Evening star., 1944-09-06
Parton Patrols Sent Past Border,
Main Forces Pour Over MoseI|e
Fighting to Reach
Germany Soon,
Eisenhower Says
MAP on Page AL
BY the Associated Press

LONDON, Sept. g. Strong
forces of 1t. Gen. George S. Pat
tons Sd Army established them
selves firmly across the Moselle
River today in preparation for
an assault on Hitler's west wall
after their armored patrols, re-
connoitering the path of the ad-
vance, had crossed the German
border and then returned to the
main elements.
Gen. Eisenhower declared the bat
tie of Germany was about to begin
Battles soon will be fought on
German SOIL" he said in broadcast
instructions to foreign workers in
Germany on ways to aid Allied
troops in combat areas.
Supreme headquarters officially
described the penetrations of the
Reich frontier as actions perhaps 25
to 80 miles ahead of the main front.
The Sd Army permitted disclosure
only today that these penetrations
had occurred Sunday-the first Of
ficially reported armed entry into
Germany by land since the fall of
France in 1910.
Cross Moselle in Strength.
What has happened since Sunday
on the Sd Army front still was un-
der the secrecy of security, but it
was announced officially that the
Sd Army's preaching of the Mo-
selle, last river barrier short of the
Rhine itself. had occurred midway
between Metz and Nancy, some 40
odd miles short of the nearest point
OF the German frontier.
Headquarters said the Sd Army
was across the Moselle in strength.
Presumably there was second
bridgehead near Nancy.
What little information did come
back to supreme headquarters
through the screen of silence sug-
gested that stiffened German op-
position was being met in the pre-
liminaries to the main battle for
the border.
The total American bag of pris-
oners since D-day now is more than
205 900, it was announced. The Sd
Army has estimated it captured
10000, wounded 62,250 and killed
l9.500 Germans. The American 1st
Army reported on August 80 that it
had captured 115,000 Nazis. Since
then it has mopped up at least
$4,000 in the pocket south of Mons.
$4,000 Caught in Trap.
1t also was estimated officially
that $4,000 Germans now are caught
in the Pas-de-Calais coastal strip,
which was thinning hourly.
Five thousand of these are in Bou-
logne and 5000 in LIE Havre, where
the garrison was given a second
surrender ultimatum today.
Supreme headquarters confirmed
that the British I'd Army was driv-
ing somewhere in the Netherlands,
but did not indicate where or in
what depth. 1t offered no confrma-
ton of Paris radio report that the
British were advancing within sight
of Rotterdam, the great Dutch port
so miles north of Antwerp.
1t also was announced that the
United States 1st Army of 1t. Gen.
Courtney H. Hodges has liberated
the fortified Belgian city of Namur
at the confluence of the Meuse and
Sambre Rivers. Namur is 80 miles
from Liege and 55 miles from
Aachen in Germany.
The announcement concerning the
British advance lifted supreme
headquarters 24hour news black
out of this operation to the north
Exact Position Not Revealed.
Because headquarters did not give
information concerning movements
since Sunday, the exact location of
Gen. Pattons forces was not known
The position hung somewhere in
the balance between unconfirmed
French frontier reports that the
Americans had captured Aachen and
Saarbrucken in Germany and reach
ed Strausbourg in France, and the
disclosures by headquarters only of
advances toward those points. There
was no denial at headquarters that
these cities had been reached and
neither was there any confirmation.
A front dispatch from Associ-
ated Press Correspondent Yves GAL
lagher said the Moselle River bridge
head was established in the face of
stiff German resistance and tended
(see WESTERN FRONT, Page A-3.)