ANOTHER SEINE CROSSING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 201, 23 August 1944, Page 5

ANOTHER SEINE CROSSING

THRUST SOUTH-EAST OF PARIS ENEMY OFFERS LITTLE RESISTANCE Seed. 11.25 p.m. London, Aug. 22. Another crossing of the river Seine has been made, this time to the south-east of Paris. The Allied bridgehead to the west, at. Alantes, is being enlarged, and troops arc reported as moving down the Seine on both banks, in the direction of Rouen and the coast. United States 3rd Army forces yesterday crossed the Seine, south-east of Paris as well as north-west, states Reuter s correspondent at 3rd Army headquarters. American forces on the east bank of the Seine have driven forward without opposition. Reinforcements crossed the river and joined up with fotces already across in a conibined forward movement. It had been expected that the Germans, who had been streaming over the river from the escape tunnel of the Falaise-Argentan pocket, would put up a stiff resistance from prepared positions on the east bank, and the Americans were anticipating hotly-contested crossings, butthe whole German defence area seems to have collapsed. Tlise American troops are part of the force which made the sudden sweep northwards from the direction of Dreux.

“Good progress has been maae between Lisieux and the sea, where Allied troops have captured Dozu.fc and Dives-sur-Mere and advance! to Annebault and Bonnexbosq. says a communique isued on Tuesda- by Supreme Allied Headquarters. ’“West of Lisieux we have taken Cambremer, while the advance north of Saint Martin de la Lieue has brought our troops within half a mile of Lisieux it.e . Fight nc is go ng on in the vicm.ty of Vilmoutiers. “Further south an advance h s been made east of Chambois. Gace is in our lianas. Determ net enemy efforts to break out of encirc.ement were a&rin checked effectively. Monping-up continues, Inere is nothing further to report frc<n the remamdrr of the front. Tne weather severely restricted a.r operations yesterday, but, during the evening, coastal aircraft attaexeo enemy shipping near the moutn ot the Gironde River.’’ Recd. y.lu p.m. aew York, Aug. 21. American patrols at 3 a.m. crosses the Seine at Mantes, says tne 'l imes co* respondent. This was followed ah day by long lines of armour and infantry, which establisned a bridgehead/ Blasted bridges are rapidly Being replaced 'ey poniocns. F ernes are in operation at several points along the river. There is little resistance to the American advance, although on the roads leading from the south there is ample evidence that many 01 the enemy had not fled fast enougn. Highways are strewn with overturned and burnt-out vehicles, whose occupants were either suicide squads, or could not be made to believe the enemy’s army could travel so fast, but the Army was and is, moving so fast that some sections have moved on their own maps and have to rely on captured maps. The Some was alive with troops pushing on in what seems a futile attempt to contact the enemy. While engineers are building bridges as fast as humanly possible, pontoons, lashed together and propelled by outboard motors, are ferrying men and material. Some troops are rousing and others are being transferred :n barges pulled by ropes, cables and is ample evidence of the effectiveness of the Air Force on Mantes. Its industries are wiped out, railways crippled and about one-tnira of the’ buildings ruined. Factories, railwavs and maintenance depots are so battered that there is no indication of their original function. Since the beginning of the current push, the advancing armies have had most oi the enemy ahead, but always some behind and on the flanks. The city, appearing free of Germans in tne day time, after columns pass through suddenly becomes alive with hordes after nightfall. These are mostly stragglers, who have become detached from their own units and are trying to reform. . Early this morn’ng a divisionasupply train, moving out of Dreux northward to participate in the Seine crossing, was ambushed by six machine guns. The supply group detached the trailers lor better manoeuvreability and swung then guns into position and battled lor twe hours before being driven off, when the Germans brought up a couple 01 mortars, but when the Americano returned with more equipment to meet this threat, the enemy had fled, leaving 12 dead. Recd. 9 p.m. London, Aug. 22. The pocket east of Falaise is already beginning to crumble. We are closing up ail along the lower reach** of the Seine. The Germans fleeing across the Seine are threatened by the Allies' crossing at Mantes. German resistance on the cast bank of the Seine is stiffening, says Reuter’s correspondent with the United Stales Third Armv. The Germans, using machine-guns and sma.l arms, are trying to halt the Americans who crossed the Seine without opposition. The Germans at other points along the Seine are still fleeing across the river under darkness, abandoning a great deal of equipment. The Assocfated Press correspondent with the Americans says the Americans have solidified the bridgehead across the Seine. 25 miles nortn-west of Paris. The first Amei icons who crossed the Seine on Saturday night soon captured German 88mm. guns by surprising the gun crews. A few •nemy gunners escaped by bicycles or civilian cars.

American guns yesterday were plastering German pontoon bridges and barge traffic, wnicn were aisc taking a pounding from the air.

Reconnaissance pilots reported for the second day that German transport was moving cast along the roads Iron. Paris ' bumper to bumper.” Pilot:, again tola oi the Germans trying to swim the river

American infantry during the night of August 19-20 began the river crossings in assault boats and consolidated their positions. Other troops later crossed this section of the river, while engineers were building pontoon bridges. Reuters correspondent with the Canadians says that British armour yesterday struck out from Livarot, which is nine and a-half miles south Lisieux. and advanced ober eighi miles to a point near Liseux. British forces operating with the Canadian Army command had then almost reached the River Orbec in their drive towards the Seine.

Allied forces last night wore throwing out several arms to the eastward. There was then no defined front anywhere from Chambois to the

The Exchange Telegraph says that German rearguards which attempted to delay the armoured drive to the Orbec River were swept aside by our tanks as they rolled through the narrow lanes ano by-roads running through this hilly, close country. British armour struck an unexpected blow in a fresh spectacular movement, says an Exchange Telegraph correspondent Leading elements round the east of the Anglo-Canadian battle area reached the outskirts of Gace, nine miles from Chambois. It

was a move which obviously caught the enemv on the hop. A lightning blow was followed by a lightning advance. and the new threat, coupled with the advance towards Lisieux, means the dashing ot enemy hopes ot reinforcing the area around the pocket from the tattered third rate forces in the Seine area. It was also a direct threat to those enemy forces which have counter-attacked. A late report says that the Americans forced the Seine in the area of Fontainebleu.