U.S. DRIVE ON CHERBOURG

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 137, 12 June 1944, Page 3

U.S. DRIVE ON CHERBOURG

GRAVE THREAT TO KEY PORT

fierce Battles Raging

bridgehead now 51 MILES WIDE

(N.Z.P.A. Copyright. Rec. noon.)

LONDON, June 11

It is officially confirmed at Supreme Headquarters that the American forces have driven almost half-way across Cherbourg peninsula, threatening the entire German position around the port. A battle is raging furiously along the whole of the Allied bridgehead. Allied troops are fighting extremely well. Some parts of the line are swaying forward and backward, but further Allied advances have been made smoothly. The weather this afternoon deteriorated from the aerial point of view, but the Allied landings have not been seriously affected thus far.

The Allied bridgehead now measures 51 miles wide as the crow flies. The greatest depth is between 11 and 13 miles south of Bayeux. "We are now fighting along a perimeter of 80 miles on a beachhead of 51 miles," states a communique from Supreme Headquarters to-day. There is contact between our forces along the whole front, but this does not mean that there is a continunouns front line. Hard fighting is still going on at many points.

American forces, in a sharp advance, have captured , the town of Lison, five miles south-east of Isigny, and they have also advanced several miles southward over a broad front. The Americans have also captured Grandcamp, six miles north-east offlfeigny.

The capture of Lison was the most spectacular gain of aday which was generally good in the field and' particularly good on the beaches, where calm seas made possible an immense building up of Allied strength in troops and supplies, says the Associated Press correspondent at 2 Ist Army Group headquarters.

German counter-attacks against the Americans west of the main Cherbourg Road have been effectively beaten down. British forces in the area from Bayeux to Caen have pressed forward against the powerful German armoured opposition. Fighting in this sector was perhaps the stiffest of the day. The enemy here is resisting with extraordinary strength but there is no disposition at Allied Headquarters to regard the enemy action as the major counter-attack which has been expected during the past two or three days. Germans Might Reduce Power to Launch Counter-attack The correspondent reports that the suggestion has been made that the Germans might be gravely reducing their power of launching their real counter-attack at any time in the near future by their present desperate resistance, which involves throwing into the line immediately everything that can be collected. It is also suggested that the marshalling of the German force necessary for such a counter-attack would be difficult, if not impossible, unless the enemy could wholly halt the Allies and gain a breathing space. Hie British United Press correspondent with the American forces says air bombing and artillery fire broke the German lines on the Merderet River, north of Carentan. Troops crossed the river under heavy machine-gun and mortar fire, but casualties ate far fewer than expected. Troops north of the Merderet River battle area also advanced despite a German attempt to halt them With multiple rockets. Thus important ground has been gained north-west and south of this beachhead in the past 24 hours. American forces are at present fighting in the outskirts of Montebourg. They have made their biggest advances east of Isigny and cut the railway to Bayeux in several places. There is sober confidence at Supreme Headquarters that the phase of securing the Allied invasion bridgehead is coming to a close. The news that troops are fighting in the outskirts of Montebourg and' their having established a bridgehead across the main roadway to Cherbourg, also the great advance in the Lison area, are all considered extremely gratifying. It seems that the Allied armies are getting elbow room to regain the initiative which they surrendered while they consolidated the bridgehead. The Allied forces are nearing the time when they can exploit their success. The fact that the Allies are withstanding counter-attacks is also considered extremely good news.