ONCE ENDANGERED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25560, 13 June 1944, Page 5

ONCE ENDANGERED

ALLIED INITIATIVE ENEMY NOT QUICK ENOUGH (Rec. 9.45 p.m.) LONDON, June 12. Adverse weather and the difficulties of consolidation at one time endangered the Allies’ initiative on Normandy beach-head, according to Reuter’s correspondent at Allied headquarters. There was a period of very real anxiety and a very real possibility that if the

Germans had been able to move quickly enough they could have pushed the Allied forces back into the sea. The Allied troeps have now regained their balance. The Germans will still try to contain and impede the advance, but they cannot now dislodge our beach-head forces. The fiercest fighting of the invasion has developed in the Bayeux area, where Marshal Rommel is throwing in vital reserves of armour without denting our line. It is expected that this battle will be decided within 24 hours.

Chief Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder and Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay yesterday toured 50 miles of beach-heads and had a conference lasting eight hours with Rear-admirals Sir Philip Vian and A. G. Kirk, and other naval commanders. Air Chief Marshal Tedder and Admiral Ramsay sailed to the beach-head in a British destroyer. There is sober confidence at Allied headquarters that the phase of securing the beach-head is coming to a close. The news that the troops are fighting on the outskirts of Montebourg and of their having established a bridgehead across the main roadway to Cherbourg, and also the great advance in the Lison area are all considered extremely gratifying. It seems that the Allied armies are getting elbow room to regain the initiative which they surrendered while consolidating the beachhead. The Allied forces are nearing the time when they can exploit their successes. The withstanding of counter-attacks is also considered extremely good news.