Evening star., 1944-09-03
War Review
Allies Race Nazis in
Dash for GERMANY
By HOtDard p. Bailey.

~AAoS SAAAAA w A6ALANl1 VtOll III WIT Il.
Again the Nazi hordes, no longer so
numerous, no longer moving for
ward under the protecting wings of
the Luftwaffe and no longer in
V1ncible behind the advance wall
of armored vehicles, from tank to
Volkwagen, are pouring across the
German border but this time back
into Germany.
To all intents and purposes the
war In France is over. What is
left is mad dash to see which
can reach the Siegfried Line first,
the mechanical columns of Allied
troops or the completely routed
remnants of the German armies of
occupation.
Already the advance units OF the
Allies are in the Maginot line close
by the Belgian border and they have
been reported actually in Belgium.
The Argonne Forest where row after
row of little white crosses tell the
story of the bitter price paid by the
Americans in the other war, before
that German stronghold was taken,
e~o ASaSllCO, SllUC1Co dllO pdoSCo
with negligible casualties. Verdun
where German power was cracked
after a long and costly struggle was
taken without shot being fired.
Dieppe Is Captured.
Dieppe, where the Canadians lost
heavily in an Inflated commando
raid last year, has fallen into the
hands of the very unit which was
driven from the coast after the
raid ran into powerful German
defense. ArraS, capital of the rocket
coast in the Pas de Calais area, has
been captured. Most'of the positions
from which the buzz bombs were
launched are either in British hands
or are isolated from their source of
supply. This was reflected in al
most a cessation of the attacks on
London by means of the terror
weapons.
From Southern France, the Ger
man 18th Army is seeking desper-
ately to extricate itself and reach
the German border before Ameri-
can forces under Gen. Patton drive
to the Rhine and entrap them.
Almost prophetic was the radio
comedian, who, last Sunday eve
ming, initiating speech by Hitler,
ended his raving, high-pitched til
rade by exclaiming, members of
the master race, start racing"
From Germany has come an order
to the 10Th Army almost parallel
Ing that bit of facetiousness, the
troops being told to get back to
Germany in any way they can
and quickly.
The unprecedentedly rapid Al
lied advances began to pick up mo-
mentum Monday when American
troops crossed the Marne and
opened a wide-sWeeping arc which
posed a serious threat to the Ger
man lines of retreat and the town
of Meaux fell almost without re-
sistance. 1t was there in World
War I, the German advance on
Paris was halted and the tide Of
war turned when the so-called taxi
cab army of Paris rushed into the
rrst battle OF the Marne. Twentv-
1our miles away lay Chateau -Thierry
Where American troops In the sum-
mer of 1918 held the Germans at
the second Battle of the Marne.
Capture Important Centers.
All along the line from Paris to
the coast, Allied bridgeheads were
established across the Seine and
the movement forward threatened
Rouen, where Joan of Arc was
burned at the stake, and the i'm
portant port of LIE Havre
BY Tuesday, Chateau-Thierrv was
IN American hands along with
scissors. another famous battlefield
lying only 55 miles from Belgium
and 100 miles from the German
border. This advance threatened to
flank the entire Pas de Calais area.
development which was reflected
later in the week in a heavy furry
OF the bombs to be followed by a
lun, indicating that the furry may
have been somewhat in the nature
Of a finale.
The capture of the two cities
cracked the Germans Aisne-Somme
line and brought Verdun within SO
miles of the advance units. A circle
was rapidly being forged around the
forest Of Compeigne, where the
armistice of the First World War
was signed and where Hitler did his
memorable little jig after France
signed away her liberty, for the
time being, in 1910
Reims fell on Wednesday to an
American armored column which
hardly paused before moving lOI
miles beyond while another column
to the northwest moved toward
Laon. Units of the American Sd
Army, pushing forward on a TO
mile front were 25 miles beyond the
SEINE. Montgomerys British and Ca
madam Army struck boldly forward
toward Pas de Calais.
British Seize Amien.
The British, advancing so miles
In 48 hours, seized Amien Thursday
as the Nazis dashed madly for home
without even the pretense of rear
guard action. Through Belgium
the beaten enemy fed making no
ciioAs dppdIeiIIly 10 take dQVdn-
tage Of the natural barriers pre-
sented in the Somme and MeuseI
Rivers. Friday the Allies were in
the Maginot Line at Sedan and had
taken Verdun and st. Mihiel. The
British, racing along behind the
Pas de Calais area, had sealed that
section off and were pushing on
toward Calais, IS miles away. Calais,
like the rocket coast, apparently
was staging last show piece as
the long range guns poured shells
across the Channel toward Dover
in an effort, it seemed, to expend
such ammunition as was on hand
before the British should arrive.
A summary on casualties from
D-day placed German losses at
100000 in killed, wounded or CAP
tured in Northern France with 25
divisions destroyed and 18 others
badly mauled. More than $500
German aircraft were destroyed in
the air or on the ground and more
than 1000 others damaged. Tank