BRIDGEHEAD GROWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25157, 21 March 1945, Page 7

BRIDGEHEAD GROWS

HOLD ON AUTOBAHN ENEMY RESISTS STRONGLY (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 20 With new pushes to the north and south, the Remagen bridgehead now extends 19 miles along the -east bank of the Rhine and is up to eight miles deep. The biggest gain yesterday,, more than two miles, was made at the southern end. At the northern end the Americans entered Obercassel. Troops pushing east from the centre of the bridgehead were a mile beyond the motor road from Cologne to Frankfurt. Seven and a-half miles of this road are now held by the Americans. German resistance has remained toughest in this area. The Cologne-Frankfurt autobahn is not yet usable, as the northern end is. under direct enemy observation and several points are blocked by debris from bridges over the road which the Germans have blown up. The British United Press correspondent says that American First Army troops, driving through the woods and over steep hills, again cut the autobahn five miles north-east of Konigswinter. Other infantry, farther east, fighting in Berghen, six miles north-east of Konigsberg, are less than 10 miles south of the Cologne-Limburg highway. LUDENDORFF BRIDGE FATE OF STRUCTURE CONFLICTING STATEMENTS (Reed. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 20 Correspondents with the First Army quote a First Army engineer as saying that the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen has completely gone and that there is no question of repairing it. This engineer said more bridges had been thrown across the river in the past few days. He added: "We have enough to sustain our offensive east of the river. Heavier bridges are already under construction." Renter's correspondent at Supreme Headquarters savs. on the other hand, that the bridge is not as badly damaged as was reported earlier. Traffic is expected to resume soon. First Army engineers, toiling desperately, have nearly restored the structure of the span, which is already hoisted back into position. Final repairs are well under way. The Berlin radio claims that a German suicide pilot wrecked the bridge. HAVOC FROM AIR RAIL AND ROAD TRANSPORT fßeed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 20 While American Third Army columns thrust into the Saar pocket Allied aircraft, working ahead of them, spread great havoc yesterday among German rail and road transport. Out from dawn to dusk in perfect flying weather, the American Ninth Air Force and the First Tactical Air Force made 7000 individual flights. They destroyed or damaged nearly 6000 enemy vehicles—locomotives, goods waggons nnd armoured vehicles. American Thunderbolts left a. trail of blazing wreckage in their wake. Pilots whose missions took them further afield said that every marshalling yard north of the Ruhr was on fire. VESSEL IN DISTRESS DISABLED BY CYCLONE (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) BRISBANE, March 20 Two ships are trying to reach a disabled merchant vessel somewhere in the Coral Sea. The merchant ship was disabled by a cyclone which struck the North Queensland coast at the weekend. The Weather Bureau last night reported that the cyclone had moved west to the eastern side of the Gulf of j Carpentaria. The Coral Sea. 'however, | was still being swept by high seas.