FIVE TOWNS

Grey River Argus, 17 August 1944, Page 5

FIVE TOWNS

TAKEN FIRST DAY BY ALLIED INVADERS In South of France TANKS AND BIG GUNS OPERATE [Aus. & N.Z. Pres? Assn.l NEW YORK Aug. 15. An American army numbering many; thousands on Tuesday afternoon was well into Southern France, going fast, virtually without opposition said a special communique from Allied headquarters in the Mediterranean. On Tuesday at mid-morning our disembarkation operations were proceeding successfully according to plan. Troops were encountering only weak resistance from enemy forces. Operations of the Allied airborne troops which supported the disembarkation were also carried out suecessfully. A second special communique said: “At mid-morning all the landings were proceeding successfully according to schedule against only light ground opposition and no air opposition. The supporting air-borne operation was also successfully executed.”

FIVE TOWNS TAKEN ON DAY OF LANDING (Rec. 1.15) LONDON, Aug. 16. An Exchange Telegraph Agency correspondent in southern France says: Allied troops in the south ot France by 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday had taken five towns, including one of three thousand inhabitants, five miles inland. Prisoners are coming in in batches of 20.- They are of all radio stated hundreds of Allied heavy tanks and field guns are already iiin action in south France.

A Liberator bomb-aimer told a war correspondent he had seen Allied troops landing on a beach near Frejus, south-west of Nice. Algiers radio says: It was officially announced from the Allied Mediterranean headquarters that operations in southern France were proceeding; according to plan. A Reuter correspondent at an advanced Allied headquarters in the Mediterranean says: A naval communique issued at noon stated that there was . little in the way of definite naval news from the assault area at the south coast of France. A steady build-up of the Army by Allied navies and merchant navies is proceeding smoothly. Reinforcements with all their guns, mechanical transport, food and other miscellaneous equipment, are rapidly landing in fine weather. The work continues at night in addition to day time.

An American reported from Rome that American Liberty ships were being unloaded in the harbour at Cannes. Np Allied plane was lost in this gigantic job of invading Southern France.

Another U.S. correspondent said: Our troops established a wide bridgehead on the Mediterranean coast. Hundreds of jeeps on Tuesday afternoon were scuttling over the French countryside. Scores of trucks were pounding French roads and thousands of soldiers were marching inland. Guns and equipment were massed on the beaches. Only occasional shells "came from German inland batteries. A large strip of the Riviera was occupied. All signs point to the faN the Germans knew the Allies were coming but decided not to oppose them. They apparently have fixed a defence line some miles inland.

Another reporter said: —The Germans were caught completely by surprise. What few Germans were waiting for us have been scattered or captured. Men, tanks, artillery and all kinds of material have been pouring in on three separate beaches since 8 a.m., to-day, and by now have built up such strength that it seems almost certain we have come not only to sta’v put, but -i«dll also push on. This ought to be a decisive blow for F'rance. Everybody is astounded that it went off so easily. Three hours of hell preceded the landing. Bombs, naval gunfire, and rockets flamed and roared into the beaches from daylight and before the smoke lifted troops were swarming up beaches, hardly believing, their luck as engineers blasted their way through cement walls ‘and tanks drove in with hardly a shot from the Germans. The Americans can be proud that this, their venture from the inception to its successful outcome, was perhaps our greatest sin gle contribution to the war in Europe. Meanwhile there is jubiliation at the almost bloodless success. Units on our flank did not have it quite so easy, but they; are well, -inland and moving east. What I wanted to know was why the Germans did not put up a fight. They had ample coastal defence gun emplacements and wonderful hill positions behind the beaches. So I went to the prisoners’ cage to discover what was wrong. One Master Sergeant said he knew the Army in Northern France had been broken in three months.

Village and country people welcomed the invaders sincerely, but not with a tremendous outburst of enthusiasm. The sudden barrage from the sea frightened and surprised them. They had a few friends killed' and the.M have suffered a long time.

UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS. FRANCO-AMERICAN FRONT OF 30 MILES. (Rec. 11.0.) LONDON, August 16. A Reuter correspondent at an advanced Allied headquarters in Italy says: “Unqualified success is a term which may justifiably be used, on the basis of official and semi-otn-cial information available so far, ro describe the great Allied assault against Southern France.” American and French troops made the landing. East of Toulon and west of Nice they landed, after which they established themselves firmly on a thirty-miles front within the first twelve hours. All day long on Tuesday, hour after hour, returning convoys brought troops and supplies. ’Planes flying over the assault area could detect, here and there, American jeeps running about the once fashionable Riviera, through towns and villages that once were famous as summer and winter resorts. LONDON, Aug. 15 An Associated Press correspondent said: If the Berlin radio reports that the Allies have landed between Nice and Cannes are correct it means that the Germans will lose their principal road and rail supply route to the Italian battlefront. The main ParisVentimiglia railway runs parallel to the sea along the French Riveria. Moreover, National Highway Number 10, from Marseilles to the Italian frontier, runs in the same direction.

Allied headquarters said: Our forces are so far meeting with a minimum of German resistance. The landings took place along the 100 miles of coast-line between Nice and

Marseilles. One report says the 1 landings were made south-west Cannes. According to Germai .. ports landings were made 2b m from Toulon and paratroops dropped in the Marseilles area. Big German shore batteries with held~fire during the Allied bomba ment. They were perhaps unwilliHo to disclose the exact positioi s, r p ing with the aid of Low cloud to remain undiscovered. , .. The first assault craft reached the beach assigned to them exactly otime. Mine sweepers went in first J-o clear the wav for light craft, wh the navies laid down a curtain oi supporting fire. The weather was cleai and the sea calm, providing a perfect springboard for the assault. One correspondent said: _ Eight hundred ships of the Riviera invasion fleet flew the flags of the Royal Navy and the navies .of the United States, France Canada, Netherland, Poland, Greece and Belgium. Before the assault boats pushed off big Allied warships pounded coastal batteries. The Germans had been building and reinforcing these since last 'August. Tney, include many deeply embedded four-teen-inch coastal guns protected by thick walls of steel. The operations closely followed the pattern of those on D. Day. . q Convoys from Italy, Africa and the various Mediterranean islands chiefly Corsica and Sardinia, early on Tuesday morning gathered at assembly points in a light thin moon. At eight o’clock a procession of ships and “ducks” began shuffling to the shore. They landed in calm clear water. The landing beaches, extend over a considerable part of the coast between Nice and Marseilles. The Allies have a good idea of the Germans’ strength in Southern France. It is believed there are lements of onlv between four and five divisions, without large tank or air forces.

AIR SUPPORT 'LONDON, Aug. 15 The full weight of the great Mediterranean Allied Air Force was thrown into the assault to help blast a way inland. An hour before the airborne troops landed, ton after ton of bombs cascaded against the beach defences to knock out or render ineffective any invasion obstacles, which. survived the past fortnight’s plastering. The commander of one Mediterranean Air Force , Squadron landing paratroops in the first wave said. “There was nothing to it. We went in dropped them, and came home.” The first paratroop landings attracted hardlv a shot. An American commentator, broadcasting from Allied Headquarters, reported that the air fleet was the largest ever used, and the operation was going extremely well. Tile air-borne force was the largest ever dropped in any Allied operation, consisting of over'l4,ooo rear combat men.

Mediterranean Air Force preparations for the invasion were begun as far back as April. More than 6000 sorties have been flown over South-ern-France since April and in the five days before the invasion the attacks were greatlv accelerated, 6000 tons of bombs being dropped on the coastal defences. Five Hundred medium bombers roared over the assault area between Marseilles and Nice on the morning of August 15. Some of them went 60 miles inland and saw no sign of big movements. Pilots of Lightnings sweeping the invasion beaches encountered the first German planes which had been seen —18 Messerchmitts, of which without loss, they shot down three. French circles in London consider that the Maquis will be able to aid the Allies more directly in Southern France than they could in Normandy’From their mountain strongholds they should be able to harms German troops who, in Southern France, consist mainly of infantry with equipment inferior to that of the Germans in Normandy. Correspondents stated the iirst landings were on a bigger scale than the first landings in Normandy. More than 800 ships, with strong, naval support, were used. The beachhead has been exteneded and widened. Substantial numbers of troops with guns, munitions and supplies had oh Tuesday evening been landed on beaches. A correspondent then reported:—Enemy opposition remains sporadic and no enemy air attacks are yet reported. Som%. high ground behind beaches is now in Allied hands. The islands of Portcros and Levant and the mainland peninsula of Cape Negre, about four miles east of Bormes, were captured early on Tuesday, by French and American troops * landed from ships of the American and Canadian naw ies. During the operation two small enemy ships were sunk and prisoners taken. On beaches on the mainland where the landings were successful against light opposition, operations are proceeding satisfactorily. Naval gunfire is reported to be very effective and the Navy is continuing to land troops and stores, without interruption. Allied convoys are leaving on a return voyage from the assault area, and new are arriving. The islands .of Portcros and Levant bristled with concrete gun emplace' ments and anti-aircraft batteries. Be fore a landing could hope to be successful, they had to be neutralised., otherwise a large percentage of the invasion flotilla might have been blasted from the water. A correspondent, who flew over the beachhead said: “As far aa I can see from about a thousand feet over the beach, where Allies smashed ashore an hour ago, no major fighting appears to have developed. The same lack of resistance marks the entire rugged landscape as far as 20 miles inland. Preliminary stages of the Allied landing—paratroops and glider landing—were carried out successfully. We inland glided down to a meadow between rugged crags just within the coastline area. We sometimes flew as low as 300 feet above the treetops and still no shot was fired at us.” The British United Press says.:— There seems to be some confusion over the number of airborne troops landed in Southern France. The total earlier in the day was estimated at 14,000, • but this possibly refers to the total airborne during the operation, including air combat crews. According to enemy sources the landings are between Cannes and Toulon. There are excellent beaches in this stretch. They are mostlybacked by mountains which, though in places rugged and fairly high, are not continuous and'by no means impassable. The new theatre though is much nearer the Italian front—about 170 miles from Leghorn—than the northern French theatre, and is probably more closely connected with the latter than the former, because the Alps impose extremely formidable barriers not only between France and Italy, but between Italy and Germany. . . . . . T'he invasion is being carried out at several points along a considerable part of 100 miles between Nice and Marseilles.

ALLIED AIR RAIDS IN SOUTHERN FRANCE. (Rec 1.16.) LONDON. August 16. Wednesday’s Allied communique from ‘ltaly states: Fo^u e ° r n / a nd heavy bombers, medium bombeis ana lio-ht bombers in addition to fightei bombers on Tuesday attacked enemy defences and communications in the south of France, in support of the mforces. Targets included Nice, defence troop concentrations, bridges,

aerodromes and other military objectives. Fighters provided cover for tne Allied fleet, and carried out patrols over the invasion area. Our bombers on Tuesday night attacked Valence airfield in the Rhone Valley, Thrge enemy ’planes were destroyed. Twenty of our 'planes are missing from night operations on Monday. (Rec. 12.30) LONDON, Aug. 16. British fighter ’planes are destroying nearly double the number of j_,uitwaffe planes than they were able to do seven months ago, as the result of the introduction of a new British gyro gunsight, Mark 110. It brought a revolutionary change in aerial fighting. Fighter pilots may now open effective fire against opponents with the speeds of each aircraft .at upwards of 400 m.p.h., at ranges of over 400 yards, and at angles of deflection previously considered impracticable. Its introduction reveals another of Britain’s great scientific .achievements. A team of experts at the Ministry of Aircraft Production experimental establishments conceived and developed the sight, which is notable for simplicity in use, despite complexity in internal construction. The sight consists of numerous . electrical _ units supplying information to sighting ahead. ’The pilot has only two adjustments to make to the sight before attacks. First, by turning a lever, he “informs” the sight of the type of plane he is attacking, and also “informs” the sight, by turning a twist prip incorporated in the throttle, of the range whereat he is attacking.

Two Landings Fail

LATER GERMAN REPORTS. (Rec. 12.5.) LONDON, August 16. A British United Press correspondent at Stockholm states: “Berlin reports on Tuesday have been discussing the suitability of the Riviera coast for tank battles. This already is implying the success in the first Allied landings. Berlin radio reported: Fighting is progressing at a number .of points along the Gulf of Saint Ropez. Allied forces succeeded in landing tanks. They made some slight progress. Berlin radio claims that the landing attempts at two points, namely Etang de Berre and Saint Raphael, have been frustrated. The Allied troops were then pushed back into the sea.

GERMAN CURFEW ORDER IN NORTHERN FRANCE (Rec. 10.40) LONDON, Aug. 16. At Monte Carlo the radio stated: The German Commander-in-Chief in Southern France has forbidden the population to use streets from sunset to dawn, and where military operations are occurring they must remain indoors even in daytime. Movement b v vehicle is forbidden, also the sale of alcohol. Places of public entertainment must close. Assemblies exceeding three presons are forbidden.. Civilians participating in military operations, or helping the enemy in any( way, will be treated as franc tireurs. German troops have been ordered to use arms if any of these rules are broken. NEWS ABOUT PARIS (Rec. 10.10) LONDON, Aug. 16. A “Daily Mail” correspondent at Madrid says: According to reports from the French frontier, Paris grew red hot with excitement as news spread like wild fire that Allied forces had invaded southern France. The populace rushed into the streets singing the “Marsaillaise.” German police patrols were powerless to check them. The sky over Paris at night time has been red with fires as Allied bombers attack the retreating enemy, and Germans blow up their own arms dumps in the path of the Allied advance. Maquis, at the moment, have suspended their reprisal attacks on the German military garrisons to avoid involving the Parisians in any massacre which the Germans might try to initiate. Germans, on the other hand, are no longer interfering with French forces of the interior. They are allowing these forces to fight out differences with Darand’s militia. Members of this militia are rapidly dissolving. As a result the militiamen are being either shot, or are going over to Maquis. Great bonfires blaze all day in Paris courtyards as Wehrmatch archives and- Vichy Ministries’ files have been burned to keep them from the Alfies. Leading pro-Ger-mans among the French have already gone into hiding. ALLIED LEAFLETS. (Rec. 5.5.) LONDON. August 16. Reuter’s correspondent at Allied Headquarters in Italy reports: ’Planes from Britain, co-operating with Itdlybased 'planes, will scatter on an unprecedented scale millions of leaflets over the whole area of France south of the River Loire. Some of these leaflets are an invitation to the Germans and to other enemy troops to come within the safety of Allied fines. Others will warn French civilians to keep off the roads. Other leaflets will call on the Maquis to spring into action. Many thousands of leaflets repeat General Maitland Wilson’s proclamation,