THE RACE TO BERLIN

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24536, 9 April 1945, Page 5

THE RACE TO BERLIN

British And U.S. Troops LAST LAP BEGUN

(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON. April 8. British tanks in the north and American tanks in the centre ure staging a dramatic race across Germany for Berlin,. The British United Press correspondent at FieJd-MarshaTMontgom-cry's headquarters last night put the British tanks less than 140 miles from Berlin, and German radio reports last night sajd an American armoured column has reached Eisleben, 100 miles south-west of Berlin, and 20 miles north-west of Leipzig. Front-line correspondents say the Sursuit of the routed Germans back to ie Elbe is in full swing, Hanover has been bypassed and armoured spearheads last night were less than 12 miles from Bremen. Reports reaching FieldMarshal Montgomery’s headquarters indicate that the Germans may abandon both Bremen and Hanover and try to defend the central German plain along the Elbe river, from Hamburg toMadgeburg. The German News Agency’s commentator, Sertorius, describing FieldMarshal Montgomery’s latest moves as dangerous, says the British objectives are obviously the Kiel canal and vital German naval bases. . Fresh Security Black-out The Luxemburg radio says a fresh security black-out has been imposed on the latest advances on the Bremen and Hanover fronts, where the British 2nd Annyis running riot, . , “More than 120,000 of Field-Marshal Montgomery’s men, v/ith 'OOO tanks and tens of thousands of other vehicles, are entering the last lap of the race, less than 140 miles from Berlin,” cabled the British United Press correspondent tost night. ■'There are. no signs of organised, effective resistance this side of Berlin. The Germans have no chance of retrieving the position from the debacle. There is no Organised control over the Wehrmacht’s cut-off divisions, which are all that are left in this area after Field-Marshal Montgomery’s drive deep into the vitals of northwestern Germany. “Our troops in the last seven days have overrun numbers of I'-.e finest de- . fence positions. The German army is no longer capable of maintaining a cohesive front. "‘We are-entering the final mop-up atage,' said a United States Ist Army Jtaff officer. He added; ‘The only co- „ herent German fighting force on the Western Front was the army group which is hopelessly trapped in the Ruhr pocket’ ”

BRITISH TANKS’ THRUST

COUNTRY SOUTH OF BREMEN

NO PANZER OPPOSITION 8.30 p,rn.) LONDON. April 8. Field-Marshal Montgomery’s armour, Bnying into north-west Germany, not inatched as yet by any Panzer support or the Wehrmacht rearguards, is more taan 150 miles beyond the Rhine in some places. The most interesting de- , < s ß * ent yesterday on the right wing of Field-Marshal Montgomery’s front me great roll forward of the Brit- } Sft 7th Armoured Division, tanks lead°ver fill the roads south of Bremen i ** Hussars columns in the van. ij , troublesome left wing, fJ® 1(i 'Marshal Montgomery's tafiks and wfantry. made some advances yester®fiy against stiff opposition, but improved flying weather enabled Tactical Air Force aeroplanes to blast a way ! ome onemy obstacles holding up antish troops. .>-fi na dian Army patrols, driving out ox the regions of Almelo and Coevorr» ’ 2? Roioh-Dutch frontier, and nf lans Soaring the border town ox Meppen were subjected to heavy ™°rtar and machine-gun fire. Tough Scottish infantry of the 52nd 'Lowland) Division, after cracking the enemy's stubborn point in the centre ”° n t of Ibbenburen. smashed down another yesterday in taking Hopsten. farther north. There is still a very hard defence cr JJrt between Rheine and Osnabruck. The British 2nd Army prisoner figure ®n Friday was between 1500 and 2000, xnakmg the total since the start of the crossing more than 32,000. correspondent of the Columbia o C f s f in * System says that the Briwsn 2nd Army’s crossings of the Weser

were made against negligible opposition. More armour and infantry is streaming across the bridge. The units which made the crossings captured 10,000 prisoners.