27/6/1944. 9.= am.
Cherbourg is now in Allied hands. American troops
captured this great port and naval base last night
after fierce street fighting. It is expected that Allied
engineers and repair squads will soon have the port in
working order. In the Eastern half of the Normandy
bridgehead British forces struck again yesterday morning
and after a day of hard slugging pushed forward some
3 miles at a point west of Caen. The attack was still
going on last night and it looks like developing into
the biggest battle so far fought on the Caen - Tilly sector.
More than 20000 prisoners have been taken in Normandy
since the original Allied landings just 3 weeks ago.
In Italy the 5th Army have taken the port of Piombino
on the West Coast of and 8th Army men have gained
more ground in the central sector. The Red Army has
captured the fortress-town of Vitebsk and liberated
nearly 2000 other places in White Russia. Soviet
forces have driven on 30 miles southwest of Vitebsk
and to the northwest they have captured a place
two-third of the way to the key town of Polatsk.
The Russians have also made more headway
in Finland and the Finnish Parliament is
reported to have met in secret session.
The Germans sent more of their flying bombs
over Southern England during the night. Casualties
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