The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-19
Seventh Army
Cracks Saar's
DefenseLines
Yanks and French Chasing
Foe From Last Port
of Ex, IL
VI iIdACe II.

PARIS, Monday, March 1e.@R
u. S. Third Army tanks and.
troops, overrunning one-third OF
Germanys doomed Saarland,
swept unchecked Sunday across
the Maize river 81 miles SOUTH
west of Mainz, vital exit for 10000
enemy troops in frantic retreat to
the Rhine.
The U. S. First Army, robbed Of
one important lifeline by collapse
of the Ludendorff bridge, never
theless drove nearly two miles
north along the Rhine's east bank
close to the edge of inner Ger
many's plain.
1t was announced officially that
the fall of the central span Satur-
day would be less of catastrophe
than was feared, that the gap soon
would be repaired and once more
would be in operation. Some of
the 200 Engineers at work on the
bridge when it plunged into the
Rhine were killed but many were
rescued.
The U. S. Seventh Army was
smashing through the Saarland's
Siegfried Line on 25-mlle front
as the German First Army fled
before the mounting peril from the
Third Army in its rear.
On the 3O-mile eastern segment
of that front, American troops
with their French allies along the
Rhine were rapidly chasing the
Germans from their last foothold
on French soil.
American fighterbombers spread
ruin along highways clogged with
German troops fleeing the closing
Jaws of the Third and Seventh
Armies, now possibly Is to IS
miles from swapping shut in the
heart of the Saar After the Third
racked up new gains Of 10 miles.
1t appeared that the western
Saar was we'll emptied Of German
troops, and that industrial basin,
which Germany took back by pie
biscite when Hitler began to re-
arm, was falling swiftly to Ameri-
can arms.
The Maize River.-last important
barrier in the path of the Fourth
Armored divisions rush, was eros
sed at Bad Krueznach, health re-
sort famed as German Army
headquarters in the First World
War.
While tanks were overrunning
most of this city of $4,000 popula-
ton on the Nahe's east bank, the
goth Infantry a few miles north
pushed eastward six miles and en-
tered the west bank town of Bing-
en-, II miles west of Mainz.
1t. Gen. George S. Patton's ar
NOR and tanks now were on the
Maize river at points along its en-
tire length, and held Is miles Of
the Rhine's west bank for Is miles
southeastward from conquered
Coblenz.
Patton's blows at the Saarland
from the west were dealt with
equal force.
The Third Army captured the
western anchor Of Merzig and
came crashing through the basin's
northern border in push pronnis-
ing speedy junction with the sew
enth in the heart of the Saar.
CA BIC broadcast said the arm
les were but Is miles apart after
the Third had cracked into st.
Wendell, 18 miles northeast Of
Saarlautern.)
The German co.nmunique said
the Third Army's flying tank col
umns, which unhinged all defenses
west of the Rhine with a break
through along the valley, had
broken across the Maize river at
second point "a miles southwest
of Mainz, through which two beat
en- enemy armies are fleeing.
In the midst of these smashing
successes west of the Rhine came
the bad news that the great Lud-
endorff bridge, seized by the First
Army in crossing the Rhine March
Z, had collapsed.
Without regard for this loss,
the First Army drove nearly two
miles northward, broadening its
east bank grip to Is IL miles. The
First captured an airfield almost
six miles east Of the Rhine, and
widened to six miles its hold on
the superhighway to the Ruhr.
1t was announced officially that
loss Of the bridge, which gave way
Saturday afternoon before Engi.
neers could repair it fully, would
not impair the First Army's ability
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