The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-20
Battle May Prove } Bloodiest Of War
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 With, seven miles inside Belgium and nine miles above the northern tip of Belgium, cutting of an un dis closed number of Americans in their advance. The southeastern spear head by Monday noon had reached MaSpelt, four miles below St. With, and the other was less than two miles from St. With.
 NaSis at COnsdOrR
 On the etrerne southern flank, the NaEis plunged across the Luxem- bourg border below Echternach and reached ConSdorf, five miles to the southwest and only 13 miles north east of the capital city of Luxem- bourg. Some American troops also were surrounded in Echternach and their fate still was unknown.
 Radio Luembourg went oil the air suddenly at nine p. m. last night and had not resumed broadcasting at 8 o'clock this morning, but there was no comment from headquarters on the significance of that shut down.
 In the north, German Field Mar shal Gerd von Rundstedt threw in his main attack, sending two power ful ar1nored columns plunging west ward through the forest of Mon- schau. One speared through Mall medy and on five miles to the south west to Stavelot, 20 miles inside Belgium, while the second branched oil above Malmedy to take Butgen- bach, eight miles to the northeast and barely 20 miles from the Bel gian fortress city of Liege.
 Admittedly, however, the report was at least 48 hours behind the actual battle and there wasevery indication tha the rampaging Ger man armored divisions had deepened its penetrationS since Monday.
 Berlin similarly withheld all in- formation on the course of the at- tack this morning, suggesting that the Nazi propagandists were saving up news of the advances to be an. nounced with their usual flourish as Q great victory.
 But all the information Seeping through the tight military blackout made 1t clear that the German high command was gambling for great stakes, risking the complete de- Struction of it's last and best re- serves for a breakthrough that at best could add months to the war.
 Rundstedt finally had committed his main strength to battle west of the Rhine, and everything hinged now on how swiftly and effectively the American First Army could strike back.
 United Press front correspondents Jack Frankish and Jack Fleisctaer reported that some American coun- teF-measureS were beginning to take hold at the northern edge of the line, apparently around Monschau.
 The latter town still was believed in American hands, and the corre- spondentS said Yank troops, tanks and guns were crowding forward in tht sector and farther to the south to bolster the units thrown back by the first German rush.
 Headquarters revealed that the American counter-measureS were delayed because of the initial Sur- prise achieved by the enemy. Not until the stavelot attack was opened at midnight Sunday did 1t become clear that this was anything more than series of Snall-Scale coun- ter attacks. By that time, the ir1i- t1al breaches had been made and the situation already had become Seri- ouS.
 Frankish said the Americans were using anti-aircraft guns against the advancing Nad tanks and that the First Army position was difficult but not yet critical.
 'The Americans have been pushed back hard, but they are giving 1t back in the same measure" he said in recounting the First Army's coun- ter-meaSureS.
 Great Battle Looms
 Tt now appears that this may become the great battle of the win- ter campaign rather than the fight anticipated for the Cologne plain"
 The gravity of the situation was accentuated by the disclosure that hundreds of American and British heavy bombers were hurled into 8 risky attack against the German lines yesterday, despite dense cloud formations reaching down to tree- top level.
 The big bombers were joined by Swarms of fighters and dive-bombers in a series of bombing and Strafing missions up and down the front and rear areas from the German border city of Trier almost as far north as Duren.