CLOSING IN ON ROER

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 3, 1 December 1944, Page 2

CLOSING IN ON ROER

3.45 P.M. EDITION

AMERICAN THREAT TO LINNICH. (N.Z. Press Association. —Copyright.) (Rec. 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 30. Heavy- fighting as the Allied forces close in on the Roer River is a feature of today's news from the Western Front. The Ninth Army this morning started a new attack from positrons east of Gere- - onsweiler towards the villages of Roerdorf and Flosdorf, which are on the bank of the Roer River, north of Barmen and just south of the important riverside town of Linnich, which is now immediately threatened, says the Times correspondent on the Aachen front. Ho adds that tlio fall of these places would imply American possession of the west bank of the river over a stretch of about 10 miles at this point. The attack against Beeek yesterday was a great success. The Americans made a feint movement from the east which occupied the Germans' attention while other American troops, making the real attack, closed in from the south.

Then, just as the Germans were realising the situation, salvoes of "timc-on-target" artillery fire hit tho town. This consists of concentrated fire from many battalions of guns of various calibres synchronised so "that the shells fall simultaneously on the target. The heavy fire achieved great slaughter —German dead litter the town—and before the survivors could recover their wits American i infantry were in the streets.

The Americans withdrew at dusk to escape the shelling which the Germans were expected to start and which they did carry on throughout the night. But the Americans went in again this morning without much trouble. Lindern, north-east of Linnich, was also not easily taken.