Evening star., 1944-12-03
Opposition at Edge
Of Cologne Plain
Fiercest of Winter
AMERICAN FIGHTERS bag 2S
Nazi planes in raid on Coblenz.
Page AS.

By the Associated Press.
PARIS, Dec. 2. - American
troops entered two anchor point!
of the main defenses of the Ger.
man Reich today-f1aming Saar.
lautern, important Saar Basir
industrial city into which they
penetrated deeply, and Julich
where they drove into the out
lying part of the town on the
western side of the Roer River.
At both Saarlautern and Julich
the Americans face river barriers
Julien, key point to the Cologne
Plain, lies mainly on the Eastern
side of the Roer. Across the Saar
from Saarlautern, burning from
aerial assaults, Siegfried Line posi-
tions were dented by other air bom-
bardments.
In the terrific battle on the edge
of the Cologne Plain, the United
States 1st Army at linden and the
9Th Army at Julich were encounter
ing the heaviest opposition of the
winter offensive.
Siegfried Defenses Blasted.
American 7th Army troops wiped
out the last remnants of the Ger
man bridgehead at the approaches
to the now demolished Rhine
bridges in Strasbourg.
Following attacks by nearly $50
medium and light American 9th
Air Force bombers which left Saar-
lautern in flames and tore open
nearby Siegfried Line defenSes,
doughboys of 1t. Gen. George S.
Patton's Sd Army entered the
Saar city at two points. They then
famed out over most of that part
of the city which lies west of the
Saar River.
The goth and 95th Divisions. with
elements of the 10th Armored Di-
vision screening them to the north
now hold a 14-mile stretch along the
Saar between Merzig and Saar-
lautern. The vital Saar basin has
been gouged deeply by Sd Army ad-
vances, but the river still is a barrier
to the greater part of this heavily
industrial region. The Germans ap-
parently hope to make strong
stand along this natural line.
The penetration into Saarlautern
was made by the 95th Division in
three-mile drive which put advance
units deeply into the city. Other
divisional elements pushed beyond
Altferweiller, three miles to the
southwest, and entered the town of
Bisten in the same area.
Threat to Saarbrucken.
Troops OF the 26th Infantry Di-
vision teamed up with 4th Armored
Division tanks and were fighting in
side of Saare Union, II miles south
of the Saar border, where the Yanks
are moving up the east bank of the
Saar River in potential outf1ank-
ing threat to Saarbrucken.
In this area, the Germans
launched two of the fiercest coun-
terattacks yet made in the current
offensive, using 40 to 50 tanks,
Fighter bombers came to the aid of
the doughboys, knocking out at least
six tanks, and the attacks were
repulsed.
These attacks, however, did per-
NIT the Germans to re-enter Mack
willer, according to field dispatches.
To the north, at the edge of the
Cologne Plain, gains of yards were
bought at a high cost of American
blood in the giant battle of attrition
that was entering its 18th day.
CThe 9th Army occupied
Linnich up to the Roer tonight
and has captured Liefarth be-
tween Beck and Lindern, a late
field dispatch said tonight
Thus. virtually the entire 9th
Army stood on the west bank Of
the Roer after recapturing two
towns lost yesterday. Fighting con-
tinued in Beck, to the west, and be-
fore Lindern, now in American
hands.
The 1st Army tried to break across
the Inde River after subjugatlng all
but one pocket in that part of linden
living on the west bank, but was
fought to standstill in terrific
artillery fire that saw shells bursting
1See WESTERN FRONT, Page A-4.)