Evening star., 1945-04-08
9th Crosses River South Of City;
Last Big Jap Navy Force Crushed
1st Army Beyond
Weser, Sd Knocks
Out 40 Tanks
Ey The Associated Press.

PARIS, April Limited States
9th Army tanks outf1anked
Hanover today in an l8-mile
drive that swept across the Leine
River 10 miles southeast of the
city and roared down the direct
road to Berlin-140 miles ahead.
On their south flank the United
States 1st Army crossed the Weser
River at numerous points against
light resistance and west of the
stream was locked in raging battle
with German troops held in their
battle positions by their pistol-point-
ing officers.
On the north flank the British
End Army drove on east of the Weser
to q point 20 miles west of Hanover
as it's tanks speared northward to
within 20 miles of the big port of
Bremen.
The United States Bird Army
struck the tottering Reich a re-
sounding economic blow by captur-
ing Germany's Fort Knox" an un-
derground storehouse at Merkers in
Thuringia containing 100 tons Of
bullion-said to be all the nations
gold reserve-and billions in cur
rency and art treasures.
40 Nazi Tanks Knocked Out.
At the same time, the 3rd Army
shattered the first big counterblow
aimed at its spearheads thrust
within 1870 miles of Berlin by
knocking out 40 tanks in melee
west of Muelhausen.
Bled white by disasters east and
west of the Rhine, the once-mighty
German Army seemed poWerless to-
stem the big push on Berlin and
United States lst Army staff officer
declared confidently:
The German Army no longer
is capable of maintaining a cohesive
front. We are entering the final
mop-up stage"
From the salient thrust up near
the North Sea SoutheastWard for
300 miles to the Siegfried Line in
the edge of the Black Forest, this
was the front by front situation in
what the Germans themselves
called "the battle of decision"
The Canadian 1st Army famed
out IS miles south of the North Sea,
cutting road after road on the diked
lowlands of Holland which two
hemmed-in German armies must
have for attack or retreat.
Retreat Lane Sealed.
Allied planes clamped an aerial
seal-off on the 19-mile lane of re-
treat running up around the Zuider
Zee from Amsterdam and Rotter-
dam, roaring out of the clouds
and pounding everything that
moved.
The British End Army in gains
up to 35 miles was quickly sealing
the fate of Bremen, seat of Ger
many's once vast sea traffic, and was
threatening to cut off the Danish
Peninsula and every enemy naval
base on the North Sea.
Early reports had placed the Brit
ish within II miles of Bremen, but
this later was corrected officially to
20 miles. This drive put the British
60 miles southwest of Hamburg.
Farther south, tough British para
chute troops drove II miles beyond
the Weser River to point 20 miles
west of Hanover, the city which
gave them England's present royal
dynasty.
Ruhr Pocket frightened.
The United States 9th Army. be-
sides outflanking Hanover, crashed
13 miles through the roof of the
Ruhr pocket. knocking out Soest-
a city 16 miles southeast of fallen
Hamm which the l25,000 trapped
Germans had converted into key
stone for their stand-and-die de-
fense.
The United States 1st Army,
while knocking in the sides of the
Ruhr pocket from east and south,
turned on its main power toward
Berlin. The Weser crossing was
100 miles west of the Reich's capital.
The United States Sd Army was
building up power swiftly for re-
newed blows.
It's forces were in the best posi-
ton to link up with the Russians
ITO miles to the east-and to cut
Germany in half by driving the
En1r additional men from |