FRONTIER RIVERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 December 1944, Page 5

FRONTIER RIVERS

ALLIES’ FURTHER GAINS

GERMANS ATTACK IN SOUTH LONDON, December 15. To-day’s communique from Allied Supreme Headquarters says: Allied forces now hold the left bank of the Roer River from its junction with the Inde River to a point just northwest of Duren, except for two pockets of resistance in a castle near Schophoven, and in a factory southeast of Mariaweiler. Units which cleared an area south of the junction of these two rivers captured die village Richhoven. We have southwest of Duren reached Gurenich, and pushed approximtaely half a mile east of Gey. Fighting is progressing m the town of Kesternich. Slow progress is being made against stubborn resistance, south-east of Monschau. Bitter fighting continues m Saar Valley, in our bridgeheads across the Saar River, in the areas of Dilhngen and Saarlautern. Near Saareguemines, our forces east of Habkirehen made gains across the Bhes River into Germany. Our units in northern Alsace nave pushed north as much as six miles, and reached Riesdeltz, two miles from the border town of Wissemburg. Over twelve villages have been taken in this area, and eastward towards the Rhine, against scattered resistance Our ground forces have moved down the Rhine to less than a mile from the Franco-German frontier in the vicinity of Lauterburg. We gainer approximately two miles near the Rhine on the Alsace Plain, south ol Strasbourg.

GERMAN OFFENSIVE

LONDON, December 15. A Reuter correspondent in France with the American Sixth Army Group in the south sectors, says: The Germans now are making an all-out effort to counter American successes in the north of the front. The Germans on Thursday attacked with, strong reinforcements and powerful artillery support, and they used a new kind of tank, the Jaguar-Panther. They took the offensive along the whole perimeter of the bulge which they hold west of the Rhine at the far southern end of the front. This offensive appears to be the first large-scale German counter-blow for months, and it already has achieved some initial success. This includes their capture of an important height dominating the main road between Mulhouse and Belfort, at a point 25 miles south-west of Mulhouse. 11 /> , The correspondent added:/ Ihe French and American troops began counter-attacking on Thursday night in an attempt to restore their breached lines. The Jaguar-Panther tank carries an 88mm. gun on a heav-ily-armoured 45-ton chassis. . The Germans have reached strategic points on the main Ribeauvil-Samt Marie road north and north-west ol Colmar. This German drive undoubtedly has created a dangerous situation, but the French and Americans are rapidly regrouping, and counterattacking.

CORRESPONDENTS’ REPORTS.

(Rec. 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 15. Seventh Army forces to-day drove from the north-eastern tip of Alsace across the border into Germany. The British United Press correspondent with the 7th Army says the American crossing was made near Wissemburg. The'drive carried the Americans into the old Bavarian l-’alatinate, less than seven miles from Karlsruhe and 35 niilcs from Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. Reuter’s correspondent with, Hie 6th Army group says: The position in the Colmar pockets is somewhat easier. Further German penetrations of Allied positions have been halted. The battle in the Vosges .ridges is following Iridian tactics, .with, l.ioops stalking each other and sinking Irom the most advantageous positions. 'lne German offensive in the High Vosges opened with a surprisitigly big concentration of guns of all calibres. L'he guns laid down n heavy .lire against the Allied positions around the perimeter of the pocket bulging from Hie 40-mile stretch on the Rhine from north-east of Schlcttstadt to Mulhouse. The French Ist. Army lias reached Willernheim, eight miles north-east of Schlcttstadt. Prior to entering Germany, Hie 7th Army forces ■ raced around the eastern and western .sides 01. Hagenau Forest and joined up in the north, forming an arrowhead thrust against Wissemburg, guarding the gap leading to Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Other troops north-east and north of the forest, after subduing resistance inside Seitz, advanced six miles, and are now less than a mile from the border. American infantry are cleaning up fortress farmhouses in the vicinity of Habkirchen, says Reuter’s correspondent with the 3rd Army. They, after clearing Rimling, eight miles east o£ Saareguemines, advanced half a mile eastwards, reaching Guiderkirch. There is still stiff resistance and artillery fire against the infantry in the Saarlautern bridgehead, but small gains have been made agains pillboxes and bunkers in the Siegfried Line. The Associated Press correspondent with the American Ist Army says: American positions in the Duren area were strengthened by the capture of Birgal, less than two miles south-west of Duren. The west bank of the Roer has been cleared from Mariaweiler to Schophoven.'. The Germans in the northernmost pocket of resistance in the castle near Schophoven have been’ finally reduced and the Germans who were holding out in a factory near Mariaweiler have been mopped up. A combat team pushing eastwards from Gey advanced more than two miles to the village of Kufferath. where there was bitter close-range fighting Reuter’s correspondent at 21st Army Group Headquarters says the lull 'is unbroken in most sectors on the northern front, apart from routine patrolling, which is most active in the Reichswald lorest area. Flood waters are still restricting movement north of Nijmegen, but the rivers have subsided in the past two days. With the coming of the drier weather the Germans resumed flying-bomb attacks on the United States 9th Army front. spanisiFsupplies

LONDON, Dec. 15.

A report that the 50,000 Germans holding out in the French Atlantic ports are being supplied from Spain is supported by a Toulouse dispatch published by the Paris newspaper “Combat.” The dispatch quotes , a Spanish resistance worker who said he saw petrol and ammunition being loaded into ships at Bilbao. The ammunition was brought from a Spanish barracks. The petrol was obtained through a German who was accompanied by a Falangist official and provided with a requisition order from the Spanish Army.