Evening star., 1944-08-28
Potch's $ Troops
Move 200 Miles
In Two Days
By the Associated FTess.

ROME, Aug. o. American
troops have reached the Rhone
Valley north of Montelimar, 100
airline miles north of Marseille,
after a march of 200 miles in two
days, and have cut of the line of
retreat Of the German 11th Ar
mored Division and other troops
to the south, field dispatches an
nounced today.
More than half of all German
soldiers garrisoning southern France
prior to the Allied landings are be-
lieved to have been killed, wounded
or captured in less than two weeks
At least $4,000 enemy front line
troops were estimated to have been
knocked out Of the war.
The German llth Division was
being pressed from the south by
other American units, dispatches
said, and was being harassed by
Maquis in the hills to the west and
cut up by Allied artillery 1lre from
the east.
The Germans were making a
fierce effort to cut a way through
to Valence. Is miles north Of Mon
telimar. it was said, but the Ameri-
cans were confident of their ability
to crush the breakout attempts.
Additional Menace.
The Germans were confronted
by the additional menace of But
ler's task force"-the mobile column
commanded by Gen. Frederick But
Ter. which several days ago reached
Grenoble, 10 miles northeast of
Montelimar, and whose activities
have not been reported since.
The Germans were attempting to
withdraw northward through the
Rhone Valley along the rivers east
bank when column from 1t. Gen.
Alexander M. Patch's advancing
army fell on them and in a series
of rough encounters killed untold
hundreds, headquarters announce
ment said.
1t was estimated $1,000 of the
battered German 18th Army have
been eliminated. This defeated
German force included elements OF
the German 11th Panxer and loSth
Infantry Divisions, which had been
reinforced by scattered elements OF
three other enemy infantry divi-
sions.
The loss Of this force. which was
announced simultaneously with the
loss Of the German 242d and 244th
Divisions at Marseille and Toulon,
means at least $4,000 German front
line soldiers have been eliminated
Heavy Aerial Blows.
Hammering the Nazis in their
flight up the Rhone has been the
work of the Allied Air Force, cut
ting bridges from underneath them
and making Withdrawals both haz-
ardous and costly. The Nazis
chances Of pulling east and north
Of Valence were diminishing with
each days fighting.
The Germans were known to have
been in the Montelimar area nearly
a week ago. The town itself is in
the center of the Rhone Valley, but
the terrain from there to the east
rises gradually into rugged Alpine
country.
If the Germans have enough
speed to outstep Gen. Patch's for
ward columns and they can find a
way to keep the Allied Air Force
from slashing their communications
too severely, their one chance of
withdrawal appears to lie beyond
Lyon through the fiat country north
OF Geneva via Besancon and Null
house. This would bring them out
at the German border.
Route Is Threatened.
But threatening even this route
was Gen. Buffers force, which made
a spectacular l40-mile drive to Gre
noble In the first few days of the
invasion.
Gen. Butler is former assistant
director of public buildings and pub
lie parks at Washington.
Reports from Switzerland re-
ceived in London said Ameri-
can columns were rolling along
the Swiss border from Perly, 3
miles south of Geneva, and were
within ITO miles of the American
armies in Northern France at
Troyes.
Can Algiers broadcast said
French Forces of the Interior
had liberated Vichy. French COL
laborationist capital, but gave no
details.)
Resistance collapsed inside the
city and port Of Toulon over the
week end, but use of the major
French naval base was denied the
(See SOUTHERN FRANCE, A-6)