NAVAL GIANTS ON GUARD

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 216, 9 June 1944, Page 5

NAVAL GIANTS ON GUARD

Seine Bay Crowded (Received June 8, 8.30 p.m.) (British Official' Wireless and Press Assn.) RUGBY, June 7. Warships protecting -the carrying force off the French coast included battleships, monitors, cruisers and destroyers. Warspite, Nelson and Ramillies were among the British battleships involved, says a correspondent, while some of the cruisers were Enterprise, Glasgow, Belfast, Mauritius and Orion. Each of the two naval task forces was a complete unit, consisting of assault forces, follow-up forces, bombarding forces and minesweeping flotillas. The British Merchant Marine played a tremendous part in the operation. Its ships carried thousands of troops to within a few •miles off the initial objecIt is announced from S.H.A.E.F. that the total Allied naval forces engaged in the invasion operation include more officers and men than there were iu the Roval Navy at the outbreak of war. The personnel of the Royal Navy in 1939 was 133,000, Endless Stream of Ships.

The British Navy during ‘D Day did one of its finest jobs of the war, and is still doing it, says Reuter’s correspondent, writing aboard the destroyer Beagle off the Normandy beaches on Tuesday evening. “An endless stream of ships, carrying reinforcements of men, guns, tanks, and ammunition, continue to arrive,” he says. • "Conditions have not been easy. Rolling seas, tide, and wind made the landings during the first light on Tuesday morning extremely difficult. Long lines of landing craft, motor launches, and supply ships were steadily streaming toward the benches, and similar groups of ships were streaming back home to bring rip more and more reinforcements. The smaller ships of the Royal Navy had a very tough time. ■As we lie thip evening anchored close in to the invasion beaches the waters of Seine Bay present an even more amazing sight than they did at dawn. _ The naval craft seem to have increased in numbers, and trie whole area is packed with cruisers, destroyers, lumbering tank landing craft flying their little barrage balloons from the stern, supply ships, motor launches, tugs, and minesweepers. The seas have abated and the sun is now lighting up the little seaside resorts, but the battle on the beach goes on. “British destroyers to the south-west are bombarding the coast. Through our glasses we can see- German tanks deploying on the beaches below the sea wall. A stubborn battery on the clifftop keeps up an intermittent fire of shells, sending up large sprays of water round the destroyers, but the destroyers fight on, darting in and plastering the enemy’s gun positions. Grim Artillery Battles.

“Pillars of dull grey smoke inland show where the invasion force is fighting out stubborn artillery battles. We can see a line of Allied tanks and -trucks moving slowly over winding roads, green fields, and hills. “The climax of the whole Allied air invasion came late on Tuesday evening, when we watched the second wave of glider-borne troops soaring in over the area. They came in hundreds, flying incredibly low. The whole sky was black with them.”

The Exchange Telegraph Agency’s correspondent with the invasion forces, writing on Tuesday, says there were undoubtedly indications that the Germans simply did not know the invasion expedition had arrived, till the naval guns roared out their first salvo. “The resistance of the shore batteries has been strangely weak,” he says. “The conduct of a German destroyer on coming out of a harbour at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, boldly pushing through the naval smoke screen in the expectation, perhaps, of finding a commando raid, and then dashing back when it found itself confronted by 15and 16-inch gun battleships, was in keeping with the supposition that the invasion was a surprise.” The “Daily Telegraph’s” naval correspondent says that the Navy transported a great army of invasion troops across the Channel without the loss of a single, soldier at sea. Hitler and Admiral Doenitz wisely decided to avoid uavdl action in the early stages of invasion, but it is expected that they will order hit-and-run suicide, operations as the German position becomes more desperate, says a Press correspondent aboard a destroyer off the French coast. The Allied navies have only begun their big job, which involves constant ferrying of troops, guns, tanks, ammunition, and food for many weeks. They must bo prepared for ruthless attacks by 100 to 200 U-boats and about 100 E-boats. The German reconnaissanse must have revealed to Berlin that the Allies intend to have French ports working as swiftly as the Italian ports have been brought into operation.

VISIT TO BATTLE AREA

(Received June 8. 10.30 p.m.) LONDON. June S. General Eisenhower, with Vice-Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, cruised off the invasion beaches in a British warship for four and a half hours yesterday afternoon conferring with his operational commanders. including General Montgomery, Vice-Admiral Kirk, and others whose names are still secret. General Eisenhower cruised the entire beach-head area without encountering any kind of enemy action.

When General Montgomery left for his launch he grinned confidently. General Eisenhower, sticking up his thumbs, called, “Good luck to you.”