SPEEDING FINAL VICTORY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 280, 23 August 1944, Page 5

SPEEDING FINAL VICTORY

Triumph In France MONTGOMERY TELLS HIS MEN (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 21. In a personal message to all the troops under his command (quoted by a war correspondent in Normandy) General Montgomery says:— “On August 111 spoke to the officers and men of the Allied armies in northwest France. I said that we must write off the powerful German force that was causing ps so much trouble — that we must finish with it once and for all, aud so hasten the end of the war. Today, 10 days later, it has been done. “The German armies in north-west France have suffered a decisive defeat. The destruction of enemy personnel and equipment in and about the. so-caued Normandy pocket has been terrific, and is still going on. “Any enemy units that manage to get away will not bo in a fit condition to fight again for months. There are. still many surprises in store for the fleeing remnants. Our victory has been definite, complete, and decisive. “As soldiers, we all want to pay tribute to the Allied air forces. I doubt if ever in the history of war air forces have had such opportunities or taken such good advantage of them. The brave and brilliant work of the pilots has aroused our greatest admiration. Without their support we soldiers could have achieved no success. The Allied Team. “Where all have done so well, it is difficult to single out any for special praise. As a British general, I can speak for all the soldiers of the Empire and can express our high admiration for the brave fighting qualities of the American armies in the opening stages of the ‘break-in’ battle of July 25 and on the following days, and we have followed with tremendous enthusiasm their great achievements during the wheel of the right .flank almost to the gates.of Paris. We never want to fight alongside better soldiers. “As an Allied commander and the over-all commander of the land forces under General Eisenhower, I can .praise the fighting qualities and tenacity in battle of the British, Canadian, and Polish troops on the eastern flank. They fought the enemy relentlessly and took, heavy toll of hhn during the whole of this great battle. “But surely it matters little who did this or that. All that matters is that it was well and truly done by the whole Allied team. The proper motto for allies should be ‘One for all, and all for one,’ and that is our motto. I want to thank you all for the way you have responded to my call.

Finish in Record Time. “The victory in north-west France and south of the Seine marks the beginning of the end of the German military domination of France. Much still remains to be done, but it will be done more easily. “And what next? Having brought disaster to the German forces in north-west France, we must now complete the destruction of such of his forces as are still available to be destroyed. After knowing what happened to their armies in northwest Franco, it is unlikely that these forces will now come to us, so we will go to them.

“The Lord, mighty in battle, has given us the victory. The news is very good from the war fronts all over the world. The end of the war is in sight. Let us finish off the business in record time.”. Reuter’s correspondent with the British troops says that. General Montgomery's moods are infectious, and the troops are eager to respond to their commander. “Big news is coming,” says the correspondent. '