The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-26

e tiously through this "desnolition belt" and the high command of the attacking forces expected to meet the massed Red army before the gates of Shreveport.
 The final battle of the maneuv- CTS was expected to begin late to- day with the armistice and end of the war games coming either Sat- urday or Sunday.
 BY LEON KAY
 United Press Staff Correspondent)
 With the Blue Third Army in the Field, Sept. 26.-(UP)-The at- tacking forces of Lieut.. Gen. Wal. ter Krueger's Blue third army to- day had pushed the Red covering forces back 46 miles and were only 65 miles from their objective, the Red capital of Shreveport.
 All along the front line of these Louisiana maneuvers, stretching be- tween the Sabine and Red Rivers, the Reds were falling back to their high ground at Peason's Ridge, ac- cording 70 reports from Blue recon. naissance planes. It is along this series of ridges that the Red main forces were expected to make their first rnassed resistance.
 Red advance units and covering forces had failed to check the Blue drive over the Hneanderieng Cal- casieu river which the. Blues now have at their back.
 Red ArInored Turned Back
 The Red armored drive in the W- cinity of Peason and Hornbeck that Blue planes had fully plotted was turned back by coordination of Blue bombers, artillery and mobile anti-tank units, and the Blues far- assed' the retreating armored col- unlns throughout the night.
 Blue planes which are co-ordir- attng their work with the ground forces in extraordinarily successful fashion, reported that the Reds evi- dently were grouping the bulk of their forces well in the center. The Reds were offering only token re. sistance on either flank.
 Red high command radio mes. sages intercepted by Blue intelli- gence units indicated that the Reds planned a continuous withdrawal preceding a final stand before the gates of Shreveport. At the pres- ent rate of the Blue advance, this big battle is expected to develop late today, continuing into Saturday as the final engagement of the Lou isiana naneuvers.
 BY RICHARD c. HOTTELET Limited Press Staff Correspondent
 With the Red Second Army in Louisiana, Sept. 26-(UP)-The Red army continued to fall back toward Shreveport today despite stubborn resistance and elaborate defense measures which were delay- ing the advance of numerically -su. perior Blue forces.
 Since opening of the final phase of the army's greatest peace-tine maneuvers, the Blue Third army of Lieut.. Gen. Walter Krueger has advanced 24 miles into Red terri- tory on the center of the front but 1t still has 75 miles to go to It's main objective, the city of Shreveport.
 Over those'75 miles the Reds have strong defense emplacements and somewhere before the Blues reach the city proper the Red second army of Lieut.. Gen. Ben Lear is ex. pected to make It's probably decisive stand.
 Meanwhile, holding certain stra- tegic points with strong forces, the Red army has been particularly successful in delaying the Blue for- ward movement along most of the l00-mile front by purely passive de- fense nneasures.
 Ontnumbered 2 to 1
 Outnumbered two to one, Lear has been unwilling to throw his troops into mass battles, and has concentrated on bowling Up bridges, mining roads and employing mobile anti-tank units to delay the enemy.
 The Red air force also has been employed in bombing enemy con- centrations and lines of communi- cations.
 Lear has delayed the enemy by employing small covering forces which are sent out for miles in the direction of the approaching army. The mission of these forces is to remain in contact with the enemy, spot his movements, report his