Middle East Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1944, Cairo, Egypt August 1944 v f fit i Wail m of sir supreme in the Stolter Sjef too inexact to by c4ptufe of reported from islands of port Groa and 25 Miles Southeast of tdulonan4 25 Miles the once mighty French made under the fare Light of a waiting Crescent the land so Little opposition that correspondents reports general astonishment at the sur prise evidently afforded the no opt position came from Luftwaffe an4 the new York cautious Herbert Mats writing for the press quoted captured nazi sergeant saying Vittoe germans have no fight ample coast defences three hours of hell proceeded the wrote naval gunfire and rockets flamed and roared into the Beach from Daylight until before the smoke troops were swarming up the beaches hardly believing their Luck As infers blasted their Way through i it was All proof be curity1was Good and so the strategic what i wanted to know first of All upon Landing was Why the germans did t put up a they had ample coast gun emplacements and wonderful Hill positions behind the some Normandy veterans i went straight to the Pri Soner where 125 germans Al ready were it didst take Long to find out what was there want any fight left Iri one master sergeant said he knew the army in Northern France had been for three months he had realized the War was he theres no reason to he for whom should we fight you wean youre not fight ing for Hitler anymore i that he any weve got nothing to Light some of the same naval vessels which had taken part in the historic landings of ten weeks ago were on the Job off the luxurious they had lain in the scattered harbours along the african coast and if Allied High command was surprised that these ships were not bombed in their Harbor they were even More surprised at the reluctance of the Luftwaffe to once again Allied Headquarters Bradley Heads 12th army group shelf announced tins week the creation of the 12th army group in the greatest american Force Ever massed for com manding the 12th is Omar the new group is formed by the first now headed by Courtney and the third by George Pat Britain Montgomery Heads he Allied armies As Deputy to 3aipreme commander i having moved his Headquarters to is in per Sonal command of the Allied Field commanding be american seventh Larry in Southern France is Alexander Patch and Over the French forces there is de Laite de for the germans to Flash the a fist word of the new Gays the stating that and Anglo american Landing was affected Early this near East of special official Allied communique soon confirmed the although it laconically to the Southern coast of the germans next claimed that the allies had dropped Dummy paratroops in the Marseille the Allied neither con firmed or the first Pilot return ing irom front gave an Amert can radio interviewer a clearer picture of the airborne Force largest airborne Force the paratroops landed in the and immediately after wards came the heavy air and naval followed the Landing of assault forces from the there was no Moon one plane the area for 43 minutes without encountering an enemy Over air combat men of the Mediterranean Allied air forces were transported by air this morning against Ger Man strongholds on and behind the coast of this was the largest number of airborne troops Ever used in an invasion and by seizing the High ground overlooking the beaches assured the Success of the sear borne Devers commands invaders commanding the Allied troops is Jacob Deputy supreme commander of the under commanding general of forces in before Hes known As an armoured Force expert a native of Hes 57 and after serving As fort brass com Mander he became chief of Oil armoured forces in his Nick names Jake and he has a reputation As a re tape although correspondents stories All have emphasized the Surprise effected by the certainly the invasion of Southern France could hardly have been a expect it was proceeded by Mouths of communications bombing by the Maas and a three Day which swept entire Church ills description of the coast As being the Underbelly of has been reiterated time and again and his announced presence in Italy led to invasion also in Italy with Churchill were undersecretary of Wai Robert Patterson and Brehon head of army service Frances great Nava base in the is a key Point in the Ike warns against Wishful War strategists sheaf Eisenhower the correspondents this that while the germans Are taking a Good anyone who attempts to measure the duration of the War in terms of weeks is Basing his belief on hunches and Wishful thinking not on Eisenhower said this week is marking a very definite Climax in one phase of the operational plan that has been in effect since just what will he the result in the sum no one can in the campaigns lying a number of such tactical victories must he but even if Rea Lize our fondest Hopes in a Situa Tion As we Are still a Way from the he emphasized thut the allies Lumwon a great tactical Victory in France and when the oppo nent is groggy that is the time 1 keep on punching and punching new Allied own him the general indicated that the Stern resistance tin Canadian push toward Falaise was a Dampener on too much optimism regarding an Early end of the if the germans knew they were they would nut to fighting so Interior forces attack germans in upper Savoy following Wilsons Appeal to frenchmen inside France to work against the a round up of reports from the Interior shows that the French Are work ing against their captors with in creasing valor from the first communique head Cru arters said that the French for Ces of the interiors armoured detachment operating in Brittany for the first time had participated in the Battle with the allies and had occupied the Fri also has been Active in Sizon and where germans were encircled by the resistance Rhone Valley the key from Switzerland came the re port that the French Maquis had started a general uprising in the haute wednesday morn attacking German garrisons and using artillery for the near the Swiss and South of Mont from Rome came the report that French troops operating under the Allied command were stepping ashore to work with the patriots rivieras beaches backed by Alps and Rhone Valley famed peacetime As the Winter playground of the fabulously Rich who Richer or poorer in the gaming rooms of Monte Carlo Andi and As a summer haunt of the less wealthy but More color Ful International theatrical the French Riviera is a Irre Gular running Southeast from Marseilles to the Vicinity of Tou then turning Northeast to the italian Border Nice and jagged and irregular for i00 the coast has Many gulfs and Well protected harbours fou Lon was a great prewar base and has figured uie teasingly air War but the Small harbours mainly haunts of lie Himl the coastline Well wooded Hills Rise to too feet in the Marseilles urea Aud up to i finer where Hiey form the buttresses of the maritime key to the invasion area is the Jtj Ione from Marseilles one of the main Mil lines of France in where it a network pointing toward i Here u motor Road along the but Interior roads Are few with the smooth along the blit2lreigmade in the this on Al the of the attempt Paris continued from Page i nine Miles East of Vire and three towns East of the canadians g wednesday the germans tried a desperate Effort to hold open the up of the massing several tank divisions against patrons Northern Wing and apparently achieving some Success before the closed in with a Rush in the Breton Peninsula Only fanatically defended Garrison at Malo holds out under col von Omar Bradley adopted by arabs egyptians have a favorite among american generals in France Hes Omar the reason Bradley first name is an Arab egyptians even inquire of go s whether the general is really a moslem or Omar was the second Caliph in islam and one of the most revered moslem having been one of the earliest followers of the Prophet
