ALLIED ADVANCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24972, 15 August 1944, Page 5

ALLIED ADVANCES

BKITISH NEAR CONI)E MORTAIN-yiRE PROGRESS (Real. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, Aur. 11 There is no official comment at Supreme Headquarters on a frontline report that the Americans are beyond Argentan. There have been two minor Allied advances, firstly, east of Vire down the Tinchebray road to within four miles of Tinchebray, and secondly, a further advance toward Conde, with British troops now on high ground within 500 yards of Conde, which they are apparently overlooking. Americans South of Sourdeval In the Mortain-Vire area, continues the official statement, enemy resistance south of Vire decreased slightly and there has been a limited Allied advance along the Gathemo-Tinchebrav road. The Americans also worked their way south of Sourdeval. The Allied advance in the general .Mortain-Vire area has made some progress, but, although resistance is slightly less, it is an advance in contact with the enemy.

The British Uyited Press correspondent says the Americans in this sector began a general advance at dawn and attacked in strength south of Vire with infantry and armour. They struck a hard blow against the enemy, following the first signs of the German withdrawal. Renter's correspondent says the Americans captured Sourdeval. Renter's correspondent north ot Falaise .says the British and Canadian forces which had wiped out the German salient between the Orne and Baize Rivers yesterday continued their advance southward toward the roads leading east through Falaise, which is the main escape route for the Germans who are caught between the British and Canadians and the Americans driving up from Argentan. Germans Pushed Back Fighting between the Orne and Laize Rivers is proceeding in terrain which does not give armour a chance to deploy. The Germans are being gradually pushed back from one Orne ridge after another. German infantry and Tiger tanks tried to oppose the advance from the forest of tie Cinglais to Bois Halbout, but although the terrain is difficult for the attackers the British went forward again. Second Army troops in front ol Tliury Harcourt had mopped up all but 50 "death or glory" snipers, but the Germans reinforced their garrison with 500 men and fighting is still going on. Good progress lias been made west of the River Orne, where the British have clearly fractured what was intended to be a major defence line. The Germans are still jabbing persistently against Second Army infantry overlooking Conde. Last night they filtered back to St. Pierre Lavielle and Hill 229, but paratroops facing the British south-east of Vire are withdrawing.

PARATROOPS SUFFER GERMANS DELAY TOO LONG LONDON, Aug. 1:1 A correspondent with the Allied troops on the Vire-Vassy road says that Nazi parachute troops, fighting one of their well-known delaying actions, delayed a little too long this morning and paid dearly for it. They had been fighting hard to hold on to a commanding feature, Hill 312, about two miles south of the Vire-Vassy road, but, finding our troops gathering on the slopes to launch an attack, they realised that their hold on the hill was slipping. They must have thought that our infantry were slow in coming up the slopes. So they spent their time lobbing mortar bombs and firing machineguns at our positions. But a rude awakening came to them when at last they proceeded to move off. The shock came in the shape of a hail of shells, mortar bombs and machinegun bullets which smashed into the convoy. Some vehicles exploded and others caught, on fire. Many Germans who had jumped out of the vehicles were cut down by machine-gun fire which came from an adjoining feature, Hill 272, which, unknown to the enemy, had been captured bv our troops. From the summit our forces had complete command of the roads leading south and were able to give our artillery the accurate range and exact time to open fire on the escaping column. Heavy toll was taken of both vehicles and men, and few escaped.