The Wilmington morning star., 1944-09-21
British Army Slashes
AT German Defenses
Continued from Page One)

Nijmegen, city of approximate.
ly $4,000, is situated on a high
bluff on the southern bank of the
river, and once Dempsey's main
forces have crossed the way will
be open to them through a roll
ing valley into the Ruhr, scarcely
four miles to the east.
(The free Netherlands radio in
London reported that British tanks
had crossed the bridge at Mime
gen. but there was no confirma-
ton either from Allied headquar-
tiers or from field dispatches.)
Since the airborne invasion of
Holland on Sunday, a strong force
of Allied skytroops has been fight
ing hard to enlarge a pocket in
the Anthem area, 10 miles north
of Nijmegen on the Neder Rhine,
north OF and roughly parallel to
the Waal Rhine. The German high
command said this Allied force
was under heavy attack from every
side and that LOO prisoners had
been taken.
Other Allied airborne forces from
the Eindhoven and Nijmegen land
ing areas south of the WAL Rhine,
sWelled in size for the fourth
straight day by sky armada of
transports and elders, was fight
ing alongside Dempsey's forces in
effort to save the vital span for
miles of British tanks and infantry
churning up from Belgium for a
smash into the Ruhr.
Ludwig Sertorius, German mil
itary commentator, said "the fight
ing in south and central Holland
is continually increasing in grim
ness, since it is quite evident that
the further development of the war
on the whole western front Will
depend to very great extent on
the outcome of this struggle
Both at Nijmegen and east of
Aschen in Germany Allied forces
were within SIS miles of Essen,
home Of the great Krupp Arma
menz works and heart of the Ruhr.
A thick ground haze and muddy
terrain provided a grim, bleak day
for the fighting in six main battle
areas along the German frontier.
Massed artillery roared constantly
from end to end of the front, in
terspersed occasionally with the
maddening screams of charging SIS
Elite guard Nazi youths as they
threw themselves against machine
gun emplacements manned by un-
budging Americans.
German counterattacks east Of
Aachen were well coordinated with
heavy artillery preparation, and
for the first time in weeks the
enemy air force offered strong sup
port to ground troops. There were
earlier indications that the Nazis
might pull back to the Rhine for
their major stand in Germany, but
it was plain now that they intend
ed to fight for every foot of their
soil.
Don Whitehead, Associated Press
Correspondent with american for
ces east Of Aachen, said ''there is
little doubt now that the Germans
are making their major stand at
the Siegfried line. Some Nazi troops
entered the line with orders to
hold at all costs. And while the
fighting is growing more bitter at
the Siegfried line, the enemy prob
ably is feverishly building defenses
on the eastern bank of the Rhine"
1t. Gen George S. Patton's Third
Army was locked in a similar bitter
struggle east of the Moselle river
in northeastern France against
German opposition described by
headquarters as 'heavy and de-
termined.
American troops captured the vii
lage of Chatel on the east bank of
the Moselle south of Nancy and
seized an important road junction
near Luneville, Is miles southeast
of Nancy. Allied troops under Pat
ton advanced eight miles in the
Baccarat area southeast of Lune-
vile, but there was no report on
gains in the main area of the fight
ing north of Nancy and near the
German-held fortress city of Metz.
The Berlin radio said that Lune-
vile had changed hands several
times in the past "a hours and
that hard fighting still was in pro-
gress for the city.
The Allied Seventh Army still
was at least IL miles from the
Belfort gap entrance into the south
ern Rhine valley and was meeting
steadily stiffening resistance.
The great Brittany port of Brest,
most of it reduced to ruins by Al
lied bombing and German demo-
litions, finally fell to American
troops after the main battle for
Europe had swept on hundreds of
on1