August 2, 1944;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, AUGUST 2, 1944:

American tanks fanned out south of Avranches across the Selune River

yesterday^and enveloped Pontaubault and Ducey in an operation that

possibly might develop into a drive to cut off the Brest peninsula and-.herald

the beginning of the conquest of central France.

 American troops have seized the coastal area of Sansapor and the nearby-by islands of Amsterdam and Middleburg in an amphibious operation at the western tip of Dutch New Guinea." 600 miles southeast of the Philippines. Allied headquarters announced yesterday.

 

New York, N.Y.—London, England—France Wednesday, Aug. 2, 1944

British Punch On

In Caumont Area;

New Caen Attack

American tanks fanned out south of Avranches across the Selune River

yesterday^and enveloped Pontaubault and Ducey in an operation that

possibiy might develop into a drive to cut off the Brest peninsula and-.herald

the beginning of the conquest of central France.

American infantry meanwhile captured Bretney and pushed ten miles southeast of Avranches to take two key dams on the Selune River.

Allied forces drove the Germans back in two other main areas of the 80-mi!e

German front, already shattered in half a dozen places. British troops swarmed

forward through Le Beny Bocage. About10 ½  miles south of Caumont, and Canadians launched a new attack to recapture Tilly la Campagne, about five miles south of Caen.

Hundreds of German prisoners were being rounded up in the 18-mile; stretch between Avranches and Granville, both towns now held by the Yanks. Some

Germans surrendered to French civilians and war correspondents, asserting that

their communications and transport systems had collapsed.

Front "Untraceable"

"The whole front in this region has at present become so confused as to be untraceable in detail." said the German Overseas News Agency.

Heavies Range

France, Paste

Nazi Airfields

RAF Pounds Robot Sites;

9th AF Planes Batter

Enemy Transport

Eighth Air Force bombers in force ranged central France and the Paris area

yesterday in heavy assaults upon enemy airdromes at Chateaudun, Orleans Bricy,

Melun. Chartres and Tours, while RAF heavies continued their day-and-night

campaign against robot supply depots and launching sites near Rheims and in

the Pas de Calais.

The heavily-escorted Fortresses and Liberators also attacked flying-bomb sites;

and a few bridges behind 'the Normandy front. There was no enemy fighter opposition and 'little flak was encountered except in the Tours area.

Destroy 38 Tanks

Thunderbolt fighter-bombers of the Ninth Air Force, in support of U.S. forces south of Avranches. destroyed 38 more German tanks and armored vehicles and bombed enemy fuel dumps at Flers, Tours. Rennes and Laval, while Lightnings

wrought heavy damage upon railway targets between Le Mans and Tours. Four enemy fighters were destroyed and five Allied fighters were missing from the

operations.

Allies Land

600 Mi. Off

Philippines

Isolate 15,000 More Japs

By Seizing West Tip of

Dutch New Guinea

American troops have seized the coastal area of Sansapor and the nearby-by islands of Amsterdam and Middleburg in an amphibious operation at the western tip of Dutch New Guinea." 600 miles southeast of the Philippines. Allied headquarters announced yesterday.

The new landings were made 60 miles northeast of Sorong and by-passed the Jap base of Manokwari, isolating 15.000 Japanese. American and Australian cruisers and destroyers and Australian Kitty hawks covered the operations.

A spokesman at Allied advanced headquarters said. "This is the last operation

of-the New Guinea campaign. We now control the entire north coast. Tt is not

necessary to take Sorong—we have no need for it."

Allied air bases now extend from Milne Bay along the entire coast of New Guinea,

eliminating Japanese activity in this area either by air or by sea. The communique

said that should the Halmahera-Philippine line, which runs northwest from the

Moluccas to the Philippines and is the main defense cover for the Japs' Southwest Pacific empire, go. "all his conquests south of China will be imperiled and .in

grave danger of envelopment."

The U.S. Navy announced that American troops on Guam had established a line from Agana Bay on the west coast to Pago on the eastern side. The Japs have been pushed into the southern half of the island. More than 6.000 Japanese dead have been counted and ,755 civilians interned.  Adm. Chester W. Nimitz revealed that

the American attack on the final Japanese defenses on Tinian Island had begun

under bombing and naval gunfire. Another bombing of Truk was also announced.

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