CANAL POSITIONS IMPROVED

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25021, 11 October 1944, Page 5

CANAL POSITIONS IMPROVED

enemy now faced on two fronts By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright j Received October 10, 11.10 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 10 The German stronghold m the pocket south of fhe Scheldt Ri»« now threatened from the rear by the. Canadian and United Kingdom troops who landed yesterday morning on the ,outh coa»' of the estuary. The British forces have already established bridgeheads in some strength, supported by anti-tank guns, inctar* and gun-camers. They are now driving inland in spite of.enemy nre from mortars, machine-guns and some heavier weapons. The enemy has had to divert some of his men to deal with tf>» new th f e f , to , hls and hls resistance along the Leopold Canal has definitely eased. J>; The latest communique from Supreme Headquarters says the troops who made the landings have made good progress. To the 80 Uth the Canadians across the Leopold Canal have had to face oOte desperate German attempts to throw them back. The landings were a tonic to the Canadians fighting grimly on the Leopold Canal, says a correspondent. Before the landings these men were only just across the canal, with two hard-pressed footholds. Now they have linked in one solid bridgehead and are pushing inland. fgi Reuter's correspondent says the landings were made with assault craft before dawn. The two bridgeheads were established in the north-east corner of the pocket, in the area of Hooutplaat, which is on the coast three miles north of Biervliet. The initial' resistance was not heavy. However, by last night the German gunners on the flooded island of Walcheren were hitting out against the assault forces. At the time of the landings, according to this correspondent, the situation of the Canadians on the Leopold Canal was critical. It is possible that the Germans in the pocket, who are fighting a double-front battle, will receive some relief before long. They are estimated to total 10,000, while a further ,11,000, with heavy artillery and anti-aircraft guns, are manning the Scheldt Estuary islands. The German commander, von Rundstedt, is putting all his strength into the defence of the islands and a period of very ijeavy fighting is expected before the Allies liquidate the Germans entrenched in the coastal belt. However, the Allied breaching of the dykes at Flushing, on Walcheren Island, is having far-reaching results. The doom of Walcheren is believed to be near, as the Canadians also command the only link with the mainland.