Show initial Objectives Taken Says Cornered Remnants of Army Continue to Fight By J Virgil PInkley SUPREME HEADQUARTERS A E F Aug 16 The UP UP The cornered cornered cornered cor cor cor- remnants of Germanys Germany's army lashed out against encircling allied forces in a wild but apparently apparently apparently losing fight for life Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednes Wednes- day night as Berlin reported that thata a new American armored column was sweeping on Paris and the Seine to forge a great outer trap around the Normandy pocket The sudden emergence of the new American column in the roIling rolling rolling roll roIl ing wheat fields west of Paris poised a new threat to the riddled German divisions that had managed managed managed man man- aged to squeeze out of the Falaise- Falaise Argentan gap at the eastern end of the allied trap Hounded from the air by swarms of low-flying low allied attack planes that bombed and machine gun gunned d. d every highway as far east as the Seine the German columns faced the greater menace of American tanks and infantrymen sweeping across their line of flight Allied headquarters maintained silence on the enemy reports following following following fol fol- lowing the same blackout policy polley that prevailed during Lt Gen i George S S. S Pattons Patton's outflanking march on Argentan which sprang the Normandy trap Collapsing on We West Kest t Meanwhile the entire western half of the army perimeter was collapsing under the hammer blows of converging allied armies swarming in for the kill from the north south and west All German traffic through the Falaise-Argentan Falaise corridor was reported reported reported re re- ported at a standstill Wednesday night because of f the savage allied crossfire b but bat t nazi tanks and riflemen rifle men struck frenziedly at atthe the clos closing ing wall of American and and- British forces in a minute last-minute effort to escape Thousands of ot the enemy were killed or captured in the attempt I and the German News agency admitted that the next few days or even hours might decide decide de de- decide de- de cide the the- fate of their surviving comrades Shaken by the incessant pounding pounding pounding pound pound- ing of allied planes and shellfire the broken remnants of Field Marshal Marshal Marshal Mar Mar- Gunther von Kluges Kluge's 12 divisions divisions divisions divi divi- were splitting up into small bands in a frantic attempt to escape through the ring of guns and armor tightening around them Fights to Falaise The Canadian 1st army foug it its way into the outskirts of Falaise Falaise Falaise Fa Fa- laise narrowing the main eastern escape corridor to six miles or less and front reports indicated that the Germans were trying to breakout break breakout breakout out over secondary roads and sneak through the hedgerows to safety Roving allied armored patrols raced along the perimeter of the pocket plugging the loopholes in their trap and slaughtering hundreds hundreds hundreds hun hun- of the fleeing enemy More than others were rounded up and shunted back to prisoner-of- prisoner war stockades during the past 30 hours some falling prisoner to the Canadians and 1400 to the Americans United Press War Correspondent Robert C. C Miller with the American American American Ameri Ameri- can 3rd army near Argentan reported reported reported re re- ported in a delayed dispatch Wednesday that the slaughter of Von Kluges Kluge's army was in full swing Tuesday night flight Many of the Germans he said were tricked by their own com- com b Ieving that the wry wy-to wy to east east was open Meanwhile the German D N C B Continued on nn rare Two olumn Four I I b v y ey i 4 tr L 5 o y 4 4 l It A. d f r i n r Associated Press reu W Opening Fourth Front American soldiers wade through the water from an L Lei C I J fo to the beach at a point east of Toulon as the new invasion of France starts along the Mediterranean coast Another L Lei C I is at left This is the first ground view of the new operations 1 Cornered Remnants of Nazi Army Fight r To Beat Off Allies Pressing on Pocket Continued from Page Pace One news agency reported that reinforced reinforced reinforced rein rein- forced American tank and mechanized mechanized mechanized mecha mecha- infantry units had resumed the eastward drive on Paris which was halted more than a week ago when Gen George S S. S Patton Jr shifted the main weight of his attack northward to encircle the nazi army Fierce fighting Ls is In progress north of Chartres only 46 miles west-southwest west of Paris D N B said indicating that the Americans might be passing by-passing Chartres In a direct thrust on the capital The London Evening News quoted quoted quoted ed reports from the the continent continent aS ag aSsaying aSsaying saying that the distant roar of hea heavy vy artillery could be heard by bythe bythe bythe the people of Paris Wednesday There was no confirmation of the enemy report which said American tanks anks also were in the Nogent le Ie and La Loupe areas just west of Chartres where they were beIng eing engaged by German covering covering cover ing ng forces If true the D N B report would mean that the allied high command command command com com- mand was striking out for Paris and the Seine river line without waiting for the completion of the Norman Normandy y battle now in its annihilation annihilation annihilation an I stage Headquarters sources believed that only a a. relatively small portion portion portion por por- tion of the odd Germans originally caught in the allied net pad lad been able to escape despite front reports that about half halt of Von Kluges Kluge's 12 divisions had broke out in a wild clash through the Argentan Falaise-Argentan corridor early Tuesday These sources indicated that at least to of th the pocketed pocketed pock pock- eted nazis were doomed to surrender surrender der er or death although it was acknowledged acknowledged ac ac- ac- ac that small bands of enemy infantrymen might manage to escape overland through the closing allied lines Gen Dwight D D. Eisenhower now in the field to direct the final stages of the b battle of annihilation poured more men guns and armor into the fight throwing the bulk I of his forces against the western westen side of the pocket while the CanadIan Canadian Canadian Cana Cana- dian 1st army and Lt Gen George GeorgeI S. S pattons 3rd army hammered their armored wedges deeper into the eastern end The Canadians swung down more than a mile through a blazing blazing blazing blaz blaz- ing screen of German 88 milli meter guns and antitank weapons capturing dominating heights from which their artillery could sweep virtually every road in the Falaise area Simultaneously Pattons Patton's tanks and riflemen pushed slowly north and west of Argentan to within less than six miles of Falaise meeting savage resistance from German panzer units battling to toJ J hold open that side of the corridor At the opposite end of the trap British troops from the north north and and Americans from the south slashed deep into the German defensive perimeter in a series of rolling fast-rolling thrusts that isolated a half dozen enemy un units ts and pushed in the nazi lines as much as three miles The Americans captured Domfront Domfront Domfront Dom- Dom front La Mace Ferte-Mace and Ger drove into Yvrandes three miles south of Tinchebray and farther to the east cast pushed beyond Ranes against strong enemy opposition Bitter fighting also was reported report report- ed around Argentan where the I Americans still held only a part of the town although their armor already had penetrated well to the west and north Putanges 10 miles west of Argentan also fell to the Americans in a quick lunge that lopped more than five miles off the southeastern corner of the enemy pocket To the north British troops drove into Tinchebray and pushed eastward along the top of the pocket passing by-passing the strongly held village of Conde and crossing the river I |