Evening star., 1944-09-16
country where terrain offered little

3. The Americans were meeting
slightly tougher opposition In their
8-mile-deep, 6-mile-wide wedge into
Germany at Prum just east of the
northern tip Of Luxembourg. The
communique declared that there,
too. gains were continuing through
the pillbox- studded fir forest of the
Siegfried Line.
4. The newest crossing of the
frontier was below the Prum area.
This drive was forming q solid 33-
mile invasion front in Germany
between Prum and Trier.
5. The Americans fighting above
Trier were meeting some OF the
fiercest resistance yet encountered
In the West Wall system. They
found some Of the defensive teeth
OF the line pulled by the Nazis
themselves for the big guns appar-
emily had been removed to the
Atlantic Wall. The pillboxes there
had concrete walls 6 feet thick and
the Americans had to reduce these
points one at time.
There was no news of the left
flank of the American Sd Army last
reported fighting In the streets of
Thionville and closing up to the
Moselle River opposite Metz, the
last major French town in German
hands.
Now that the Americans have
Nancy the German defenders of
Metz were faced with encirclement
or retreat to the rich Saar indus
trial basin 20 miles away.
To the south the Sd Army lib
Grated Chatenois, miles southeast
Of Neufchateau, while forward ele-
ments slashed on IS miles or more
east of newly freed Nancy and
Epinal in race toward the Rhine.
1t. Gen. Alexander M. Patch's
American and French 7th Army,
now part of the American 9Th Army
group under 1t. Gen. Jacob L. De-
vers, former deputy supreme COM
mander in the Mediterranean, had
Joined into a solid assault front
with the Sd, lining up tightly at
Neufchateau. Mirecourt and Just
south of Epinal.
7th Army Captures 72,0Oe.
The 7th Army, newly brought un-
der Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's
overall command. was beating
along its line south of the linkup
points to the Swiss border through
stubborn German rear-guard de-
Tense. The Nazis were falling back
along the last IS to 40 miles to the
Rhine.
French units of the 7th Army
caught one German column just
south of Fays-Billot, south OF the
linkup, and wiped 1t out, Two hun
dred enemy troops were reported
killed and $50 captured.
The 7th Army has taken ~. 900
prisoners and killed or captured
German generals, supreme head
quarters said. Frenchmen of the
7th Army took 49,500 of the pris-
oners.
Meanwhile, front dispatch said
the Sd Army to date has captured
$4,000 men. wounded 5000 and
killed 25,80o.
Along and near the Channel coast
Polish forces of the Canadian 1st
Army sent patrols across the Dutch
border southwest of Hulst. Cana
dian infantry won a strong new
bridgehead over the western branch
of the Leopold Canal near Eeklod
in Belgium, further narrowing the
German hold on the south side of
the Schelde Estuary preventing
Allied access to Antwerp from the
sea.
In the Dunkerque area the Cana
dians reduced two enemy strong
points on the northeastern perimeter
OF the port. Other troops gained
positions astride coastal routes south
of Cap Griz Nez.
Some Naxi Defenses Fakes.
The Germans put up an unex-
pectedly weak defense of the Sieg-
fried Line in the Aachen sector
where they left only part Of the
formidable forts occupied by ma
chine gunners and had comparatively
light artillery. Some of the Nazi
defenses were fakes.
In q front dispatch telling Of the
United States lst Army break
through, Associated Press Corre-
spondent Don Whitehead said: I'm
"a hours our crack infantry moved
5000 yards through the very heart
Of the potentially strongest defenses
ground troops ever assaulted. They
did 1t swiftly and methodically and
with extremely few casualties"
In the breakthrough area the
Americans were almost exactly the
same distance from Berlin as the
Red Army was on the Eastern front
at Pultusk north of Warsaw.
Forty miles southeast OF Aachen
American troops drove into the
heart of the Siegfried Line at Prum
where the Germans were routed
from their pill boxes by bayonets,
dynamite and flame throwers.
Yank units drove 10 miles into
Germany north Of the fortress city
of Trier, rs miles southeast Of
Aachen. The Germans there were
puttlng up naro Dut poorly Or
ganized defense.
Maastricht Taken.
On the northern flank of the Al
lied line American troops and Dutch
patroits took Maastricht yesterday
four years four months and four
days after the Germans swept
through there In their campaign to
conquer France. Eysden. S miles to
the south. also was freed.
Only . few snipers opposed the
American Sd Army entry into Nancy
after an armored force above and
one below the city closed q trap
around 1t. Epinal, 81 miles to the
southeast, also was captured. Some
Of the armored forces engaged In
encircling Nancy had a tough flght
One commander wirelessed: ZAP.
pear to be surrounded by Germans
Am attacking and going forward"
A.