PATTON’S ARMOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25735, 5 January 1945, Page 3

PATTON’S ARMOUR

THRUST FROM BASTOGNE CORRIDOR NOW A SALIENT LONDON, Jan. 3. General Patton’s armour has smashed five miles and a-half north-east of Bastogne and entered the outskirts of Michamps. The Bastogne corridor situation has improved so considerably that, with a width of eight miles, it now represents a salient into the enemy salient rather than a corridor. . It tapers eastward, but the heaviest pressure is being maintained on the dug-in Germans.

In the area of the German counterattack near Volklingen the Americans pushed the Germans back 1500 yards towards Shaffhausen, two miles west of Volklingen, after clearing Werheln. Reuter’s correspondent at Supreme Headquarters says the German attempt to cross the Blies River between Hatkirchen and Bliesbrucken succeeded at one place. The Americans cleared Bois-de-Bliebrucken, one mile south of Bliesbrucken, and German penetration (two miles at the most) remains under control. An Associated Press correspondent in a later message reports that the enemy was pushed back as far as Shaffhausen, virtually restoring the Allied position in this area. Reuter’s correspondent with the American Third Army says the enemy continues bitter resistance on a sixmile front south of Wiltz, about 10 miles from Bastogne. The Germans brought in more S.S. formations in an effort to hold their salient. The Germans are reported to be evacuating civilians from towns in the northern part of the salient, says Reuter’s correspondent in Belgium. The Germans continue to mass strength in the centre of the salient. The bulk of German movement is around the St. Vith and the Laroche-Houffsalize roads. The Germans are reported to have built a bridge over the Ourthe River in a week. Vehicular movement was seen south-west of Houffalize to the vicinity of a road junction southwest of Bastogne. ’ . The United States Tactical Air Force yesterday knocked out 374 German vehicles, including 55 of an armoured nature, and also damaged 85, including 11 tanks. , , . , . Rundstedt, holding stubbornly to his Saar penetrations in the Bitche area, has now a strategic springboard for a powerful new smash either west into Lorraine or south into Alsace, says Reuter’s correspondent at Allied headquarters. Allied airmen 36 hours ago sighted tanks roaming behind the German'positions. < Spasmodic shelling of the Alsace plain towns, combined with frequent German counter-attacks, are indications that the Germans have resolved to give the Allies no opportunity of developing their own offensive strategy. While the Americans once stood over the German frontier on a five-mile stretch, they now hold positions south of the frontier, although it is believed they were not driven back, but withdrew to more easily held positions. During the 16 days of the German drive towards the Meuse it is estimated that the enemj' lost nearly 20.000 men in prisoners alone, and about 400 tanks were knocked out, writes a First Army correspondent. Five enemy panzer divisions and one panzer grenadier division were severely mauled. These figures are believed in official quarters to be conservative.

The German losses include 1647 aircraft. Allied air force claims regarding tanks destroyed from the air are not yet available.