Evening star., 1944-11-04
MAP on Page A-2.J
By the Associated Press

LONDON, NOV. 4. - Allied
armies, jabbing all along the
500-mile western front, scored
consistent local gains today as
the Berlin radio dinned its
warnings that Gen. Eisenhow-
er's forces were massed for a
huge offensive.
The American thrust into Ger
many Is miles southeast of Aachen
lost speed as it collided with stiffen-
ing resistance after capturing the
town of Schmidt, but forged ahead
for small gains with the aid of
fghterbombers blasting German In
fantry and tanks in its path.
In this area 1st Army veterans
were showing down the last 1000
yards toward the Roer River, the
next and hardest enemy barrier on
the way to the Rhine % miles to the
east.
Assault on Limited Scale.
Having rolled beyond the thickest
forests in this area, the Americans
were advancing against hastily-dug
field defenses and natural obstacles
barriers which American officers
believe may be tougher to crack than
the breached concrete and steel belt
of the Siegfried Line.
The assault was on limited scale
on a front of little over 1000 yards.
But in the first two days of the drive
the Americans made gains totaling
nearly 4 miles
1t. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges
infantry apparently was shouldering
its way up to a jumpof line on the
Roer out of the forest belt and onto
the edge of the Cologne plain.
The United States Sd Army front
was quiet, but the American 7th
and French 1st Armies hit forward
steadily in the Vosges foothills, on a
fog-ridden front where there is day.
light only between I'm. and pm.
Mile-aDay Advance.
One American division captured
Reherry, VaXainville and Reclon-
vile, to miles north of Baccarat.
and was maintaining a mile-a-day
advance. This unit seized 500 pris-
oners and found several hundred
German dead yesterday.
East Of Remiremont to the south
the French lashed out at dawn yes
terday in a new assault deepening
the wedge between the approaches
to the Bussang and Schlucht Passes
through the Vosges.
In the Maritime Alps, Allied forces
captured Sospel and several nearby
villages overlooking the Italian
frontier above Mentone.
In the Mas (Meuse) River bulge
of Eastern Holland, American troops
swarmed over the South Willems
Canal above Nederweert and drove
the enemy back 1000 yards, captur-
ing Ospel and reaching the vicinity
OF Greenwood, in thrusts toward the
German border at Venlo.
Advance 2 More Miles.
In 3 Western Holland American
Polish and British troops drove 2
miles deeper into the dwindling
German bridgehead below the Mas
and its seaward arm, the Hollandsch
dep.
Resistance south of the Mas
slackened yesterday and a spokes-
man for the Allied 21st Army Group
said the enemy was pulling back, his
transport jamming the roads.
The Allies entered the town of
F1Jnaart across the canal which
forms a continuation of the Mark
River and were 4 miles south of
Willemstad, ferry terminal on the
Hollandsch dep.
A few miles to the west the battle
for the approaches to the Moerdijk
Bridge north of Breda appeared to
be entering its final stages. The
Allied communique reported the
brtdgeheads over the Mark River
were being extended in spite of
heavy opposition.
Allied Units Joined.
On Walchern Island, where the
last phase of the battle to clear the
Schelde Estuary approach to the
Belgian port of Antwerp is being
fought, Allied units moving west of
Flushing (Vlissingen) linked with
comrades coming down the coast
from Westkapelle.
Fighting furiously, the Germans
still held half of what remains of
flooded Walcheren. Enemy troops,
however, were largely confined to
the eastern end of the island and
the central area around Middleburg.
Although Flushing was counted as
captured, fighting still ragged with
snipers in the dock area there
Allied units landing on the east side
OF Walcheren bumped into stiff op-
position as German guns, long silent
TO avoid destruction by bombing,
opened up from the middle of the
island.
The enemy's coastal guns on
Walcheren which had commanded
the Schelde Estuary were silent.
Although the German radio re.
ported last night that the American
!st Army was probing the German
defenses with local attacks all along
30-mile front north and south Of
Aachen, the Allied communioue
mentioned only the attack below
Hurtgen, now in its third day.
In addition to capturing Schmidt
infantry forces in this operation are
clearing out pillboxes In the forest
south Of vossenack.