GERMAN RETREAT

Grey River Argus, 30 November 1944, Page 5

GERMAN RETREAT

BIG ALLIEJ) GAINS IN RIGHT SECTORS Enemy Cut off in South ALLIES PROGRESS IN NORTH. (Rec. 1.15.) LONDON, Nov. 29. Wednesday’s communique from Allied Headquarters says: North of Venlo we are contacting the few remaining enemy strongpoints west of the Maas River. “We have encountered increased mortar fire in the Geilenkirchen area _ , “South of Julich we have taken high ground. We also attacked the village of Barmen. Fighting continues in Koslar. “Our units, farther south, are fighting in five German towns —Inden, Langerwehe, Jungersdorf, Hurtgen and Lammersdorf. ' “Our forces have extended ■ their action in the Saar Valley, and have occupied a number of towns. We have reached Willingen, Berus, six and four miles respectively southwest of Saarlouis. “We have made gains in the Saint Avoid area, where our troops are beyond Oberhomburg, four miles north-east of Saint Avoid. “Our armoured elements have reached Vahlebersing and Diefenbach, live and ten miles respectively south-east of Saint Avoid. Our infantry have advanced to Hinsingen, 14 miles south-east of Saint Avoid. “Our armoured forces farther, south have almost completely cleared the Gutenbrunner Wald (the forest north of Finstingen) and have cleared Wolkskirchen, four miles northeast of Finstingen. “Other of our elements have reached Burbach and Berg, six and eight miles respectively north-east of Finstingen. “Our advances in the Northern Alsace Plain have reached within three miles west of Hagenau, which is 16 m ; les north of Strasbourg. We have farther north, crossed the Moder River (a tributary of the Rhine, running west-north-west through Hagenau). We have reached Ingweiler, ten miles south-east of Reichshoffen, and also Zutzendorf, four miles south-east of ingweiler.

Other 'of our elements have completed their drive through the Vosges Mountains south of Molsheim. “In the. Belfort Gap area, a large enemy salient between Belfort and Mulhouse, has been cut by our forces, which have joined after an eight-mile drive. “The main enemy escape routes have been severed.” GERMAN WITHDRAWAL ON THREE FRONTS (Rec. 8.15) LONDON, Nov. 29 Berlin commentators including Captain Sertorius, admit that German forces are retreating in three sectors:—Firstly in the Merzig area, where hitherto they have reacted violently against every American attempt to advance; secondly, north of Strasbourg, where they are pulling back on a thirty-five mile front; and thirdly, in the Vosges pocket south of Strasbourg, which they describe as a planned withdrawal. Aachen Sector U.S. ATTACK RESUMED LONDON, Nov. 29 Most progress on the Western Front to-day has been made on the Ist and 3rd American sectors. The German News Agency stated that the Americans had resumed the major attack in the Aachen area after being reinforced. It added that the heaviest fighting is centred north of Aachen. The Americans of the Ist Army are now fighting in Jungersdorf, on the eastern edge of Hurtgen Forest, three miles from Duren. Other troops after an advance of one ’ mile, are fighting in Inden, four miles south or Julich.

The American Ist. Army by this afternoon had “half captured” Inden four miles south of Julich, states the Exchange Telegraph Agency’s correspondent with the Ist Army. Heavy street fighting was still going on thisevening. Equally fierce street fighting is. progressing in the neighbouring town of Lammersdorf. The enemy is setting a terrible pace to the fighting hereabouts, for east or Inden lie the best two fording places in this area over th e Roer River. With the threat so near, the enemy flung in elements of a new division around here and southeast of Eschweiler. This is the 3rd Paratroop Division, which the Wehrmacht call Herman Goering’s Expendables. Street fighting is also raging outside Langerwehe, the western half , or which is now in our hands. The enemy’s artillery hereabouts reached unprecedented ferocity. The enemy in Hurtgen is having to be winkled out cellar by cellar. The German front in the Cologne area has been seriously weakened by Allied air attacks, says Reuter's correspondent at the Ist Army Headquarters. Two German divisions were caught for the second time whil e in the process of moving. They were the. 17th and 12th Divisions which were caught in the raid on November 16 and again this week, when the battered formations were being relieved. Officers and men of the veteran American armoured division are unanimous that Germany’s new 72ton Royal Tiger tank, with superhigh velocity 88-millimetre gun is the best tank in the battle to-day. The Associated Press correspondent with the division quotes the men as saying: “Our Shermans are all right iii their class, but they are outclassed. It. is like a lightweight fighting Jack Dempsey.” Veteran tank men put the Royal first, with the Germans’ regular Tiger second, and their Panther third. Central Sectors ; AMERICAN 3RD .ARMY ADVANCE " LONDON, Nov 28 Infantry of the American Third Army advanced four miles northeastward on a six miles’ front _.anu now hold a line along the German frontier at a village five miles southwest of Saarlouis. American armour north of St. Avoid have cut the main road to Saarlouis and other elements have advanced- to within 10 miles southwest of Saarbrucken. Germans are counter-attacking on a small scale at Tettingen, thre miles south-east of Remich. General Patton’s troops are now striking into Germany’s Saar “black country,” which is her most important war zone apart from the Ruhr, says Reuter’s correspondent with the 3rd Army. The 3rd Army’s front inside Germany was extended seven miles to-dav. and now totals 26 miles. The new Saar crossings were made South-east of Saarlouis. There was also a seven and a, half miles advance east of St. Avoid, which took

the Americans to a point eight and a half miles from Saarbrucken. Along the 3rd Army’s total of 4u miles of border front they are fighting at some points among coal mines and steel works in Reich territory. Their advance at other points is across th e last few miles ot France. ALLIED PLANS NEED OF AMMUNITION LONDON, Nov 28 General Eisenhower is conferring tc-night with Field Marshal Montgomery in a third storey sitting room m a bleak house near Holland, says Reuter’s correspondent somewhere in Belgium. They ar e resigning the final defeat of Germany. Armed guards at the gate double-check the credentials of every visitor. It is several weeks since General Eisenhower made an official call on Field Marshal Montgomery at the 21st Army Group Commander’s Tactical Headquarters. The port of Marseilles was now operating efficiently, said MajorGeneral Ralph Royce, Commander oi‘ the First Tactical Air Force, in an interview at S.H.A.E.F. He added that the supply problems did not exist on the southern sectors of the Allied front.

General Royce said the famous Lafayette Squadron was under his command. The greatest need of the French air squadrons was tools and mechanics.

GERMANS FORTIFYING LONDON, Nov. 28

The Berlin radio to-night stated that between 1,700,000 and 1,800,000 workers “including 400,000 German men and women” were digging fortifications. (Th e Associated Press comments that this means more than a million slave labourers). WASHINGTON, Nov 28 The Under-Secretary of War (Mr. Patterson), stated that 27 servicemen who saw artillery ammunition rationed at the front had been sent back by General Eisenhower as special emissaries'to tell munition workers frankly just what th e soldiers were up against. , •/> One Technical Sergeant said: We are up against the Siegfried Line, and we are. shooting more than hitherto. Jerry is dug in pretty good. He is sitting comfortably, making us mad. We need a heck of a lot more ammunition.” . Another Sergeant said: “W e could fire twice the amount and do thrice the amount of damage. After one counter-attack we counldn’t fire toi three days because of the shortage of ammunition.” TOTAL OF PRISONERS LONDON, Nov. 28 The Allies have taken nearly three-quarters of a million prisoners on the Western Front since D Day. The United States First Army had taken 206,866 prisoners and killed 15,916 Germans to yesterday, state correspondents with the American First Army.' The British Second Army for the week ending November 24 had taken prisoner 15 officers ana 11030 other ranks, says Reuter s correspondent with the Second Army. Reuter’s correspondent at SHAEF says that General Eisenhower’s armies/ since the beginning of the winter offensive,, have taken prisoner 40 COO Germans, accounting for at least four German divisions.