The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-22

their forward progress in Belgium for the first day since the attack started.
 Frankish reported at 10:20 8. m. (5:2O Q. m. EWTO that "the Ger man counter offensive failed to penetrate any deeper into Belgium" than the spearhead which already had lunged 35 miles to slash the vital Liege- Bastogne-Arlon highway at a point 60 miles from Brussels and IA miles west of Malmedy.
 The Nazis, FrnakiSh reported, paused to consolidate and strength en the positions they now hold in the knife-like salient and attacked with vigor the American strong points which protected the north shoulder of the Salient.
 German DNB reports conceded that Eisenhower was hurling fresh divisions from neighboring sectors against the Hanks of Field Marshal Karl Won Rundstet's forces.
 Fierce Fighting
 The NaziS admitted that the fight ing at Stavelot, which with Malme- .dy forms the chief anchor points of the line protecting Liege, was particularly fierce.
 It seemed possible that the NaZis had been forced to halt their west ward progress because of the dang CT that Eisenhower'S forces driving down from the north in a flanking thrust would sever tenuous commun- ications with their jum-off posi- tions in the Eifel Mountains, but there was still no clearcut word on the situation to the south where Naz panzers ripped a gaping 25 to 35-mile wide gap from the vicin- ity of St. With at the southeast tip of Belgium to the region of Echter- nach-at last reports still in Am erican hands-on the central Ger man-Luxembourg frontier.
 Here the rampaging German panz- CTS were heading straight for the famed Ardennes gap through which they broke in 194O, and the fortress barriers to France around Sedan.
 How far their surging onrush had carried them has not been made clear but it is known that three days ago they were almost all the way across Luxembourg, about one quarter of the way to the Arden neS gap.
 At the north end of the fluid" area the German DNB Agency re- ported that St. With, which was still held by American forces according to last word from Supreme Allied Headquarters, had been captured and that the American forces there were taken prisoner. Front reports had indicated that the Americans at St. With had been cut off from the main First Army groups to the north but had continued to resist.
 A front report from the First Army said that an unspecified American BaStion" was holding up the German advance southwest of St. With but gave no clue to the fate of the U. s. forces in the town itself.
 First Army Headquarters said the Germans hurled a smashing attack against American armored forces ohlding the center of the east-west shoulder of the salient, possibly in the Malmedy area, and drove our troops back somewhat but that the battle was still raging.
 In the area southwest of St. With American tanks, tank destroyers and artillery poured a hellish rain of fire into Won Rundstedt'S armor- ed spearhead and reported they de- stroyed 55 German tanks, bringing the Nazis to a temporary halt
 German reports asserted that the number of prisoners taken had risen to 25,O00-an increase of 5000 in day-and that "the number of kill ed and wounded is estimated many times higher than this figure Little credence was given this report and anyhow the number of prisoners in a swirling action of this character al- ways fare exceeds that of killed and wounded.
 Both Maneuvering
 First Army headQuarterS reported the Germans have overrun most of northern Luxembourg and were maneuvering and counter-maneuv- ering in an attempt to crack the Stavelot-Malmedy line. The Amer jeans were also maneuvering to come to grips with the NaN armor.
 The Germans, front reports said, were feeling out the hastily erect ed American defenses along the rims Kt:f-aoeatShf
 of the salient, probing for soft spot. U. s. forces throughout the area weer held on the alert against fresh incursionS by Nazi paratroopS or NaI reconnaissance parties in U. s. jeeps and U s. uniforms.
 The Belgian military police warn- ed all Belgians that the Nazis also were appearing in Belgian uniforms and civilian clothing.
 There was virtually nothing to re- port from the fronts unaffected by the break-through attempt. Lieuten- ant General George s. Patton's Third Army reported light German counter attacks in the Sarregue- mines area were easily repulsed. Third Army headquarters made no comment on Nazi reports that Pat