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VOL. LIV No. 154 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE '7, 1944-
PRICE FIVE CENTS
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Leaders Confident of Invasion's Prog
tress
FDR LeadsNa tion
In Allied Prayer
Asks Divine Guidance in Stru gle for
Liberation, Calls Drive 'Up to Schedule'
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, June 6-President Roosevelt led millions of Americans
in prayer tonight for divine aid for the great Allied liberation assault on
Europe which he said has "come to pass with success thus far."
From the White House, the President read in a solemn, strong voice
over all radio networks his plea for God's aid for the men fighting for
country and for freedom for humanity, and for those at home.
With him at the 10 p. m. (Eastern War Time) broadcast were Mrs.
Roosevelt, their daughter Mrs. Anna Boettiger and the latter's husband,
Major John Boettiger. Because of
Great Allied Power
Displayed inIvasion
By The Associated Press
What has been termed one of the world's greatest displays of military
might was unleashed against Hitler's European Fortress yesterday by the
Allies which included an 1,000 plane "sky umbrella" hovering over a
4,000 "bridge of ships".,
Naval Casualties Light;
Nazis Fear More Landings
By WES GALLAGHER
Associated Press Correspondent
SUPREME HEADQUARTERS, ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, June
7, Wednesday-Allied troops swiftly cleared Normandy beaches of the dazed Nazi
survivors of a punishing sea and air bombardment and armor-backed landing par-
ties ranged inland today in a liberation invasion which the Germans themselves
predicted would expand. Reinforcements streamed across the white - capped
channel.
The German radio, in a dawn broadcast said the Allies had made "further
landings at the mouth of the Orne under cover of naval artillery" and that heavy
fighting was ranging on the coast.
the- solemnity of the occasion, Mr.
Roosevelt declined to permit photo-
graphs .of the broadcast.
Earlier, the President told a news
conference the Allied .operation was
"up to schedule."
Before beginning his prayer, Mr.
Roosevelt made these prefatory re-
marks:
Operation Successful So Far
"Last night, when I spoke with
you about the fall of Rome, I knew
at that moment that troops of the
United States and our Allies were
crossing the channel in another and
greater operation which has come to
pass with 'success thus far."
His.- prayer,on which the chief
executive had worked for several
days, finishing it early this morning
while American soldiers stormed the
shores of France, asked divine aid in
the "struggle to preserve our repub-
lic, our -religion -and our civilization;
and to set free a suffering human-
ity.",
Mr. Roosevelt's new conference
discussion left no doubt that he
thought an auspicious start has been
made on that task. His manner was,
buoyant, despite his loss of sleep,
when he said the invasion was "up
to schedule" andauthorized direct
quotes of the .words.
Warns Against Overconfidence
At the same time, he warned
against overconfidence which might
lead to any let down in war produc-
tioin,
Copies of Mr. Roosevelt's prayer
were dispatched to Congress, where
it was read on the floor, and the
Wchite House put it out for advance
publication so that Americans might
be familiar with it and pray in con-
cert with the President in the broad-
cast from the White House at 10 p.
m., Eastern War Time,.
The President's tone of solemn
dedication set the pitch for calm
acceptance of the events of "D Day"
in Congress and elsewhere in Wash-
Ankara Reports
Allies in Greece
ANKARA, June 6.-(AP)-- Ankara
buzzed tonight with reports of an
Allied landing in the Peloponnesus
and, although there was no official
confirmation, responsible quarters
said it could be true now or shortly.
(Peloponnesus (Island of Pelops)
is that part of Greece south of the
Isthmus of Corinth and is a potential
Allied stepping stone to the Balkan
mainland.)
A high source said, however, that
an Allied landing there definitely
would not change Turkey's neutrality
at this time. Turkish roads are closed
to foreigners. A considerable part of
the Turkish army is on its annual
maneuvers.
ington. He called the nation to a
'continuance of prayer'' during the
"long travail" that began for mil-
lions of American and Alied troops
and citizens. with the landings in
France.
Askingdivine. blessing for the in-
vading forces, he prayed:
"They will need Thy blessing.
Their road will be long and hard.
The enemy is strong. He may hurl
back our* forces. Success may not
come with rushing speed, but we
shall return .again and again; and
we know that by Thy grace, and by
the righteousness of our cause, our
sons will triumph."
The same solemn spirit pervaded
the Senate. "It seems that all we
need, or ought to do or can do," said
majority leader Barkley, "is pray
fervently and devoutly for the suc-
cess of our troops and those of our
Allies in whatever direction they may
Invasion Star'ts
be mvn.
Drive in State
The Fifth War Loan Drive in Mich-
igan started officially at the crack of
dawn yesterday, after the announce-
ment of tle invasion of the coast of
France was made ,according to War-
ron F. Cook, Washtenaw County War
Firance Committee chairman.
A telegram, issued by Frank N.
Isbey, state war finance committee
chairman, arrived yesterday announ-
cing the opening of the drive.
Mr. Isbey said, "This is it. As far
as we are concerned the Fifth War
Loan Drive starts today. We want
the entire war finance organization
to go all out, and we want the people
themselves today to voluntarily buy
bonds like they have never bought
bonds before. We want everyone to
buy bonds without being asked to do
so."
All people are urged to support the
invasion by immediately purchasing
war bonds to their utmosit ability,
Mr. Cook stated.
Volunteer workers will start to
solicit the city for sales of bonds at
once. However, the war finance com-
mittee is asking everyone to purchase
bonds, without being solicted to do so.
Ann Arbor is expected to fill a
quota of $6,000,000. Washtenaw
County's quota has been set at $9,
105,000, which is the highest goal ever
attempted in the county, and is 21.8
per cent higher than the quota set for
the previous drive.
Timing of the drive will eliminate
most of the benefit for the campaign
by the University, because of final
exams, graduation and the end of the
fiscal year for the University.
4,000 Allied ArmadaV
Blasts Nazi Defens~es
LONDON, June 7, Wednesday. -
The United States Navy, with two
rear admirals riding in cruisers and
paced by the battleship Nevada, was
a part of a 4,000 Allied armada which
seared and blasted German defenses
before the assault troops hit the
beaches of France, it was announced
today.
In Washington, President Roose-
velt announced that up to noon Mon-
day (Eastern War Time) U.S. Naval
losses were two destroyers and one
LST. The entire Allied Naval losses
were officially described as "very
light."
Mammoth Operations
Rear Admiral Alan Goodrich Kirk
commander of one of the task forces,
watched the mammoth operations
from his flagship, the cruiser Augusta,
Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expe-
ditionary Force, anonunccd in a com-
munique.
The other cruiser was the Tusca-
loosa, commanded by Rear Admiral
Morton L. Deyo.
The communque, second of the day
and issued shortly after midnight.
said naval casualties "are regarded as
being very light, especially when the
magnitude of the operation is taken
into account."
2,000 Tons of Shells Use i
British warships alone loosed a tor -
nado of fire west of Le Havre, pour-
ing 2,000 tons of shells every ten min-
utes with 600 ships firing every thing
from 4 to 16 inches, surprising and
stunning shore batteries whose re-
turn fire was sporadic.
Thousands of Allied bombers .roar-
ed overhead, fighter planes weaved in
and out of the clouds, and dense clack
and gray smoke rolled from th.
beaches around Le Havre.
.A British Naval comrae ituator. who
revealed for the first tlir that GU
uaval vessels in ampi-ims exercises
sailed within ten miles of the French
coast last e;tember.
1,000 Planes D)eliver
Air-Borne Forces
LONDON, Wednesday, June 7---A
great force of RAF bombers swept
across the English Channel last
night continuiiig the mighty aerial
assaults ttat prepared the way for
the Allied invasion, during which
more thar 1,000 t:oop-carrying air-
craft at ds wn yesterday dropped the
largest air-borne force in history into
France.
An official stnt;ment said the RAF
planes had struck at targets in Ger-
man occupied territory during the
night, apparently in support of the
ground troops fighting inland from
beachheads in Normandy. A Reuters
dispatch from Basle, Switzerland,
said aid alarms had sounded there.
Allied Air Men Rule
'In all yesterrday American war-
planes alone flew more than 9,000
sorties as Allied airmen ruled not
only the invasion beaches but also
the air far inland. Prime Minister
Churchill told Parliament that an
armada of 11,000 front-line planes
sustained the assault. Some 10,000
tons of bombs cleared the way for
the ground troops. U. S. Aerial los-
ses were 50 planes-25 bombers and
25 fighters.
The attacking planes which swept
through the French skies encount-
ered only 50 German planes. At
least 26 were shot down.
Continuous Cover
"Continuous fighter cover was
maintained over the beaches and for
some distance inland, and over naval
operations in the channel," the Su-
preme Headquarters communique
said. Night raiders protected the
troop-carrier force, which included
gliders, and reconnaisance aircraft
maintained a day and night watch
over shipping and ground forces.
In all, the Allies made more than
7,500 sorties between midnight and.
8 p. m. yesterday. Prime Minister
Churchill told Parliament that an
armada of 11,000 first-line planes
sustained the assault.
Le ds H-
rP%, ~ .* Hull
ENGLAND
,' -Coventry -
Ipswich'
- x-,C-
- DNDQN over-
Dieppe
Cherbourg Havre'
, "Rouen
St. *"
Ma1® :aen
COASTAL AREA-Shown above is
the Atlantic wall through which
the Allied tanks and infantry have
thrust to estabplish. a 1004-mile
beachhead strtetching from Cher-
bourg to Le Havre.
U.S. Bomnbers
Blast Geran
Airpot at Galati
A U.S. HEAVY BOMBER BASE IN
SOVIET UNION, June 6.-(iP)-Strik-
ing from bases in Russia for the first
time in history, heavy bombers of the
fifteenth U.S. Air Force today blasted
a German airport at the Romanian
city of Galati, at the mouth of the
Danube River.
It was the second phase of the
shuttle bombing over the Russian-
German border by the Mediterran-
ean-based American heavy bombers
which landed in Russia after ham-
mering Debrecen, Hungary, last week.
The attack was on a target in dir-
ect support of the Red Army and the
Flying Fortresses were escorted by
both Soviet and American fighters,
as they were when they crossed the
German-Russian front in the initial
phase of the shuttle bombing trip.
Jap Militarism Is Topic
"Military Domination of Japanese
of a speech to be given by Col. Kai
Political Life" will be the subject
E, Rasmussen at Rackam Hall at
4:15 p. m. today, under the auspices
of the Army Oriental Languages
Group.
Some reports reached here that Gen. Sir Bernard L. Mont-
gomery's men had cut at Caen the Paris-Cherbourg railway, a
main route supplying Hitler's defense forces in the Cherbourg
peninsula. The German high command, however, insisted that
no Allied troops had- penetrated Caen.
e Up to early morning, there were no reports from any quar-
ter of a single major engagement,
Prime Minister Churchill first disclosed that Allied troops
were fighting in Caen, 'on the River Orne, nine miles inland, a
hub of roads and railways radiating all over northern Nor-
LONDON, June 7-(AP)-The German Transocean News Agency said
today in a Berlin broadcast that fierce German counter-attacks had been
launched against Allied invasion troops east of Cherbourg. Just after
midnight, the agency continued, strong German bomber formations attacked
Allied warships and landing craft off the Bay of the Seine and north of
Le Havre. "Details are purposely kept back as yet, but results were good,"
the agency added.
mandy. He said the invasion was proceeding "in a thoroughly
WITH REVERENCE:
Student Faeulty Prayers
rk Irvasion Observance
Blaring radios, early-morning ex -
tras, and upset classroom routine
marked the campus reception of in-
vasion news yesterday, while hurry-
ing students and busy faculty mem-
bers paused for a moment of devout
prayer at 10 a. m. for the success of
the Allied offensive.
Tolling church bells, shreiking si-
rens, and the chiming of the Carillon
blended yesterday morning to halt
campus life and the general com-
munity in line with Gov. Harry F.
Kelly's proclamation.
The carefree attitude of the aver-
age student seemed to vanish yester-
day as he took part in solemn prayer
in more than a score of local chur-
ches and in two specially arranged
services jA the League last night. I
The Women's War Council and
the Post-War Council prepared spe-
cial chapel meetings in the League
Chapel and Grand Rapids Room,
just one week after these campus
groups completed the program ar -
rangeinents.
Church services, designed to place
in full perspective the import of D-
Day, continued intermittently
throughout the day and early eve-
ning and large crowds were observed
in Ann Arbor's temples of worship,
On the campus as everywhere else,
the big news remained unbroken to
See CAMPUS PRAYERS, Page 3
satisfactory manner" and with unexpectedly light casualties.
Returning RAF pilots said: ,"We could easily tell the beach-
es were secure-we could see our soldiers standing up."
In the first dispatch received from the soil of France,
Canadian press correspondent Ross Munro said the Canadian
invasion force won its -beachhead and moved inland after just
two hour and 45 minutes of fighting.
Caen was the only point specifically named here as a scene of
fighting, although penetrations as deep as 13 miles were reported.
Nazi-controlled radios, however, reported Allied landings at a dozen
points, with the most important on both sides of the estuary of the River
Orne.
From west to east along the 100-mile shoreline, Axis accounts said
Allied seaborne and airborne forces struck at:
The port of Barfleur, 15 miles east of Cherbourg; the fishing village
of St. Vaast La Hougue, five miles south of Barfleur; both sides of the
Valognes-Carentan highway, a section of an important supply road to
Cherbourg running five miles inland from the peninsular coast; the 27-
mile-long area between Carentan and Bayeaux; the River Orne estuary;
a 15-mile stretch of beaches in the Villers-Trouville region across the
Seine estuary from Le Havre; and the town of Honfleur, on the Seine
six miles southeast of Le Havre.
Channel weather was adverse, a strong northeastern kicking up the
waves. But this was not permitted to halt the stream of reinforcements
and supplies for the forces hacking out positions along a 100-mile front
between Cherbourg and Le Havre.
The German radio expressed fear of further landings. Fresh and
strong naval forces were reported sighted this morning off the Dun-
kerque-Calais area, opposite Dover and some 200 miles airline northeast
of Cherbourg.
The Nazi-controlled Paris radio skid _!An important American-
British naval squadron was cruising off Cherbourg two hours after
midnight."
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander, was serene and
confident of success in the great land, sea and air blow, launched before
dawn Tuesday under a screen of bombs and shells from 4,000 warships
and 11,000 warplanes.
The Allied High Command disclosed that more than 1,000 troop-
carrying aircraft, including gliders, bpre fighting specialists on invasion
missions and said this phase was. executed with t'unexpected success."
Allied bulldozers slashed out coastal landing strips.
Naval casualties were officially regarded as ! very light."
It was disclosed that among the Allied armada was the U. S, S.
Nevada, 29,000-ton battleship repaired and restored to duty after she
was badly damaged at Pearl Harbor.
The U. S. S. Augusta, 9,050-ton heavy cruiser on which Prime
Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt signed the Atlantic Charter,
went into the action as the flagship of Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, a
veteran of the Sicilian campaign who commands eThe Western naval task
force.9
Another American cruiser involved was the 9,975 -ton Tuscaloosa,
D-DAY OUTCOME, EFFECT DISCUSSED:
'U' Professors See 'Total itory' as Result of Invasion
By AGGIE MILLER
Hailing the invasion of the
coast of France by Allied troops
yesterday, University professors ex-
pressed varied opinions on the im-
Caen is connected to the sea
by a ship canal, which is wide
enough to allow a good sized ship
to pass through, he continued.
Allies can retrace their steps and
attack from the rear the German
defenses, which now face Eng-
land," he said.
miles from base to the apex, he
said.
"I hope they don't destroy the
beautiful monasteries, Nor'manesque
Herwood T. Price, professor of
England, stated that if the Allies
have reached Caen, then they have
managed to cross mountainous ter-
rain. 'The lack of resistance on the