Evening star., 1944-07-26

QUARTERS t4D.-Marlgny ana
st. Giles are firmly in Ameri-
can hands, a field dispatch
from Normandy said tonight.
BY the Associated Press.
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS. July 26.-American
tanks, in their first major oper-
alton in France, smashed a
breach 4 miles deep in the first
German defense line west of St.
Lo today and are engaged in a
flaming battle with enemy armor
in the streets of Marigny.
The heavy thrust, with infantry
men riding the steel tanks and
bombers pacing the way, endangered
thousands of battered German
troops along the enemy's southern
defenses.
1t penetrated the outer crust of
Nazi defenses in couple of hours,
carrying miles south of the ST. Lo-
Periers road, and smashed against
the first heavy enemy defenses near
Marigny This is a road junction
Just north of the highway angling
southwest from ST Lo to CoutanceS
near the west coast.
Nazis Thow in Tiger Tanks.
Giant 52-ton Mark VI Tiger tanks
have been thrown in by the Ger
mans in attempts to stem the drive,
dispatches from the front said Some
of these tanks, mounting 88-mm
guns, were detected hiding under
camouf1age nets east of Marigny.
The American tank breakthrough
was scored on front 2I2 miles wide.
Front dispatches said the advance
had engulfed more than dozen
small villages and hamlets, and that
there was fighting at the outskirts
of St. GILES, 4 miles from St. Lo on
the road to Coutances. Groups of
German prisoners were being herded
back.
To the northeast, other American
infantrymen hitting on smile
front advanced a mile and a half,
capturing the town of La Chapelle-
en-Juger. Fighting was fierce in
this sector, with casualties on both
sides.
Meanwhile, German troops on the
east flank fought with suicidal fury
trying to halt the British Canadian
advance below Caen and regained
some ground at heavy cost in killed
and wounded
Marshal Erwin Rommel was
throwing in armor against the
British and Canadians. Packs of
more than 80 to 10 German tanks
attacked at time, but in the main
the British and Canadians were
holding their gains of yesterday.
Fierce Fighting Rages.
Savage fighting ragged between
the Americans and Germans in and
near Marigny, miles east of St.
Lo, as the Nazis tried to brace to
avoid entrapment of their units
still in position along the st. Lo-
Periers line to the north.
Heavily -armored Sherman tanks
drove forward after furious aerial
bombardment had dazed front-line
German defenders Even though
supported Immediately by heavy
artillery fire, the Germans were
unable to beat back the tanks.
squirting shells and bullets, and the
American infantrymen aboard them
who whooped in their pleasure at
riding into battle for a change.
The infantrymen picked off Ger
man rocket gunners with rifles.
The whole 25-mile American front
from st. Lo west to the sea rocked
to the thunder of a tremendous
artillery barrage just before dawn.
Then came waves of attacking Ma
rauders and fighter bombers.
British Hold VerrIeres.
The major German armored
thrust against the British at Ver-
rieres was crumpled by British gun
ners who held firm and picked off
the enemy tanks or dispersed them.
This town, 5 miles south of Caen,
still was in British hands after an
au-nlght battle. A front dispatch
said that mile to the east the
British fell back to the northern
exit of Tilly-la- Champagne in the
face Of bitter German attacks.
Moving forward with heavy air
support, the British we're unable to
crack the German hold on May-sur-
Orne last night. A front officer said
that Gen. Sir Bernard L. Mont
gomery's powerhouse drive down the
Orne River had reached the main
German position"
One staff officer said the British.