June 13, 1944; ALLIES IN NORMANDY BURST FORWARD

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JUNE 13, 1944:

 Headquarters said the fourth infantry, one of six U. S. divisions of up to  90,000 men- now known to be in France, took the old world city of Montebourg after a fierce battle. Germans using the tower of the medieval church were knocked out by naval salvos.

                         British Drive Wedge

On the Allied left west of Caen, the Germans said the British had driven a wedge into their lines near the Orne  river.

By the Associated Press!

American sea. air and , ground fighters are tirelessly hacking away at Japanese fortresses barring the way to rescue of the Philippines and hard-beset China,' Allied reports showed today.

 

PORTSMOUTH, N..H.,TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 13, 1944

French Front

Now 80 Miles

In Perimeter

BULLETIN

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, June 13 (AP)—

The Allies in Normandy burst forward mightily on all  fronts late today, with the Americans cracking Cherbourg's defenses by seizing four towns and driving advance patrols within 10 miles of the great port.

British troops 'in a deep-biting powerdrive outflanked Caen, eastern bastion of

the 80-mile battlefront, seizing Troarn, nine miles east of Caen.

Along the center of the naming front, U. S. troops captured Balleroy, and Allied

forces plunged south of Bayeux in a "big advance" flanking Caen from the west.

By the Associated Press

American infantry charging toward Cherbourg captured

Montebourg, 14 miles southeast of the port on the

main Paris highway, today and their comrades driving

across the center of the Normandy peninsula took Pont'e

Abbe, three and a half miles beyond the east coast railroad.

Headquarters said the fourth infantry, one of six U. S. divisions of up to  90,000 men- now known to be in France, took the old world city of Montebourg after a fierce battle. Germans using the tower of the medieval church were knocked

out by naval salvos.

Dogged, unspectacular advances overnight lengthened the perimeter of the French front to 80 miles and all around the lines some 600,000 opposing troops were locked in torrid tank and infantry battles for a decisive breakthrough. One unconfirmed report said Hitler had dismissed his, glamor boy, Marshal Rommel, commander of German mobile armies.

The battle for Cherbourg, third largest French, port and capable of landing the largest vessels afloat, approached a climax. The Germans still were tunneling reinforcements to the garrison there over a west coast railroad, but, by enemy, account, even this last lifeline ,was periled by ,new- air landings.

Cherbourg is "within artillery  range of the Americans. It is shielded on the south by low hills which may make frontal assault costly.

                                              British Drive Wedge

On the Allied left west of Caen, the Germans said the British had driven a wedge into their lines near the Orne  river.

Yanks Hack

At Nippon's

Fortresses

By the Associated Press!

American sea. air and , ground fighters are tirelessly hacking away at Japanese fortresses barring the way to rescue of the Philippines and hard-beset China,' Allied reports showed today. Nimitz-MacArthur airmen, flying from land and carriers continued their hand-in-glove assaults on the  string of enemy-held islands stretching from Palau into the  Marianas group flanking the Philippines on the east. Adm, Chester Nimitz reported the second straight day of  attacks on Guam,  Tinian

and other Marianas islands by a powerful carrier task force. The details were hidden in radio silence.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur's airmen,

troop j taking off from newly-captured New Guinea bases, struck at Palau—530 miles from the Philippines—and Truk for the second straight day.

President Roosevelt in a broadcast last night drew a broad picture of what. confronts the enemy in the Pacific: "We have deprived the Japs of the power to check the momentum of our ever-growing and ever-advancing military forces.

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