Underground Forts At Cherbourg Cleaned Out

Northern Advocate, 28 June 1944, Page 3

Underground Forts At Cherbourg Cleaned Out

LONDON, June 27. The keypoint to Cherbourg was Fort du Roule. an armed bastion rising to a height of several hundred feet .from the heart of the city. American infantry, equipped with Bazookas and Bangalores, stormed the fort and enabled other units to enter the streets of the city. Americans tackling Fort du Roule blasted pillboxes one after another, dropping grenades and Bangalore torpedoes down ventilators and chimneys and forcing the surviving Germans to capitulate. Huge stores of German food, liquor and ammunition were found in the multistoreyed fort which fell only because the Americans killed and blasted out the occupants. The Germans had machine-guns and some heavy guns jutting from the roofs and parapets, while a network of tunnels connected the outer pillboxes. Many Germans were found dead at their posts holding -weapons, but shot through the forehead/ The Americans today uncovered an amazing subterranean fort while climbing a hill within Cherbourg, stated Reuter's correspondent with the United States forces. 300 Nazis Came Out

A platoon, looking over a cliff of 200 feet sheer rock, discovered an opening at the bottom into which they fired several Bazooka shells. Then a soldier with a pistol in his hand walked in and shouted: “Come out, you sons of Hitler.”

To the platoon’s amazement, 300 Germans rolled out with their hands over their heads. The Americans then entered the fortress and found cement fortifications with supplies for months. Full-sized railway tracks ran through channels hewn into the solid rock, with engines and other armoured equipment. Endless rooms full of armament and food led off from the main channel. Dead and wounded soldiers were found at many points. One large storeroom contained hundreds of cases of cognac, rum and wine, another dozens of new radios, another large.naval type torpedoes, approximately 20 feet in length, apparently for transport by rail to meet an expected attack from the sea. Later investigation disclosed that the fortress contained a lift, connected with a pillbox on the hill above.