The Wilmington morning star., 1944-08-17
COAST DEFENSES :.
WELL SHATTERED
Casualties In Offensive
Reported Officially
To Be Very Light

AsOA'AA1 AAeos "
French and American inva-
sion troops, now identified
as the Seventh army, under
the veteran u. S. Maj. Gen.
Alexander M. Patch, were
as much as eight
miles into southern France
tonight after smashing Ger.
man coastal defenses and es-
tablishing themselves firmly
on a 70-mile stretch of the
Mediterranean coast between
Toulon and Cannes.
Disclosing that the land, sea and
air forces making this latest
breach in Hitler's continental wall
were under an all-American com
mand, Allied headquarters an
nounced tonight that "all initial
detectives have been taken' and
that casualties have been "excep-
tionally light
At 10:45 o'clock tonight, head.
quarters announced that the land.
ing of reinforcements was con-
tlnuing without interruption and
that the bulk of the leading in.
fantry divisions was already
ashore. Nearly 700 prisoners had
been counted up to last midnight,
the announcement said.
The Allies tonight were pouring
ashore by sea and air steady
stream of new fighters and equip
ment. British and American air.
borne troops, landed on a big scale
behind the lines, were effectively
blocking German attempts to rush
reinforcements to the invasion
scene.
The Americans used flame-throW-
ers to burn Germany out of stone
enplacements.
The highly-trained and expert
airborne forces were landed from
lowed elders which formed a train
fully so miles long and several
miles wide, and by parachute from
transports which kept more than
1000 men swinging in the air at
time.
Although serious opposition was
encountered at one undisclosed
point, preventing the Allies from
/ breaking, most of the opening as
sault "overran intricate beach OBJ
stacles strongly protected by Ger
man coastal guns" headquarters
disclosed tonight.
No powerful or general German
opposition had yet developed, per-
sons arriving from the beachhead
reported.
The headquarters of Gen. Sir
Henry Maitland Wilson, Briton who
is commander-in-chief of the AL
Lied Mediterranean forces, disclos.
ed tonight that the invasion was
under American command on land
and sea and in the air.
The attacking ground force is the
American Seventh army, paced by
the veteran Sixth corps of Anzio
fame and commanded by General
Patch, veteran of Guadalcanal and
successor last spring to 1t. Gen.
George S. Patton, Jr., as chief OF
the Seventh army.
The invading French forces are
part of this army, and are under
the command of the colorful Maj.
| Gen. De Lattre de Tassigny, who
left France less than year ago
after escaping from prison to
which he had been sent by the
Vichy regime.
Vice Admiral H. K. Hewitt is in
command of the naval operations
and Brig. Gen. Gordon P. Saville,
chief of the 18th Tactical Air Com
mand, heads the air units, head
quarters announced.
Fighting continued throughout
last night, but the Allied command
did not specify the exact localities
where resistance was being en-
countered. Filters returning from
bombardment missions over the
beachhead in most instances re-
ported seeing no signs Of fighting.
Headquarters stated fatty in to-
nights bulletin that ''our troops
have established themselves firm
ly on the south coast of France be-
tween Cannes and Toulon." This TO-
mile shore includes most of the
points of assault previously men
toned by correspondents on the
scene and in German broadcasts.