Evening star., 1944-11-13
MAP on Page Az J
BY the Associated Press.

fWdp on rage A-2.J
BY the Associated Press
LONDON, Nov. 13.-Lt. Gen
George S. Patton. jr., today ex-
panded a new bridgehead across
the Moselle River north of Metz
threatening the Germans only
usable railway connecting the
fortress city with the Saar and
developing a pincers grip on the
enemy-held part of Thionville.
The German high command said
American troops had succeeded in
penetrating into Thionville"
Armored spearheads swinging
around Metz from the south punched
forward on a 20-mile frony II miles
south of the Saar border.
One of these wedges by-passed
the stronghold of DieuZe on its south
flank and famed cut behind Nor
hange on its north flank. This wedge
was reported to have reached Ber-
mering, 3 miles east of Morhange.
where French and Germans fought
in one of the first big battles of the
World War, and reached Lidrezing,
miles north of Dieuze, where food
waters loosed by Allied Dam bomb
ings protected Gen. Patton's right
flank
Americans punching close to Metz
from the south came under artil-
lery fire from the forts ringing
the city for the first time near
Sorbey. The heavy guns had not
opened fire before because of the
enemy's lack of aerial spotting, but
apparently the Americans were
within point blank range now.
7th Army Advances.
Below the Metz front, the 7th
Army, fighting on a 15-mile front
east of Rambervillers and Bruyeres
captured villages only a mile west
of st. Die in the entrance to a
Vosges Pass and 33 miles from the
Rhine.
There was no report of action in
the American 1st Army sector in
Germany southeast of AAchen or in
Holland. Bad weather restricted all
operations.
Southeast of Metz, the Germans
were reported in front line dis
patches to be pulling out men and
material before Gen. Patton's en-
circling threat, but they were de-
stroying dams on canals and rivers
to the northeast of the city and
holding tight.
Front reports said they were
pulling guns out of Metz itself but
supreme headquarters believed it
unlikely a real evacuation was un-
der way.
Two Railways Remain.
Only two railways remained to the
Germans out of Metz. The southern
arm of Gen. Patton's Army was
within 2 miles of the lower line
running northeast through Boulay
to the Saar and close enough to
interdict daylight traffic.
The second line running north
east to the Saar apparently was the
target of the new thrust across the
Moselle south of Thionville, an i'm
portant fortress town already men,
aced by American bridgeheads to
the north
The part of Thionville west of the
Moselle already was in American
hands.
The 95th Infantry Division won
the crossing and Supreme Head
quarters announced it was being re-
inforced. The rail and highway
town of Metzervisse, 51a miles east
of Uckange where the crossing was
made, apparently was one of the
immediate objectives of this drive.
Yanks Win Back Wedge.
Gen. Patton now has two columns
driving eastward north of Metz
toward the Saar border. American
troops in the first bridgehead over
the Moselle in the Koenigsmacher
area above Thionville turned back
German counterattack yesterday
and the Goth Division then won back
the mile and a half wedge which
the enemy had managed to gain
with this blow.
Third Army tanks and infantry
sought to close the 11-mile gap
separating the two arms of wise
clutching for Metz and drive on
to the rich Saar Basin with its
steel and coal.
Due south of Metz, infantry OF
the 5th Division fought through
increasingly bitter enemy defenses
to the vicinity of Coin-sur- -Seille,
only miles below the city.
To the east armor led spearheads
were across the Med River on a
7-mile front between Sanry-sur-
Med and Henry, Is miles ahead of
their positions when the offensive
began six days ago.
North of Chateau-Salins, other
units had cleared the enemy out OF
the Chateau-Salins forest, and en-
tered the villages of Chateau-Bre
hahn, Oron and Dalhain. Northeast
OF these positions, the 4th Armored
Division had thrust slender wedge
to the vicinity of Rodalbe, due north
OF Dieuze, and had repulsed enemy
counterattacks from Morhange.
Supreme headquarters said the
new bridgehead across the Moselle
at Uckange, miles below Thion-
vile, was being reinforced.