offensive went over 1000.
By the Associated Press.
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, July 28.-Lt. Gen.
Omar N. Bradleys forces ad-
vanced to within 2 miles of
Coutances in Normandy, and
field dispatches predicted the
early fall of that city, a choke
point for Germans attempting
to escape from the LesSay and
Periers areas.
The Germans were offering slight
resistance to the advance.
The American tank breakthrough
had plunged spearheads more than
II miles deep into the heart of
enemy defenses and nlushroomed
into front II miles broad behind
the enemy flanks, threatening en-
trapment of most of the German
forces in the western half of the
Normandy front.
American flyers supporting the
breakthrough said the Germans fall
ing back through the Coutances
bottleneck were in greater disorder
than during Marshal Erwin Rom
mels debacle in North Africa.
London newspapers declared
10000 to $4,000 Germans were
threatened with being caught in
the pocket against the seacoast.
GA dispatch from the front,
however, said there were indica-
tions that many of the German
84th Army Corps slipped out of
the Coutances trap last night in
a wild night of fighting.
(The dispatch reported that
prisoners from six different Nazi
divisions have been counted at
one advance command post in
l5-minutes periodJ
While the Americans rapidly eX-
panded their Normandy line. Gen.
Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's British
and Canadian forces broke up one
small German counterattack after
another south of Caen The British
and Canadian positions remain
firm" the communique declared.
Headquarters said six German ar
mored divisions were opposing the
forces below Caen
Three armOred divisions are on
the American front, headquarters
said.
With giant strides Gen. Bradley's
six steaming spearheads appeared
to have precipitated a broad Ger
man withdrawal.
Yanks II Miles Below st. Lo.
One spearhead stabbed to Notre
Dame de Gently on its left, taking
that town II miles southwest of st.
Lo and about the same distance
from the jumpoff point in the
offensive.
Here the Americans were 9 miles
southeast of Coutances, while other
columns of the same movement
spread along an 8-mile front were
pointed at the city itself. The near
est was within gunfire of the only
bridge affordlng escape at Cou-
tances for the Germans.
Others pushed 10 Ledeshaves. 6
miles south o. Marigny .nd to the
Soulles Woods, 81 miles south of
Canisy.
Two other speaIheads closed in
from the north from captured Les
say and Periers
The Germans possibly were PLAN
ming to make stand behind the
steep-bluffed Soulle ard Sienne
Rivers which run inland through
Coutances, BIZ. already such a line
was threatened by three other
spearheads showing deep into Ger
man territory from the west and
east of ST. Lo.
Jmperils Tessy- sur Wire.
Driving down the highway from
Normandy toward Brittany. one
column had reached a point within
Ia miles of Tessy-sur-Vire, 10
miles south of st. Lo.
Another column was tanning out
to the west. These twin spear
heads southwest of st. 10 were
aimed at Avranches, 80 miles below
St. Lo.
Coming through lie Mesnil Her
man, they were in position to swing
west to join the forces driving on
Coutances, or to veer east and Join
the sixth spearhead which had
cleared a 13-mile stretch of the
road running east from ST. Lo to
Caumont.
Gen. Bradley thus had put the
Germans in the position every COM
mander dreams of-stabbed on
wide front by numerous forces which
had a bewildering profusion of op-
portunities to converge. fan out, en-