TWO FRONTS IN GERMANY

Southland Times, Issue 25545, 13 December 1944, Page 5

TWO FRONTS IN GERMANY

3rd ARMY ADVANCES OVER SAAR (Rec. 11.5 p.m.) . LONDON, Dec. 12. The Americans have continued to advance both towards Duren and in the Saar Valley. They advanced a mile and a-half to occupy Folpersviller, two miles north-east of Saareguemines. Near Rimling, artillery concentrated on a wood about a mile away and broke up a formation of German tanks. During the last 24 hours the Allies took 764 prisoners in this sector, bringing the United States 3rd Army total for this operation to 32,639.

The American Ist Army continued its attack on a 10 mile front towards Duren, beating off a small thrust near Stras. Other forces captured Obergeish and pushed on to occupy Echtz, a mile and a-half west of the Roer. HITLER’S AUTOBAHN

A 2000 yard advance was made along the autobahn from Aachen to Cologne. There is still strong opposition round I a pier north-west of Duren where I house-to-house fighting continues. In the last 24 hours, the Ist Army took 200 prisoners, bringing its total since the operation began to 9612. A correspondent of The Times oh the Saar front says that in addition to constant counter-attacks, the Germans are keeping up heavy artillery fire against the Allied bridgeheads across the Saar at Saarlautern and to the north. The Germans, on each of three days, fired 6000 rounds into the ground held by men of two divisions. United States artillery is thundering back 'into the enemy’s positions east of the Saar. FIERCE FIGHTING Dillingen remains the scene of fierce fighting. Men of the 90th Division, despite the fury of the enemy opposition, are consolidating their footing over the Saar. Tanks, jeeps, tank destroyers and anti-tank guns are being ferried across the river at night. Southward, on the fringe of Saarlautern, men of the 95th Division are having an equally hard fight. The Germans in this area are fighting from tanks driven into houses. Most of the houses in these Saar towns have reinforced basements which the Americans call mouseholes. Good progress is being made in the Saareguemines area. ATTEMPT TO STEAL PLANE Germans Wanted To Be Home By Christmas (8.0.W.) RUGBY, December 11. The flicker of a match in the darkened nose of a Marauder plane resulted in the capture of four German prisoners of war, armed with a Commando knife and a kitchen fork, and frustrated their attempt to escape to Germany for Christmas in a stolen plane. An American soldier, a member of a military police company at an air service command depot in north-west England, made the capture shortly before midnight last night. The Germans were experimenting with the controls of the plane when he caught them. They had escaped from a British prisoner of war camp and were wearing British trousers and German uniform jackets. They said they had not eaten since their escape two days ago. The sentry who raised the alarm on seeing the match flicker in the plane, said: “When I asked the Germans what they were doing, one fellow said they were trying to get back to Germany for Christmas. They did not offer any resistance.” Three of the Germans claimed to be flyers.