The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-10
5O,OO0 Nazis Trapped In Eifel Mountains As U.S.Widens Bridgehead
BY BRUCE W. MUNN

Paris, March 10. - (UP)- Reinforced American first Army troops beat off weak German counter-blowS a g ainSt t their deepening Rhine bridgehead today and joined with U. s. Third Army forces west of the river in a mass roundup of perhaps 50,000 Germans trapped in the Eifel mountains.
 (Radio Paris broadcast an unconfirmed but possibly correct report that the First Army already had stabbed eight miles or more east of the Rhine to cut the broad, high-speed military highway linking the Ruhr and Rhine land to Berlin and Central Germany.)
 The University of Bonn, on the west bank of the Rhine l3 miles north of Remagen and l2 miles south of Cologne, was captured by the First Army's First Infantry Di- vision yesterday, along with Bad GodeSberg, 3 miles to the south. Bonn fell after a savage street bat tie in which casualties on both sides were reported heavy. The Rhine bridge in the town was blown up, however, before the Germans quit.
 Unofficial information reaching headquarters from the blacked-out First Army front across the Rhine said the Bridgehead opposite Re- magen last night covered an area of more than 50 square miles and was being built up steadily against sporadic and still disorganized Ger man resistance.
 The Americans were flaming out rapidly through the rolling hills overlooking the Ludendorf bridge from the east, northeast and south east, clearing their invasion gate from the direct fire of German ara tillery.
 Front dispatches said . swelling tide of men, guns and tanks was rushing across the bridge under heavy but ineffective enemy she'll fire.
 German military spokesmen 1n- dicated tank and infantry units of the American Ninth armored Di- vision east of the Rhine already had reached or entered the ancient city of Linz, 2iz miles southeast of the Ludendorf bridge, as well as Unkel, two miles to the northeast.
 Terrific Pounding
 Almost P hours after the incred~ ibly-easy capture of the Ludendorf gateway. the Germans still were trying desperately to move rein- forcements into the brC rkthrough area under Q terrific pou-lds from hundreds of patrolling American planes.
 United Press War Correspondents c. R. Cunningham and John Mc- Dermott reported from the Reman- gen sector that elements of one 1CLuldll dllLCl Olh4oAOll HCAC 4AkkkLe ing a weak delaying action against the advancing Americans. trying to hold on until their reserves had reached the scene.
 Seven German fighter-bombers, some of them reportedly jet-pro- pelled planes, struck at the Luden. dorf brdige at intervals yesterday in a futile attempt to choke off the How of Amerlcan men and armoR into the German Hinterland.
 Six of them were shot down n flames by hundreds of anti-aircraft guns maSsed around the bridge. and not a single bomb hit was scored or the vital invasion gate. One enemy bomb missed the 130-foor span by inches, splashing water 50 feet into the air in the faces Of doughboys marching across the bridge.
 McDermott said shells from Ger man long-range guns emplaced fay east of the river raked Remagen continually yesterday and in the early morning hours today.
 American possession of the hills just east of the Rhine prevented direct German observation. however. and made it impossible for the Naxis to lay a plunging fire on the bridge.
 Meanwhile. one of the wars greatest manhunts was being pressed relentlessly behind the west bank Of the Rhine by arTnored and infantry division of the Amer ican First and Third armies.
 The two Armies linked up yestss~ day around the river town of Brohh. IA i-2 miles north Of CoblenS and 7 l-2 miles south of the Remassn bridgehead. forging . loosely-knit trap around five Co six German dt-