Evening star., 1944-09-26
Berlin Reports
American Drive
Above BeIfort
MAP on Page Az
BY the Associated Press.

LONDON, Sept. 26.-The Allied
command today put a mantle of
secrecy on the fierce battle for
Arnhem in Holland, and a few
hours later a German propa-
ganda agency declared the en-
tire British air-borne division
there had been wiped out.
The latest news from Allied quar-
ters before the security ban was
imposed was that the Red Devil
Division on the north bank of the
Upper Rhine near Arnhem was
being thinly supplied and had high
morale.
A broadcast by the International
Information Bureau, Nazi propa-
sanda agency, declared 1,400 British
wounded had surrendered and said
that this morning the last 900 Brit
ish paratroopers west of Arnhem
put down their arms"
Nine-Day Struggle.
Other German broadcasts declared
the band of sky troops still was
grimly holding out in a nine-day
struggle at that gateway to the
German Ruhrland
Ten miles to the southeast British
and American forces fought through
the forest approaches to Kleve,
northern bastion of the Siegfried
Line, in double e-headed invasion
of the Reich from Holland.
GA wholly unconf1rmed French
broadcast said Kleve, 8 miles
inside Germany, had fallenD
The Berlin radio also asserted
that American troops far to the
south had launched a big push in
the Epinal Remiremont sector of
France, apparently in prelude to
an offensive against Belfort, 30
miles to the southeast. Belforts
fortresses guard the mountain gap
into Southwestern Germany.
Nazis Seek to Win Time.
AS for Holland, the enemy as
serted the fierce German blows
were intended to win time and
delay the final Allied assault on
Germany until winter when defense
conditions would be most favorable"
At last reports parts of three or
four Nazi divisions were hammer
ing at the pocketed Red Devil
soldiers holding an Allied foot in the
door to the German Ruhr, rich in
war factories.
AmphibiCus trucks and assault
boats of the British I'd Army were
ferrying a thin trickle of reinforce
ments and supplies across the Upper
Rhine TO the air-borne men. said
the last announcements before Gen.
Eisenhower imposed the news
dimout.
This security step was designed
to keep the Germans from obtain
ing useful information from Allied
sources in the touch -and-go battle
described officially as fluid. The
British press termed it a crisis.
Lifeline Restored.
Accounts of troop dispositions
were restricted and speculation on
future developments were banned
as the British restored their thin,
thrlce-cut lifeline to the Upper
Rhine from Eindhoven north and
stabbed ahead miles through
Deurne and Helmond in a support
Ing thrust to the northeast.
The greatest intensity of the battle
was being diverted to opening and
holding open an adequate supply
corridor through Nijmegen to the
south bank of the Upper Rhine.
And the Germans were opposing
that effort with SIS Elite Guard,
panzer troops and more planes than
they have risked for week.
Early reports said each of the
two Allied forces probing the ap-
proaches to Kleve was about miles
from the German fortress city.
The column to the north. COM
posed Of American sky troopers at
tached to the British I'd ARMY,
seized the Dutch frontier village of
Beck, 10 miles south of Arnhem. and
pushed on east into the Reich.
Reichswald Forest Entered.
-Four or five miles farther south
British troops and tanks, also driv-
ing east from Holland into Ger
many, entered the forest of the
Reichswald. which screens Kleve on
the southwest. The twin thrusts put
the Allies about so miles northwest
OF the Ruhr city of Essen. with its
great krupp munitions factories.
Supreme headquarters issued a
call yesterday to the 10000 900 for
eign workers inside Germany to take
up arms, indicating that climactic
battles were at hand.
tNBC Reported Robert St. John.
speaking from London. said to-
day it was officially announced
that 1000 German tanks were
knocked out within 10 days.
The Germans broke the supply
corridor midway between Eindhoven
and Nijmegen last night for the
third time, keeping a smile stretch
of the road cut for five hours before
the British hurled them out.
The lifeline was even thinner to
the north between Nijmegen and
Anthem. and it was learned the
Germans had held the midway town
OF Elst on this main road for sew
eral days. Second Army supply COL
umns were moving up over parallel
(See WESTERN FRONT. Page A-4J
anal Do.,,II.