NEW ATTACK BY CANADIANS

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24503, 28 February 1945, Page 7

NEW ATTACK BY CANADIANS

“armour in Great STRENGTH” RAPID INITIAL ADVANCE cnee. 7 p.m.)' LONDON, Feb. 2S. Canadian infantry and artnoUr; before dawn to-day (Monday) launched an attack west of Calcar, in the RhineMaas corridor,. Sy 10 a.m, they had gained 2000 yards and held high ground half a mile south of the town. Canadian infantry, with armodr support, moved In to the attack;at 4.30 a.m., after a heavy artillery barrage. The area of the fighting was between Udem and CalCar and the drive was in a south-easterly direction towards the Hochwald forest. The enemy reacted with counter-attacks within an hour, using armour to support infantry, Additional Allied’ tanks went in at 8.30 a.m. to widen and deepen the thrusts. , ‘ The Canadians’ initial advance was rapid.. The Germans apparently were taken by surprise by the weight of the attack. The first wave of infantry, which was carried- In "Kangaroos’’*— armoured troop carrlers—suffered only light casualties. Prisoners began coming In soon after the Opening Of the fittßCk, "Field-Marshal Montgomery threw in his tanks in a big way near Calcar at the northern tip of his 7S-mile front,” says the "Daily Mail’’ correspondent on the Maas-Rhine front. "We are allowed to say that Field-Marshal Montgomery is using armour in great strength v “it is the first time tanks have been used on the western Front this, mohth on such a large scale. Field-Marshal Montgomery topk a bold step to. committing armour on Such a scale In February, In spite of a drying wind in the

past few days. It rained heavily last night, and many Of our tanks were bogged when they left the roads to 'fan out across the fields, Some became sitting targets for enemy gunners.” \ The British United Press correspondent reports: “The Canadians have gained nearly 6000 yards since the opening of the attack and are now about 3000 yards from the Hochwald defences, which are the ihird and last line of the /Siegfried defences between the Maas and the Rhine Fighting is going oh about 1000 yards from Keppellh. The going is getting tougher for vehicles and the opposition is stiffencorrespondent south of Calcar says: “Things are going well tonight. One German stronghold was a church on a slope; The Canadians took it and half an hour later the Germans came oht With their hahds up and asked to be taken to the rear, as their own artillery would be opening up and they did not want to he killed by their °A n s the Canadian drive opened, Scottish troops struck out south of Goch, making a gain, of 1500 nronged drive carried them into a series of towns. The Scots enured Blijcnbeek Castle, 20 miles soUth-east of Nijmegen, and they are mopping up Boekeft and Hulm. about two miles south-west of Goch. There was satisfactory goini for the tanks. In spite 01