Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 June 1944 — Page 2

———— ;

"To Establish Own Civii

Administration.

(Photo, Page 13)

LONDON, June 15 (U. P.)—Gen. Charles de Gaulle announced today that he has ordered his representatives in the liberated areas of Normandy to establish their own civil administrations in the name of his provisional French government. The dramatic move to establish the provisional government's authority over liberated French soil was announced in a special communique issued by de Gaulle here. A spokesman for the Free French

| attacks are the limited rear-

By HENRY T. GORRELL United Press Stat Correspondent

FIELD HEADQUARTERS, U.

(Delayed) —Field Marshal Erwin Rommel has flunked the first two problems of the invasion of Europe and a survey of the allied position on the Cherbourg penine sula indicates that they are pyramiding strength in men, guns, tanks and planes in overwhelming volume, The present German counter-

guard actions of an army which has been uprooted from its prepared defense positions, stripped of its air cover and battered by a pulverizing combination of ground, sea and air strength.

leader said the civil administration would be independent of the civil affairs office established by the, allied military authorities in Normandy. Coulet Sent to France De Gaulle . announced that Francois Coulet, former director of the commissariat of the interior in the provisional government at Algiers, had been sent to France to take over the duties of “commissioner of the republic for Normandy” to handle civil administration in the liberated territory. De Gaulle appointed Col. Pierre Dechevigne commissioner for the subdivision of the third military region—Normandy—to handle any military affairs affecting the civilian population. Dechevigne landed in France Monday. He was former military adviser to the Free French delegation in New York. The French move threatened to bring to a swift test the months-old refusal of Great Britain and the United States to recognize De Gaulle’s provisional government as | the civil authority in liberated | metropolitan France.

Gen. De Gaulle Gets

Hero's Welcome

By RONALD CLARK United Press Staff Correspondent BAYEUX, France, June 15.—Gen. Charles de Gaulle reecived a hero's welcome yesterday when, after nearly four years of exile, he returned to his native land and toured the liberated portions of France. De Gaulle visited Bayeux and Isigny, the two largest towns on the allied beachhead, and also

which. have been freed since the allied invasion June 6.

I am convinced that Rommel made his first mistake when he gambled on his coastal fortifications being able to smash the invasion on the beaches and garrisoned his secondary positions on this peninsula with low-caliber troops impressed from the Reich's slave states. He made his second when he delayed starting counter action until after Sunday. I am now able to report that if Rommel had hit us any time before “D plus 5” the allies would have been up against it. “They were not up to strength in artillery and certain infantry outfits had had a hard time up front. Now they have a comfortable margin in foot-slogging manpower and allied artillery outfires the enemy at least two to one. The Germans up to the time this was written had suffered loss of about 20,000 men, divided as follows: Dead, 2000; prisoners, 6000; wounded, 12,000. Their transport, according to French witnesses, is short of the vehicles

3. Forces in France, June 14

ground, which now is in full mo~ tion in this area. There has been highly effective French sabotage behind the German lines and the allies are getting a constant stream of information from underground couriers who daily cross no man's land. Rommel may credit the allied air force, the U. 8. and British navies and the 101st and 82d airborne divisions for the failure of of his first gamble. I say this after having covered the entire beachhead and seen for myself the remnants of the German fortifications, which if they hadn't been demolished and outflanked by the airborne troops would have peen capable of repelling any Invasion force with tre mendous casualties, There was a certain amount of bluffing with regard to dummy minefields and wooden *“antiaircraft guns” but in the main I think Rommel knew what he was talking about when he said on his final visit to Normandy some weeks ago: “We are ready for them.” I have seen the cleverly-hidden and sighted rocket batteries, the 88-mm. guns and mortars behind concrete and steel emplacements six feet thick, the machine gun pillboxes and anti-tank positions. The German defenses were laid in depth comprising wave on wave of fire power, By the time heavy, medium and dive bombers and the guns of warships had lifted their barrage, a good two-thirds of the coastal line was in ruins. The airborne troops took care of the remaining one-third. In the past few days the air force and the navy have been picking off isolated batteries still firing.

In Bayeux, the first liberated French city, shops quickly closed, the French tri-color flag was flown from every window and bouquets were presented to the geenral as he walked to the prefecture where he was greeted by officials of Fighting French forces. A large crowd surrounded the rostrum in the main square from which de Gaulle delivered the main address of his tour,

{the lines our people are engaged in

{been given arms.

sufferings and efforts—the efforts of her armed forces on land and sea and in the air. “These forces are fighting valiant ly in Italy and soon will be fighting in metropolitan France. Behind

a terrible fight against the hated oppressor and now they see the enemy fleeing. It is a fight almost without arms because they have not |

“The fight will go on until the sovereignty of France has been re-

“What history has called the bat- | tle of France has never ended,” he

toured the other towns and villages

said. “Prance still lives in ‘all her world will be the victory of France.”

stored. Victory will be achieved at the side of the allies and a free

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