DRENCHED IN FIRE

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

DRENCHED IN FIRE

FLAME THROWERS TURNED ON ENEMY CANADIANS FORCE LEOPOLD CANAL (Rec. a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 6. Behind solid sheets of flame Canadian assault troops stormed across the Leopold Canal before dawn to-day, and breached the German pocket on the south side of the Scheldt, says Reuter's correspondent with the Canadians. Th'e suddenness of the attack surprised the Germans, whose initial opposition was comparatively light. Five thousand Germans for nearly a' month have been holding-a position roughly 10 miles long and 20 deep,, bounded by the arc of the Leopold Canal, running from the coast to the southern shores of the Scheldt. Assault troops last night moved up batteries of flame throwers behind the high sloping banks of the canal, where fleets of assault boats had been secretly massed. At 5 a.m. a great barrage of flame roared across the 150 feet of water and seared the Germans entrenched on the northern bank. The Canadians then swept down the 20 foot high bank carrying assault boats, and launched them under machine-gun fire. They swarmed across the canal. The first troops found the flamethrowers had drenched the German forward positions with fire and killed -German infantry as they stood in their trenches. Bulldozers were then rushed up to bite a way through the high bank and levelled sections _ enabling sappers to throw pontoon bridges across the canal. Two bridges were established within a few hours _ and. reinforcements joined the Canadian advanced troops. German artillery opened up against the bridges. One crumbled under a direct hit but engineers working under mortar fire quickly restored it. Smoke screens blinded the German gunners on Walcheren Island, preventing them shelling the Canadians. The Allies captured Alphen, eight miles south-east of Talburg.