"CONFIDENCE JUSTIFIED"

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24280, 10 June 1944, Page 5

"CONFIDENCE JUSTIFIED"

EARLY OPERATIONS REVIEWED GENERAL EISENHOWER AT ADVANCED POST LONDON. June 8. “My complete confidence in the ability of the Allied armies, navies, and air forces to do all they have been asked to do has been completely justified," said General Eisenhower at an advanced command post to-day. “In early landing operations, which are always largely naval, the two Allied navies—together with elements of the United Nations naval units—under Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, have excelled in the high standard of their planning the execution of any prior venture in which I have seen them engaged. “The long and brilliant campaign which has been conducted in past months by the combined air forces including the commands of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, MajorGeneral Carl Spaatz, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory was an essential preliminary to the undertaking of the operation and it has proved its effectiveness by the fact that the landing was made as planned. Their good work is continuing. "General Sir Bernard Montgomery is in immediate direct charge of all the assault ground forces. All the troops under him are performing magnificently, “In a battle like this—conducted against laboriously and skilfully prepared field defences—aeroplanes cannot intervene as decisively and directly in the land battles as they can in different conditions. Hov/ever, the Allied air forces dominate the sky. They have done everything that can be expected from them.’.’ “Never Completely Satisfied”

The Combined Press representatives, describing General Eisenhower’s conference, said: ' “General Eisenhower told us that he found things as he had expected. We asked if he was satisfied, to which he replied, with a wry grin: ‘No commander is ever completely satisfied.’ ” Reuter’s correspondent at the advanced command post said General Eisenhower visited a tent occupied by four war correspondents attached tp his staff, sat down before a war map. and for three-quarters of an hour gave a detailed and sober evaluation of the present stage of operations—the phase in which the build-up of the invasion forces is being carried out.

General Eisenhower said: "The Supreme Command is confident that the build-up of the forces and the equipment which is being put into the beachheads will be adequate to meet the counter-attack which- the Germans are making. It is felt that with a continuance of reasonable weather in Normandy, the Allies should be in a position to maintain operations as planned and that the integrated land, sea, and air forces will do everything possible to carry this out. “The weather is an important factor. It was bad for the landing and still is not ideal. The Allies so far have been unable to exploit their overwhelming air superiority and the success of the landings-can be regarded as a magnificent achievement considering the tremendous obstacles, - such as undersea mines, beach hazards, and gunfire. “Great seamanship and courage and persistence of the forces in'the face of the weather conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, constituted a ‘swell job.’ ” AMERICAN AIR FORCE COMMUNIQUE (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 9. A United States Air Force communique says Bth Air Force fighters yesterday destroyed or damaged 429 railroad cars, shot up 372 military vehicles, hit 25 locomotives, bombed 14 bridges and 35 railway yards. Twelve fighters were lost. Twenty-one enemy aeroplanes were destroyed in the air and 21 on the ground. PRISONERS’ GUARDS SURRENDER OFFICERS CAPTURE POLES, CZECHS, AND RUSSIANS (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 9. An Allied glider officer and two infantry officers, after being captured on the Cherbourg peninsula, pei'suaded their captors to lay down their arms and without a blow or shot took a mixed bag of prisoners, consisting of 156 Russians, Poles, and Czechs who had been conscripted into the German army, reports the British United Press correspondent at the troop-carriers’ base in England. The glider officer said: "At the German headquarters I found an American infantry captain who had a smattering of Polish, and, when we found that the majority of the enemy soldiers surrounding us were White Russians. Geprgians. Czechs, and Poles, whom ■the Germans had pressed into their army, we started talking to them.’They had been told the Americans would slit their throats if they surrendered 1 assured them of good treatment. “Shells from American artilleiy then began to get nearer and nearer. We talked to the scared guards until they were ready to quit. They persuaded other soldiers. The German captain eventually came and handed me his pistol,” An American patrol took over the officers' bunch of prisoners. _ 1