The Wilmington morning star., 1945-04-10

IN Hamburg, Hanover anu
e German armies, stricken by
the loss of a half million men
in 10 terrible days of combat,
were putting the torch to the cities
which they seem unable to save
from the Allied onslaught.
American troops fought into vir-
tually encircled Essen, Europe's
greatest ornaments city, and cap
tured the ruins of the famed Krupp
munitions works, idle since an
Raj obliterction bombing in
Marcia. The nearby Ruhr city Of
Gelsenkirchen fell without a shot.
The British Second Army and
the U. S. Ninth, First and Third
Armies were hammering toward
the Elbe, which runs within so
miles of Berlin, shoulder-to-shoul-
der along an arching front Of 200
miles.
While the British joined lines
with the Ninth Army for the as
sault on Hanover, the main
weight appeared to be swinging
northeastward where vanguards on
the Weser river were so miles
from the Elbe at Hamburg, Ger
many's second city. They were
battling a marine division hustled
down from Hamburg and German
troops from Denmark.
The Paris radio said the Brit
ish also had entered Bremen, but
the last reports from the front
said they were locked in hard
fighting five miles from the city.
The U. S. Ninth Army threw
five divisions into its eastern
push, led by the motorized 83rd
Infantry Division, which broke
into the province Of Brunswick at
a point less than 70 miles from
the Elbe and 1877 miles southwest
of Berlin.
The Ninth Army's Fifth Armor-
ed Division also broke loose north
of the Second Armored Division,
which was enormously reported
to be 20 miles from Brunswick
Sunday. It was the 83rd which was
20 miles from Brunswick.
The U. S. First Army plunged
nearly 20 miles eastward on the
south flank of the Ninth Army
to within 1876 miles of the Reich's
capital. On it's south flank, the
U. S. Third Army moved it's lines
up 1923 miles from Berlin.
A field dispatch said the First
and Third Armies now were $50
miles from the Russians and close
enough to cooperate tactically in
cutting the Reich in half. There
was no official hint, however. that
such tactical teamwork had actual
ly begun, although it was possible.
More than 5000 Allied warplanes
failed supply and defense posi-.
tons in front of the Advanced AL
lies.
The Canadian First Army joined
up with Allied First Airborne Ar
my forces, split the lines Of two
German armies in Holland, and
pinned an estimated 10000 of the
enemy back in Hollands largest
cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam,
Utrecht and The Hague.
The Canadian Fourth Armored
Division broke out of it's Ems riv-
er bridgehead and dashed II miles
north to Beckhusen, 20 miles from
the rivers North Sea mouth. Clos
ing of this gap would seal off all
Holland and possibly double the
number of German troops strand
ed on Dutch soil.
Driving westward, the Canadians
came within sight of the Zuide1
Zee as they shut the door on
German forces in southwestern
Holland.
All roads out were cut save q
hazardous one over the Zuider
Zee causeway when Canadian ar.
NOR fought into the railway juno.
ton OF Meppel and the Germans
blew up the bikes, flooding the
1O-rnile strip of lowland between
there and the Zuider Zee.
One Canadian column, following
swiftly at the heels Of German
forces pulled out of northeast Hol-
land, raced % miles northeast.
on beyond to a point but % miles
ward, entered Sogel and pressed
from the North Sea and 81 miles
from the port Of Enden.
There was no rest for the Ger.