DIRECT THREAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25814, 9 April 1945, Page 5

DIRECT THREAT

CLOSING ON HANOVER BRITISH SEVEN MILES AWAY (Rec. 10 p.m.) RUGBY, Apl. 8. Hanover, the important Indus- , trial and communication city east of the River Weser, is now under direct threat from British armour spearheads, supported by columns approaching from the west, and United States Ninth Army spearheads from the south, says a correspondent at Field-marshal Montgomery’s headquarters. The British Sixth Airborne Army is only seven miles from the city’s outskirts, with General Simpson's troops by-passing the town to the south. Latest reports from Ninth Army correspondents put the Americans 10 miles from Hanover. North-west of the Weser, British tanks, led by the Eleventh Hussars, are no more than 10 miles south of Bremen. Without opposition of any importance reported. British tanks made advances yesterday in several regions, varying from eight to ten miles. Field-marshal Montgomery’s armour, now driving into North-west Germany and not matched as yet by any panzer support of Wehrmacht rearguards, is more than 150 miles beyond the Rhine in some places. . The most interesting development yesterday on the right wing of Fieldmarshal Montgomery’s front was the great roll forward of the British Seventh Armoured Division, tanks spreading all over the roads south of Bremen, with the Eleventh Hussars columns in the van. On the still troublesome left wing, Field-marshal Montgomery’s tanks and infantry made some advances against stiff opposition, but improved flying weather enabled tactical planes to blast their way over some enemy obsta9les holding up our troops. Canadian Advance Canadian Army patrols driving out of the regions of Almelo and Coevorden on th - Reich-Dutch frontier, and Canadians clearing the border town of Meppen, were subjected to heavy mortar and machine-gun fire. Tough Scottish infantry of the Fiftysecond Lowland Division, after cracking the enemy’s stubborn point in the centre front of Ibbenburen, smashed down another yesterday in taking Hopsten, farther north. There is still a very hard defence crust between Rheine and Osnabruck. Yesterday, the British Second Army prisoner figure was-,between 1500 and 2000, making the total since the start of the crossing over 32,000. . . . The Ninth Army correspondent who reported that General Simpson’s troops were 10 miles south of Hanover, added that this advance was achieved through the crossing of the Leine River south of Hanover by the Second Armoured Division and the reaching of the highway three miles north of Hildesheim. Meanwhile, very good progress was made by the First United States Army infantry in General Hodges’s new drive to the east. Veckerhagen, six miles north of Hannmunden, was captured against practically no opposition. On the right other infantry advanced seven miles, also meeting virtually no resistance. to reach a point 12 miles due east of Kassel and only four south-west of Sitzenhausen. says a correspondent. Lubach Captured

Pushing along the HannmundenNordhausen main road, infantry captured Lubach, less than two miles from Hedemunden. Armoured forces are still meeting stiff resistance in the north, but are now three miles west of Trenbelburg on the river Diemel. Borgentraich has been cleared by infantry. . There is little fresh progress m the drive to clear up the Ruhr pocket. The biggest gain was a three-mile advance by the infantry who took Flecken, 13 niiles south-west of Winterburg. These troops are a mile south-west of Schmallenberg. Others are less than a mile north-east of that town, which looks like being encircled soon. Oyer 7000 prisoners were taken yesterday by the United States First Army. The announcement of the capture of Hamm on the northern edge of the Ruhr was premature, says a correspondent with the Ninth Army, as only two-thirds of the city is so far cleared. He adds that the Ninth Army yesterday created a record in prisoners, counting 17,508. He also says that in the past two days. French Troops to the south freed over 4000 French prisoners of war and workers. A correspondent with the United States Army says the Fifteenth and Fifth German panzer armies are trapped in the Ruhr pocket.