The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-09-18

threatened to drive countless thou sands of Germans into the waiting arms of the British Second Army moving up from Belgium,
 Radio Berlin said the Second Army already had lashed out In q full -seale offensive to link up with the sky troops and front reports said the two forces were within Ave miles or less of 0 juncture in the Find hoven area of southern Holland,
 Allied spokeSmen, Jubl0nt at the initial success Of the hazardous aerial invasion, made 1t clear that they were playing for tho highest StakeS--a quick knockout Of the German army,
 Lieutenant General Lewis Fl, Drereton, commander of the lst air borne army, declared hatly that up- on the success of the landing rests the difference between q quick de- clsion in the west and c long, drawn out battle"
 Berlin admitted the gravity of the Allied threat and warned the people of Holland that the Wehrmaeht inc tended to turn their homeland inte Q battle ground and hold 1t at an costs.
 Main Concentration
 The NaEis said the main Allied concentrations had landed around EindhoVen, Tilhurg and Nijmegen, the latter north Of the Rhine and only Ave miles from the German frontier.
 At the same time, they hinted that further paratroop and glider landings, are expected, as well as A possible sea.borne attack on the Dutch coast,
 one uneonfirmed report broadcast by the VicVhy radio said Allied sky troops made Q new landing today on tho SeaeoaSt nine miles north Of the Hague,
 United Press war correspondents flew over Holland with the invading army reported that Drereton's men, mostly American veterans Of the Normandy landing but including strong British, Dutch and Polish contingentS, were meeting relatively weak opposition from the disorgan- iSed Nasis.
 Aerial BOmbardment
 Aided by massive aerial bom- bardment that temporarily swept the LuftwRffee from the skies and knocked out virtually every German battery in the landing areas, the landing areas, the Allies liberated Q number of Dutch villages within an hour and seized scores Of vital bridges, canal crossings and rail and highway functions.
 There was virtually no direct ln' formation on the movements of tho air.borne troops, beyond heavily. censored field dispatches saying that by nightfall yesterday one element with within reach of It's first big ob. jectiVe.
 However, it was clear that one major aim of tho landing was to dis organize the enemy rear and to join with the British 2nd Army In c pins cers assault on the large but appar. ently inehoate NaEi forces in the southern half of the Netherlands.
 Correspondents on the 2nd Army front reported that the British were striking up from their brldgeheads across the EScaut and Albert Canals in Belgium, advancing as much as seven miles Into Holland. United Press War Correspondent Walter Cronkite, who landed with Amer lean glider troops yesterday, said the thunder Of the British guns in the south could Dc heard clearly on his sector.
 Netherlands Move
 Units Of the Canadian ist Army also were moving up on the Nether- lands from their positions on the Leopold Canal, on the British left flank.
 The sudden air strike behind the NaA lines came on the heels Of ib. hour aerial botnbardment during which more than 4,000 American and British warplanes ripped almost continuously at the invasloas marked sector with bombs and gun. fire,
 The RAFs heavyweights set the attack in motion before midnight Saturday, and at daybFeak Sunday the U. g. 9th Air Force sent its Flying yortresses and fighter -bombs CTS Into action. Even as the first paratroops were tumblIng down American fghteF-bomberS were sweeping in beneath them, uncov. erlng the Nagi gun positions and spiatterIng them with fragmenta. ton bombs.
 Tn ail, more than 7,DOO tons of bombs were dropped across the Netherlands ana nearby enemy alfs fields in Germany whore the Lufts waffe was known to have conceIl- tFated planes to meet DrcFetcn'A l,oOo.pIane glider and transport H8Wts