CAEN BREAK-THROUGH

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1944, Page 5

CAEN BREAK-THROUGH

GERMAN LINES BREACHED * MONTGOMERY~WELL SATISFIED AMERICANS IN ST. LO

LONDON, July 19. The break-through by British and Canadian troops in the Caen area has been followed by heavy fighting on the plains south-east of the city and in the town of Vaucelles, which is on the south side of the Orne opposite Caen. The Germans, with their front line broken and disrupted are throwing in everything in their effort to seal the breach. The latest reports speak of bitter street fighting in the southern part of Vaucelles. Advanced patrols are spreading out south and south-east of Caen, but details of then progress cannot be given in detail at present. No place names can be mentioned. because the Germans themselves are probably not fully aware of the extent of the break-through. A British United Press correspondent says: “One of the heaviest armoured fists in history struck across the Orne after a shattering bombing attack. Hundreds of tanks moved over the bridges after heavy and medium bombers had cleared the ground.” “There is no doubt that we have gained a tactical surprise,” said General Montgomery in a statement. He added that he was well satisfied with the progress of the battle.

ALLIED CASUALTIES LIGHT

LONDON, July 19. From scanty information available at SHAEF, it is learned that the Caen operation is progressing successfully. The picture emerging is that the Germans were paralysed by the terrific bombardment from the air and from the ground, smashed in by Anglo-Canadian armour, and had the front line disrupted. The Germans now are seizing everything on which they can lay hands to prevent exploitation of the break-through which General Montgomery achieved. It is, evident that the German High Command are still doubtful where they can establish islands of resistance, and plug holes in disrupted defences. Approximately half Fauborg de Vauneheles from the north to a railway rurfning south-westwards is clear of, enemy forces. Fierce mopping-up op- | erations are proceeding against the j remainder of the town. Terrific street fighting is progressing against a mass of Germans left behind by the British break-through. A British attack, mounted early yesterday in the Evrecy area, ran to a German coun-ter-attack. which was .just forming. Although the British attack was held, up. the clash resulted in heavy cas-| ualties to the Germans. Capture of j St. Lo is a success of great value to . the Allies. Many roads meet and | bifurcate there. Americans in another i advance three-quarters of a mile on, a mile front captured Rampan, three > miles north north-west of St. Lo. , | “Allied casualties in yesterday s I operations east of the Orne are extremely light, said General Montgomery. “The Allies in Normandy have buried eight thousand German dead and taken prisoner sixty thousand. Counting dead, wounded and prisoners. it is a reasonable conjecture that we have wiped out 156,000 Germans. Yesterday was an extremely good day. There is no doubt we gained a t tactical surprise. The present situa- | tion down that way is that we have very strong armoured mobile forces away to the south-east, south of Caen. In winning this area we undoubtedly have written off a great deal of enemy stuff. Our own casualties in personnel and equipment have been extremely light, in fact negligible thus far. That is excellent. But there is a lot to be done yet on the western and eastern flank.” The German News Agency says: The British attack at Caen has met fierce resistance, but flinging forward the concentrated strength of over a hundred tanks on a very narrow sector, the British succeeded in forcing penetration to Cagny, where they veered westward. The locality two miles east of Cagny is being particularly bitterly contested. GERMAN TANK LOSSES. RUGBY, July 19. “Every day since D Day Allied armies have shot up at least 50 tanks and vehicles,” said General Montgomery, in the course of a speech to war correspondents. He regarded the business of writing off enemy equipment and personnel as really the thing to bleed the German military machine to death. “If you do that there will come a time when the Germans cannot go on.” The War Office, he said, sent the 2nd British Army abroad in a way no army had been equipped before. Of the British 17-pounder anti-tank gun he said: “It is in every way superior to any anti-tank weapon the Germans have got.” , In a special tribute to the infantry, he said: “They are the guts and backbone of the whole thing. They bear Ihe heat and burden of the! battle —and. by jove. they did fheir stuff.” Other tribute..? were for the 6th Airborne Division, who “gave their lives to hold the bridgehead,” and for “my old friends .the 19th Division, who landed in Normandy on D Day and have not stopped lighting since.” Speaking on the three-fold attack on Germany now in progress—from Russia, the Mediterranean and Normandy—General Montgomery said the motto was that of the three musketeers of Dumas —“All for one and one for all.” “We have no difficulty in beating the Germans in battle,” said General Montgomery speaking to Press men. ' 'He added: Do not let anybody telli you we have not superior equipment to the Germans’. For example, our 17 pounder guns with the latest improvements arc every way superior to the Germans’ anti-tank guns. RESISTANCE STRONG. I The enemy is reported to be resisting every yard of the Allied advance from Caen says a correspondent at the Supreme Headquarters. Great cunning is displayed in placing anti-tank weapons and other obstructions to our advance. The clear- ] ing up of snipers and boobytraps continues. A heavy attack yesterday afternoon by tanks and infantry at Maltot, south-west of Caen, was repulsed with heavy loss to the enemy. Southwest of Caen, too, our troops attacked and captured the village of Hottot. They also widened the position in the vicinity of Noyers. This village on the Caen-Villers Bocage road is not yet in Allied hands. North of St. Lo, American troops made an advance to within half-a-mile of the Vire River. In this thrust they occupied the villages of Grande Hamel and La Capelle, respectively two miles north-west and north of St. Lo. A sharp enemy attack in the St. Lo area was driven off, the United States troops claiming that 16 enemy tanks were destroyed. In St. Lo itself, mopping up continues. The Americans have not yet established positions west of the town.

AERIAL OPERATIONS

SUBSTANTIAL ADVANCE "RUGBY, July 19. By noon yesterday, driving south, , leading elements of our armour had come down south and crossed th~ Caen-Vimont arterial highway (states . a correspondent). Early last evening, i leading elements moved along the 4000 yard wide tank corridor be- ! tween the east bank of the Orne and the line running south through the ' villages of Tourfreville, Sanneyillc , and Bambeville. This represents a 1 substantial advance of some 11,000 I to 12,000 yards from the starting P oi nt lof Herouvillette, three and a-hali I miles south of Port Ouistreham. Most l of the villages on their left tlaim : they swept through, leaving them lot mopping up operations later, and concentrating on the southward Push. Some of these villages have aheacly been cleared up. The enemy held out in Cagny on the Caen-Vimont road until yesterday afternoon, when British troops surrounded it. it w now wholly and firmly in our hands. MORE VILLAGES OCCUPIED RUGBY, July. 19. A SHAEF communique says: Fierce 'armoured and infantry fightmg continued this morning m the area south and east of Caen. Faubourg de Vat celles is now entirely in our hands and the enemy has been cleared from the villages of Louvigny on the west bank, and Fleury on the east bank of the Orne. The breach in enem Y defences has been widened and Allied troops occupied the villages of Rotu~ freville, Demouville and Gibervillc. Pockets of enemy resistance, which had been by-passed, have been eliminated. Progress continues in spite ol stubborn opposition. Throughout yesterday, and to-day Allied warships and landing craft Jiave been engaging enemy batteries on the eastern Hank in support of the army. , . _ T , Allied aircraft based in Normandy maintained patrols and close suppoi t of our troops this morning. Twelve hundred and fifty prisoners were taken yesterday in the Caen I area, and the total taken since the I beginning of the campaign is now I over sixty thousand. . Alded £°.°P? made local advances in the Hottot area and north of Remilly sur Lozon.

LONDON. July 19

The Allied Air Forces yesterday, flew 7350 sorties, including 2200 in the massive bombardment preceding Montgomery’s breakthrough and the Eighth Air Force’s operation against Germany. Yesterday a operations, as reported in the SHABJ. communique, were all designed to “take care” of the movements ot. enemy troops and equipment from the Pas de Calais south-west to the battle area. The night attacks were designed against the Germans' sensitive traffic centres. Revigny being essential for traffic moving westwards from the Saarbrucken and Metz aiea and Aulnoye a link for the mam lines from the Ruhr to France and from Brussels to Paris. Medium bombers during darkness, to-day, without loss, continued the work of smothering German road movements, particularly between Amiens and Rouen. Low thick cloud and mist made their task difficult, but the planes attacked movements across the Orne, Dives and Seine Rivers with bombs and gunfire. fl he weather over Normandy to-day was described as bad. GENERAL O’CONNOR'S POST. ~RUGBY, July 19. General Rory O'Connor is in charge of the tank formations playso great a part in the fighting m the Caen area. It is learned authoritatively that General O Connor was a prisoner of war in Italian hands for two years, after he was caught in the front line, taken from a car, and made a prisoner, but he eventually made his escape. It was General Montgomery’s desire that General O’Connor be given a further opportunity to serve the Allied cause, as he is recognised as an <>ut.sttmding tank expert. ARMISTICE TERMS. "RUGBY, July 19. When the Allies name the terms to Germany the British Parliament will not be consulted first. Mr. Eden made this clear in the Commons. Asked for an assurance that no final decision on the armistice terms, or future political or military arrangements in Europe, would be made without Parliament’s prior approval, Mr. Eden replied that the Government would follow the normal constitutional procedure in these matters.

Replying to a suggestion that as the armistice terms would last some time, while the more permanent peace terms were being considered, it would be appropriate for the Commons to be informed beforehand and invited to approve any conditions agreed upon, Mr. Eden said: “Certainly not. The armistice terms are a military matter which are the responsibility of the Government, and certainly would not be published in advance to the enemy.”