The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-05

lated enemy pockets. Much of the city was in ruins from both Ameri- can and German artillery fire and a heavy pail of smoke still hung overhead.
 The Germans were laying down an especially heavy barrage on the Sarrlautern bridge, but at least re- ports it still was intact. Large rein forcements of men and supplies were rushed across the bridge un- der cover of darkness last plight.
 Southeast of Saarlautern, two columns of the Fifth Division ad- vanced four and a half miles to within two and a half miles of the Saar Midway between Saarlautern and Sarrbrucken, threatening to split the enemy bridgehead below the river into isolated pockets.
 Tank and infantry of the Sixth Armored and both 80th and 35th Infantry Divisions still farther south splaShed up to four miles through mud and rain to Folching, six and a half miles southwest of Saarbrucken, and Bettring, seven miles southwest of Sarrenguemines.
 ErnestvilIer
 Ernestviller, five miles southwest of Sarreguemines and 12 miles south of Saarbrucken, also was captured.
 Elements of the 80th Division were within two miles of Forbach, largest city southwest of Saar- brucken still in German hands
 Enemy resistance was reported stiffening along the entire Third Army front, which extends north west along the Saar river 16 miles beyond Saarlautern to Merzig. The Germans were counter attacking in places in company strength with tank support.
 Coming up abreast of Patton's right flank, Lieutenant General Alexander M. Patch's American Seventh Army cleared Diemeringen, four miles east of Sarre Union, and Volksberg. eight miles east.
 Other troops working out of the Harth Mountains toward the con- munications hub of Haguenau in the eastern tip of France captured Oberbronn, q miles east of Sarre Union within eight miles of the German frontier.
 Carving another slice off the butt end of the hambone-shaped Ger man pocket on the Alsacian Plain between the Vosges and the Rhine, the Americans captured Rossfield, three miles southeast of Benfeld. Texas troops simultaneously en- tered Roderen, four miles southwest of Selestat.
 French Gain
 French First Army troops at the southern end of the front gained up to a mile in retaining ground lost to strong German counter attacks south of Thann, Il miles west of Mulhouse.
 A 10-day siege of Fort Mutzig, 13 miles from StraSbourg, ended this morning when the Germans hoist ed a white flag over the battered central casemate. The siege was climaxed yesterday by the rolling of a block buster containing 1000 pounds of INT against the fort ress.
 The American First Army report ed last night that it had eliminated the equivalent of six German di- visions-60, 900 to 90,O00 men-since the start of the winter offensive on the Roer approaches to Cologne.
 The fanatic character of the Ger man resistanc was emphasized, however, by the fact that only 5000 prisoners were taken during the per- iod.
 On the Ninth Army front, other American infantry carried the bat tie for the Julich sportspalast, last formidable strong point west of the Roer on its front into its fourth day
 Though not more than 90 Ger mans, members of the Pioneer Corps of Engineers, were holding out in the huge stadium, their artillery commanded the limited approaches to the field.