ORLEANS AND DREUX TAKEN

Grey River Argus, 19 August 1944, Page 5

ORLEANS AND DREUX TAKEN

Also Chartres and Chateau d’Un

LONDON, August 17. American armoured columns driving into the interior of France have established a bridgehead over he Eure River, 32 miles from Paris, which can now hear the thunder of Allied guns. 8.0.W. RUGBY, August 17. The Americans are across the little river Aunay, 13 miles east of Chartres, and are 30 miles from Paris. This news was released this afternoon after a complete black-out on operations of General Patton’s Third American Army. The Americans have established a bridgehead across the Eure at Dreux, and are therefore under 20 miles from the Seine. Another American column driving south-east has captured Orleans after only slight resistance. In the drive towards Paris, the Allied troops have occupied Chartres and Dreux. Chateau d’ Un and St. Calais have also been taken. GERMAN REPORTS. LONDON, August 17. The German News Agency stated strong American tank and motorised artillery formations under General Patton, supported by large groups of bombers, attacked Chartres and Chateau d’ Un, while two American spearheads by-passed the two cities and pushed further eastwards in the direction of Paris. Heavy fighting js in progress on the roads from Chartres to Paris. The News Agency also stated there is ferocious fighting in the Orleans area. A sensational announcement, not only that the Germans had given up Normandy for lost, but that the Americans have penetrated within 23 miles of Paris was made by the German News Agency on Thursday night. The German News Agency’s commentator, Max Drull, said: “The Normandy front has been liquidated by the German High Command. The German forces are withdrawing in an easterly direction and the cards are now being dealt for a new game.” , The German High Command stated: “The enemy, after crossing the Eure near Dreux, brought up reinforcements from Chartres and drove three wedges between Chartres and Dreux towards the Seine. Our screen joined battle at St. Tarnoult. which is 23 miles from the Paris city limits and at Epernon, 30 miles south-west of Paris and also south-east of Dreux. Grim, costly fighting is in progress and both sides are continuously throwing in fresh reinforcements.” Reuter says that Epernon stands on the Route Nationale, 10 miles from Chartres through the Rambouillet Versailles —a concrete road whicn takes four cars abreast. It enters Paris -from the south-west over a bridge across the Seine at St. Cloud. St Arnoult is on a narrowed road entering from the south, thus avoiding the bridges.

LATEST ALLIED OFFICIAL REPORT.

POCKET OPPOSITION CONTINUES

(Rec 12.40.) LONDON, August 18. S.H.A.E.F’s. Friday communique says: Allied, forces, driving east, have liberated Dreux, Chartres, Chateau d Un. and Orleans. The communique continues: hast of Chartres we have crossed the Aunay River, and have established a bridgehead over the Eure River, at Dreux Saint Calais and Authon. both in the path of the eastward drive, have also been liberated. ’ . • .. In the Normandy pocket, heavy opposition is being now encountered north of Ranes. We have freed Promentel, north-west of Ranes. Our troops north of Lafertemace advanced three thousand yards against lignt scattered resistance. “American patrols have made contact with British forces along tne’ Lice River, north and north-west ot Domfront. . “Allied troops advancing from the Flers area, have taken this, and have crossed the Rourv River east of La Carneille. “Our forces east of the Orne River are pushing to Raoillv and to the vicinity of Saint Philbert. They have

thereby further compressed the a rea still occupied by the enemy. "Our forces on Thursday morning cleared the enemy forces from Falaise and are established on high ground south of the town, while, to the southeast, they have advanced down tne railway from Damblainville to take Fresne le Mere. Our forces, after capturing Barou and Norrey en Auge, drove on to the area of Trun and Chambois. We have captured Saint Pierre-sur-Dives and Mezidon, and are pushing eastward along the whole of our northern sector. Our troops north of Mezidon have reached tne line of the Dives River as far as Bues and have taken Troarn and Bavent. In Brittany the citadel of Saint Malo has fallen. Saint Malo is now liberated. The German Commander and his staff were captured at Dinara, which is now liberated. Numerous enemy pockets, which were isolated in the drive through the peninsula, are now being mopped up along tne north and south coasts with the aid of the French resistance forces. THE AMERICANS' DRIVE TO ORLEANS. (Rec. 11.30.) LONDON, August 18. What he terms “a lightning drive by .General Patton’s armour for Orleans,” is described by a Reuter correspondent with the Americans, in a delayed despatch. He says: "American armour struck for the town over flat, cultivated country, going through dozens of villages and towns untouched by bombs or shells. The only opposition was from German snipers, firing from the woods along the flanK. Germans fled without a fight for 6U miles down the road leading to Orleans. As the armour forged steadily ahead, excited French peasants raced over the fields to join others who gathered at cross-road to cheer and to press flowers, fruit and wine on the American troops. Maquis at some towns lined the streets and saluted the Americans as they passea. We reached a point twelve miles from Orleans before the guns of the leading armoured vehicles went into action;'

FRENCH ASSIST AMERICANS. LONDON, August 17. The Maquis deserve the lion’s share of the credit for the capture of Chartres, says the British United Press correspondent with the United States forces. They fought the Germans in the streets from early yesterday morning, pinning them down until the American armoured patrols burst into the town. The Germans made a desperate last-minute attempt to reinforce’ the garrison. Dozens of snipers held out in the spire of the famous Cathedral, until the French drove them out. Chartres is largely undamaged, but the Germans', attempted to dynamite public buildings and public services.

Early Siege of Paris not expected. ENEMY CLEAR OUT. (Rec. 9.50) NEW YORK, Aug. 18. A “New York Times” correspondent at S.H.A.E.F. says: Paris is not, necessarily, an immediate mill-: tary objective. It is already far outflanked, and its usefulness as a road and rail centre and as a base of operations has partially been now neutralised by the American occupation of Orleans. A siege of Paris might await the arrival of stronger and less hurried forces than those dashing and self-contained pursuit units that are smashing through the German s communications southeast of the city. However the German garrison at Paris is not believed to be formidable. There is a belief in non-military quarters that Paris will be declared an open city. AMERICANS EN: ROUTE FOR PARIS. (Rec. 10.10.) LONDON, August 18. A “Times” correspondent, reporting from the Falaise front, says: The fact that Allied forces have swung tentacles north and south to Dreux and Orleans is tremendously significant. These were the very roads whereby we left Paris more than four years ago, and now an Allied liberating army has almost completed tne journey back.

GERMANS USE SEINE FERRIES.

(Rec. 11.10.) LONDON, August 18. On Thursday. Allied airmen spotted some five hundred barges and a number of ferries operating on the Seine River, between Nantes and Going, south of Paris. They were moving tanks and vehicles across the river. The airmen attacked them througn heavy cloud.

STILL NEARER PARIS. „ (Rec. 1.40.)- LONDON, August 18. An Associated Press correspondent reports: American armoured patrols were operating on Friday in the vicinity of Paris, and between Paris and Chartres.

JAPS LEAVE PARIS LONDON, Aug. 18. Tokio official radio announced diplomats and other Japanese nationals left Paris for Berlin yesterday.

Paris may soon be declared an open city according to reports from private sources, says the British United Press correspondent. There are no signs or German activity inside Paris. The German News Agency commentator, describing conditions . m Paris as those of a front-line city, said that the absence of police from the streets was one of the most remarkable features of the situation. He expressed a hope that the police strike, which was ascribed to the appointment of a new high officer, will soon end. He said that electric current was available only from IU.3U p.m. to midnight, and from to-day there would be no gas. “Paris must therefore be supplied with meals from central communal kitchens. An appeal was made to peasants to speed up threshing and put carts at the disposal of the Paris supply services, to alleviate the food shortage. . M Laval has received Ministers to discuss the food shortage. Coal does not now reach Pans in sufficient quantities owing to the sabotage and the numerous low level attacks oy British and American ’planes against Seine barges. Parisians, yesterday, went to work on foot and on bicycles since the Metro, which' was the only remaining public transport, is now completely shut. down. Paris police are reported by tne German News Agency to have gone on strike. The German Command ni Paris has appealed to the population to keep calm.

MANNHEIM BOMBED. (Rec. 1.10.) LONDON. August 18. Royal Air Force Mosauitoes on Thursday night attacked Mannheim.

PARIS RADIO SILENT. (Rec. 11.50.) LONDON. August 18. Paris radio did not come on the> air for the usual seven a.m. news broadcasts on Friday. The station has now been silent for over seventeen hours. An Allied Supreme Command spokesman on Thursday an appeal to the people of Pars to join the French Forces of the Interior. He also wKmed „. a F ls nolice that M. Darnand, Vichy P'olice Chief, was planning to move them to Nancy. He said: Refuse to go! Hide in Paris! Do not leave the capital finder any pretext. . / Enemy Losses LONDON, August 17. It has been officially announced at the Third Army Headquarters -hat

the Third Army have knocked out nearly 100,000 Germans including 11,000 killed, 41,300 captured and 47.000 wounded. The Twelfth United States Aimy group alone took 9,7s4.prsioners during the 48 hours ended midnight on August 15. OVER 112,000 U.S. CASUALTIES IN NORMANDY. (Rec. 11.40) WASHINGTON/ Aug. 18. The Acting-Secretary for War, Mr John McCloy, at a Press conference, said American losses in the Normandy sector from June 6 to August 6 were: 16,434 killed, 76,535 wounded, 19,704 missing; total 112,673. MORE AMERICANS REACH FRANCE (Rec. 9.50) LONDON, Aug. 18. It was announced at Allied Supreme Headquarters that there are three more American divisions now fighting in France, namely, the Sixth and Fourth Armoured Divisions and the Eighth Motorised Division.

SLAUGHTER OF CIVILIANS

BY ALLIED GUNS AT CAEN.

(Rec. 11.30.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 18. The Allied shelling killed seventyfive hundred French civilians at Caen, according to Representative Hugn Scott, the Republican Member of tne House, from Pennsylvania, who, witn Representative Gordon Canfield, Republican Member of the House, from New Jersey, worked their way across the Atlantic on a tanker, and met Mr. Churchill in Normandy. Mr. Scott said French people had been warned to vacate the coastal area. The Allied barrage killed 2,500 French people. After that civilians who had fled to the countryside returned to Caen. They were caught in another barrage, which killed 5,000 more of them.