RIVERS OBSTACLES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21583, 9 December 1944, Page 5

RIVERS OBSTACLES

CKOSSIiNGS SOUGHT FIRST ARMY MOVING SENSITIVE~L)EFENCES LONDON, Dec. 7. The most significant Happenings today in me tierman river war weie tne suraoy expansion of General Patton's uiiee biiugeneaus over tne oaar xuver, iiom wnien tne threat to saarbrucKen ana ns mineral basin-* looms evei closer, ana three new attacks on General rioages' front in tne Aachen, toward the west bank of the Koer raver, which has suddenly risen in some sectors. American infantry after advancing one mile are figntmg to-nignt in tne oiegtned Line fortifications in tne Paenten Forest, 21 miles north-west oi oaariouis .(cjaariauternj, says Reuter s correspondent with the United States third Army. These torces are eigm miles inside Germany, which is the deepest penetration on the Third Army cront thus far. Other Third Army forces gained two miles and entered e urstenhausen, 3-1 miles west oi oaarbrucken. Most of Saareguemines .s now in American hands. The British United r-re-ss correspondent says that the Americans captured x-ort Fiappeviile, two miles north-west of Metz, leaving only Fort Driant anu port Jean D’Arc holding out around me city. Reuter's correspondent with the unerican First Army says that the Americans, in three moderate attacks launched yesterday and early to-day, maue slow and steady progress. AH me attacks are directed towards the doer —one from Inden and two from Bergstein. An attempt by Ninth Army patrols to cross the Roer River drew heavy German fire. In the neighbourhood of Roerdord and Floss* dorf, the Germans are still throwing up smokescreens in order to conceal the building of the defence line.