NO ALLIED ALARM

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 147, 19 December 1944, Page 5

NO ALLIED ALARM

OFFENSIVE EXPECTED LONDON, December 18. Cabling early this morning, a frontline correspondent says that the German counter-offensive has reached the maximum possible strength. The roads behind the Allied and German lines are jammed with columns of vehicles moving to the battle area. The Luftwaffe carried on the air battle today, when German planes appeared in perhaps the greatest strength £mc*i nc*L D Day- says a correspondent at the Twenty-first Army Group headquarters. The Luftwaffe flew hundreds of sorties in the Aachen area alone, and not only supported the German ground offensive, but also sent reconnaissance planes over the British sector.

There as no Allied alarm over the German spoiling attack. It had been expected in London that the enemy would launch an assault to confuse and divert the main Allied offensive A small number of German paratroops who were dropped as a diversion in small scattered groups in the Ninth Army area were easily liquidf, 2>l? t. hi? g has developed on this front. Third Army troops are slowly expanding their grip on the Saarlau-tern-Dilhngen. area and they are also well across the German border northeast of Saareguemines. "GOING TO BE CHOPPED UP." A staff officer of the United States First Army said that this may be regaraed as the Germans' last throw— an all-out break-through bid comparable to that of March, 1918 Tho Americans on Saturday captured an order of the day issued by Field-Mar-shal Rundstedt in which he declaredNow is the time for the German army to strike. Give your all in one last eftort."

The staff officer said: "Instead of having to crack their defences, we are now meeting them where they have no time to. dig defences. They are going to be awfully chopped up."