CAPTURE OF BAYEUX

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24279, 9 June 1944, Page 5

CAPTURE OF BAYEUX

Warm Welcome

By French

GERMAN TANKS ENGAGED

J ffiec. 2.30 a.m.) LONDON, June 8. j “There is no doubt that the people I of this part of France were glad to see | the Allies, if one may judge from the I reception given- us when we enterva I Bayeux to-day.” said the representaitive of the Combined British Press in I»dispatch from Bayeux yesterday, i “Our patrols reached the outskirts iff Bayeux last night, but it was not atotil before midday to-day that Allied i®fantry and tanks occupied the town, i "As our jeep drove into the main a street, out came the people, cheering, | living tricolours, shouting welcomes. I N pelting us with flowers. An AlI tank was showered with blossoms 1 8 »d bottles of wine were handed to I members of the crew. The people as to the main hotel, where one b S'.them sat at a piano and sang the H ®itjsh National Anthem. S The people told us that -the mam jnemy force left Bayeux at 7 a.m. to“ay. leaving only the small sniper which the Allies quickly .‘The Go mans blew up a big bridge the southern outskirts of Bayeux. ■ fi r. which the main road to St. Lo ™ses, A large force of German'tanks Jf® reported on the road this mornc* 1 but they did not attempt to close S Bayeux. The blowing up of the e appears to indicate that the cam?? 8115 ’ have siven up the idea of I jSx r ’ a tlacking up the Bayeux road, jj- |he first contact with enemy tanks tnJ? ,e central sector was made this cast of Bayeux. Our infantry Infi® en gaged in mopping up enemy of u i P° s ’ t ‘°ns when a small group luriE n * 5 ? °P eile d fire. Our anti-tank flumi ?’ eturne d the fire and the enemy T&ly retired. Hthf er , man Infantry took advantage of CO V Pr afforded by clumps of it lit a high ground round Bayeux, l!bv :A ! li , e d tanks, supoorted by infani'WWmkleci them out.

fills.

lir troops this afternoon made , good progress that they are miles Id from Ihc beaches. , |e improved weather is allowing ifnloacling of the great Invasion

fleet to be greatly accelerated—indeed, to a speed greater than was anticipated. All types of landing craft are packed tigntly on the beaches, and long lines of traffic pass over the roadways laid on the beaches by sappers.” , _ , . , The correspondent for the Combined Press says that high ground east and south east of Bayeux, which is more important than the town itself, is m Allied hands.