The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-09-08
.Yonks Buckle
 Nozi Defense
tcontlnusd from Page u

miles below Met&
 The Germans apparently gre hop- Ing merely to fight as stubborn . delaying action as possible, afd even with tho numbers they had on nafid last night they failed to launch any important counteF'attaen against our bridgchcads.
 Most observers with the 3Fd Army are convinced the NAzis have leariiF 0d their lessons about American blltE warfare by the hardest experi' enec, and the Metz and Nancy ae, tenders probably will choose 70 iall back rather than submit 10 help. less enciFciement which would see them pounded mercilessly by our constantly growing concentration of
 Giant American field guns and mobile artillery have been rolling ID to the Moseile from tho west ID . steady stream for the past ~ hours. r z
 Among the defenders Of Metz are many German officers who were "dlgInlssed" from staff school gevs eral days ago and formed into co1l- panioS to meet the American at- tack. tts
 Many of these men were taken prisoner and identified aS members of famous German divisions recent ly in action on the Russian front,
 The German defenders of the Moselle are equipped largely with 7bs and ees and very few tanks, and they are not believed capable of making C stand agAInst the weight of American armor, guns and infantry TIiassing on thb sec tor.
 Supporting the 3rd Army often. slye yesterday, planes of the 18th tactical air force, for a loss Of one plane, destroyed or damaged i32 German motor vehicles. 2eS horse drawn carts and 2b ann milton carriers.
 Bridgeheads Won
 Third Army infantFymen won tho two bridgeheads late yesterday, and A ranking officer asserted that they now were ready to resume their headlong drive on Germany.
 Metz itself has not yet been brought under direct attack. but tho city lS exposed to fIanking aS- sauIt and the NaA defenders may be forced to withdraw much sooner than had been believed possible.
 Cocky veterans of the 3rd Army's epic 7o0-mile drive across Northern France piled into their tiny assault boats late this afternoon and pad- died across the narrow Moselle un- | der the heaviest fire yet from Ger man 76 and e8 millimeter guns eIli- placed in the hills.
 The assault was covered by Am erican l66-milltmeter long toms and tank formations that depioyed through the fields behind haystacks to send their shells screaming over Into the enemy lines.
 Tank Support
 Some tanks already have crossed the river to support our riflemen and heavy artillery Is rumbling up continually from the west to join in the battle for the crossings, which 50 far has been primarily c duel of field guns.
 The Germans are counter attack ing heavily at some points, but the bridgeheads are holding and the way is open for a flood of rein- forcements to sweep across the ri- yer toward the Siegfried line and Germany. A Third Army spokesman saic the morale of It. Gen. George s. Pat tons troops is high and they are confident they can beat the best the Nazis have to offer.
 I They are ready to resume. the march on Germany at any time, he said, pointing out that so far they have covered in g days the almost unbelievable distance of TOO miles and have taken every objective as- signed to them.