ALLIED ADVANCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 43, 30 November 1944, Page 5

ALLIED ADVANCE.

| GAINS IN SEVERAL SECTORS. I SEVERING’ OF ESCAPE ROUTES. #T■ - - (Rec. 1.15 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 29. A communique from Allied Headquarters to-day says: “North of Venlo we are contacting the few remaining enemy strongpoints west of the Maas. We encountered increased, mortar "fire in tiie G ellcnkirchen area. South of Julich we have taken high ground, and ‘attacked the village of Barmen.^ Fighting continues in Koslar. Our 1 units further south are fighting in five German towns —Inden, Langerwehe, Jungersdorf, Hurtgen and Lammersdorf. Oqr forces' extended their action in the Saar Valley and occupied a .number of towns. We reached Willmgen and fierus, six and four miles respectively south-west of Saarlouis. “We made gains in the St. Avoid • area, where our troops are beyond Oberliomburg, four miles north-east of Ist. Avoid. Our armoured elements %reached Vahlebersing and Diefenbach, - five and ten miles respectively southeast of St. Avoid. Infantry advanced §§to ■ Hinsingen, 14 miles south-east of St. Avoid. | Armoured forces further south al* most completqjy cleared Gutenbrunner : Wald (a forest north of Finstinger), and cleared Wolkskirchen; four miles f. north-east of Finstingen. Other elements reached Burbach and Berg, six and eight miles respectively northeast of Finstingen. “Our advances, in the Northern Alsace plain reached within three miles west of Hagenau, which is 16 miles north of Strasbourg. Further north we crossed the Moder River (a tributory of the Rhine running west-north-west through Hagenau), and reached Ingweiler, 10 miles south-east of Reichshoffen, also Zutzendorf, four miles south-east of Ingweiler. “Other elements completed their drive through the Vtfsges Mountains south of Molsheim. “In the Belfort Gap area, a large enemy salient between Belfort and Mulhouse was cut by our forces, which joined after a drive of eig*ht miles. The main enemy escape routes were severed.”,