Evening star., 1944-08-18
Patton Tanks Push Nearer Paris
As Nazis Retreat Toward Rouen;
New Drive Heading for Le Havre
Yonks Capture
Town 80 Miles
From Capital
BY the Associated Press.

LONDON, Aug. 1o.-LI 1eN.
George S. Patton's tanks thun-
dered into the immediate en-
virons of Paris today in what
appeared to be a new roundup of
German forces retreating to-
ward Rouen on the Seine River.
American armored patrols are
operating in the vicinity of Paris, "
said a correspondent with Gen. Pat
tons forces, and the German radio
declared the fiery generals columns
were waging a war of movement"
within II miles of the French cap
ital
The Paris radio had been off the
air "a hours. possible indication
that the Germans either were de-
stroying communications facilities
in Paris or that the situation was
so chaotic that regular radio chan
nels were unable to operate.
The Americans were within sight
of the Eiffel Tower, and Parisians
continued to hear the roar from the
gunfire which would spell their lib
Grafton from four years of Nazi rule.
Formations Swing North.
Berlin said other strong American
formations had suddenly swung
north in drive aimed at ertircling
escaped remnants of the German
7th Army, south of the Seine. The
Germans were retreating in the
direction of Rouen-the city where
Joan of Arc was tried and burned.
Rouen is on the Seine IS miles
northwest of Paris.
BY Berlin account, the American
spearheads of the northward swing
were at Gace and Laigle, IA and %
miles east of Argentan. 1t was an
nounced from the Allied side that
a bridgehead had been established
over the Eure River at Dreux.
These represented barbs so to 20
miles south of the Seine which
might be stabbed into the side of
German forces reported jamming
the roads in flight from the Falaise
pocket, now rapidly dwindling.
With only one good bridge avail
able for flight over the Seine, the
shift of the German retreat toward
Rouen was taken to mean that their
escape route to Paris already had
been closed, and that the 7th Army
was unable to defend Paris.
nrix,n
Along with the reported north
ward turn of Gen. Pattons forces,
the whole Allied line in the Caen
area to the west began moving to
the northeast toward lie Havre and
the mouth of the Seine, s. miles
away. From there a stab might be
made toward the rocket bomb coast.
Canadians virtually sawed off the
Fa(alse pocket by stabbing to within
2 miles of Chambois, 7 miles north
east OF Argentan and 9 miles west of
Gace.
These attacks by British, Cana
dians. Poles, Belgians and Dutch
had the effect of lengthening the
narrow funnel through which the
Germans were attempting to escape.
Lifting clouds allowed air forces
to strike at the Germans at will as
they tried to cross the Seine and
they smashed at barges massed for
a small scale "Dunkerque" across
the river.
British troops advanced 4 to 6
miles beyond Troarn along the Nor
mandy coast toward LIE Havre. TAX
Ing Varaville, miles beyond the
Orne and 2 miles from the coast,
and two other villages, st. Julien
Le-Faucon and Ecots.
Poles Take Les Champeaux.
Poles, advancing miles north
east out of Trun, captured Les
ChampeauX, while the Canadians.
pushing southeast out of Trun. ap-
preached Chambois.
SIS troops were in the van of the
flight ahead of them.
In the bottom of the pocket.
meanwhile, American and British
troops rapidly closed out the gap,
crossing the Rouvre River against
only slight resistance.
Gen. Pattons lightning armored
smashes appeared to have the Ger
mans IN a state of complete disor-
ganization around Paris, with Berlin
hourly reporting clashes in different
directions from the capital, ranging
from IL to % miles outside the city.
One German report said the Amer
leans had reached Etampes, 80 miles
south of the center of Paris on the
road from Orleans.
Gen. Eisenhower's Headquarters
maintained almost complete silence,
announcing only the capture of
Author, % miles southwest of Paris
and 9 miles west of Etampes.
Attacked on All Sides.
The German 7th Army was esti-
mated to have been reduced to be-
tween 10000 and 100000 men and
was declared to be very "groggyp
from the attacks on all sides.
Oondon newspapers printed
German frontier reports saying
Hitler's highest military advisers
(see FRANCE, Page A-5D