August 6, 1944;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, AUGUST 6, 1944:

 

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, SUNDAY, AUG. 6, 1944

Yanks Race Into Brest;

Drive 27 Mi. on Paris

American Troops Gain 75

Miles in Sensational 1-Day

Advance to Vital Port City

By AUSTIN BEALMEAR

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY

FORCE. Aug. 6.—(Sunday)—(/P)—

Hard-driving American armor, sweeping 75 miles in one day to the end of the

Brittany Peninsula, entered the great port of Brest yesterday while other units reached the Loire River sealing off the peninsula at its base. At the same time, in a wheeling movement aimed at Paris, other American a r m o r e d forces drove eastward 27 miles from their previous positions.

It was not immediately known at Supreme Headquarters which of several columns moving southward had reached the Loire or where. Field dispatches had reported American units racing toward both Nantes. French port 15 miles in from the mouth of the river, and St. Nazaire. another big port 30 miles to the west. Still another

column had captured Pontivy 15 miles from Lorient—the peninsula's fourth great port.

Eighth Army

In Florence

New Battle Hinted

By Nazis in Spite of

'Open City' Pledge .

By GEORGE BRIA

ROME. Aug. 5 — (AP)

Eighth Army only exacting great toll but army troops occupied all the southern suburbs of Florence today and brought up their forces along a 25-mile front for an assault across the Arno amid indications the Germans even yet might put up a fight for this cradle of Italian art and culture. Gen. Sir Harold Alexander's command

declared that the Germans were using Florence for military traffic despite their proclamation it was an open city, and had posted parachute troopers along the north bank of the Arno River inside the city limits. A message from (he Florence National Committee of Liberation said the- Germans had evacuated Florentines

all along the north bank. From commanding heights around Fiseole, less than three miles north of Florence, the Germans watched the Eighth Army complete the occupation of the southern suburbs.

NO URBAN' FIGHTING

There were no reports of fighting inside Florence, but the headquarters statement said, "it is clear the enemy intends to oppose the crossing of the Arno on both sides of the city

Japs' Guinea

Army Routed

441 More Killed in

Destruction by Yanks

Of Isle Defenders

By WILLIAM DICKINSON

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC. Aug. 6.—

(Sunday) — (UP> —

American Army troops in northern New Guinea pressed their attack against trapped remnants of the 18th Japanese Army Friday, driving southward and eastward from the Dnniumor River line. Gen. Douglas MacArthur announced

today,

An additional 441 Japanese dead were counted in the new advance from the Dnniumor. making a total of 4311 known enemy killed since July 12, when 45,000 isolated Japanese massed in the area for an attempt to break the Allied encirclement.

PICTURE OF DISASTER

Japanese staging bivouac areas from Dagua to But. Malapan, Maiubian

and Yakamul are "at present a picture of  a t t r i t i o n and disaster"

in the enemy's rear sector, MacArthur's communique said, describing a grim situation in which the starving enemy forces find themselves.

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