Evening star., 1944-06-08

| in the Allied bridgeheadS for the
big battles which should come any
day, or even any hour"
Engineer troops joined the fiooo
of Allied reinforcements, helping
in tearing down Atlantic Wall de-
fenses, and United States 9Th Air
Force troop carrier report of flying
in jeeps and guns disclosed the Allies
had captured or built at least one
airfield on the peninsula.
Everything is going excellently, y
said Gen. Sir Bernard l.. Mont
gomery, ground forces commander.
1t is now apparent the Allies have
several beachheads on a 50-mile
coastal stretch between Caen and
Carentan, with some of them joined
together.
Headquarters was silent on Berlin
reports that parachutists in a deep,
daring thrust had landed at Falaise
and Argentan, 80 miles southeast OF
Caen, with street fighting flaring in
Falaise. The Germans said 8 to 13
Allied divisions were fighting on the
peninsula.
Navy Support Continues.
laundering naval support of the
drive continued. and Allied airmen
destroyed 1o2 Nazi planes yesterday
Hungry French villagers greeted
liberating troops with flags and
kisses.
Some of the troops on the penin-
sula have been fighting continuously
since Tuesday morning, and it is
likely there may be q short hull in
advances as they rest, regroup and
bring up supplies.
The enemy y-controlled vichy radio
declared Marshal Rudolf Gerd Won
Runstedt had told his German
troops to defend the Atlantic Wall
ito the last man." but nevertheless
Berlin broadcasts conceded that In
three days the Allies had steadily
expanded the invasion bridgehead
which Axis sources said stretched
from Valognes, near the tip efethe
Cherbourg PeninsulA, to i pcff1t
north of Caen.
An Allied communique last night
indicated q battle was in progress
for Caen, 1S miles southeast OF
Bayeux and . miles from the, sea
but this mornings announcement
made no further reference to the
town.
A German tank column counter
attacked in the Caen area late
Tuesday, but headquarters said the
thrust was repulsed
Supreme headquarters announced
that Allied troops had crossed the
Bayeux-Caen highway at several
points.
Allied Forces Make Contact.
Airborne troops which came down
behind the German lines have now
made contact with the forces which
went ashore from the naval inva-
sion armada, the morning COM
munique said.
The weather is definitely improv-
ing, 1t was announced here, but un-
loading on the beaches had to be
halted at times yesterday because
Of rough waters. The lost time was
almost made up by "superhumsn
efforts on the part Of the landing
craft crews" spokesman said.
1t was declared that. the capture
OF Bayeux. key road and rail juno
ton between Caen and Cherbourg
was particularly important because
troops advancing inland from there
have no rivers to cross as the river,
run north and south"
The Orne River near the towr
provides a route that would helI
sever the peninsula and isolate tn.
great port Of Cherbourg-needed by
the Allies to bring in heavy gun.
and equipment.
For the third straight night
American and British air-born,
troops dropped in great clouds
Jeeps, motorcycles and antitank
guns were flown in to support the
air-borne attack-which means thar
the Allies either had captured ar
airfield in France or built one.
German Marshal Erwin Rommel
once again contending with his ole
and victorious foe, Gen. Montgom
cry, threw an increasing mum
Der of tanks into his checking
battles, but the Allies also wer'
rolling lines of armor ashore anc
into the raging fighting back from
the coast
Both French natives and Ger.
man prisoners revealed that Hitler
and Rommel recently toured the
Atlantic Wall in the very area where
the Allies attacked.
Rocket Firing Ships Used.
The Allied command permitted
an announcement that rocket fir
ing ships were used to pound tn,
landing beaches ahead of troops.
This was the first secret develop.
ment learned from the Dieppe raie
to be announced" headquarterl
officer said. There will be Others
later
Aside from Bayeux and Caen, gu
preme headquarters gave no plac,
names to locate the invasion battles
but a constant stream of Berlir
broadcasts, none of them confirmed
reported Allied attacks all the wa,
from the Calais area directly acros
the Dover Strait to the lower west
ern coast OF the Brittany Peninsula
far to the southwest.
The Germans said new Allied air
borne operations were directed
against three points on the Brit.
tany Peninsula-Lorient,N Nantes an,
St. Brieuc-and against Falaise ant
Argentan.
Supreme headquarters indicated
yesterday a firm grip had been wol
on the Normandy coast. A com
munique said the enemy had beel
driven back from all the landin
L H.. -