June 6, 1944; 11,000 PLANES, 4,000 SHIPS INVADE:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JUNE 6, 1944:

(E T included individual excerpts published in the “Stars and Stripes” on Junes 6, 1974.  While not generally reported on June 6, 1944, it is typical of the courageous battles taking place in Normandy.)

 

LONDON, June 6. (U.P)—

the German DNB news agency reported tonight that Marshal Karl von Runstedt and Marshal Erwin Rommel, Nazi commanders in western Europe, "are on the spot of the developments."

STOCKHOLM, June 6. (U.P)—

Reports from Denmark said today that German troops in the protectorate have been ordered on an invasion alert since early morning.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 6. (U.P)—

The National Broadcasting Company said today it had not heard Tokyo

radio since 11:55 a. m. (Pacific war time) but the Office of War Information said it had no indication the station was off the air. The OWI said the only station recorded, as not broadcasting was Saigon, French Indo-China.

LONDON, June 6. (U.P)—.

General Wilhelm Hansteen, commander-in-chief of the Norwegian underground, broadcast an order to all organized fighting groups inside Norway today to "be prepared to take part in the great settlement."

WASHINGTON, June 6. (AP)—

Reporting the European invasion "up to schedule," President Roosevelt announced today the loss of two United States destroyers and an LST (landing ship, tanks) in the first push. These covered ships reported lost "up to noon today," he told his news conference, adding: Aircraft losses were approximately 1 per cent.

LONDON, June 6. (U.P)—

More than 640 naval guns, ranging from 4-inch to 16-inch, are bombarding the French beaches and enemy strong points in support ofthe Allied armies, Allied supreme headquarters announced today.

LONDON, June 6, (U.P)—The German Transocean news agency said today that Allied paratroops were landing on the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, west of the Norman peninsula.

LONDON, June 6. (U.P)—

Casualties among Allied airborne troops descending on France have been light, supreme headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces, announced

today.

LONDON, June 6. (UP)—

The German Transocean new agency acknowledged today that the Allies had

gained footholds on several islands off the coast of France

LONDON, June 6. (U.P)—

DNB, German news agency, acknowledged today that Allied tanks had penetrated several kilometers between the towns of Caen and Isigny on the Normandy peninsula.

LONDON, June 6. (U.P)—The German Transocean news agency said today that about 80 medium-sized Allied warships were approaching the town of Oiiistreham in the estuary of the Orne river.

LONDON, June 6. (UP)—

The German Transocean news agency said today that a battle was in progress in the English channel north of Le Havre between German naval units and Allied forces attempting to make a landing.

(E T included the following that was published in the “Stars and Stripes” on Junes 6, 1974.  While not generally reported on June 6, 1944, it is typical of the courageous battles taking place in Normandy.)

By BILL WALKER

Staff Writter

ST. MERE EGLISE in the Normandy region of France is noted for the town's role in the June 6,1944, D-Day invasion. Ste. Mere was the first town in France liberated by Allied 'forces on June 6 when 13,OOO men Of the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions dropped into the area in the predawn hours'.

Ste. Mere was the western boundary of the invasion area. The paratroopers were assigned to keep German reinforcements from breaking into the beach area. Sixty miles to the east at Pegasus Bridge near

Ouistreham British troops of the 6th Airborne' division were given the same assignrnent.

Here are short sketches of the sites, moving generally east along the coast from Ste. Mere to Pegasus Bridge:

Pegasus Bridge — Pegasus is to.the British what Ste. Mere Fglise is to Americans. , Gliders carrying troops'of the 6th Airborne Division landed on the shores of the canal. After a short firefight the bridge, was taken. "The wounded were taken to a small cafe just across the canal, That cafe, then - owned by M. Gondree, today displays a War Office notice saying the occupants were probably the first persons in France liberated on D-Day.

. A few kilometers further on D514 on the coast is the Merville Battery, another of the German coastal forts that were sup-, posed to blast any invasion armada out of the water.

Merville — Four 150mm guns were mounted- in emplacements 12 feet high. The concrete is six feet thick and. dirt was added for camouflage. Members of the tith Division's 9th Btn. and Canadian paratroopers dropped on the area and landed in gliders in the pre dawn'hours. The .troops took the battery one-half Hour -before a scheduled backup barrage by naval at dawn

ejt