The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-01

by the French First Army that cost the enemy more than 5000 killed and 2,500 captured in the past 48 hours alone.
 The French apparently had taken over the entire 50-mile front along the west side of the Rhine river and were rapidly caVing in the big German pocket around Colmar as well as the two menacing enemy bridgeheads north and south of Strasbourg, 38 miles to the north east.
 In the Ardennes meanwhile, the American First and Third Armies continued their steady deployment along the fringes of the Slegfried Line, bringing the German fortihca- tions under direct artillery and small-rmS fire.
 Preliminary Drive
 Upwards of 100. .000 troops from at least seven divisions were on the attack. but headquarters sources in dicated the drive still was in the preliminary stage and that no maj or attempt to break through the deeply ccheloned Siegfricd forts had begun.
 The deepest penetrations of Ger man soil were made at the north crn end of the first army line, where the 78th infantry occupied Kesternich, five miles northeast of Monchau. and cluster of villages in the same general area Tine 78th also pushed across the Roer River to take Widdau. 2 l-2 miles due east of MonSchau and about five miles farther to the southeast they drove almost mile into Germany to the outskirts of Udenbreth.
 The First Infantry Division In its advance on Udenbreth. was reported meeting increasingly stiff resistance from Nazi infantry and armored forces, as was the 82nd Airborne Division moving across the German border farther south.
 Vanguards of the 82nd crossed the frontier in the the Gerolstein Forest east of LanZcreth at point | about four miles below Udenbreth and 12 miles northeast of St. With.
 Four German tanks were des- troyed and four others were cap- Lured, along with an enemy am dump and four field guns yesterday. ans front dispatches said 1882 prisoners were taken in thc last "A hours-the biggest one day bag since the First Army drive started on Jan 3.
 Five miles southeast of St. With, | Third Army units carved out a new bridgehcad across the | Our river at Elchterath and ad- vanced more than a mile into Ger many. Other Third Army forces captured Steinbruck. mile north west of Elchterath, and Steffeshau- sen, three miles to the southwest.
 No major changes were reported from the still-quiet British and Canadian fronts to the north of the Seventh Army lines the Saar and the Rhine palatinate.
 On the Alsatian front, however, the French First Army attack was reported building up into a full scale offensive to knock the Ger mans back across the Rhine. Front | reports said American and French units Of the First Army were pour Ing tanks and infantrymen across the Colmar-Rhine Canal east of Colmap in bid to cut the enelny's supply and escape route to the Rhine.
 AndOlsheim Bound
 At last reports the Allied columns were about three miles south of the | canal and advancing on the high | way town of Andolsheim, 2 l-2 miles east of Colmar Another force was flaming out eastward toward Urschcnheim, four miles west of the Rhine.
 Seventeen miles to the south, | other French troops were chopping Into the lower flank of the pocket | above Mulhouse, and heavy street lighting was reported inside Cernay | and Wittelsheim, ' l-2 and five | miles northwest of Muhousc.
 Hard fighting also was under way in the Erstein sector. 26 miles northeast of Colmar and 10 l-2 miles south of Strasbourg. where the French were pushing the Germans back toward the Rhine. less than four miles east Of Erstein. The Ger mans were beginning 10 evacuate their forces across the river on ferries and pontoon bridges.
 Eight miles northeast of StraS- bourg. the French cut away the southern anchor Of the Nazis' | Rhine bridgehead with the capture of Gambsheim and the adjoining | town of Bettenhoffen.