IN CHERBOURG PENINSULA

Grey River Argus, 5 July 1944, Page 5

IN CHERBOURG PENINSULA

Americans Attack adverse beach weather. [Aus. & N.Z. PrA!s» «ssn.r (Rec. 12.50.) LONDON, July 4. A spokesman at S.H.A.E.F., stated the weather from June 6 to June 30 was worse from the viewpoint of unloading operations on Normandy beaches than in any June since 1928. The most unfavourable condition for unloading is a moderate to strong onshore wind, which makes operations difficult and dangerous. Such a wind prevailed for nine days of the first 25 days of the invasion, compared witn an average of four .days during twelve years before the war, and seven in the worst two years from that period, namely 1929 to 1933. • The sky over the Straits of Dover on Tuesday morning showed a tendency to clear. T*he sea was smooth. Mosquitoes of the Second Tactical Air Force on Monday bombed and strafed trains and road vehicles in brilliant moonlight, spreading havoc among German rear lines of communication south of Paris. One pilot attacked a train travelling very fast and made certain of his quarry with two bombing and five strafing attacks. Another pilot got four trains. Mosquitoes in addition to a most successful night of train wrecking, attacked many bridges, railway crossings and junctions. German fuel dumps near Argentan went up in smoke late in the evening after an attack by Anglo-Dutch Mitchells. The squadrons pin-pointed a wellcamouflaged target in a wood and silenced ack-ack defences.

The Air Ministry, in a communique, states: Bomber Command Mosquitoes on Monday nieht attacked objectives in the Ruhr, Mines were laid in enemy waters. None is missing.

American Attack IN ST. LO AREA LONDON, July 3. A correspondent reports: On Monday a big American attack has commenced from St. Lo to St. Lo d’Ourville. In driving rain which reduced visibility to nil. and deprived them of air support, American forces in Normandy launched an offensive at dawn. They are pushing down the western side of Cherbourg Peninsula on a front extending inland more than 20 miles from the coast. A Reuter correspondent stated:— American troops pushed a spearhead two and a-half miles deep into the German lines to-day in a new offensive southward from the Cherbourg Peninsula. Americans in the first 12 hours' of the offensive waded through water knee to chest deep, fought off German tanks and blasted a way through hedgerows to win key-points. One column grabbed a key hill less than three miles north of Le Haye du Puits. Troops pushed up slopes through a maze of hedgerows, ma- . chine-gun emplacements and mortar trenches. Americans on the right and left flanks experienced even tougher going. Both flanking columns had to beat off groups of three to six tanks. The offensive started from a line roughly from St. -Sauveur de Pierre, on the west coast, through a point north of St. Sauveur le Vicomte and around m an arc to a position west of Carentan. The push was launched after a day’s artillery fire and patrol warming un which kept German and American forces in constant contact and permitted Americans to feel out German strength. Americans, slashinto thick hedgerows and moving across sodden but green, rolling hills, drove in the direction of Le Haye du Puits, only a few miles south from the jumping-off line. An Associated Press correspondent says: The barrage lit up murky skies for hours, while the ground shook for miles. The sudden attack after the Cherbourg victory gave the Germans little time to prepare for a new assault. With the Allies already exerting pressure against the Germans’ left flank and centre, this right flank blow gives the Germans a new problem. There are yet no further details beyond a report that Allied troops are operating south of a flooded area below St. Lo d’Ourville, and that St. Jores, about five miles south of St. Sauveur has been capturec. A “Dailv Telegraph” correspondent says: St. Jores which Americans captured lies just south of an eastwest highway connecting two main roads running due south of the peninsula, and some five miles east of Le Haye du Puits. The northsouth roads are almost certain to be main routes if the advance develops into a major attack. An Associated Press correspondent says: A dive-bombing mission of such unusual importance that MajorGeneral Elwood Quesada, Ninth Air Force Commander, led it himself, was carried out south of Cherbourg Peninsula. Details of the mission will not be released for several days. The planes dropped 5001 b. delayed action bombs from a few feet above the ground The German News Agency says that General Bradley’s men punched all day at German barrier positions closing the Contentin Peninsula towards the south. All the attacks (Rec. 12 P 18 S a.m.) LONDON, July 4. The German News Agency says: During American attacks on Monday between Carentan and the west coast of Normandy, German positions were withdrawn several miles at some points. . , , , A S.H.A.E.F. communique stated: The railway 1 system south of the battle area' was further damaged during Friday night when a number of trains were bombed in the Orleans, Cloves and Montfort areas. Mur de Bretagne, which was bombed is eight miles north of Pontivy. BRITISH SECTOR QUIETER ON MONDAY. TONDON, July 4. A communique from S.H.A.E.F. stated: On Sunday afternoon there were onlv local clashes m the Caen area Our patrols penetrated deeply into the enemy positions m some parts of the Evrecy sector and contact was maintained along the whole front. Allied forces gained some ground to the south in the Contentm Peninsula on Monday. A BB.C. reporter says that the Tillv-Caen sector of the Normandy front was quiet on Monday mornmAn Exchange Agency correspondent state! heavy ram fell in Normandy on Monday. Vehicles churned ™ mountains of mud and troops in the front ifie crouched in slit trenches Wer waterproof sheets. Germans, Respite the weather, put m anotheiT small-scale infantry counter-attack early near Gavrus one and fe-half miles north-west of Evrecy, bit it was quickly repulsed. Allied n>val formations, including

Sange Agency eorresponl heavy rain fell in NorMonday. Vehicles churned ifcs of mud and troops in line crouched in slit nhder waterproof sheets. Respite the weather, put f small-scale infantry .ack early near Gavrus, i-half miles north-west of it it was quickly repulsed, kval formations, including

three of the heaviest British battle-, ships, shelled German positions south of Caen, at the rate of 2000 tons of steel hourly for several hours in the I last three days. Another report on Monday stated : K In the past 4 hours there has been a moderate amount of naval bombardment in support of the CaenTilly fighting area.

CAEN FRONT UNALTERED. (Rec. 11.30.) LONDON, July 4, Tuesday’s communique from S.H.A, E.F, states: Allied troops in the neck of the Cherbourg Peninsula advanced at several points on Monday morning. Gains up to two and a-half miles were made in spite of heavy rain. The rain severely restricted air support. The weather improved somewhat on Tuesday evening. Fighterbombers then effectively attacked defended localities, gun positions, ano a fuel dump in the Lessary area. Our positions on the Odon River salientremain firm. Other air activity on Monday included successful attacks by medium bombers on a fuel dump near Argentan, and an attack by rocketfiring ’planes against an electric power station near Mur de Bretagne, in the Brest Peninsula.

Canadians Attack

YESTERDAY’S SUCCESS

CARPIQUET CAPTURED

(Rec. 12.58) LONDON, July 4. Canadian infantry at 5 o’clock on Tuesday 'morning launched an attack on the Tilly-Caen front. At 8 o’clock they entered Carpiquet, three miles west of Caen. Simultaneously with the Canadian offensive, British troops on the right flank attacked and captured ground south of Carpiquet. A Reuter correspondent with the Canadians says: On Tuesday morning I watched Canadian infantry and tanks backed by a mighty saturation barrage from naval and land guns and from the air, drive against a heavily fortified enemy strongpoint, Carpiquet, which had been a thorn in the Allied side. The Germans are still resisting around this airfield. , Describing the battle for Carpiquet, a Canadian correspondent said: “Allied guns are drumming with a steady rythm, as they beat up objectives. Roqket-firing Typhoons are diving like black meteors right on to German positions, blasting them at point-blank range. German guns and mortars are hitting back against the Canadians, particularly against those fighting for the airfield. The fighting is far from over and German counter-blows against Carpiquet can be expected.” An Exchange Telegraph Agency correspondent says: The Germans had a number of guns and tanks at Carpiquet. As Canadian forces closed in from two sides most of the enemy pulled out under cover of a smoke-screen. The Canadians encountered some machine-gun and mortar fire but soon cleared out German forces who were attempt-ng to form a rearguard in the town. The Germans are renorted to have ploughed up the airfield but they are holding it strongly.”

ROMMEL ON THE SCENE. LONDON, July 1

“The .British staff believe that Rommel has arrived on the battlefield,” .states 'the correspondent (of the “Daily Express,” at Ist. Army Headquarters. “They state that the behaviour of the Germans in the past two days leads to this belief. Their reaction to the British thrust across the river Odon has been impetuous and headstrong—in true Rommel style. “The British intelligence now reports that all the German panzer divisions in Normandv have been drawn into the battle. Rommel is taking every unit that arrives and throwing it in immediately, which suits us very well. This is the biggest battle in Normandy so far. The Germans have at least seven armoured divisions pushed against us. All are mixed up and incomplete.”