Evening star., 1944-07-27

1st ARMY AT CANISY (P,.-
American troops captured
Periers and Lessay today.
Other troops drove to within
less than S miles of Coutances,
forcing several Nazi divisions
north of the city to fall back
from Periers and Lessay to
escape encirclement.
BY the Associated Press.
SUPREME ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, July 27.-American
doughboy and tank teams split
German central defenses wide
open today in the biggest break
through of the Normandy inva-
sion.
The Americans penetrating Ger
man defenses south of St. Lo have
gained 3 miles in the last SIX hours,
while advanced patrols reached the
road center of Periers, Is miles
northwest of St. Lo.
Tanning out eastward from ST
Giles and Canisy, they began clos
ing trap on Germans in a bend of
the Wire River below St. Lo, captur-
ing lie Mesnil Herman, 6 miles
south of st. Lo and miles from
their jumpoff point.
The Americans had seized Canisy
in this advance and cut the road
running south from St Lo to Percy
along the baseline of the Cherbourg
Peninsula.
Allied headquarters said patrols
entered Periers. stronghold of the
German line stretching to the sea,
end were at point 10 miles north
of Coutances.
Fan Out from Marigny.
The armored spearhead pushing
southwest of st. Lo had driven so
deep, however, that it was closer to
Coutances than the Periers force.
Tanning out westward from Marig-
ny, this force advanced nearly a
mile along the ST. Lo-Coutances
road to within 9 miles of Coutances.
To the east, between st. Lo and
Caumont, the Americans also scored
sharp advances, throwing the Ger
mans back 2 miles since last night
and capturing Mouffet. 5 miles west
OF Caumont, as we'll as laying firm
hold on Berigny to the rear.
This advance severed the Cau-
mont-St. Lo road.
Tanks, with doughboys riding
them. charged past ST. Samson de
Bonfosse in the southwark drive to
LIE Mesnil Herman, front line dis
patches said, and seized the ridge
dominating LIE Mesnil Herman as
well as the town.
Nazi Rear Disorganized.
Field dispatches said the whole
German rear had been disorganized
by the rapid smashes into the Na7i
lines, and prisoners were being taken
by the hundreds.
Tankmen no longer bothered with
groups of the surrendering enemy.
simply motioning them on to the
rear, where they were taken in
charge by riflemen.
The infantry was said to be mov-
ing up in an almost solid line from
Marigny to Canisy in the wake of
the slashing tank columns whose
commanders directed circling planes
to attack objectives as they chose
Fighter planes alone were said to
have wrecked or damaged 10 Nazi
tanks yesterday.
NaZis Retake Esquay.
Meanwhile. headquarters spokes-
men said there was no cause for
any anxiety on the situation" in
the eastern sector around Caen
where the British and Canadians
have suffered local setbacks.
The Germans counterattacked
with tanks, artillery and mortar fire,
recapturing Esquay, 7 miles south
west of Caen, and Hills 1l2 and 113,
headquarters and field reports said.
Due south of Caen, the British I'd
Army held on to Verrieres, smashing
enemy counterattacks.
1t. Gen. Omar N. Bradleys Amer
ican lst Army battle front had
broadened to 40 miles. The dough-
boys won town northeast of Periers
and lashed out near Caumont, 13
miles east of St. Lo, capturing
Montrabot.