Evening star., 1944-09-27

NG" 1OIlh VI ].-NDI )
David Anderson broadcast
from the western front today
that Of the British troops in
the Anthem pocket, at least
1000 had been evacuated to
the south bank of the Rhine
River by this morning. Twelve
hundred wounded British air
borne troops were left behind
and are under the care of the
German commander, he said.
Ey the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sept. 27.-Batttered
survivors of Britain'S Lost Divi-
sion were withdrawn Monday
night to the south bank of the
Upper Rhine at Arnhem. in Hol-
land, ending a nine-day strug-
gle to hold open the gateway to
Germany's industrial Ruhr VAL
ley.
Today,s Allied headquarters an
nouncement, which came after 49,
hour news blackout on that sector
ave no indication OF how many thus
escaped Nazi entrapment, but said
the wounded had to be left behind
TO become prisoners of the Ger
mans.
The British, however. launched a
new drive in Holland. Armor and
infantry reached the Mas River
at points along 40-mile front and
were closing in for solid line Sec
ond Army forces held a 5-mile
stretch of the river, miles from
the Reich frontier. while 80 miles
to the south Belgian troops reached
the west bank on 10-mile front,
less than 9 miles from the German
border.
Wedge Is Widened.
The British wedge toward the
Anthem bridge Widened 10 miles on
both sides up to Nijmegen. where
it narrowed toward the south bank
OF the Upper Rhine.
b Heavy action fared all the way
along the Western front as far as
Eplnal, ond the southern extreme of
the Allied drive against Germany.
American forces plunged in strength
across the Moselle north of Epinal
and hacked out other gains in the
United States 7th Army sector.
In the Anthem pocket Berlin
claimed $500 of the embattled para
clutists were killed and 6400. in
Guiding 100 wounded, were cap
tured. The normal British air.
Borne division contains 5000 men.
The loss Of the tenuous foothold
on the north bank of the Upper
Rhine that might have opened a
"av for flanking sweep around the
north end of the Siegfried Line was
0ne of the first times since the
"Ivasion that the Allies have had to
ield a key position.
Forced to Hold Out.
It was Welded this time not
through any lack of battle tenac-
Ity nor sacrifice Of the hard-fght-
ing British LIST Air-borne Divi-
sion but because the parachutists
we're forced to hold out alone-with-
out reinforcementS or more than a
trickle of supplies-longe than an
air-borne division is equipped to
last.
Field Marshal Sir Bernard L.
Montgomerys land drive north
through Eindhoven was delayed too
long in winning the Niimegen
Bridge to reach Arnhem while the
parachute troops still held the
bridge there.
Counterattacks into which the
Germans hurled some of their
toughest SIS divisions pushed the
parachute troops back into woods
vest of the town.
Then miserable weather prevented
the normal Strengthening of the
pocket by air-borne reinforcements
and heavier arms. One Polish rein
iorcement drop was attempted-but
tre Poles landed on the wrong side
Of the Rhine.
Much Still Unexplained.
Much about the Withdrawal, which
lad been cloaked under a 48-hour
censorship ban on news at the re-
quest of Marshal Montgomery, re-
manned to be explained
There was no immediate explana-
ton why, when the withdrawal was
made Monday night, a news ban on
tho grounds nf
Sary until today. Presumably it
was to allow time for the last few
survivors to get clear.
How they crossed the river at all
was not disclosed 1t seemed clear
that they could hardly have escaped
in any great numbers over river
barrier which their own troops on
the south bank could not cross in
strength to reinforce them.
Correspondents were told:
The gallant defense of the 1st
Alr-borne Division went far to con-
tribute to the exploita ton desired.
1T enabled other elements to the
south to hold the bridge at Mime
gen across the Waal which pre-
vented enemy forces in the north
from moving south.
TO counter the Arnhem air-borne
opposition, the enemy was forced to
use his best troops-as battle
groups"
1t was explained that the air.
borne divisions stand contained
those crack enemy forces in that
area and prevented them from being
used as substantial reinforcements
in the battle to the south between
Nijmegen and Antwerp
South of the Arnhem sector, the
British struck to the east through
mediocre resistance to Boxmeer,
13 miles southeast of Mime
See WESTERN FRONT, Page A-3
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