Evening star., 1944-07-17
Yanks Enter St. Lo in New Drive;
British Fight Nazis in 2 Towns;
Russians Press On Past Grodno
Americans Score
Gains Elsewhere
On French Front
MAP on Page Az

SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, July 1.-THE Amer
lean troops of 1t. Gen. Omar
N. Bradley. attacking in a thick
morning mist in the seventh day
of their siege of st. Lo, have
driven into that heavily defend
ed bulwark of the Nazi Nor
mandy line, supreme headquar-
ters announced today.
On the Americans left, the Brit
ish I'd Army fought blazing engage
ments in the streets of two villages
and captured two others as 1t. Gen.
Miles c. Dempsey threw forward
strong forces on emile front
southwest of Caen in a drive aimed
at bursting out of the Normandy
Peninsula.
LeSsay. the western anchor of the
German line. apparently was lost to
the Germans any time the Amerl-
cans chose to clinch control, The
doughboys had entered the town
across the flooded Ay River and re-
ported only moderate opposition.
Gain in Periers Drive.
In the center, Gen. Bradley's men
made rapid gains in frontal and
slanting attacks on Periers. captur-
ing the village of Les Milleries.
about a mile and half north of the
town, and taking other positions
pointing close to the st. Lo-Periers
road.
A Cassino-like battle was in pros
pect at St, Lo. Supreme headquar-
ters said Germans were fighting
savagely in the outskirts. Full cap
ture of the town was likely to be
a matter of several days of bloody
struggle.
Dispatches from the front said
the Germans apparently had dug
Subterranean forts and tunnels un-
der the ruins and in two years of
preparation made painstaking ef-
forts to fortify the highway center.
Attacking both to the southeast
and southwest in two-direction
offensive southwest of Caen, the
British forced their way into houses
at the eastern edge of Evrecy. ~
miles from Caen and1sShe key to
high ground in the blood-drenched
triangle between the Odon and Orne
Rivers.
Town Is By-passed.
They passed this town sand
pushed on for about half mile to
the southeast of it. while one force
attacked it directly.
The British also held the eastern
half of Movers, miles to the north
west, where their armor and infan-
try penetrated during an early
moning fog which confused friend
and foe alike
A mile and one half north of
Movers, they captured Vendes. and
in the course of an advance of 2'e
miles to Meyers they took the vii
lage of Haut des Forges, p mile east
of Movers.
Capture of Movers appeared immi-
nent as the British held the DOM
mating hill No. 1875 on the north
ern outskirts
Evrecy, Movers and Vendes repre-
sented Smile front on both sides
of the Caen road to Villers-B -Bocage
In their southeaStWard thrust.
which was begun at dusk Saturday.
the British had taken Esquay, but
field dispatches said this bitterly
contested town again was in no
mans land.
AZ Tanks Knocked Out.
Forty-tWo German tanks had
been knocked out in "a hours in
the heavy fighting around ST. Lo
and Caen. 30 of them claimed by
the Americans. and the Germans
declared Gen. Dempsey was attack
ing with several divisions.
The supreme command an
nounced that more than SO French
towns had been liberated in the
six days beginning July and end
ing July H.
Caught off balance by the British
thrust which began Saturday night,
Marshal Erwin Rommel threw five
divisions into the battle below Caen
and one OF the biggest contests since
the invasion of Normandy promised
to develop as Gen. Dempsey sought
'See INVASION. Page A-5D