The Wilmington morning star., 1944-11-02
ENEMY CONFINED
IN SMALL POCKET
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throughout the day. The gun posi-
tons have been repeatedly attack
ed by heavy bombers and dive
bombers, some of which made
raids yesterday.
Royal Marines landed at West
kapelle yesterday morning after a
violent naval bombardment from
the British battleship Warspite,
which used eight 15-inch guns, and
the monitors Roberts and Erebus,
each equipped with two 15-inchers.
Canadian infantry earlier h d
crossed the estuary from Breskens,
after a heavy artillery barrage,
and landed in the flooded streets
of Vlissingen (Flushing) largest CT
| ty (21,00O pop.) on the island OF
about 80 square miles. Other Cana
dian troops to the east crossed
the causeway from south Beveland
and established a bridgehead four
miles east of the islands capital,
Middelburg.
An NBC broadcast from Holland
at midnight said III e town OF
Flushing is almost entirely in our
hands, The German garrison
there has been estimated at about
coo.
Headquarters of Field Marshal
Sir Bernard L. Montgomery report
ed the Walcheren operations max
ing good progress.
Information from supreme Allied
headquarters at F arts said flood
ing of the island through air at
tacks had turned it into four sep
arate tiny islands with only the
high points at Vlissingen, Westka-
pelle, the end of h e causeway
from south Beveland and another
mound to the north still above wat
err.
The threat to Antwerp from the
north definitely had vanished.
Troops of the British Second
army broadened their foothold on
the Mas river in south central
Holland to more than a mile and
maintained relentless pressure
against German rearguards.
A spokesman for Lieut.. Gen.
Sir Miles C.. Dempsey, commander
of the British Second army, tacitly
admitted that a skillful withdrawal
from the Breda pocket had saved
the bulk of some 10000 German
troops who for several days were
threatened with entrapment. He
said only enemy rearguards were
left south of the Mas and that
the main German 18th army now
was fortifying new Rotterdam
Anthem defense line.
On the eastern flank of the Dutch
corridor British Tommies reached
canal nearly two miles east OF
the recaptured town of Lieseel and
advanced another two miles south
east down road to Meijel. Slowly
grinding the Germans back over
boys and marshes, the British took
100 prisoners during the day. The
Nazis, VINO launched heavy coun-
| terattack on this front last week,
appeared to have pulled back their
armor.
Weather again grounded Allied
fighter planes until late afternoon,
and the troops fought under driz-
zling skies. Massed Allied artillery
helped push the Nazis back toward
the German border.
Acknowledging that the Germans
had lost the battle for Antwerp,
Capt. Ludwig Sertorious, Nazi mill
tary commentator, said lit remains
now to be seen whether Field Mar
shall Montgomery considers h i
base great enough to start his big
Nijmegen bridgehead to the north
east or whether he intends to push
forward in central Holland to the
LEX river between Rotterdam ane
Anthem, or even beyond to the
Auider Zee"
The German radio reported tina
on the French front southeast o
Nancy a strong American force O.
more than 100 tanks and an infan
try division drove down a mai1
highway towar d Strasbourg ane
captured Montigny. Is miles east O.
|I11neville. The official German
communique said French troop!
/ had entered Baccarat, IA mile:
southeast Of Luneville.
i These attacks. the first Of i'm
portance by the Allies in the COLI
and sodden southern sector of TIL
4 front for several weeks, were no
confirmed by official allied sourc
;, es. General Eisenhower head
quarters reported only local az
i tons, including capture of Les Pou
4 Heres, village east of Bruyeres
and drive against stubborn re
i sistance into St. Benoit, east o.
Rambervillers.
Some 1900 Nazi troops holdin,
out in the French port of Bunker
que were reported to have opened
s1uice gates and flooded more
ground around the town, forcing
besieging British troops to with
draw slightly.