Americans Near Duren

Evening Star, Issue 25300, 7 October 1944, Page 7

Americans Near Duren

Weird Progress In Twilight Forest British Reported Across Neder-Rhine

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright

(Received 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, October 6. A new American thrust east of Aachen to=day reached within six miles'of Duren, which is nearly halfway to Cologne, says Renter's correspondent. Infantry to-night is threatening the important network Of communications and roads after advancing nearly one mile through the Hurtgen Forest. The Associated Press says that hundreds of fighter-bombers supported the attack, while artillery laid down a barrage on the forest. Infantrymen confronted a weird and dangerous task finding the enemy's hidden strongpoints in twilight. The forest is so deep that sunlight never penetrates to its needle-strewn floor. American tanks farther north gained two miles in an operation launched from the Geilenkirehen area, and reached a point north of Beggendorf. The British have established a small bridgehead over the Neder-Rhine, south of Wageningen, near Arnhem, said the German News Agency commentator, Captain Sertorius. He added that the German forces immediately attacked the bridgehead, and fierce fighting is at present going on. " Significance must be attached to this, British crossing," he said. The German News Agency stated that half the TurnhoutBreda highway was now in Allied hands. To«day's communique from Supreme Headquarters says that Allied forces crossed the Dutch frontier north of Antwerp in the neighbourhood of Putte. We continued to progress north of Baalenassau and Poppel. Gains were made along the Hilvarenbeek road, and brought us under three miles from Tilburg. Stubborn German resistance from strongpoints is impeding our forces in the area of Overloom. Two enemy counter-attacks south-west of the town were contained.