MAQUIS’ SUCCESSES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 277, 19 August 1944, Page 7

MAQUIS’ SUCCESSES

Fighting In Marseilles (Received August 18, 9.15 P- m -I LONDON, August IS. French patriots are fighting the Germans in the centre and suburbs of Marseilles, says Algiers radio. It states that the Germans cast of the Allied beach-head in Southern France are retreating to the Italian frontier surrounded by 5000 Maquis, who command all the Bt Mo^ C than h 4OOO German troops and customs officers are preparing for a lastditch stand only a mile from the Swiss frontier after learning that reinforcements cannot be sent to relieve them, says the “New York Times” correspondent on the Swiss frontier. General Koenig’s patriot army, after 36 hours of co-ordinated operations m the Haute Savoie, ha s driven all the Germans excepting the Annemasse garrison from a rough triangle 50 miles at the base and 35 miles in depth, and ore still fighting ahead. The Maquis so far have cleared up the districts between Bellegarde in the west. St. Oingolphe .in the east, and Chamonix in the south in 133 separate engagements, surpassing anything yet executed by the French, patriots. Rising Round Annecy. The Geneva correspondent of the British United Press says that 13,000 patriots have surrounded Annecy and have already taken as prisoners several hundred Germans. All the surrounding villagcs have been totally mobilized, and villagers between 16 and 60 have joined the liberation movement. -It may now be revealed that the French forces of the Interior have played their part in the good work done by General Pattpn's columns. They liberated several important places, .among them the junction of La Fleche, 25 miles east of Le Mans, and they annihilated the German garrison of Vendome, 40 miles south-west of Orleans,, thus complementing tile American action. From within they have attacked the German garrisons assaulted by the Americans and also facilitated the passage of the American tanks, mopped up.the German pockets ignored by the American Third Army, and sometimes prevented German units from wreaking vengeance on the French population.