'DESTROY THE ENEMY'

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 22, 23 December 1944, Page 5

'DESTROY THE ENEMY'

ALLIED ORDER OF THE DAY ENEMY'S DESPERATE GAMBLE (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) LONDON, Dec. 22. General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied. Forces,, in an Order of the Day, has called on his armies to destroy the enemy "who has come out of his fixed defences and is making a desperate and supreme effort to ■break out of the trap in which your courage and brilliant victories have placed him. "He is fighting savagely and gambling everything on this desperate effort. Already you have clone much to stem his advance and he will completely fail. But we must do more than defeat him in this attack.

"By rushing out of his defences he may destroy himself. We must exert every effort to turn his greatest gamble into his worst defeat. Your courage, fortitude- and resolution can achieve this. Destroy him wherever you find him—on the ground or i n the air. With God's help we will go forward to our greatest victory." The London correspondent of the New York Sun quotes a German report that General Eisenhower has thrpwn in large tactical reserves against the German assault. The correspondent adds: "This is the great Christmas news we have been awaiting General Eisenhower has taken advantage of his superior mechanisation to transport the troops where they will do the most damage and has forced the enemy holding a strong defensive line to leave it and come into the open. . ''The American First Army, tront was reported to have, been so thinly hold that it was an invitation to von Bundstedt who accepted the'challenge because he needed a Christmas present for Hitler. ■ There is no possibility of the Germans being in Paris for Christmas. That is just bait for the .Nazi soldiers."

SPOILING TACTICS A broad assessment of von Rpndstedt's offensive gucs a picture of spoiling tactics which for all the damage they may inflict on the Allied supply system may well end in disaster for the enemy, says the Times correspondent at Supreme Headquarters. The fog will not last forever and when it lifts—quite apart from the field commanders' plans to fight the battle—the onslaught, of our tactical air squadrons should be as decisive as during the not dissimilar days of anxiety in Normandy when the enemy tried to thrust through to Avranches.

A New York Times correspondent says: "There are encouraging signs that the First Army is recovering from the shock of surprise, but the situation is still grave. I believeit will be impossible to halt the offensive for another five or six days i although the American infantry arc rallying gallantly on the flanks of the enemy drive As vet they have had little chance of smashing the nose of the salient driven deep into Luxembourg and Belgium." . ~„ , The fury of the battle is still mountin" says Pouter's Shaef correspondent, and' German reinforcements will probably be ready to he pushed in at the appropriate time. Fluid warfare is being waged in the 50-mile gap on a scale unknown since the invasion started.