DEEPER IN GERMANY

Grey River Argus, 5 February 1945, Page 5

DEEPER IN GERMANY

( AMERICAN PUSH 1 i. COLMAR VICTORY ; Further South Gains i ’ (Rec. 12.25). LONDON, February 4. ■ Sunday’s communique from Allied ' Headquarters says: Allied forces in ; the Monschau area pushed one to three miles deeper into Germany, captured Hammer and Harperschid, and entered Dreiborn. We have encountered heavy resistance from small-arms and mortar fire. We cleared Udenbreth after heavy fighting in the town. I In the border area, north-east of I St. Vitli, we have taken Losheimergraben and Manderfeld, and also captured Bleialf, after overcoming strong resistance in the town. Our units pushing eastward to the area of the Luxembourg-Belgium-German border intersection, reached the vicinity of Grosshampenberg, a mile and a-half north of Leidenborn. German positions in this area’ are strongly defended. We have cleared Rohrwiller, six miles south-east of Hagenau, and, after three days of hard fighting, have taken most of Oberhofen. Stiff resistance in flooded terrain has caused our withdrawal in the vicinity of Herlisheim, and also from Offen dorf. We have liberated all of Colmar. We have also driven some four miles, south of the city. We have freed Winzenheim, three and a-half miles west of Colmar, and also several other towns nearby. Hard fighting has continued in the approaches to the fortified town of Neufbrisach. We have made gains on the southern side of the Colmar sector, where we have reached the outskirts of Pulversheim, six miles north of Mulhouse. We have narrowed the distance between our forces in the north from those in the south to less than 12 miles. Reuter correspondent at S.H.A.E.F. • says: Americans burst through the I first zone Siegfried defences. They now are racing across an open • five I miles stretch towards the second, 1 and final zone of these defences, in | an area west of Schleiden. The Germans appear to be fighting a delay-j ing action in an effort to reach the second line defences, but American forces already are two-thirds of the way across the space between the two Siegfried loops. A Reuter correspondent with the Third Army stated: Americans captured or knocked out several Siegfried Line pill-boxes east of Ma>medy, near the Belgian-German frontier.

. Tha\V continues in most sectors. There is brilliant sunshine, melting the snow on the northern sector. A Berlin military spokesman said the Germans had withdrawn from two sectors south-east, of St. Vith and Upper Alsace. On Saturday, says the correspondent, General Fatton's Third Army forces advancing one mile on a 25mile front, captured four towns, two of which.,are in Germany, and two on the Our River. The opposition was light. The Germans abandoned one border town without a light. Americans cleared Bleialf, which was the scene of fierce lighting. Allied forces have taken Dreiborg The Americans punching eastward between the double belts of the Siegfried Line, reached a point two miles west of Schleiden, says an Exchange Telegraph Agency correspondent.; They captured Dreiborg, except for a German castle there, in which the enemy is still holding out. Infantry are now tackling Ramscheid, where the fighting is under a terrific artillery barrage. (Rec. 12.50) LONDON, Feb. 4. Bomber Command planes on Saturday night attacked targets in Western Germany, synthetic oil plants at Bottrop and Dortmund being the main objectives.

ct AMERICAN PROGRESS y HARDER' THAN EARLIER J EXPECTED. r ‘ (Rec. 7.40) LONDON, Feb. 3. In the northern Ardennes six more " small towns were captured by Ameri- ~ can troops in varying advances up . to three’ miles south-east of Mons-) * chati and east of Malmedy. In the 1 area south-east of Monschau and east of Malmedy Siegfried Line defences have been doubled in the stretch running from a point due east of Verviers to the south-east of .. Malmedy. There are now two lines, 1 which are from live miles to six ’ miles apart. The second zone iis some seven miles inside of the Reich. Along this zig-zagging fifteen mile stretch, American troops are at several points fighting midway between the two lines. The maximum ad-

vance was that made by Ninth Division troops, who reached high ground due west of Dreiborn, and they are ! engaged in heavy fighting. They are ’ now only four miles south-west of a ■ German town, Germund. On their right, Second Division troops advanced over a mile. They captured two places on a main road to Schleiden, which is now only three miles east. Smaller advances -were made lower down, east of Malmedy. They were also met by determined resistance, in the northern part of this front fierce battles between the Allied troops and pillboxes held by Germans are raging amid of thawed snow.’ Many more Wehrmacht are being killed than are captured. Altogether in this part of the Ardennes front six small towns were captured on Saturday. Among them is Udenbreth, ten miles south south-east of Monschau, which was the springboard of Rundstedt’s December offensive. Americans of the 82nd Air-borne Division fought in Udenbreth, meeting the stiffest resistance yet from the Siegfried Line defenders. Siegfried defences are proving stronger with each American advance, although only those pillboxes occupying the most commanding positions are manned. American air-borne troops, by fighting their way into Udenbreth, won a foothold on key heights dominating the entire Siegfried network in this sector. Nehhof, a fortified village in the line, was taken by the 2nd Air-borne Division which is pushing through the dragon’s teeth and minefields and' meeting opposition from alarm battalions in pillboxes within the line. Resistance generally has stiffened, but enemy artillery is lacking. Five miles south of Monschau United States 9th Army infantry captured the important crossroads junction on the main roads to Germund and Schleiden after an advance of nearly a mile. This crossroads is seven miles west-south-west of Schleiden. Eight miles south-east: of St. Vith the United States Third Armv advanced over two miles into Germany to less than half a mile from the main Siegfried positions, and captured Keckhuschied, nine miles west-south-west of Prum. Seven villages in this sector fell on Friday. Dower down, resistance was less stiff, and American infantry advanced east of Radscheid, seven miles east of St. Vith, across the German frontier. Three small towns fell in their wake. Seven miles east-\ south-east of St. Vith, fierce battles against small arms lire and tanks

are continuing inside a little town, Bleiaf. THE TOUGHEST SPOT. On the U.S. Seventh Army front, General Patch’s troops are still fighting against tigerish enemy forces south-east of Hagenau, with little progress being made. The Americans undoubtedly hold the initiative.

French Victory ALLIES ALONG 48 MILES OF RHINE BANK.

i • „ (Rec. 7.40). LONDON, February 3. < American and French troops have s ranged themselves along 48 miles of . a stretch of the western bank of the - Rhine River south of a point 12 miles ■ below (north of) Strasbourg. 1 A correspondent says: French and ‘ American troops fought to just over J a mile from Neufbrisach, whence * supplies go into the German salient ' west of the Rhine. They are also re- ' ported to have penetrated into Col- . mar, which they have cut off from ; the east. The 6th Army Group ret ports that French and United States troops entered Colmar some time this morning, and later reached the centre

■ of the city. Street fighting continues. * A later official French communique . says: The French Ist Army is in the centre of Colmar. The enemy is retreating from north to'south. The enemy is desperately trying to disengage, and his troops are leaving enormous quantities of material. At noon French troops united fraternally vith those of thp American divisions in the centre of the city. The city of Colmar is now virtually ours. Although savage street lighting still continues inside of the city, American and French troops on Saturday made further advances in the vicinity of the citv, capturing a large number of places in a general outflanking move. The capture of Colmar will be the first victory by a French General commanding American troops since the time of Marshak Foch. The resistance inside of Colmar is coming only from scattered strongpoints. Among them are two hospitals, with garrisons of between 250 and 300 of the Wehrmacht. Their fate is a matter of hours'? In the southern half o r Colmar •pocket French troons made gains of over a mile in a. potash mining area. COLMAR’S CAPTURE S.H A.E.F. correspondent stated Colmar has been cantured. A British United Press correspondent savs. Colmar is cleared of enemy troons, excent for a few scattered* groups still resisting. LAST BELGIANh| TOWN RECAPTURED A Reuter correspondent savs: Due east of St. Vith Aided forces have ial-en Krewinkel, which was the last Belgian town in German hands. O’ l the 30-mile Ardennes front, we are now 1 ow the German frontier all along this front. A BRITISH-CANADIAN PROBE _* . correspondent a? said: Strong .British and Canadian forces on Saturday crossed the Maas river to probe enemy posit’ons north of Breda and south-east of Nijmegen. , ;