FIGHTING NEAR AACHEN

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24366, 19 September 1944, Page 5

FIGHTING NEAR AACHEN

Americans Ripdse Coifflto^Attack SIEGFRIED LINE SECTOR (NJZ. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON. Sept. 18. Along the "• Siegfried Line bad weather restricted Allied air activity yesterday. East of Aachen, the American Ist Army beat ofi a German counter-attack. ■ .\ "The Siegfried Line has now been pierced in four places," says Reuter's correspondent with the Ist Army—first, in the area of Stolberg, east of Aachen; second, at Kanschau, south of Stolberg; third, at Wallendorf, 18 miles northwest of Trier; and fourth, at Echternach, between Wallendorf and Trier." "The Germans are strongly counterattacking the American-heloT section of the Siegfried Line in the Stolberg area, five miles "southeast of Aachen,- says a British United Press correspondent in a dispatch timed 9 p.m. on Sunday. "Desperately attempting to save their West Wall, the Germans have thrown in crack reserve divisions, strongly supported by the Luftwaffe. "Thirty German fighter-bombers simultaneously attacked our positions on Sunday, when the Germans coun-ter-attacked all day. In spite of the enemy pressure, our positions are unaltered. "The German High Command is apparently using all its available strength, hoping to seal off this vital breach. The Americans, who had been awaiting a possible German counterattack ever since they established themselves in the Siegfried Line, are manning positions in the line against the Germans with artillery and antitank guns, and also multi-barrelled weapons. "The Ist Army.troops who fought their way across the Meuse at Maastricht are now encountering hard*ftghting paratroopers, and also a number of German Home Guard battalions, all of which are offering strong resistance. "Meanwhile, a small army of German civilians and conscripts are digging for all they are worth between the' Rhine and the Siegfried Line." GERMANS CUT OFF IN FRANCE GENERAL SURRENDERS WITH 20,000 MEN (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 18. The junction of the United States 3rd and 7th Armies; by which many Germans ih central France are cut off from the Belfort Gap escape route, has idready produced excellent results, according to an American radio reporter broadcasting from Paris on Sunday night. "A German commander, General Elster, surrendered at 3eaugency, south-west of Orleans, on Saturday, handing over his pistol as a token of the surrender of his 20,000 troops," said the reporter. "They surrendered without a shot being ftred." The broadcaster then interviewed an American lieutenant, who said: "We were operating 50 miles south of the Loire river. I learned from the French that a German column wished to surrender to the Americans. I told one Belgian and one British officer Who were working with us, both of whom speak German, to visit the German general and tell him he could surrender unconditionally or take fye consequences. "I requested air support immediately, and arranged that the Allied airmen should strafe the German column if they were signalled that the surrender was not in progress. General Elster did not wish to surrender to a lieu* tenant, so I arranged for him toimeet jtny general, to whom he surrendered; unconditionally." j