Evening star., 1945-02-24
U. S. Troops Fight
Within .l9 Miles
OfCdoene
By the Associated Press.

They overran IT towns and
surged as deep as 3l2 miles be-
yond the Roer River.
Infantrymen on the northern
wing of a 22-mile assault arc were
IL miles from industrial Muenchen
Gladbach and "a miles from Dues
seldorf, on the Rhine below Cologne
Bridgeheads from l to 31a miles
deep were firmly established on the
Roer's east bank and l 400 prisoners
were swept up in the first day of
the assault, which was launched at
$3.50 am. yesterday.
Troops crossing between fallen
Juelich and besieged Dueren cap
tured Niederzier, 10 miles short of
Cologne. Farther north the Amer
lean 9th Army's deepest surge
toppled Baal, II miles from Muen-
chen Gladbach.
40 Divisions Reported in Action.
The American battle line was
being pressed forward over the
Cologne plain against an enemy
who was stunned by the first shock
of the assault
Berlin broadcasts declared the full
force of Gen. EisenhoWer's push
had yet to be reached, and that
40 Anglo American divisions are
thus far employed in the western
offensive"
The German high command re-
ported bitter fighting, but asserted
the Americans had been unable "to
penetrate to our main battlefield in
major depth"
The Germans struck back with
six tank-led counterattacks which
failed to halt the American onrush.
American 1st Army troops cleared
one-fourth of Dueren, on the Roer's
east bank.
Resistance Stiffening.
But thick and strong defenses lie
ahead German resistance was re-
ported stiffening.
Through the night more men and
supplies were hurried across the
muddy and flooded Roer.
South of this breakthrough bid,
the American Sd Army seized 16
more towns and gained up to 4
miles along a 20-mile sector Ger
mans in Northern Holland are thin
ming their forces, pulling back to
the Ijssel River line from the Arm
hem area north to the Zuider Zee.
another front dispatch declared.
Doughboys of the 1st and 9th
Armies were driving well beyond the
ch-Juelich-Dureen road by
nightfall yesterday.
Their push. presumably Matched
at Yalta to coincide with huge Rus
sian operations, seized all of Juelich
except the ancient. wide-moated
citadel, and enveloped Baal, Kor-
renzig, Broich and Hanback, in
brisk street fighting.
German Lines Are Thin.
Six German divisions spread along
the Roer front were spread too thin
to halt the drive, but they were
backed up by still powerful German
forces. Some of these, however, had
been sucked out of position by other
attacks-three panzer divisions were
rushed over week ago into the de-
fense against the Canadian 1st
Army's push around the Kleve flank
of the Siegfried Line.
The 9th Army, pouring thousands
of men over the Roer by nightfan,
also captured Selgersdorf south of
Julich, Broich and Altenburg just
north of Julich, and Glimbach.
Genevich, Boslar and Rurich.
Kempen and Oberbruch were
taken. North of Dueren doughboys
neared higher ground above the
river slope, capturing Daubenrath,
Selhausen and Neiderzeir.
The German counterattacks fell
In the Gevenich- -Glimbach area. So
great were the shock of the Amer
lean attack and the ruinous effect
of the aerial seal-off of the battle
field that the first did not come
until $50 o'clock last night.
1,400 Prisoners Captured.
Along the middle of the western
front, the Sd Army captured 1,400
prisoners yesterday, including 1000
taken from the crumbling bulge
northeast of Vianden. The bulge
now is 4 miles from east to west
and miles from north to south.
Cavalry units advancing miles
took seven towns from to miles
northeast of Vianden. The Goth In
fantry Division seized six more up
to IL miles southeast of Pruem. The
9Th Armored Division gained a mile
and a half toward Neuerburg, at
the junction of the Wahl and Enz
Rivers about z miles northeast of
Vianden. It was az miles from
high ground overlooking Neuer-
burg, center of the bulge in which
badly -disorganized Germans were
seeking frantically to escape.
The Sd Army has taken 5,206 pris-
oners in the last three days.
A dispatch from the Canadian
front in the north said the Germans
were withdrawing troops from the
Dutch islands at the mouth of the
Rhine Estuary as well as pulling
back to the Ijssel River north of
Arnhem.
The rocket zone near the coast
presumably still is garrisoned. it
said, but there is continuous enemy
One additional man from
the District area has been
i ro1,oTfod Lj1IoJ -, tbie ,ror CO. |