REARGUARD ACTION

Evening Star, Issue 25425, 5 March 1945, Page 5

REARGUARD ACTION

GERMANS WITHDRAWING < ACROSS RHINE FIRST ARMY TWO MILfeSFROM COLOGNE (Rec. 12.25 p.m.) LONDON, March 4. While British, Americans, and Canadians are pressing back the remnants of Rundstedt's armies into a dwindling bridgehead opposite Wesel the German News Agency war reporter tonight stated that American tanks had crossed the southern bridge at Dusseldorf and tried to reach the east bank of the Rhine, but were-beaten back. Correspondents at Field-Marshal Montgomery's headquarters report that other Ninth Army troops have Teached the Rhine bank north of Homburg, where the bridge to Duisberg is under American mortar fire. Elements of seven German paratroop ' divisions are fighting furiously in an effort to stave off collapse of the Wesel bridgehead, which encompasses an area 12 miles long and 12 miles deep from Vynen to a point two miles west of Xanten, then to Sonszeck, Issum, and SeveHin, finally in a south-easterly arc to Homburg. The German News Agency commentator, Walter Plato, declared to-night that Cologne and' Dusseldorif are right in the front line. American tanks are on the edge of the outskirts, and Allied shells are crashing into the cities. Reuter's correspondent at FieldMarshal Montgomery's headquarters says both on the Canadian * Army front and on the Ninth Army front the Germans are fight- ' ing only to cover the final stages of their withdrawal to. the east bank of the Rhine. Resistance on the Canadian Army's west flank has collapsed entirely, but paratroops again forced a way into Severlin, which is part of the perimeter defences of the Wesel bridgehead. Reuter's correspondent with the Canadians says the Germans are fighting a skilful rearguard action. There are indications that nearly all the troops now penned against the river will be able to get across. The Associated Press correspondent with the Canadians says the Germans are now crossing in great numbers, but an American division which suddenly entered Mors surprised an enemy column moving through the town, and captured thousands of prisoners and considerable material. Elements of the American First Army are now within two miles of Cologne, says Reuter's correspondent with the First Army. The German defenders are concentrated inside the city's perimeter. A First Army armoured" task force fces reached the "west bank of the Rhine between Dusseldorf and Cologne, splitting the enemy forces in this area. Fierce fighting is continuing at Freschen, where the Americans are meeting heavier German resistance as they near Cologne. The Americans further south captured Schleiden and Gemund, Siegfried Line key points, which were stumbling blocks for the First Army for a lone; time. Reuter's correspondent with the Ninth Army in a late message says the Americans further constricted the German bridgehead opposite Wesel. Progress to-day brought the Ninth Army almost completely up to the Rhine on an 18-mile front. Thickly-populated areas east of* Krefeld are still being mopped up. Staff officers estimate that not more than 7,000 Germans are left in the Bridgehead opposite Wesel, but they are the cream of the German army in the west, and thus most strenuous efforts would

be made to extricate them in order to meet the eventual Allied crossing of the Rhine. Much higher numbers of German civilians remained in the captured towns than previously estimated. Military Government authorities now estimate that there are 75,000 in MunchenGladbach alone. The great speed of the Allied advance; and the hamstringing of communications, plus lack of fuel, were probably responsible for their nonevacuation. The civilians in Krefeld. who probably include numbers of soldiers who have thrown away their uniforms, are strongly apathetic. They seem quite resigned to the fact that they have lost the war, and try to go about their everyday tasks in as normal a way as possible, although there is still a certain amount of sniping.