August 18, 1944; Eiffel Tower In Sight:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, AUGUST 18, 1944:

 

IRONWOOD, MICHIGAN, FRIDAY EVENING, AUGUST 18, 1944.

FOE GRUMBLES

BEFORE YANKS

Seventh Army Has Had Less

Than 300 Casualties in

Invasion.

CAPTURE A LARGE AREA

BULLETIN

Rome—(AP)-

Forces of the U. S. seventh army swiftly expanded their front in southern

France today, reaching the vicinity of Sollies-Font, six miles; northeast cf Toulon.

Other units stabbing northward against crumbling enemy resistance, advanced seven miles to the Brijnoles area, 20 miles

north of Toulon. ,

In the sectors farther cast forward elements moved three miles or more west and southwest of Draguignan, a road center 18 miles inland in the Argens

valley.

By EDWARD KENNEDY

Rome—(AP)—Enemy resistance In southern France was officially reported

crumbling today before the advance of the U. S. Seventh army, now consolidated into a mighty striking force by the union of all the elements landed on the Riviera

beachhead from the sea and air.

YANKS CAN SEE

EIFFEL TOWER

Patton's Columns Wage War, j

Of Movement 12 Miles ;

From Capital.

HEADQUARTERS SILENT

By The Associated Press

London—

Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's tanks thundered into the Immediate environs of Paris today in what appeared to be a new galloping roundup of German forces retreating

toward Kouen on the Seine.. "American armored patrols are operating in the vicinity of Paris," said a correspondent with Patton’s forces, and the German radio declared the fiery general's columns were waging a "war of movement" within 12 miles of the French capital.

Radio Off Air

The Paris radio has been off the air 24 hours, a possible indication that the Germans either were destroying communications facilities in Paris or that the situation was so chaotic that regular radio channels were unable to operate.

The Americans were within sight of the Eiffel tower, and Parisians continued to hear the roar from the gunfire which would spell their

liberation from four years of Nazi rule.

BLOCKADE NEW

THREAT TO JAP

Creeping Paralysis Spreads

On Sea Lanes Below

Philippines.

General headquarters, Southwest Pacific—(AP)—

An Allied air and naval blockade spread creeping par alysis today across vital sea lanes below the Philippines, posing an ultimate threat to all Japanese holdings

south of China.

Already enemy garrisons on islands scattered along a distance of 800- miles are forced to rely on "makeshift shipping," inadequate "for even essential  items such as munitions and aviation gasoline."

Raid on Islands

A graphic picture of this mounting disaster for Nippon was presented today by Gen. Douglas MacArthur in a communique 'reporting the fifth air raid this month on the Philippines and the knocking out of 23 planes at neutralized Halmahera.