ACROSS THE RHINE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 144, 31 March 1945, Page 3

ACROSS THE RHINE

GUARDS ARMOURED BRIGADE. ISOLATING THE RUHR AREA CHASE NEARING CLIMAX (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) (Ree. 11. in a.m.) LONDON, Mar. 30. “Advance to the limit of your endurance,” was the order given to the 6th Guards Armoured Brigade as it roared across the Rhine at Wesel for the final “crack” at the old enemy, Hitler’s tough Ist Parachute Army. Formerly an armoured brigade, General Adair’s worldfamous Guard’s Armoured Division, the 6th, is forcing' its way through desperate remnants of Kesselring’s army.

In the advance which captured Dorsten tanks of the Guards Regiments roared along the German high roads with crowds of tough American parachutists riding on them. The Brigade played an important in the lighting on both banks of the Rhine. One battalion was the first unit to make contact with the 6th Airborne Division after the landing last Saturday. Last month the Brigade pierced the Siegfried Line defences and took Kranenburg with its old comrades-in-anns, the 15th Scottish Division. At 6 p.m. security silence was maintained on the forward locations of Field Marshal Montgomery’s advanced armoured columns driving into Northwest German east of the Rhine. The operations on most sectors are reported to be going on very rapidly, says a correspondent at Field Marshal Montgomery’s headquarters, although the names of the furthest points reached have not been disclosed. There is more detailed news meanwhile from the 3rd Army front. Tlie infantry (says a correspondent) advanced IS miles north-east and are just south of Bad Nauheim, 14 miles north of Frankfurt.

The 11th Armoured Division advanced three miles north-east to enter Rothernberg, nine miles north-east of Hanay, in the Killing Valley. The 26th Infantry Division i\e pulsed two counter-attacks in infantry company strength. Far to the rear, in a little pocket a few miles north-west of Mainz, some isolated Germans are making a last bitter fanatical stand. They are being mopped up by the 89th Infantry Division, which advanced three miles east and entered Hausen, 10 miles northeast of Bingen. The 3rd Army penetrated within 10 miles south-west of Fulda.

An American correspondent with the 9th Army east of the Rhine says that beneath the cloud of secrecy cloaking the tremendous mdves being made by our armies on the Western Front the most dramatic chase of the war is nearing its climax. British and American armoured divisions in an unparalleled, daring breakaway race across the face of Germany are to-night fast forging the last links in the gigantic trap which will snare the Germans in the greatest enemy pocket yet.

Inside that pocket at the moment are parts of two German armies the Ist. Parachute and the newly-commit-ted 15th —and elements of a third, the sth Panzer Army. So fast are we moving that it seems highly unlikely that any battleworthy part of these huge forces will escape. Also inside the pocket is the Ruhr. The size of this fast-l'orming pocket is making everybody that watches it shaping on the operations maps gasp in wonderment. “As I see it,” says the correspondent “when the quickly-narrowing gateway is shut tight the enemy and the Ruhr will be cut off inside a colossal box with sides 80 miles long a total area of 6400 square miles. “The British 2nd Army and the United States Ist and 9th Armies are making this box. Formations of the guards and armoured forces are racing side by side with General Simpson’s armoured forces. General Hodges’s has the bottom and righthand sides of the box. He has almost welded his half of the trap in an express advance of nearly 120 miles since the 3rd Armoured Division broke loose from the Remagen bridgehead. “General Simpson was the last to get going. It was not until yesterday that his armour crawled out. By that time General Hodges had made oven 100 miles in a movement to the east, then to the north, and up above the British Guards armour, also racing well ahead.

“The reason for delay was that, the 116th Panzer Division which was rushed post-haste from Holland last Saturday stiffly held off our infantry from forcing an opening for our armour. Eventually even our armour had to join in the fight. The panzers wilted and to-day one of General Simpson’s armoured divisions is tearing east to link up with General Hodges’s forces.

“Meanwhile other highly dramatic events are taking place all along the front of 200 miles, from Emmerich clown to the 3rd Army south of Ascliaffenburg. Between the south-east front and the Ist Army and the northeast side of General Patton’s (3rd) Army another large enemy pocket has been practically scaled. This measures some 26 by 2d miles.”

The correspondent concludes: “The whole western front is on tlie move and is moving at break-neck speed. It is no longer a single army picture. This is it—a great fold-up. with the end of the war around the corner.” — British Official Wireless.