Germans Moving Troops

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23110, 26 January 1945, Page 5

Germans Moving Troops

Many Trains Leave Western Front Allied Planes Take Heavy Toll By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, January 24. THE German movement of men and material on an immense scale east and north-east from the base of the former Ardennes salient continues to be an extraordinary feature of events on the Western Front, says the correspondent of “The Times” in Belgium. The movement must be of the utmost urgency to the enemy because it is being pushed on in daylight under ' hopelessly inadequate air cover. Allied pilots reported that between their low-flying strafing runs over streams of vehicles many German drivers who jumped out and scattered under the attack came back grimly to the driving seats and re-started their vehicles, obviously under orders to keep going at alt costs. Very heavy traffic was observed . on the main railway line from Dusseldorf to Hanover. The general direction of the traffic moving from the Ardennes was to Cologne. Allied fighter pilots in the last three days sighted - ■ about 250 full-length trainloads of soldiers and war material moving north-east along the main four-track railway lines between Ham and Hanover, says the correspondent of the “Daily Express” on the Western . .Front. More than 160 of these trains have been damaged or destroyed in the last 24 hours—and by damaged the Royal Air Force means derailed and put out of action for at least a week. This is the score in rolling stock. What it means in men and weapons is hard to estimate, but undoubtedly more than one whole division and probably important units from several divisions have been destroyed inside Germany.

Troops of the British Second Army have entered Heinsberg, one of the major road junctions west of the Roer River and are mopping up the defences there, says a correspondent in the sector. Heinsberg is four miles inside the German border and five miles east of Sittard. In the north our troops captured Mountfort, five miles south-west of Roermond, against light opposition. Of the fighting along the Ardennes line, a correspondent at Supreme Allied Headquarters says that at many points our attacking forces continue their drive to the east, and are only about three miles west of the original front-line positions before the German offensive started. Among the places are Neundord, Crumbach and Weisten. Troops who captured St. Vith were this morning faced with stiff counterattacks, one by 200 infantry with tank support. All were repulsed, and we took 250 prisoners. Further south our units advanced to the Clerf River along a front of seven miles, extending from Binsfeldt, which is in our hands, to Draufeldt, where fighting still goes on. Further headway was made between Wiltz and Vienden.

At the junction of the GermanLuxembourg border one regiment east of the Moselle River knocked out five enemy tanks and self-propelled guns in repulsing an attempt to encircle Nenni.

The only additional information of the First French Army’s attack north of Colmar is that an advance of several kilometres has been made and the river has been crossed at various points. East of Heinsberg advance columns of the British Second Army have strengthened the centre of the front between the rivers Wurm and Maas, and following the capture of Obsprlngen have entered the adjacent village of Haaren. The capture of Montfort, further north, and of Maasbracht, on the Maas, to the north-west, gives our troops a firm hold astride the Roer-mond-Sittard Road. British troops are moving through the ghostly town of Heinsberg to-night toward the Wurm and Roer Rivers, says Reuter’s correspondent with the Second Army. The moon is shining brightly on the snow as the men move forward, crouching as they have all day under some of the fiercest mortar and artillery fire the Germans have thtown at them since the attack started. The capture of Heinsberg involved

knocking out a series of machine-gun nests which the Germans had estab- , lished all through the town. The Tactical Air Force reduced the number of sorties to-dav because the weather was again cloudy, but it destroyed a quantity of German rolling stock about the battlefield.

American infantry launched a new attack to-day and cut the last lateral road on the northern flank of the Ardennes bump, says the correspondent of the British United Press with the Americans. They reached a point 3000 yards west of Bullange.

Reuter’s correspondent with the Americans says that the Germans taken prisoner at St. Vith were of a nondescript type. Some belonged to a labour unit, being listed as unfit to carry arms, but they were Issued with pistols and rifles in a last-minute bid to save the town. One prisoner spent four years in a concentration camp. The German News Agency says that preparations for a strong British and American offensive were observed west of Julich. There have been discovered near the city of Strasbourg a number of repositories in which had been stored the contents of museums and galleries in Strasbourg and Colmar and art objects of all kinds “requisitioned” by the Germans from private collections with a view to export to Germany. Captured documents show that plans had been drawn up—too late—for the wholesale removal of treasures. To-day’s communique from Supreme Allied Headquarters says: “The Allies in Southern Holland occupied Montfort against moderate opposition. We crossed the German border and entered Heinsberg. We are mopping up enemy pockets in spite of mortar and artillery fire. Our units, advancing in deep snow against moderate resistance, cut the Bullingen-St. Vith road one mile south-west of Bullingen. We repulsed several counter-attacks near St. Vith and occupied four villages within six miles south-west of the town. We captured Ourthe. nine miles south-west of St. Vith and advanced in the vicinity of Wilwerdange, six miles north of Clerf.

“Farther south we have taken high ground overlooking the Clerf River. Two miles north of Clerf, Eselbom is in our hands. We reached the Clerf River three miles east of Wittz and have made gains in the vicinity of Putscheid, three miles north-west of Vienden. We repelled an enemy counter-attack at Fouhren. Enemy transport, armoured vehicles and tanks in the Ardennes sector have continued their withdrawal.”