BRITISH BRIDGEHEADS STRENGTHENED

Southland Times, Issue 25641, 7 April 1945, Page 5

BRITISH BRIDGEHEADS STRENGTHENED

ALLIES ADVANCING OVER NORTH GERMAN PLAIN (United Press Association—Telegraph Copyright) (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 6. Armoured reinforcements are streaming across the Weser, and the bridgeheads which were established north of Minden by the British 11th Armoured Division and the British 6th Airborne Division have been strengthened. At Minden these two divisions have linked up with elements of the American 9th Army. The Allies are now spreading out over the north German plain and are advancing in the general direction of Hanover. Minden, which is on the Weser north-east of Osnabruck, is now firmly held after the entry of the airborne troops. Royal Marine Commandos have flushed out Osnabruck. Small groups of Germans are still causing trouble in the Teutoburgerwald. The 11th Armoured Division is now 130 miles east of the Rhine. British forces took 2200 prisoners yesterday. Driving 12 miles north-east from captured Almelo in north-eastern Holland, a Canadian armoured spearhead on the extreme right of the Canadian sector has re-entered Germany, says an agency correspondent. They are now near Uelsen, 18 miles west of Lingen, and about 30 miles east of the Zwolle road junction on the Zuider Zee. The Canadians have further enlarged their bridgehead across the Twente canal. Resistance has continued inside Zutphen, and there is some artillery fire from beyond the Yssel river. The Germans were using Zutphen for one of their last stands., so the Canadians crossed the canal directly east of Zutphen and proceeded to clear the areas east and north of the town. Patrols from the British 49th (West Riding) Division last night crossed the lower Rhine in the Arnhem area and returned without casualties. An American 3rd Army force after clearing Muhlhausen has reached Schlotheim, 137 miles south-west of Berlin, say correspondents with the 3rd Army.