Allied Offensive In The West

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 49, 27 February 1945, Page 5

Allied Offensive In The West

BATTLE FOR RHINE

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) Bee, Noon ■ / . LONDON, February 26. me Allied armies are now smashing1 into Germany from the west on a front of about 150 miles. Front-line correspondents say aiv 5 l ttle for the Rhine is now behl£ fought and that the great Alhed offensive is being speeded up. The British and Canadians and the American Ninth, First, and Third Armies are hitting' hard with armour which has been brought up to the support of the infantry irom Holland along- the Roer front and across the Prum River.

Correspondents with the Americans say that they are no longer fighting- from the bridgehead across the Roer, but from a full-si?ed front, lmed with guns and tanks, from which a mighty assault can be suddenly and violently launched.

General Simpson's men have reached the edges of open country which, ;with the recent spell of fine weather, is ideal terrain for swift manoeuvre by armour. The Americans are pouring their tanks and guns across the breaches in the Germans' river lines.

General. Pattern's armoured forces, punching hard throughout the past 24 hours, have fought their way seven TOiles deeper into Germany. They have reached the Nims Rrver in the vicinity of Bitburg, where four highways intersect. The Americans in this sector ©re, now 16 miles inside Germany* They have rounded up more 1 than 1000 prisoners and a large quantity of

skirts of Cologne itself, is now completely in American hands. The Germans' next defence line may be the Erft River, behind which is a ridge rising to a maximum of sQoft, providing the Germans, as long as they hold it, with excellent artillery observation of the Erft crossing.

A SHAEP-correspondent, sending the latest news of the offensive, says that the First and Ninth United States Armies have now established themselves across the Roer River for a stretch of 30 miles and to a depth in places of five miles. An eastward advance of 3000 yards has been made by elements of one division, which captured Gtilzheim. Duren has been completely cleared, and Girbelsrath and Rommelsheim, south of the DurenCologne highway, are jn our hands. The latest reports are that Americans are fighting in Eschweiler and Frau> wullesheim, while to the north of tlae

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material, including artillery and tanks, Although the Germans have been sent reeling back on this sector, they are more aggressive • elsewhere on the Third Army front than they have been lor a week. They have launched eight counter-attacks with fairly strong forces, but have been unable to prevent, the Third Army linking up the two Saar bridgeheads and extending their bridgeheads over the Prum River. The German radio admitted that troops of the American Third Army have cut the communications along the German front in the Prum sector, and says: "Some of our West Wall forces are already cut off." Tanks of the American First Army are about IH miles from Cologne tonight and are stttl rolling on eastward, states the British United Press correspondent, cabling from Golzheim. The First Army has taken Blatzheim, 12 miles from Cologne on the Duren-Cologne road, and moved on eastward, while to the north Ninth Army tanks have reached the outskirts of Elsdorf, 10 miles east of Julich on the mam Julich-Cologne highway. The whole of the Rhineland front is aflame tonight, and violent battles are raging on the western edge of the great undulating plain of Cologne says correspondent at FieldMarshal Montgomery's headquarters, me American armies may force the issue on the plain within the next few <2ays. The Germans have bled too much to be able now to halt any major tank or troop force except by bringing up reserves, American infantry are only route-march distance from two great Rhineland cities, Cologne and Dusseldorf. The opposition is patchy. Cologne is almost within range of heavy guns. Dusseldorf is less than 20 miles from our forward positions on the main road north-east of Julich. The Germans made a small 'jab south-east of Erkele?l' S n S2. c of the highways to Dus?s*"* They threw in a company of infantry and a few tanks, but the attack was broken up and the Amencans later entered Erkelenz. _ The 29th American Infantry Divihas taken Ameln, east of the Julich-Dusseldorf road,' and Hasselweiler on the opposite side of the fg» c' while south-east of «£ !nS D? gl S P bere.™.bt has fallen to the 30th Infantry Division. RAPID ENEMY DETERIORATION. The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain with the First i Army on the Cologne plain says that arm°Ur il nd in*antry advanced towards the Rhine tonight under drizzling skies, and artillerymen moved up big guns. The Germans' entire defence system before the Rhine is threatened. There is a rapid deterioration in the enemy position.! The First Army, since the attack was! launched, has captured 25 towns, including Duren. Eight fell to fast-i moving night-fighting men. Armour and infantry, in a gam of eight miles I today, were approaching the Erft River, the next natural barrier before Cologne. Long lines of miserable-! looking prisoners march to the rear with a look of incredulity as they see j tanks, guns, and supplies rolling forward. This is what Rundstedt told! them could not happen when they i moved into the Belgian bulge in December. The British United Press correspon-1 dent says that more than 4000 prisoners are unofficially reported to have ieen taken in the First Army's sector today The correspondent adds that all of them complain of lack of artillery and air support. The Americans attacked one place north-east of Duren at 11 a.m, today, set it on fire, and captured and cleared it by noon. This is some indication of the speed of the advance. There has been, a speeding up of the advance also south of Duren. This area js littered with villages which are admirable for defence, but the enemy still appears to lack a coordinated plan, and there is no sign that he has thrown in any reinforcements.

highway they have captured Morschenich and advanced eastward to take Merzenich.

Despite a network of newly-made trenches over this part of the Cologne plain, the trench system is not being used, most of the fighting being in and around numerous small towns along this main road to the Rhine. Very few civilians have been seen, and it is believed that places were evacuated some time ago. The First Army has captured 1316 prisoners during the past 24 hours, bringing the total for the operation to 1909.

Big advances are also reported from, the Third Army sector; where armoured units .have made rapid progress to reach the Nims River, running north and south about a mile to the west of Bitburg. Four villages were taken, three were cleared, and one was entered. These armoured units are now operating some 16 miles east of the German frontier and well behind the Siegfried Line.—B.O.W.