VICTORY WAS COMPLETE

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

VICTORY WAS COMPLETE

NORTH-WEST FRANCE MONTGOMERY’S TRIBUTE “IT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END.” 4<rx . Rugby, Aug. 21. Our victory has been uelinite, complete and decisive,” said General Sir Bernard Montgomery, in a personal message to all troops under his command, and quoted by a correspondent in Normandy. “On August 11 I spoke to the officers and men of the Allied armies in north-west France,” General Montgomery said. “I said we must write off the powerful German force that was causing us so much trouble. .We must finish with it once and for all, and so hasten the end of the war. To-day, ten days later, it has been done. The German armies in northwest France have suffered a decisive defeat. The destruction of enemy personnel and equipment in and about the so-called Normandy pocket has been terrific, and is still going on. Any enemy units that manage to get away will not be in a fit condition to fight again for months. There are still many surprises in store for the fleeing remnants. TRIBUTE TO FORCES.

“As soldiers, we all want to pay a tribute to the Allied Air Forces. I doubt if ever hi the history ot war air forces have had such opportunities and taken such good advantage of them. The brave, brilliant work ot the pilots has aroused our greatest admiration. Without their support we soldiers could have achieved no success. Where all have done so well it is difficult to single out any for special praise. “As a British general, I can speak for all the soldiers of the Empire and 1 can express our high admiration for the brave fighting qualities of the American armies in the opening stages of the ‘break-in’ battle on July 25 and the following days, and we have followed with tremendous enthusiasm their great achievements during the wheel of the right flank almost to the gates of Paris. We never want to light alongside better soldiers. “As an Allied commander and overall commander of the land forces under General Eisenhower, 1 can I praise the fighting qualities and tenacity in battle of tne British, Canadian and Polish troops on the eastern flank. I They fought tne enemy relentlessly and took a heavy toll of him during the whole of this great battle. “But surely it matters little who did this or that. All that matters is that it is well and truly done oy inc wiioie Allied team. A proper motto for the Alies should be ‘one for all and all for one,’ and that is our motto. 1 want to thank you all for the way you responded to the call. BEGINNING OF END.

“Our victory in the north-west of France and south of the Seine marks the beginning of tne end ot German military domination in France. Much still remains to be done, but it will be done more easily. “And what next? Having brought disaster to the German forces in noruiwest Trance, we must now complete the destruction of such of his forces as are still available to be destroyed. After knowing what happened to tneir armies in north-west France, it is unlikely that these forces will now come to us, so we will go to them. ‘The Lord Mighty in battle’ has given us tne victory. The news is very good from the war fronts all over the world and the end of the war is in sight. Let us finish off the business in record time.” Reuter’s correspondent with the British troops says that General Montgomery’s moods are infectious and the troops are eager to respond to their commander. Big news is coming.— 8.0.W.