The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-03-13
Ruhr Factory
AreaMenaced
By Offensive
Holding On River Bank
Increased To Five by
II Mile Area i


today in the first big Allied as
sault east of the Rhine, scored
gains up to two and a half miles,
and expanded it's bridgehead to
nearly five miles deep and II miles
wide.
At least two more towns were
seized, bringing to o the number
captured on the east bank since
the Americans charged across the
Ludendorff bridge from Remagen
Wednesday.
The Germans said 1t. Gen. He'd
ges had thrown 10000 troops, in
Guiding two armored and two i'm
fantry divisions, into the push
which placed the Ruhr's factory
cities in their gravest peril Of
the war.
The greatest American advance
was eastward. More than four
miles almost due east of Remag.
en- bridge, tanks and infantry seiz-
ed Ginsterhahn and Hargarten,
slashed across a German lateral
supply line, and pressed to within
three miles of a super highway to
the Ruhr.
Previously, the Americans had
driven five miles north into Hon
nef on one main highway to the
Ruhr, and were less than rs miles
from the southern region Of the
60-square mile basin teeming with
war factories. One counterattack
was beaten back at Honnef today.
Eleven miles south Of Honnef,
forces driving south fought into
Hoenningen, six miles southeast OF
the Ludendorff bridge.
Associated Press Correspondent
Don Whitehead said the attack
rolled over the steep, wooded hills
of the Westerwald in the black
ness of am.
At first the Americans were met
by small arms, self-propelled guns
and a few tanks, but later the
Germans threw crack units into
the line and began striking back
with small counterthrusts.
The Germans were hurled from
heights east of the Rhine and to
the south. This robbed them of di-
rect observation of their artillery
fire, which was cratering the
bridgehead and had scored num-
Der Of Intellectual hits on the Luz
dendorff bridge. the Remagen life
line.
Boats shuttled men and supplies
across the Rhine to lift some OF
the load from the bridge, and
the Germans said Hodges had es-
tablished many Rhine crossings"
north of the bridge.
Whitehead said that Hodges had
so much power massed across the
river that only a major counter
assault could bulge it.
German broadcasts said the
Americans also were attacking
northeast of Honnef, which lies
astride one Of the main roads 10
the Ruhr, and said the furious
fighting around Honnef was -
fluid that it was not known which
side now held the town.
Honnef is five miles north Of
Remagen, and is the closest ap-
proach to the southern end Of the
Ruhr.
Enemy broadcasts predicted that
soon Field Marshal Montgomery
would lash out across the Rhine
north of Vessel in grand scale
offensive to clamp a giant pincers
on the Ruhr.
A news dimout settled over most
of the Western Front, where for
$50 miles along the Rhine, Gen.
Eisenhower holds the initiative and
has armies in position to cross at
any number of points.
One enemy account said the Brit
ish Second Army was making fran
tic preparations" for a crossing
between the Dutch border and EN-.
nine miles to the east.
Artillery duels ragged across the
river, the enemy said, as German
batteries tried to knock off bal
ance what the Nazis apparently
believed would be large-scale Al
lied offensive.
There was little news seeping
through from the U. S. Third Army
front, where 1t. Gen. Patton's
forces drew up assault lines a mile
from Coblenz and to the west had
broken the once huge Eifel noun
Continued on Page Two: Col. q