TOULON BASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25625, 28 August 1944, Page 5

TOULON BASE

LIBERATION COMPLETE ALLIED PROGRESS IN SOUTH (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 27. The French naval base of Toulon has now been completely liberated, although the enemy is still holding out in one fort. French forces inside Toulon yesterday captured Fort D’Artiques and Fort Malbousquet. ) Further progress has also been made towards eliminating the remaining resistance at Marseilles, where the Germans caused much damage by demolitions and the wrecking of quays, warehouses, dry docks, and port facilities. One harbour entrance has been partially blocked by sinking a ship. Other ships ‘have been scuttled and sunk away from the quaysides or used to obstruct internal berths and the main harbour entrance.

Reuter’s correspondent in Southern France states that General Patch’s new American-French invasion forces are now driving straight up the Rhone Valley after the triple capture yesterday of Arles, Tarascon, and Avignon. Steel-fingered spearheads which had been steadily moving westward along the 60-mile beach-heads turned northward into the interior of France and reached Avignon, an important road network town. Americans also reached Sault.

The Algiers radio reports that the Allies have captured over 35,000 prisoners in Southern France.

A communique from the headquarters of the French Forces of the Interior reports that the French Forces in the last few days liberated the following towns:—Mont du Marson, Carmaux, Albi, Aix les Bains, Gueret, Concarneau and Foix.

The Germans, under pressure from Resistance forces, were forced to withdraw from the Tarentaise Valley (in Savoy, on the Italian frontier). A communique from the military delegate in Southern France, General Cochet says that French Forces of the Interior liberated Nimes, Montpelier and Carcassonne. The French Forces made contact with the American military authorities in the Maritime Alps and the region around Grenoble. It is officially announced that the Allied Seventh Army has occupied Antibes. Forward elements are closely approaching the Rhone in the vicinity of Arles and Tarascon.

The German News Agency commentator, Sertorius, admitted that the Germans were carrying out a “disengaging movement in a northerly direction towards Lyons,” and added that fast enemy detachments north of Durance were turning west towards the central Rhone. They had reached the Rhone between Montelimar and Va lance. „„„ Two German generals and over 5000 prisoners were captured in the fighting in the Marseilles area in the past 72 hours, says the Associated Press Marseilles correspondent. French forces today launched a determined attack against the Germans in the four remaining strongpoints. Artillery heavily bombarded a hill south of the port and in the vicinity of the German headquarters.