The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-03
American Tanks Crash
 Rennes, Breton Hub
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NA1alre and Lorlent where they c1n4tEue1ed great concrete pens to ptetscl tho submarines from aiF attack.
 10 the northeast, uorell said that Che joint Anglo American drive "is rapldiy gaining momentum with vlfe As the Axis" .. s. armor was executing a vide sweep south east ward from the oavray-percy sec tor and threatening Co trap f0rinld- able German forces including ele- Ment1 Of the second Panser Divi. sion.
 The eneray is in full retreat to- ward Che town of Wire" Gorrell said. and a broadcast from Normandy said Che British had captured the town and were pushing on north- east of the road and rafi center.
 Critical situation
 The German transocean news agency quoted it's correspondent at headquarters on the western front. uuenther Weber. as reporting that the situation was critical" at the Breton end of the battlefront.
 Another transocean dispatch said Che Americans had reached the upper Rance" river, probably mean ing between Dinan and Evran five miles Co the south.
 Tennes, in addition Co it's import aree as a main junction on the PEsis-Brest trunk line. Is the cen- ter of the Breton waterway system
 Twenty tanks with supporting in- fantry opened the German counter attack against British forces holding the center of the Allied line at 9:30 a. m. with a thrust across the Noi- reau river from Condo. IS miles east of Wire. McMillan said.
 Thirty more tanks and additional infantry followed the vanguards into action and raced toward the Souleuvre river against heavy fire from strongly-entrenched British 2S-pounders and anti-tank guns.
 McMillan said a British staff officer told him the German coun- ter-attack was being pushed with great determination," but he added that the 2nd Armys front-line strength was in position ard ready to hold all German attempts"
 Town LO0ted
 British patrols fighting in Wire. Milan said. found the town had been wrecked and footed by the Germans.
 ~The Germans. especially SS troops. went on a mad orgy of pile lage and burning as though they were fiends." an inhabitant of the wrecked town told McMillan. They burned everything they were un- able to take away"
 The Germans were smelling Wire with Cannon and moaning Min- nies" and British guns countered from the area of Le Beny-Bocage, seven miles to the north.
 East and northeast of Le Beny- Bocage. the British generally had reached the ridge along which runs a secondary road from Wire north- east toward Aunay-Sur-Od
 Another front dispatch reported that the British command had de- cided last night to throw the main weight of the End Army's attack around Wire eastward to outflank and perhaps encircle German forces resisting along a line stretching 25 miles north to the vicinity of Noy CTS. southwest of caen.
 This attack, however. presumably mn head-on into the German counter-attack this morning.
 Crumpling Defenses
 Enemy defenses on Brittany were crumbling so rapidly supreme head quarters. doubting the Germans knew the extent of the American penetrations. reported in it's li7th communique of the invasion only that the advance beyond Pontorson continues"
 Front dispatches indicated, how ever, that the Americans rapidly were approaching both Rennes, 90 miles south of pontorson and half way across the base of the Brittany Peninsula, and the north coast Brit tany port of St. Malo g miles west of Pontofson.
 The clandestine radio Atlantic said American tanks already had captured Rennes. but this was not confirmed by any other source, AL lied or German.
 All signs pointed to the conquest Of Brittany within A surprisingly short time. With Brittany, the