ALLIED PINCERS

Waikato Times, Volume 195, Issue 22514, 24 November 1944, Page 3

ALLIED PINCERS

GERMANS DISORGANISED j “GET BACK TO REICH” EQUIPMENT ABANDONED | (United Press Assn. — Elec. Tel. Copyright (Received Nov. 24, 1 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 23 Correspondents at the Supremo Headquarters received the following official announcement: “Advanced French armoured forces of the American Seventh Army are fighting on the outskirts of Strasbourg. Elements of General le Clerq’s Second 1 French Armoured Division spear- \ headed the spectacular advance of the American Fifteenth Corps. Resistance is reported to be light.” I It was General le Clerq's Armoured Division which took Paris. The Daily Express’ Paris correspondent says that the Germans’ posi- I tions on the southern Rhine front ! were reported to-night to be melting 1 like snow. Other French armour—units of General de Tassigny’s First French Army—which are less than forty miles south of Strasbourg, are racing north towards Strasbourg between the Rhine bank and the Vosges foothills. French tanks, which broke through the Belfort gap and swung north, are reported to be beyond Colmar. The Allied pincers around Balcke’s Army in the Vosges is closing rapidly. An American Major-General who has taken a leading part in the break-through to Strasbourg said to-night:— “The back of the German Vosges line has been broken. The enemy is completely disorganised. Prisoners said that all German troops have been told to abandon equipment, break up into small groups, and get to the Reich as fast as possible. The Germans have been jettisoning equipment in such quantities that it would take a month to count it.” One captain walked into the French lines with three men, who were all that were left of an entire regiment. The enemy is so completely off balance that he cannot start any real counter-attacks. There is no resistance on the road to Strasbourg. The Paris radio says a vast manoeuvre to envelop the Vosges is in progress. Its consequences may be serious for the enemy. German forces which are taking to the evacuation roads towards Germany are on the point of being cut off by the rapid advance of the Allies emerging through the Saverne Gap. One estimate places the number of trapped forces at 50,000. Reuter’s Basle correspondent says the Germans in south-east Alsace are preparing to withdraw from France across the Rhine into Baden. They overnight erected landing stages at Huningen and are ferrying across numerous dismantled flak batteries. It is evident they are about to abandon the Huningen bridgehead. The German news agency admits that German casualties were heavy in the fighting at the western approaches to the central Vosges and that they suffered heavy losses at Belfort. GRIM OPPOSITION MET STEADY PROGRESS BY ALLIES ENEMY GROUPS MOPPED UP (Official Wireless? (Received Nov. 24, noon.) RUGBY, Nov. 23 Probably some of the stiffest resistance facing the Allied armies on the whole western front is in the Ninth Army sector and east of Aix la Chapelle, says a correspondent at the Supreme Headquarters. Ninth Army troops are fighting opposition particularly grim round about Lohn, in the vicinity of Bourheim, but in spite of this they advanced nearly a! mile north-east of Lohn to Erberch! and are mopping up stray German! groups on the way to Julich. Coun- I ter-attacks were repulsed and four tanks raining direct fire on our troops! were knocked out. Steady progress is being made at Eschweiler by First Army troops, who advanced about 2000 yards to the outskirts pf Eschweiler. South: and south-east of Bokl has been cleared. Two more counter-attacks in this sector were repulsed. Progress is slow through the Hurtgen forest. Elements of the Third J Army operating to the north of the sector are being subjected to artillery concentrations, presumably from] Siegfried Line positions. j Gains on 25-mile Front I Lower down, north-east of Nancy, gains of from two to four miles have been made on a 25-miles front. In the Metz area one of five forts holding out was taken. Over 1600 prisoners were captured in this sector during the 24 hours to midnight, making the Third Army total 123,200. Activity in the Seventh Army area has been confined to closing up behind the forward elements. Further south French armed reconnaissance forces have reached Battenheim, four miles north of Mulhouse. In attempting to hit back south-east of Belfort the enemy suffered casualties and lost several hundred men taken prisoners. GALLANTRY AT ARNHEM VICTORIA CROSS AWARDED INSPIRATION TO COMRADES (Received Nov. 24, noon) LONDON, Nov. 23 Gallantry during the Battle of Arnhem brings a posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Lance-Ser-geant J. D. Baskeyfield, of the South Staffordshire Regiment (First Airborne Division). Lance-Sergeant Baskeyfield commanded a six-pounder anti-tank gun at Oosterbeek on September 20. Though wounded he carried on and succeeded in preventing an enemy attack from developing and overrunning the battalion position. During the remaining days at Arnhem, following his death, stories of LanceSergeant Baskeyfield’s valour were a constant inspiration to all ranks. BOMBS ON ENGLAND CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE LONDON, Nov. 23 Enemy air activity has been directed against Southern England in the past 24 hours. Damage and casualties have been reported.