Evening star., 1944-08-13
War Review
Swift. Sudden Disaster
Threatening Nazis
By H0,,nrd p. Bailey.

BY Hou,nrd p. Bailey.
Disaster, swift and sudden, ap-
pears just around the corner for
the NaziS on both the western and
the Russian fronts after week of
sensational developments in which,
at the start the Nazis made deS-
perate effort to counterattack.
Not one whit happier than the
Nazis are their Axis partners. the
japanese, who have been completely
smashed on Guam and have suffered
heavy blows at home as we'll as in
their principal source of high octane
gasoline.
The situation in France is not
quite clear as the week ends for
several fast moving columns Of
American tanks are moving so
deeply into vital territory that
statements concerning their exact
position are not obtainable
Out of lie Mans, important COM
municatlonS center which was en-
tered by armored forces Tuesday.
four columns are striking swiftly
into enemyheld territory. One.
crossing the Loir River. is driving
down highway toward Tours from
where rail line leads to Bordeaux
on the southwestern coast of France
relatively near the Spanish border.
Another spearhead is moving on
Tours from Anglers which fell some
days ago
A second column out of LIE Mans
Is pointed toward Chateaudun on a
road toward Paris though it NAV
be aimed at Orleans. A third. per-
maps the one approaching nearest
Paris at the moment, is advancing
down a highway toward Chartres
'or even past that city. according to
some reports, and may have reached
within less than so miles of the
French capital. which is already be-
Ing evacuated by many of the high
er-placed Nazis.
The fourth and most menacing
column is slashing toward the Seine
River now only about 80 miles away.
II this force reaches the Seine
quickly some 100000 Germans will
be trapped between the Americans
and the French-Canadian forces op-
Grating east of Caen.
And if these developments were
not enough to convince the Nazis
that disaster is near in France, there
was the Allied announcement that
a complete air-borne Allied army is
now set up and ready to go into
action.
COunterattack Broken.
The Germans made their final
bio, probably. to halt the Allies in
their drive east from Brittany and
Normandy, when they hurled foul
armored divisions into a SHARP
Counterattack near Avranches where
1t. Gen. Bradley's tank forces first
broke out of Normandy for the rapid
campaign which has placed almost
all of Brittany under American con-
troll So fierce was the attack which
sought to separate the two Allied
forces, initial gains up to 3 and 4
miles were obtained. However. there
was not enough power back of the
drive and it was soon halted and the
enemy forced back
The following day the Allies re-
newed their offensive and the first
stages of a giant pincers movement
was launched when American armor
drove all the way to LIE Mans and
the Canadians broke the powerful
German defenses below Caen and
penetrated the enemy positions to
depth of miles. Practically all
Of the gains made by the Nazis
Tuesday were wiped out
Wednesday the Canadians broke
through the second line of German
defense and the Americans moved
pass lie Mans to point only about
81 miles from Paris. Thursday the
arc being extended around the Nazis
had increased to ITS miles, with the
points only about 35 miles apart.
The NazlS rushed fresh divisions
into the positions facing the British
and the Canadians, especially along
the Seine, and though this new
strength served to slow the advance,
1t could not halt it altogether. AS
the week ended. the British Cana
dian forces were about 100 miles
from Paris or the approximate dis
tance yet to be travelled by the main
body of American troops.
During the week. Nantes was cap
tured by the Americans and on the
northern coast of Brittany, st. Malo
was all but occupied, one Nazi pocket
of resistance still holding out on a
small island in the harbor.
The other great ports, ST Nazaire
Lorient and Brest, still are in enemy
hands though the Americans have
penetrated the city at Brest. Re-
gretfully, the Allied supreme COM
mand announced that the 100 u
boats believed to have been in the
various harbors probably have
escaped.
While the land fighting was un-
derway. the Allied air force carried
on highly effective pattern of
bombing aimed at preventing or
delaying the escape of German
troops in France and similarly
hampering the arrival of reinforce
ments which Hitler is now seeking
by really scraping the bottom of
his manpower barrel The aim
apparently is to do as little destruc-
ton as possible to the bridges and
highways leading to Paris in order
that the Allied advance may not be
impeded. Only those avenues over
which German supplies and reserves
must travel were prime objectives
The air force struck also at syn
thetic oil installations and at fuel
dumps in various parts of Germany
and German-occupied territory.
Berlin was hit Sunday along with