CAPTIVES NOW OVER HALF MILLION

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 3, 28 September 1944, Page 5

CAPTIVES NOW OVER HALF MILLION

Campaign In West (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. September 2G. “It is now fairly certain that the Allied invasion of France and the Low Countries has so far cost Hitler about a million men,” writes a correspondent at supreme headquarters. The official prisoner of war figures for all the Allied armies in the west give tho current total as 544.695. An unofficial estimate of the Nazi troops killed is 100,000, and about 200,000 have been seriously wounded. To these figures must be added the comparatively large forces of garrison personnel manning the remaining ports on the Atlantic seaboard and the Channel coast who are completely cut off and stand little chance of evacuation to the Reich. Details of the prisoner of war figures issued by the supreme headquarters are: The British Second Army to September 16 took 73.297, and the Canadian First Army 52.971, making a total for the 21st (British) Army Group of 126,268. The First United States Army to September 23 took 183,827, and the Third American Army 92,600, making the total of the 21st (United States) Army Group 276.427. General Patch’s Sixth Army Group (American and French) took 72.000 prisoners up to September 13—-11,000 being taken by the French. The United States Ninth Armv to September 22 took 70,000, including 19.000 who recently surrendered near the Loire and 36,389 at Brest. MAIN GERMAN FOOD DUMP SEIZED Rations For An Army LONDON, September 26. A correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain, in a delayed dispatch, reports the capture of the little town of Oss, south-west of Nijmegen, “Here we captured a food dump for the entire Germany army in Holland, he says. “It contained rations, including 8000 tons of meat. Our troops who have tried them say that the German rations are not bad.” A prominent Dutch quisling., speaking on tho German-controlled Hilversuin radio, said that since General Eisenhower’s appeal to Dutch railway strikers, a serious situation lias arisen regarding food. The German army did not intend to interfere with it. Holland went hungry because some Dutchmen were stupid enough to help the Allies. *

BID BY LUFTWAFFE

Heavy Losses In Air Battle

LONDON, September 26. In spite of bad weather, patrols were maintained over the battle areas of Holland yesterday, particularly the Arnhem and Nijmegen regions. The Luftwaffe appeared in greater numbers than usual, and there were several combats. German planes for the first time engaged rocket Typhoons. About 25 Messerschmitts and Focke-Wull's dived on five Typhoons led by the New Zealander, Flight Lieutenant Earle Brough, D.F.C., from South Otago. The Typhoons, which had been attacking trails of Germans, gave battle. Flying Officer IL O. I’attuls, of Dunedin, and Brough each damaged an attacker. Pattnls. said :"I think they were scared. They just made dirty darts, and as soon as we turned in toward them they faded away.” Another group of Typhoons met 160 Focke-Wulfs in the Nijm.egen area and shot down 16 for the loss of three ami damaged 18 others. The enemy’s attack was broken up. The remaining planes were chased away. Spitfires over the Arnhem area met 50 enemy fighters and shot down four for the loss of one. .Air Defence of Great Britain Spitfires and Tempests met 50 fighters in the Arnhem area and shot down four for the loss of two. Typhoons attacked four German gun positions which were shelling the airborne forces near Arnhem, and, it is believed, silenced the guns. Bombing Fleet Out. More than 1100 American heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force escorted by fighters today attacked railway marshalling yard's and steel works at Osnabruck, the marshalling yards at: Hamm, and industrial targets at Bremen. An Eighth Air Force lighter group patrolling north-west Germany this afternoon engaged over 40 German planes and shot down 29 for the loss of one plane. An Air Ministry communique says that Mosquitoes last night, attacked Mannheim. One bomber is missing.

CHECKETTS SHARES KILL

(Official News Service). LONDON, September 26. On his last operational flight before being posted to ground duties, one of New Zealand's most distinguished fighter idiots led his Spitfire wing into a fierce action with German fighters over Arnhem last evening. He is Wing Commander J. M. Cheeketts, D. 5.0., D.F.U., I uvercargill. and he shared the destruction of an Me.109 with one of his flight commanders. Cheeketts’ wing formed part of a torce of Spitfires and Mustangs of Air Defence of Great Britain operating in support of medium bombers which wore attacking flak positions near a town. .They mined action with about. 50 FAV.l9O's and MelOO’s, and shot down at least four and damaged several others.