RING CLOSES ON DUREN

Southland Times, Issue 25548, 16 December 1944, Page 5

RING CLOSES ON DUREN

FIRM ALLIED GRIP ON ROER RIVER (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 15. Now 21 miles into Germany Lieu-tenant-General Courtney H. Hodges’s forces today tightened the ring closing in on Duren, by the capture of Gurzenbach guarding the western outskirts of Duren, says a correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency with the United States Ist Army. The entire west bank of the Roer river between Linnich and Mariaweiler has virtually been cleared of all resistance although the British United Press correspondent with the Ist Army points out that a' few Germans are holding out in a castle near Schophoven. The Germans today demolished three bridges north of Duren. First Army troops made further local advances in the Monschau area. IMPORTANT HIGHWAY The Americans have virtually cleared the entire Aachen-Cologne motor highway to the point where it crosses the Roer river, says Reuter’s correspondent with the Ist Army. The capture of this super highway is likely to have an important bearing on Allied supply problems for the drive to Cologne and the Ruhr. The Germans are bringing up more panzers for the defence of the Roer river line as the Americans’ double drive south of Duren increases in strength. 3RD ARMY GAINS American infantry made further small gains to the east and south beyond Fraulautem and captured more Siegfried Line pillboxes and fortified houses, says Reuter’s correspondent with the American 3rd Army. The Americans repulsed counter-attacks at Habkirchen, but the Germans succeeded in knocking out a bridge over the Bliss river before withdrawing. Our Dillingen bridgehead, which has been strengthened with more armour which crossed the Saar at night, is linking up with the Americans in the town of Dillingen. TRAINS DAMAGED BY TYPHOONS Rocket-firing Planes Over Germany (8.0.W.) RUGBY, December 15. A squadron of rocket-firing Typhoons of the R.A.F. 2nd Tactical Air Force flew deep into Germany, north of Hanover, and despite bad flying weather they hunted for trains. One squadron, which sighted a train through a hole in heavy cloud and dived to strafe it, was met by intense flak—but not from the railway. It came from a building near the track which was marked with large red crosses and which the pilots thought was a hospital. The pilots continued their dive and strafed the train, severely damaging it with their rockets.

Anoothei- train was badly damaged and a third destroyed. Seven military vehicles on one of the trains were damaged. A railway station and a factory were also attacked in the same area.