TERRIFIC TANK BATTLE RAGING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 152, 29 June 1944, Page 5

TERRIFIC TANK BATTLE RAGING

I -[TOWARDS ORNE RIVER •! ~ i British Forces Pour Across The Odon ■ X.Z. Press Association—Copyrieht .! Rec. 1 p.m. LOXDOX. June 2S. • 1 [ I British forces, after crossing the ' , j Odon River on a two miles front. ' , | are to-night less than 4000 vards ' .! from the Orne River, states Reuters ' i ] correspondent with the 21st Armyj 1 Group. He added that masses of ;: ■ guns, tanks and infantry are stream- ' II ing across the Odon bridgehead. The ! 'engineers are rapidly building more; ■! pontoon bridges, over which rein- ! i! forcements are pouring. One of the biggest tank battles! ever seen is going on between the i | valleys of the Odon and the Orne. More" than 60 German tanks have been put out of action in a three-dayi ; battle, which can now be disclosed j as really tremendous in power and j violence. "It is a magnificent accomplish-! ment." said a staff officer. "It is a very big battle, and highly successful. The fact that we pushed forward seven miles against extremely . tough opposition and across very difficult country, is a tremendous i • achievement.'' Only Thirty Yards Apart In three days of the bitterest and i most savage fighting. British and German tanks often grappled with : death at a distance of less than 30 : yards apart. British flesh and blood'' with terrific determination have i smashed the Germans back seven I • miles. j < The Exchange Telegraph Agency's' l correspondent with the British forces j1 says the greatest tank" battle since j the Allied forces landed in France : ' raged this afternoon, when the j J enemy threw in tanks from all sides ] in an "attempt to hold up our advance.: He launched altogether nine attacks from different points, all of which j j were thrown back with losses to the : , enemy. j ( The Associated Press correspon- j, dent says a British officer described! ( the Germans west of Caen as being . "in a complete turmoil." The Daily Express correspondent j says: "After a running tank and gun fight the most forward tanks this j afternoon are within one mile of the village of Esquay. which is mid-1 way between the Odon and the Orne' I Rivers. As the Russians say in i their communiques, 'scores of in-' ( habited places have obeen liberated.' " j Another Reuters correspondent on j r the Caen front says fighting is fierce £ not only at the tip of the British;' wedge beyond the Odon River, but! t also along the flanks of the drive,! t although these are strongly protected! by armour. " j j Improved weather to-day. with the 1 t sky only partly overcast, enabled t Allied air forces to operate over the! i whole front. Roads are now fairly i dry and traffic is moving up to the i a front smoothly. j }