The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-08

Courtney H. Hodges troops were slowly winning control ot fhe mighty Roer Dams, possession of which would be almost essential to the launching of an offensive across the Roer to the north.
 In German control, the dams could be operated to spih an 18-foot tidal wave down on any Allied troops tn atattempted to cross the Roer in the Dueren or Roermond sectors where the British Second and Amer ican Ninth armies have been mass ed for months.
 Infantrymen of the 78th division, supported for the first time by tanks. broke into Schmidt last night and were believed in full control of the town early today, carrying them within two miles northwest of the SchWammanauel Dam.
 Only few scattered German pockets of resistance remained in Schmidt when the Americans en- tered the town, and equally-feeble opposition was met in Kommer- scheid, half mile to the north, which fell to the 78th at midnight last night.
 Four miles to the south, other American forces edged slowly for ward into high ground dominating the Urfttalsperre Dam from the west meeting heavy rifle fire from Nazl forces entrenched east Of the dam.
 Despite earlier reports Of their capture, neither the Schwamman- auel nor the Urfttalsperre dam was in American hands early today. al- though both were commanded by American guns.
 A new miles farther south, other First Army troops broke out of the Siegfried Qualifications in a hard fought envelopment drive aimed at the twin strongholds of Gemund and Schheiden. Both towns were under close attack and unconfirmed re- ports said Schheiden had been cap- tured.
 Malsbenden, mile west north west of Gemund, was taken by units of the Ninth Infantry Division late yesterday, while Hellenthal, three miles south-southwest of Schleiden fell to the Second Infantry. On the right flank of the advanc- ing First Army, It. Gen. George 5. Patton's Third Army veterans closed in on the German supply base ol Pruem from the north, west and southwest, after cracking open a two-mile deep belt of the Siegfried line in the Scf1nee Eifel forest.
 Patton's troops captured Ober- mehlen less than two miles north- west of Preum. Wascheld, 3 1-2 milse north of the city, an uniden- tified strongpoint 3 3-4 miles to the west, and Hollnich, six miles to the southwest. In the Wascheid area | the Americans were only mile or less west of the Preum-Cologne highway.
 Still farther south, vanguards or four Third Army divisions consoll- dated their footholds on the east side of the Sure and Our rivers at ten points inside Germany and began moving up steady stream of rein forcmeents for the drive into that section of the Siegfried line.
 22-Mile Front
 Patton,s new offensive was grind ing through the outer works of the west wall on front of more than 22 miles extending northward from the Echternach area to point above Cleryaux. Near the lower end, the Americans captured Wallendorf. seven miles northwest of Echternach. while IA miles farther north they advance a half-mile into German soil to enter Dasburg. Fighting was reported continuing inside the town early today.
 Far to the south in Alsace, French First Army forces drove nine miles south of captured Neuf- Brisach to reach Blodelsheim, mile west or the Rhine, and they cleared the west bank of the river as far AS Namb- sheim, six miles below Neuf-Brisach.
 The advance left the Germans with only a narrow escape corridor to the Rhine bridge at Neuenburg, nine miles southeast of Nambsheim.
 The bulk of the German force left in the pocket had fallen back to the east side of the Rhine Rhine Canal. less than six miles west Of the Rhine, and were waging a fight ing withdrawal toward tn eNeuen- burg bridge. American and French troops were closing in rapidly from the north, west and southwest.
 Headquarters of the French First Army announced that all organized German resistance in the high Vosges mountains farther west had ended. German remnants in that area was splitting up into small groups in a desperate attempt to slip through the Allied lines to the Rhine.