Canadians Advancing Breskens Under Heavy Fire

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23029, 21 October 1944, Page 5

Canadians Advancing Breskens Under Heavy Fire

Americans Control Half Of Aachen

By Telegraph—N.Z. Pres.-, Assn.—Copyright

LONDON, October 19. 'FHE Canadians, after a three-mile dash, are less than * half a mile from Oostburg, a pivot town of the German defences ir the Scheldt pocket, says the correspondent of Reuter’s.

The Canadians one and a half miles east of Breskens are subjecting the port to heavy mortar bombardment. The guns on Walcheren are trying to aid the Breskens garrison by shelling the Canadians, but the situation is so precarious that the Germans are throwing in cooks and maintenance men in an effort to hold the 60 square miles of territory still in their hands.

The British and American offensive south of Venraai was halted to-day in driving rain and thick mud, says the correspondent of the British United Press with the British Second Army.

The British are clearing the woods around Venraai, and the Americans are consolidating the Duerne Canal bridgehead. The British Third Division, which has been continuously in action since D Day, helped in the liberation of Overloon and Venraai, where the division’s losses were comparatively heavy. More than half of Aachen is in the hands of the Americans, says the correspondent of the British United Press with the United States First Army. Another 150 Germans have been taken prisoner. The German News Agency says that the Americans have captured Bruyeres.

Ths Canadians to-day made another big stride toward clearing what is left i of the German 64th Division from the Breskens pocket, writes a correspondent with the British in Holland. 'The . Canadians have thrust a wedge into ! the enemy’s positions with a rapid: drive north-west from Watervelt to a position just over a mile outside Oostburg. The principal barrier to more rapid thrusts in the Breskens area are mud and pool- weather conditions. The enemy is still probably carrying out demolitions in the port of Breskens, and the Canadians occasionally see fires and smoke inside the . town. Second Tactical Air Force fighter- ’ bombers to-day pounced on enemy positions, strongpoints and observation posts in the Breskens area. They also, attacked and demolished a church i north of the Scheldt at Elleswoutsdijk, in the Bevelqnd area, from which the enemy is directing big gunfire on Canadian positions north of the Breskens pocket. The only material prog: ;s in the 1 British and American drive from east of the salient toward the Meuse to-day was a further thrust among the railway toward Venlo. While United States and British

I positions west of the Meuse are steadily improving, the remv is known to I be employing all available labour east of the river line in an effort to build up the strongest possible defence zone across the river, and those they were 1 reserving for their own use have been ’ demolished by our aircraft. No Sign of Withdrawal The progress of the Canadians and British in most areas in the Breskens pocket continued steadily although no hard core of the enemy's defences has yet been encountered. says the correspondent of the Ex' nge Telegraph i Agency’ with the Bn sh Second Army. I There is no sign of the enemy making , a major withdrawal from the area. I The 6000 to 7000 Germans in the north-west comer of the pocket may ! attempt another "Dunkirk,” probably near the coast, where evacuation by j sea would be possible. There is at I present ro movement of enemy ship- | ping off Breskens. j The British and Canadians during ’ the week ended last Friday took i prisoner 2982 Germans. The Canadians ’ yesterday took prisoner 500 in the l Breskens ana. I The German News Agency stated I that fierce house-to-house fighting is I going on at Breskens, where the CanI adians gained some ground.