THRUSTING TOWARD HAMBURG

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25181, 19 April 1945, Page 5

THRUSTING TOWARD HAMBURG

AMERICAN FORCES ENVELOP LEIPZIG By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received April 18, 11.10 p.m.) LONDON, April 18 There have been more substantial Allied advances at each end of the German front. The biggest advance yesterday was made by British armoured spearheads, which reached points within 20 miles of Hamburg and 18 miles of the Elbe. The city of Leipzig has been completely enveloped by American First Army troops. General Hodges' men have already begun a general attack toward the city and were last reported in the outskirts two miles from the centre. General Patton's Third Army troops have nearly reached the Czech frontier. They were last known to be only four miles away. One Third Army force is 15 miles south-east of Bayreuth. There have been many signs within the past 24 hours that German resistance in the Ruhr pocket was-rapidly coming to an end. A correspondent said the only resistance of any importance was in Dusseldorf. At that time American troops were fighting in the eastern part of the wrecked city. A later report from the Luxemburg radio said that enemy Resistance finally collapsed at midnight, when Dusseldorf and a number of other towns surrendered and more German generals gave themselves up. The number of prisoners taken in the Ruhr pocket up to this morning is 309,000. Canadian troops have made more great strides in the Netherlands. They have reached the causeway running across the mouth of the Zuider Zee and are moving up to the southern shore of this great waterway after clearing Apeldoorn. British rocket-firing planes have attacked an enemy convoy trying to escape from the isolated ports on the Dutch coast.