Germans tail to Halt Canadians

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 45, 22 February 1945, Page 5

Germans tail to Halt Canadians

Steady Gains Along Whole Western Front (By Telegraph—Press Assn.-— Copyright.) Received Thursday I*ls a.m. LONDON, FeD. 21. Latest front-line dispatches state that the Germans are still throwing in armour in an attempt to halt the Canadian drive against Kalkar, but despite enemy counterattacks we are winning more ground. A small pocket of Germans is still hanging on the southwestern fringe of Goch, but the Allies pushed on eastward beyond the town and are now only two and a half miles from Udem. Other forces after crossing the Goch-Kalkar road and capturing Halvenbom are threatening Udem from the northwest. Rundstedt is now estimated to have 50 battalions totalling about 25,000 men in' the fieid against the British and Canadians advancing down the RhtneMaas corridor. The British United Press says heavy lighting is raging in the Goch and Moyland areas as the Germans maintain their counterattacks. The enemy is heavily shelling and mortaring important points along the whole RhineMaas front. New floods in the Kalkar-Emmerich-Kleve triangle at the northern end of the Canadian First Army’s front west of the Rhine which resulted from the blowing up of the canal dykes have brought operations in this area to a standstill. The weather yesterday prevented the tactical air forces supporting the ground troops but it cleared suffiipieiitly for Mosquitoes to operate after dark for the first time for seven nights. They bombed and shot up 34 towns and villages mostly in the Ruhr, also enemy rail and road communications. Reuter’s correspondent reports that the American Third Army in a sudden spurt northward reached within two and a half miles of the important German town of Saarburg. Patton’s tanks between tho Moselle and Saar Rivers near Saarburg gained five and a half miles, capturing six German towns and clearing three more. Hundreds of prisoners were rounded up and there is evidence of considerable disorganisation amom gthe German units. The deepest penetration into Germany in the Hoselie-Saar triangle is eight and a half miles. Paratroops are spearheading the counterattacks against the Canadians on the Kalkar road in fighting comparable with that south of Caen when the Montreal Black Watch were encircled and cut to pieces, says Reuter’s correspondent with the British and Canadian forces. Elements of nine German divisions are now facing General Crerar’s forces. Third Army units advanced up to 2* miles in some sectors on Tuesday, says the Associated Press correspondent with the Third Army. The most important progress was made in the Moselle-Saar triangle where the Americans seised a number of places including Kirf. The Exchange Telegraph’s correspondent with the First Army says except for patrol activity the First Army front is silent, but the waters of the Schwammanauel dam fell eight and a half feet in the last 24 hours for which reason it is expected that battle conditions will be restored within a few days. Advancing west .of Goch, British troops cut the Goch-Bergen Road while columns north of Uden captured Bucholt and Halvenboom. Fierce counterattacks are still being thrown against the Canadians east of Kleve Forest and on the Kleve-Kalkar Road. AMERICAN GAINS ON 50-MILE FRONT Increased activity is flaring up on the United States Third Army front where gains were made to-day along a stretch of 50 miles between Pmm and Morzig, writes a correspondent at Shaef. The Americans launched another attack preceded by a heavy artillery barrage of about 16,000 rounds. Among the villages taken six to seven miles south and southwest of Saarbttrg were Oberleuken, Faha and Kesslingen and a number of pillboxes were cleared east of Sinz and northwest of the Saarburg Forest. The enemy was taken by surprise and 926 prisoners A. 6 cavalry unit operating further north crossed the Moselle this morning near Wormeldingen and advanced half a mile eastwards to occupy Wincheringen, about five miles west of Saarburg. In the Echtetnach sector, the Americans advanced a mile and a half and crossed the Enz River. These forces are now near Enzen while a mile northeast of this point Stockem has been captured. Varying gains were also made between Dasburg and Prum. Herzfeld was taken. There is little change on the British and Canadian front according to the correspondent. The troops clearing up Goch have taken many prisoners. The enemy is hanging on to a few houses covering the railway at the southern outskirts and .fighting so tenaciously that our men must eject them from house to house. German counterattacks in the Kalkar area died away this morning after confused fighting in which ground changed hands several times. When the tumult subsided, tile Canadians had conceded no ground. Prisoners taken since the start of the northern offensive now exceed 10,000. To-day’s communique from Supreme Headquarters says: “Allied forces between the Rhine and the Maas in the area west of Kalkar have beaten off infantry and armoured counterattacks. Our units in Goch are mopping up the last remaining pockets of resistance in the southern part of the town. East of the Goch-Kalkar railway we captured Halvenbom and Buchhoit (these are about midway between Goch and Kalkar). We have prisonered about 10,000 since the attack on the northern sector began. Fighter-bombers attacked tanks and gun positions in the Duren area, buildings at Buir northeast of Duren, railway yards near Coblenz and in the region around Kaiserlautern. Our ground forces entered Binscbeid about four miles east of the intersection of the Luxemburg, Belgian and German borders where they encountered fire from small arms and self-propelled guns, also resistance from pillboxes on the high ground near the town. To the south* west we reached the Dasburg-Lutzkam-pen road (running north and smith slightly east of the German border) along a two-mile stretch north of Dahnen which is two miles from Dasburg. We entered Bivels two Mliles north of Vianden, cleared Oversgegen, and took Korperich and Stockem, respectively three, four and eight miles east of yianden,” .