FULL PURSUIT NOW

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 55, 2 September 1944, Page 7

FULL PURSUIT NOW

ENEMY'S DEFEAT COMPLETE Rec. noon. LONDON, Sept. 1." The "Evening Standard's" correspondent with the' First United States Army near the Ardennes Forest today writes:. "Om* offensive is sweeping on at incredible speed. Never in all warfare have troops advanced so swiftly and with.such power. ! "The Germans wanted a blitz; now they have it. The battle has become a iull pursuit, with armoured columns slashing deeply into the enemy's rear and our infanlry charging in trucks. The enemy's defeat has become so complete that our troops seldom need to dismount or deploy.' "Vast quantities of German munitions and transport are being captured almost every hour. Five German railway trains carrying men and every kind of equipment were destroyed as they tried to escape. I found the smoking wreckage of one train at Braisne, east of Soissons. It consisted^ of 23 trucks and coaches, including four trucks, each carrying a Panther tank, while the coaches carried troops, including a score of officers and their women companions with barrels of liquor and a load of perfume. It is extraordinary the kind of things the ■Germans are trying to get out of the country.- An American plane had spotted the train and sent a radio mes-' .sage to an armoured column in "the neighbourhood. The armour intercepted the train at a highway crossing, where the tanks opened fire 'and blew up- the locomotive. The Germans manned the- tanks on the trucks, swung the guns around, and returned the .fire.- There has perhaps never before been a battle like.'it, but it lasted only a few minutes. All four .German tanks were repeatedly hit and set on fire. Our lariks then turned their fire against each coach in succession and fiddled and set fire toi every one of them. Many Germans' were killed. , Some who escaped to the railway embankment on the far side were either killed or captured. Some died in the flames of furiously burning perfume." ■

Rec. 12.50 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 1. "Canadian units which lost heavily in the landing at Dieppe two years ago \rode into the city today from the south without firing a shot," says Reuters correspondent with the Canadians. "Canadian reconnaissance units -entered the city at noon, closely followed by infantry units for whom Dieppe has terrible memories. Today they drove through streets where comrades of the Dieppe raid were mown down. Other Canadian units which participated in the. Dieppe raid are at present nearing the city. The people df Dieppe shouted a welcome and covered the vehicles with flowers. "The city is not badly damaged; although the Germans, who are believed to have pulled out last night, carried out considerable demolitions and put all the public utilities out of commission. The troops driving on