The Allied invasion of France ╥is proceeding in a thoroughly satisfactory manner.╙ Mr. Churchill, giving this news in the House of Commons last night, added the following details:-
Our troops have penetrated in some cases several miles inland. Lodgments exist on a broad front.
The air-borne troops, landed with extremely little loss and with great accuracy, are well established, and the follow-ups are all proceeding with very much less loss than we expected.
We have captured various important bridges which were not blown up by the enemy.
Fighting is proceeding in the town of Caen, 10 miles inland.
The passage of the sea was made with far less loss than we apprehended, and ╥many dangers and difficulties which appeared at this time last night extremely formidable are behind us.╙
According to German reports, our air-borne troops are involved in the fighting in Caen. British pilots, however report seeing Allied tanks moving towards that town.
Between midnight on Monday and 8 a.m. yesterday Allied aircraft flew 7,500 sorties and dropped 10,000 tons of bombs on targets in Normandy. Half of this quantity fell on ten selected coastal batteries.
Well over 1,000 troop-carrier ╒planes, including gliders and two planes, were used in the air-borne operations.
The German Air Force flew only 50 sorties up to about noon, but Allied airmen have been warned that a violent reaction was expected from the Luftwaffe soon. An Order of the Day by Goering says: ╥Invasion must be beaten off even if the Luftwaffe perishes.╙
