Evening star., 1947-09-14
Delayed Triumph Held
Due to an Order
to sit Down

Va cSfSAd1 S&FA1ldllo dilu d Scl llldIl
officer. One of the civilians claimed
he was the Swiss Consul in Paris
and had been sent to negotiate the
surrender of the city.
At dawn the party was fed and
| then, under guard, sent to the rear
to Group. They were not told the
reason why. 1t was bitter Sd Army
secret.
1t had been ordered not to take
Paris, which it had in its grip.
SHAEF had dictated that LIST
Army and the British would parade
into the French capital as its
heroic liberators. Third Army
would continue keeping the enemy
on the run.
High-level politics set the tune
and that's the way the farce was
played out.
Vocally Represented
Under Overlord, the British
United States boundary for the
assault of Paris, calculated at D
Iplus 80 (September g., was placed
north of the city. However, SHAEF
specified that British corps would
be loaned to 1st Army to par
ticipate in the triumphant entry
into the liberated French capital
But when Sd Army upset this po-
tlitical applicant by enveloping Paris
lahead of schedule and when neither
the British nor 1st Army were any
where nearby, SHAEF hastily "ad-
iusted" Overload. 1t loaned" Isl
Army corps, but not British one
Paris fell on August Is. The day
before, XIV Corps was snatched from
Sd Army and transferred to 1st
Army-so it could take" the city.
First Army and the British en-
tered Paris in triumph. But it was
the I'd French Armored that OBJ
tanned the surrender of the city
from the German commander.
While Sd Army was not present
officially, it had loudly vocal fight
ing representation there. The tough
little tankers told all and sundry
that they were with the Sd United
States Army.
In Lucky's zone, several other mo-
mentous events transpired on Au-
gust 25: The two TAGS xix and
IX) drove the Luftwaffe out OF
France in a surprise co-ordinated
attack on its remaining major air.
fields, chiefly around Beauvais and
Reims.
At Melun and Montereau the
lighting was still intense. Fourth
Armored was shot around on the
south on Troyes. The thrust was
successful and Combat Command A
stormed into the road-rail center
deep in the enemy's rear, in a tu-
multuous charge. They charged
into the town without the loss OF a
man or vehicle.
Patton was on his way. But al
the moment, he had more urgently
pressing matters on his mind.
Patton Sees Bradley
}, For days gas receipts from Com z
had been under requirements. The
August "a daily telegram requested
100000 gallons, but only $4,000
were received.
The situation was becoming ON
inous. Patton decided to take the
!, matter up personally with Bradley
: At Laval, Patton found Bradley
waiting at the airfield, about tc
take off for SHAEF regarding q
J, hot potato of his own.
Bradley explained he was greatly
. concerned over Montgomery con-
tinued insistence on a combined
offensive in the north, along the
Channel coast. He feared Mont
gomery was prevailing on Eisen-
hover.
, Meanwhile, in the far-flung zone
of advance, the catapulting spear
heads were being munitioned, gassed
and rationed by a remarkable sys-
tenn of supply from the Air Trans
i. port Command.
BY now the Germans began with
drawing fromsMelun and Montereau
+ few hours after the capture OF
Troves. Seventh Armored and 5tf
Infantry Divisions drove on Relms
aided by XIX TAG strafers.
That day, receipts were $4,000
gallons short of the 100000 requisi-
toned.
A Hurry-Up Call
Patton was alarmed. The situa-
ton now had all the indications o1
deliberate withholding of gas from
Sd Army. There had been no over
all diminution of oil supplies. In
fact. due to Pluto, more was
reaching the continent than pre-
viously.
Pluto was the code name for the
elaborate system of pipe lines across
the Channel.
Obviously, quantity and delivery
were not the rub.
Pattons fears were not calmec
when he received hurry-up cal
from Bradley to meet him a
Chartres.
Bradley told Patton that Mont
gomery "had won" That Mont.
had succeeded in inducing Eisen
hover to make the main effort III
the assault on Germany In tn
strongly held and organized nortl
instead OF in the weak and disor
ganized south, as favored by Brad
ley.