Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-12-31
10 Cut
Off Bdstogne
Corridor Fails
z German Divisions
Try Pincer Attack
TO Stem Sd Army

PARIS. Dec. 81 Sunday fINS)
Two fresh German divisions
pressed a desperate new pincers
assault today against both sides
of the American Bastogne salient.
thrust 10 miles into the south side
of the enemy's Belgium-Luxern-
bourg bulge, but failed to stem a
full scale Third Army offensive
raging on a 45-mile front.
The widened Bastogne corridor
remained open after fierce all-day
fighting. late front dispatches
said. as supreme Allied headquar-
tiers announced that the u. 5.
Third and First Armies now have
thrown the Germans back from
the high water mark" of their
winter push ION all sides OF
their salient" save one five-mile
stretch. The latter was identified
as the line from Marche north
east 10 Hotton on the northwest
corner or The NaZi bulge,
USE 100000 yANKs
1t. Gen. Patton's army. re-
portedly employing some eight
divisions of about 100000 troops.
was proclaimed officially to be
definitely on the offensive" along
the enemy's lower shoulder. de-
spite the new nutcracker on
slaueFt by some $4,000 Nazis on
the Bastogne shaft.
American troops headquarters
added in q midnight statement,
were holding the initiative and
probing" the western nose OF the
German bulge where First Army
tank-infantry- formations were
hammering toward the heart OF
Rochefort, the enemy's most inl-
portant stronghold in that sector,
after driving into its outskirts.
CAPTURE TWO TOWNS
Other American forces were
credited with containing" the
battered Germans on their north
flank following the capture OF
Manhay and Grandmenil.
From the time the Americans
regained the initiative until
Friday noon. il was announced,
the counterattacking Yank forces
bashing in the western tip of the
dwindling German bulge pushed
the enemy back about Il miles TO
a distance of 16 miles east OF the
vital Meuse River. ~
Nazi spearheads had lanced to
within four miles of the Meuse at
Celles before the American Gomez
back smashed the foe eastward to
Rochefort. reported by the Brus-
sells radio already captured by the
Yanks.
DRIVE FOR JUNCTION
Patton's forces. headquarters
said. advanced northward about
10 miles up to Frida. midday to
the Longcharnps sector. three miles
above Bastogne. where they stood
within Is miles of a strategic
junction with the First Army
units at Grandmenil. Some front
reports said the enemy corridor
had been cut to II miles.
Approximately one.third- Of The
Belgian and Luxembourg terri
tory overrun by the German Of
fensive. launched Is days ago, now
had been firmly recovered. The
big guns of the Third and First
armies were carpeting with their
shellfire or were within range OF
all but a mile of the German west
east corridor leading back to the
reich. "a MIC broadcast said
American troops had re-entered
Their narrowing lifeline thus
endangered-with some
Is of their divisions facing possi-
BILE encirclement to the west--the
Germans struck furiously in a
crucial endeavor TO lop off the
deepest American thorn in their
side-the Third Army's Bastogne
corridor.
Latest front dispatches said a
German infantry division lunged
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