Evening star., 1944-07-15
4-MiIe Gain Made
On Western End
OfU. S. Line
MAP on Page A-4.)
~ the Associated Press.

SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, July 15.-American
troops edged to within 2.O0C
yards-little more than a mile
OF the outskirts of the pivot road
hub of st. Lo today amid the
crashing of big artillery duel
and drove into the suburbs of
Lessay at the western end of
their front.
Street fighting ragged in Lessay's
suburbs this afternoon.
A front dispatch said the Ger
mans fought stubbornly against
doughboys hammering toward St
Lo, with that battle raging toward
q climax under the heaviest shelline
from both sides in the five -day-old
push.
To the northwest, other American
tnfantrymen were 2. miles from
Periers in the center after striking
forward 4 miles to straighten a loop
In their lines.
Three Towns Taken.
Three towns fell in the 4-mile
southwark drive from the marshes
of Plessis toward Periers, closing
in the American line menacing
that middle stronghold, in the
largest single-day advance since
Cherbourg's capture. Sixteen towns
and villages on the American front
have been seized in the last "a
hours.
The Germans fought desperately
to hold their line on the lateral
road running from Lessay 81 miles
southeastward through Periers to
st. Lo. A front dispatch said the
enemy poured the toughest artillery
fire yet encountered against one
American column nearing the Pont-
Hebert road north of st. Lo after
a 600-yard advance. Infantrymen
fought yard by yard for st. Lo and
were closing in from positions around
1t Barre de Semilly, miles to the
east
British troops at the eastern end
OF the Normandy front recaptured
Hill 1l2-scene of bloody, see-saw
fighting in the last week-north of
Esquay and again struck into Maltot.
4 miles southwest of Caen, but there
were no large scale engagements in
that sector, supreme headquarters
said.
The worst flying weather since in
vasion day limited the powerful
Allied air arm to less than so sorties
up until this afternoon.
This was the position of the
American front this morning:
Lessay-Fighting ragged in the
streets of the towns suburbs. Earlier
the Yanks had captured the ham,
let of Beauvais and were converging
on the town from the east, where
they were 2 miles away at Pissot.
while on the west they were about
mile and half away after ad-
vancing from ST. Germain- -sur-Ay.
Periers-A late telephone call
from the 2lst Army group this
morning said the Americans had
driven to within 2 miles of the town
from the north. The exact position
was not given. Previous information
a few hours before, however, record
ed the capture of Les Oranges and
Confreville, miles north of the
town, and St. Patrice de Claids, 3
miles northwest
st. Lo-Late information this
morning said the Americans had
pushed west from La Barre de
Semilly. breaking the deadlock
there. This one pincer was closing
on the town, while a half-mile ad-
vance was reported northwest of st.
Lo, down the Wire River through
Creterville.
Would Free Bottleneck.
The capture OF Lessay. Periers and
st. Lo would free the narrow bot
tleneck of the Cherbourg Peninsula
and give the Allies greater freedom
of movement behind their own lines.
All these towns are connected by
q lateral highway.
While the Germans undoubtedly
will defend Periers and Lessay on a
house-to-house basis. there appears
little doubt that these defenses will
be only rearguard actions, coupled
with a similar stand along the River
Ay, which now is flooded.
The next main German stand is
expected to come on the high
ground north of line from St. Lo
to Coutances to maintain q hold
where the terrain rises sharply.
st. Lo. the eastern hinge of this
line, is expected to be defended to
the last. Such a defense line would
considerably shorten the present
front for the Germans.
Nazis Blowing Up Bridges.
As they retreat, the Germans are
blowing up bridges and laying mine
fields and ambushes.
The advance south of the Plessis
was the fastest since the fall of
Cherbourg. After the Americans
took Gorges, at the base of the
swamp, the Germans apparently
beat a hasty retreat, with 1t. Gen.
Omar N. Bradley's men close on
their heels.
Advancing south of the swamp on
4-mile front. the doughboys
pushed forward about 4 miles in a
drive which carried them miles
from Periers. This drive appeared
to be gaining momentum.
News of the fighting around st. Lo
was scarce, but it appeared that this
town would be the toughest of the
three to take.
Air activity was confined to raids
on communications behind the bat
tie zone, while fighter patrols were
more lucky than usual in encoun-
terlng German f1ghters-they shot
Gown Is during the day against a
loes OF 7. Night fighters knocked
down two more,