The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-14
Third Lashes
Out In Drive
At Saarburg
Ninth Air Force Battles To
Keep Vital Span
Intact

PARIS, Wednesday, March II
LP)-The Germans attacked the
American Remagen-Erpel bridge
head with at least 60 planes yes
terday and fought stubbo-nly in the
hills east of the Rhine river, but
u. S. First Army troops pushed
relentlessly deeper and reached
within two miles of the great SIX
lane superhighWay linking Frank
furt-on-Main and the industrial
Ruhr.
Gains made by American infan-
try were measured in yards, but 1t
was pointed out that the advances
gave the Doughboys control OF I'M
portant heights controlling the
bridgehead, which now was bei--g
speedily built up with the help OF
a newly-erected pontoon bridge.
Throughout the day the skies
were filled with dogfights as the
enemy made frequent raids and
fighters of the Ninth Air Force
labored to keep them away from
the bridgehead area.
Half a dozen or more lightning
fast jet-propelled planes were
among the enemy attackers in the
Germans strongest air effort
since the Rhine crossing March Z.
American planes shot down ten,
claimed five probables and dam
aged six while losing four of their
own. Anti-aircraft gunners destroy.
ed others, but no tabulation of their
score was yet available. Monday.
when the German raids were light
er, ack-ack batteries shot down ~
enemy planes.
While fighting flared over and
around the bridgehead, the U. S.
Third Army dashed out in new
attack on nine-mile front in the
Saarburg area and advanced up
to IL miles.
1t. Gen. George S. Patton's new
thrust spearheaded by the Gath Di-
vision, was made on the Third Ar
my's right flank against the only
sizeable salient still held by the
Germans west of the Rhine. This
drive extended from a point eight
miles northeast of Saarburg to
about six southeast. Resistance was
said to be light TO moderate.
On Patton's left flank Third Ar
NV troops north of the MoSelle
river cleared eight more towns as
they compressed the enemy there
to a pocket four miles square.
The Third Army processed a rec
ord number of 6,446 Germans cap.
tured during the day, exceeding its
previous high of 1892 set August
lC, 1914. Together the First and
Third Armies have taken app~oxi-
mately 10000 prisoners in eight
days.
From the headquarters of Field
Marshal Montgomery came an an
nouncement that the final prisoner
count for the Rhine operations of
the U. S. Ninth and Canadian First
Armies was 50,477 and that Amer
lean forces in the 21st Army Group
have taken 46,303 prisoners since
the Germans Ardennes break
through.
Weather improved durinl the day
and tactical air forces flew 2,75O
sorties, downing % German planes
at loss of four medium bombers
and 10 fighters.
More than $50 Marauders and
Havocs of the Ninth Air Force
bombed an airfield near Frankfurt
from which German planes were
believed to be operating against
the Remagen bridgehead.
A field dispatch tonight from
Don Whitehead Of the Associated
Press disclosed for the first TINA
that 1t. Gen. Hodges First ARMY
Engineers had succeeded in throw.
ing temporary bridge across the
mide, swift river to share the
burden with the shell-scarred rail
structure captured in dramatic
fashion last Wednesday.
Todays bridgehead advances.
while not great in yardage, drove
the Nazls from high ground east
OF the Rhine from which their ar.
tllery observers had direct oh.
servation of both traffic-laden
spans. The Germans made nu.
merous small counterattacks, all
of which were repealed.
Berlin broadcasts declared
that 10000 American troops had
been damned into the ridgehead
and were waging a 'ferocious"
battle with tremendous air support
in an effort to break out of the
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