June 8, 1944;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JUNE 8, 1944:

 

New York, N.Y.—London, England Thursday, June 8, 1944

Troops and Supplies

Pour Onto Continent;

Battle Rages at Caen

The Allied Expeditionary Forces, battling stubbornly to wedge open a

gateway to Hitler's Europe through the Normandy coast of France, made

considerable progress along the whole front yesterday in spite of bad

weather and stiffening German resistance. Supreme Headquarters reported

last night. It was also revealed that Gen. Eisenhower had visited the

beachheads.

There were these developments:

1—All beaches are now clear of the enemy, although it is presumed

that some of them are still under enemy artillery fire. Some of the beaches

have been linked together.

2—The landing of additional troops and supplies is going on continuously.

3—For the second consecutive day airborne forces have been

landed in France and have carried out "all tasks allotted" to them and

more.

4—Allied troops have repulsed a counter-attack near Caen, ten miles in

from the sea between Cherbourg and Le Havre, an important rail and

road junction between Paris and the two ports.

5—Although reports of Allied progress early in the morning were disappointing,"

by midday they had showed a "decided improvement."

6—Resistance from German air forces continued to be surprisingly light,

only two formations of 12 aircraft approaching the beadles up to early afternoon and these failing to inflict casualties on Allied ground forces.

7—Rangers and Commandos, which were revealed yesterday to (have played an important part in the initial assaults, have functioned as special task forces linking- regular formations which otherwise might have been uncoordinated.

8—Allied aircraft were giving close support in great strength to both land and sea forces. For the first time, Allied fighter pilots reported attacking tanks in direct support of ground troops, and pilot:- were answering radioed requests from infantry units to attack specific objectives.

9—Enemy coastal batteries still in action yesterday were finally silenced by Allied naval forces. Aircraft were used to direct the fire of the U.S. battleship Texas and the British cruiser Glasgow, which, with other ships, have been bombarding inland targets behind the beaches.

Most, furious fighting of the entire front was raging in the vicinity of Caen, according to reports from Berlin and other enemy radio stations.

Riflemen, Navy

Teamed to Win

In Beach Duel

By Jack Foster

Stars and Stripes Navy Writer

ABOARD THE USS HENRICO OFF

THE FRENCH COAST, June 6 (delayed)

—Naval guns and army rifles combined today to win one of the toughest beachheads the Allied forces have established on the Normandy coast during the past 12 hours. U.S. infantrymen, who left this assault transport before dawn this morning, met determined resistance by German defenders.

Pillboxes and landing obstacles guarded the landing area despite a drenching rain of bombs and naval shells.

The Americans crossed the sandy beach. However, by late this afternoon they gained the top of the coastal rise and were advancing inland. Going ashore in an LCVP a few hours ago, I could see long lines of doughboys climbing the slopes and only occasional longrange shells dropped along the beach.

Nazis Hold Fire

A landing was almost impossible at two of the three chosen points in our sector. When the first of our LCVPs ground ashore at 6.35 this morning it was H hour exactly. German gunners in concealed positions held their fire. At the third point landing obstacles jutted from the water. Barbed wire was enclosed in the visible V-shape. Mines dangled from the wire.

Wave after wave of the Americans came ashore, firing rifle and carbine. Nazi spotters on the ridge directed mortar and 88mm. fire to the attackers. Battleships,

cruisers and destroyers moved slowly along the area crashing out salvos against

the strongpoints. Finally a U.S. destroyer came in almost to the water's edge, swung about and blasted at the pillboxes. Her fire overpowered the Nazi guns and the advance began.

Eyewitness Tells of Beach Battling

By James McGliney

United Press Correspondent

SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND, June 7—

I have just heard the first eyewitness story of the battle of the beaches, a story of heavy fighting, untold heroism and supreme sacrifice. It was told to me by Bert Brandt, a well-known news photographer, who was on the beaches on the invasion morning for 30 minutes and then spent hours more cruising within gunshot of the

bloody scene.

Brandt, who was with U.S. units, told me how some of the first assault troopswhich stormed the beaches went down under a withering German cross-fire, but more and more men climbed ashore over their bodies until a foothold was established.

Brandt said: "It was hotter than hell over there, I was at Anzio, but Anzio

was nothing like this. "The Germans laid down an intense pattern of fire on the beaches with 88s and raked them with cross-fire from machine-gun emplacements. American casualties were spotty—heavy on some beaches, light on others.

"On one beach, German machine-guns wiped out some of toe first men to land

as soon as the doors of their landing craft were opened. Because of opposition met by the demolition parties which went in first, later boatloads with heavy equipment

were delayed getting ashore. But by the time I left the beachhead at 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, the troops were firmly ashore and beginning to advance.

Yanks Close In

On Biak Airfield

Off New Guinea

Mile and Half From Goal;

Japs Flee Kohima Area,

Near Changsha Gates

American forces striving to capture Mokmer Airfield on Biak Island in the

Schoutens off Dutch New Guinea have advanced to within one and a half miles of their objective, Gen. Douglas MacArthur's communique announced yesterday.

American heavies blasted airfields in Truk atoll and at Ponape in the Carolines.

 On the Chinese front, a Chungking  message said the Japs reached the outskirts of Changsha, capital of Hunan Province in the Hankow-Canton railroad.

-Meantime, Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell's headquarters announced the Allies gained in two areas on the northern edge of Myitkyma.

The Southeast Asia communique reported the enemy retreating rapidly from the vital base of Kohima on the Burma-Assam front. Eastern Air Command bombers Monday gave Bangkok, capital of Thailand, its heaviest pounding  of the war.

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