HUN ARMY FACING "DUNKIRK" CRISIS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 84, 10 April 1945, Page 5

HUN ARMY FACING "DUNKIRK" CRISIS

NORTHERN POCKET Major Sea Evacuation With No Naval Backing N.Z. Press Association —Copyright Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, April 9. As far as the whole northwestern German-Dutch pocket is concerned the enemy appears likely to withdraw into one of his "Dunkirk" bases — Wilhelmshaven, Emden or Ijmuiden U-boat base. The remnants of the German forces are being forced back to the sea. The German Army is at last up against a major sea evacuation operation without any sea power to back it up. Both Reuters and the Associated Press correspondents at Field-Mar-shal Montgomery's headquarters state that operations threaten to isolate all unoccupied Holland and the rocket coast in which the Germans are believed to have 150,000 to 200,000 men. The complete cutting off of the big German pocket in Western Holland seems a matter of hours. To-night Field-Marshal Montgomery's troops are threatening Bremen, while at the other end of his front Canadian reconnaissance cars are within sight of the Zuider Zee, states a British United Press correspondent • with Field-Marshal Montgomery's ■ headquarters. The pocket is- already likely to be split in three parts by the Canadian thrust northwards towards Emden, from which the Canadians to-night are only 27 miles. The Canadian thrust against Meppen is also lopping the enemy off into separate forces between the Ems and the Weser, and those in Western Holland. The Germans between the rivers consist at least of two paratroop divisions besides troops whipped up from training centres. Canadian armour along their western flank has pushed northward and captured two villages, both in an area 16 miles north of Meppen. They also took an airthe eastern flank of the pocket in the area south of Bremen the Seventh Armoured Division is now within a mile of the Weser along a 16-mile front and is meeting strong opposition from the east bank of the river.