LIKE MAD DOGS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 278, 21 August 1944, Page 5

LIKE MAD DOGS

Germans’ Last Fight In Normandy GREAT TOLL BY BRITISH (British Oflieial Wireless.) (Received August 20, 7.30 p.m.) RUGBY, August 19. “Everything that is left in the gap now is finished,” stated a senior stall officer at the Second Army headquarters tonight.” But the Germans inside the pocket are lighting like mud dogs,” he added. “As far as the prisoners arc concerned, no figures are available, but doubtless there must be a lot. more coming iu. the officer said. "The divisional field commander of the British troops fighting south-west of Falaise rang me up today. He said he was taking very few prisoners at the moment, as the enemy was lighting like mad, but be said the whole hillside was covered with corpses. There are no signs yet of the Germans giving themselves up, and they are suifci'ing very heavy casualties indeed, says a correspondent. The British forces that have strewn the hillside with corpses are those that crossed the Falaise-Argentan road. They occupy high ground commanding a wide area, and this morning they had a good shoot, reporting tremendous enemy casualties.

All day today, astride . their high perches, the yhaye been picking off the enemy with artilelry. “They are killing them as they come up,” said the senior staff officer. Commenting ou. the tact that the Germans, though entirely without hope of escape, are continuing resistance, the officer said, that the Nazi troops Mere probably behaving iu this way because they thought they would be shot it taken prisoners. The Nazi forces iu Normandy bad been fed with this propaganda Iby the German high command' through their officers. “They may continue to light, but they cannot last long,” he said. “They must have food. No soldier, not even the British Tommy, can light long ou an empty stomach.” Last Ammunition.

Meanwhile, the now hopelessly trapped enemy are using up the last a.mmunition they are ever likely to sec in tins war. British airborne tyoops in the north have swept on following the capture of Troarn, and have taken Jauville, a mile and a half to the south-east. South of the pocket a further advance of two miles has been made by British troops, who captured Ecourche this morning, and now hold Mont Garoult. In the next two or three days on the Second Army front we shall be picking up the bits and pieces. Since July 20 the Second Army has taken 7(wB prisouLeading elements in the advance northeast from Dreux have come Within five miles of the Seine at Nantes. This represents an advance of 1.8 miles from Dreux. American units driving north and north-east from Argentan have crossed 1 the Exemes-Argentau road. A correspondent at supreme headquarters states that inside the pocket there'is still hard fighting, and I’ierrefitte, on the Falaise-Argentan road, which was occupied by our leading, c ements yesterday, has been reoccupied by the enemy. The fact that on one small sector within the pocket prisoners from IS separate divisions have been captured gives an indication of the chaos in the German Seventh Army. .Other prisonprs from some of thOf*e divisions have been taken as far away as Dreux. Advance in North.

On the northern part of the .front, there Ims been a useful five-miles advance from St. Pierre to the outskirts ot Livarot. This advance is on a fairly broad front, and has penetrated into the Bois du Roi, north-west of Livarot. Resistance west of the River Aie is stiffening. Our position has been consolidated in the Trtni-Cbambois area, and we dominate high ground at the mouth of the pocket. South of Putanges mopping-up operations are proceeding in the vicinity of Bat illy, and Allied troops are advancing upon Mont Garoult from the north in the pocket area. Three bridgeheads have ibeen established over the River Vie: Livarot, Grandehamp, and Coupesarte. The weather has ’been bad for flying, but the second Tactical Air Force destroyed 800 road vehicles and 40 tanks. All this activity was in the Gcrnay-Lisi-eux-Orbec triangle.