SHARP ADVANCE

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

SHARP ADVANCE

AMERICANS TAKE LISON THREAT TO CHERBOURG LONDON, June 11. The Americans in a sharp advance captured the town of Lison, five miles south-east of Isigny, and advanced several miles southward over a broad front. The Americans also captured Grandcamp, six miles north-east of Isigny. It is officially confirmed by Supreme Allied Headquarters that they have driven almost halfway across the Cherbourg Peninsula, threatening the entire German position around the port. Earlier in the day, in a great single air blow supporting the invasion, 2000 American heavy bombers and escorting fighters bombed airfields, bridges, and coastal batteries. Medium bombers and fighter-bcmbers, continuing thenoperations in support of the ground forces, flew over 2100 sorties in the 24 hours ended midnight last night.

The Germans are completely unable to cope with the Allies in the air. where the situation is comparable with the early days of the war in France and Greece, with the Luftwaffe’s position reversed.

The German radio claims that the Germans yesterday expelled the enemy from the south-eastern outskirts of Caen, where airborne forces held positions. The radio claimed that the whole town is again in German hands. Spectacular Gain

The capture of Lison was the most spectacular gain of a day which was generally good in the field and particularly good on the beaches, where a calm sea made possible an immense building up of Allied strength in troops and supplies, says the Associated Press correspondent at the Twenty-first Army Group headquarters. The German counter-attacks against the Americans west of the main Cherbourg road were effectively beaten down.

The British forces in the area from Bayeux to Caen pressed forward against powerful German armoured opposition. Fighting in this sector was perhaps the stiffest of the day, the enemy here resisting with extraordinary strength. • , But there is no disposition at headquarters to regard enemy action as the major counter-attack, which has been expected for the past two or three The correspondent reports a suggestion made that the Germans might be gravely reducing their power of launching a real counter-attack at any time in the near future by their present desperate resistance, which involves throwing into the line immediately everything that can be collected. It is also suggested that the marshalling of the German forces necessary for such a counter-attack would be difficult, if not impossible, unless the enemy could wholly halt the Allies and gain breathing space. Reuter’s correspondent with the Canadians says 12 enemy tanks were knocked out, and infantry attempting to infiltrate the Canadian lines were thrown back in confused fighting around a hill feature to-day. Most of the German tanks thrown in thus far are Mark IV.’s. German Lines Broken

The British United Press correspondent with the American forces says air bombing and artillery broke the German lines on the Merderet River. The troops crossed the river under heavy machine-gun and mortar Are. but the casualties were far fewer than expected. Troops north of the Merderet River battle area also advanced despite a German attempt to halt them with multiple rockets. Thus important gi ound has been gained north-west and south of this beach-head in the past 24 hours. The Canadian press correspondent, Ross Munro, with the Canadians in Prance, says there has been a general move forward on practically the whole British-Canadian front from the Caen perimeter to the Bayeux area During last night two Canadian infantry units advanced one mile and a-half and went through one town which had been strongly defended, but found it empty. Reuter’s correspondent with the Canadians reports that the British and Canadians made four successful attacks in the region south-west and west of Caen in the past 12 hours. An Allied spokesman said the enemy position had definitely weakened as the result of these night operations. The British infantry captured a town after heavy fighting. British armoured units captured another strategic town. The Canadians captured a town which earlier had changed hands. The spokesman added that the Allies provided powerful artillery support to back up the advancing infantry. The German News Agency stated that extensive troop landings were made to-day in the American beachhead area from the Vire mouth to Quineville, on the east coast of the Cherbourg Peninsula. These troops were equipped with considerable quantities of heavy material. The Americans from the Montebourg-Quineville beach-head launched a good-sized tanksupported attack in the direction of Carentan, which is still held by the Germans.