Evening star., 1944-10-13
MAP on Page A-3.J
BY the Associated Press.

~ eAAS EASSoSaotCa ASSSs
LONDON, Oct. ia famous
American infantry division to-
day fought its way into Aachen
proper, now a smoking hulk of
ruins, after capturing all the
suburban Schlachtof factory
district on the northeastern
outskirts.
The Germans wheeled up REIN
forcements. including one of their
finest tank divisions, in a last
minute attempt to save the great
frontier city of 10000. The enemy
counterattacked heavily at Barden-
berg.
Opposition was surprisingly weak
as the doughboys entered the city.
which had been bombed and blasted
for two days by hundreds of dive
bombers and al almost solid ring of
heavy artillery plunging shells by
the thousands into its ancient struc-
lures.
Cross 16 Rows of Tracks.
The Americans entered the city
itself at $50 am. (4:30 am, East
ern war time) along a path blasted
by artillery and mortars. The YAM
KEGS crossed 16 rows of tracks and
started routing out dirty and beard
ed Germans holed up in the narrow
streets, which were cluttered with
debris.
The fighting was at close quar-
ters, sometimes with bayonets, some
times with small arms. Self-pro-
PEELED artillery moved into the city
with the infantry.
The Americans fought near fires
in many parts Of the old city.
The appearance of q fresh Ger
man armored division, shifted from
the Arnhem sector in Holland,
stirred expectation that a major
tank battle would soon be joined.
Aaehen, the largest German town
yet invested, was being obliterated
by American shells and bombs, but
there was no sign of a break in the
1,5O0 to 1000 Nazi SIS troops who
fought from the rubble and the sew
ers. Already IS per cent of Aachen
is estimated destroyed or damaged.
Nazi Pocket Destroyed.
Fighting also intensified at Wur-
selen and Haaren, the tips of
the Allied spearheads crowding the
thin escape hatch toward Cologne.
A German pocket was destroyed at
Wurselen, miles north of Aachen.
The end for Aachen seemed in
evitable-but there was no telling
how long the battle would last.
The Berlin radio gave conflicting
accounts. One broadcast said the
American assault had slackened and
that the Aachen corridor had been
widened to 4 miles. Another said
huge American reinforcements had
arrived, indicating major operations
were contemplated well beyond the
city.
The Allies improved their posi-
tions in Holland. Signs appeared
that Marshal Karl Won Rundstedt
was preparing a stiff defense in
Southwestern Holland, despite re-
ports of the destruction of the Rot
terdam docks.
Front correspondents said the
Germans were strengthening their
forces near the Schelde Estuary,
possibly for major attack against
the Canadian 1st Army to retain ap-
proaches to the Belgian port of
Antwerp. Planes spotted heavy
German traffic moving west from
Tilburg toward Breda and destroyed
81 vehicles
Considerable movement was noted
on the western waterways, where
planes damaged SO or more barges.
Swarms of fighter planes estimat-
ed to total $50 were hurled by the
Germans against American siege
lines around Aachen last night, all
apparently bent on removing the
immediate threat posed by dough-
boys who fought yesterday into the
city,s northeastern suburbs.
Twelve of the Nazis were shot
from the sky, six were damaged and
two other probable kills were regis
tered by American airmen. -Four
American fighters were lost.
The Messerschmitts and Focke-
Wulfs consisted one of the largest
forces of aircraft committed by the
Germans to single action in recent
weeks.
British Forces Advance.
British forces lunged mile for
ward from the right flank of their
Dutch salient pointed toward Arm
hem and moved within 10 miles of
the German border. The advance
was south of newly captured Over
loon.
Supreme headquarters disclosed
that Canadians on the south bank
Of the Schelde Estuary had been
reinforced and gained new ground
(See WESTERN FRONT, Page A-3J