COMMUNIQUE

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24368, 21 September 1944, Page 5

COMMUNIQUE

(Rec. 1.45 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 20. To-day’s communique from Supreme Allied Headquarters says;— “The advance of the Allied forces in Holland continues rapidly. The ground troops made contact yesterday with more air-borne formations. Eindhoven is in our hands. “Our armoured forces advanced nearly 40 miles to the area of Nijmegen. “Strong enemy counter-attacks were beaten off near Best and in our bridgehead north of Gheel. "Fighters and fighter-bombers again supported and covered airborne operations and attacked road and rail transport over a wide area of Holland. According to reports so far received, 26 enemy aeroplanes were shot down for the loss of nine of our fighters. “The enemy to the west is still resisting stubbornly south of the Schelde, but our troops made progress In the area of the Axel-Hulst canal. “We have captured the citadel and Mont Lambert in Boulogne. “Our troops in southern Holland have liberated Sittard and Amstenrade, about 14 miles north-west of Maastricht, meeting moderate opposition. , “East of Aachen, fighting is progressing in the factory area of Stolberg. Enemy pressure is being met near Busbach. "Operating in advance of our ground forces, light and medium bombers hit railway yards at Eschweiler, Dueren, and Merzenich, on the Aachen-Cologne line. “Mopping up of enemy pill-boxes and pockets of resistance continues east of Roetgen and In the Hofen area (in Germany, 20 miles southeast of Aachen). "Heavy and determined resistance was encountered east of the GermanLuxemburg border. “In the Moselle valley we made gains south of Metz against stubborn resistance. “Mopping up is in progress SIX miles north-east of Pont-a-Mousson (on the Moselle between Metz and Nancy). “Further south our forces have liberated Gerbeviller (20 miles south-east of Nancy). “All organised resistance has ceased at Brest. Our troops have cleared the enemy from the Crozon Peninsula.” GERMANS ORDER EVACUATION COLOGNE AND AACHEN AREA LONDON, dept. 19, "Captured German documents dated September 9 reveal that the Germans ordered the evacuation of 2,000,000 inhabitants of the Cologne-Aachan area." says the correspondent of the British United Press near Stolberg, “Evacuation orders had been issued to numerous villages which United States troops later overran. “It is estimated that fewer than 20,000 people remain in Aachen, which to-night was reported to be surrounded. The evacuation of Cologne has already started. Medium bombers this afternoon -encouraged the evacuation by plastering villages on the line of enemy resistance. “The evacuation order signed by the gauleiter of Cologne said that refusal to obey was punishable by death. The order instructed evacuees to carry only 331b of personal property, but livestock must be removed, Men between 16 and 60 are ordered to remain for digging trenches and building defences.” east of Nancy are offering very stiff resistance. They have slowed down but not halted the American tanks and infantry. The Germans hereabouts are believed to be operating well under 100 tanks.” The Associated Press correspondent at Nancy says: “Two armoured battles and one infantry battle are raging north and east of Nancy. The Germans are recklessly using men and tanks, trying to halt the Americans. “Many of the German units from northern France are virtually without transport They are left with no choice but to stand and fight or be overrun by Lieutenant-General Patton’s armoured forces. The fighting has increased in ferocity with each mile of the advance towards Germany. “Among the Americans edging forward yard by yard there is no talk of the war being over in two or three It is reported by Supreme Headquarters that the enemy is sending flying bombs over the United States 3rd Army sectors,