ige dit iat titg 7A.M FINAL VOL. LIV No. 154 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE '7, 1944- PRICE FIVE CENTS * * * * * * * * 4 Y * * * * * 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