The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-24
Beeck, four miles northeast of Geil-

enkirchen.
 Another German broadcast assert ed that American attempts to estab- fish beachhead on the east bank of the Roer river, the new German last-ditch defense line before Col ogne, had been smashed.
 The Germans also said French forces had attempted to take the Rhine bridges at StraSbourg by storm, but had failed The broadcast indicated that the French may have driven through the city to the west bank of the Rhine.
 Stiff Resistance
 German resistance was Stiffening in the final street battle for Stras bourg, but the enemy was believed to have rallied too late and com- p1ete liberation of the great com- munications and industrial center appeared imminent.
 Gen. Jacques Leclerc. liberator of Paris and hero of the North Afric- an deserts, stormed into StraSbourg with his 2nd armored division just before noon yesterday after splitting the German front in eastern France with 20-mile dash avroSs the AL Satian Plains.
 Clinton B .Conger, United Press War Correspondent with the 9th army group, reported that street battles ragged throughout the night around the famed 18th Century StraSbourg cathedral in the heart of the city.
 Some 80 miles to the northwest, It. Gen. George s. Patton's Third army tanks jumped off in a new attack three miles inside Germanys Saar Basin just beyond the junc- tion of the French, German and Luxembourg borders.
 One column of the 10th armored division captured Oberleuken, nine miles northwest of Merzig, and an- other fought into the outskirts of Tettingen, two and half miles to the west. The advances carried to within few miles of the outposts of the main defenses of the Siegfried line in the Saar Basin.
 Rain, floods and stiffening enemy resistance combined to slow other Allied armies at the northern and southern ends of the 400-mile front almost to a standstill, but some limited gains were reported.
 The situation, army by army, from north to south was: British Second Army-Advanced through mud and minefields to within less than three miles west and southwest and within sight Of the border fortress of Venlo in southeast Holland; yielded Hoven, three miles northeast of Geilen- kirchen, Germany, to enemy coun- ter-attack in toughest fighting since Normandy.
 Pattern Taken
 American Ninth Army-Captured Pattern, three miles southwest of Julich, and fought into Bourheim, one mile southwest of Julich and A miles west of Cologne; remainder of front stationary.
 (The London Daily Express quoted a German news agency as saying American troops attempted to cross the Roer river and break into Ju- Itch, one of the main strongholds protecting Cologne.
 American First Army-Advanced west. south and southeast of Weis- weller, nine miles northeast of Aachen and two miles beyond Esch- weller; gained 600 yards in east ern tip of Hurtgen forest.
 GA BEG broadcast heard by NEG said first army troops were less than two miles of Duren, com- panion fortress to Julich on the Roer river) .
 American Third Army-Pushe6 attack along 1-mile front in Saar basin. increased pressure against 3,125 Germans holding out in five fortress groups in the Metz area; advanced four miles in the vicinity of Romelfing, 27 miles south of Saarbrucken.,
 American Seventh Army-Cap- tured western half of Strasbourg; advanced halfway through the southern Vosges to within 15 miles of the Alsace Plain between Stras- bourg and Colmar; capturen Le Thillot.
 French First Army-Reached Bat tenheim, four miles north of Mul- house and IT miles south of Colmar, occupied Morschwiller-Le Bas. three uoilac west of MulhouSe: repulSed