Evening star., 1945-01-06
MAP ON Page A-3.J

man winter offensive today
threatened Strasbourg from
three directions after the enemy
had burst through American 7th
Army lines for Is miles in five
days southeast Of Bitche in
Northern Alsace.
Meanwhile in the battle of the
Belgian bulge to the north British
and American troops butted against
stonewall resistance in the hard
wedge driven by Field Marshal Won
Rundstedt's first surprise attack
across Luxembourg and into Bel
gium.
The Americans still fought to
wipe out an advance guard which
had filtered into Wingen on the
Moder River, 91a miles southeast of
Bitche and % miles northwest of
Strasbourg, where the Germans
were within IL miles of Saverne, the
Vosges backdoor to Strasbourg.
The enemy had landed in bat
talon strength at least along T
mile stretch on the west bank of the
Rhine within 7 miles north of Stras-
bourg, and had lashed out from the
northern rim of his Colmar bridge
head and driven into Neunkirch, 10
miles south of Strasbourg.
Threatens United States Salient.
Although front line dispatches
said this new offensive had been
blunted, it threatened to pinch out
a 30-mile deep Allied salient be-
tween the Saar and the Rhine
which had been pointed into the
.Wissembourg gap. toward the Ger
man Rhine city of Karlsruhe
The Americans were drawing
back from the Wissembourg area
and Allied authorities were battling
to prevent the spread of panic
flight among civilians in Strasbourg
and Haguenau.
The Germans had brought up
heavy artillery, up to 28o nm. long
range guns, and were pounding the
American hear centers of Saaralbe
and Saare Union.
The situation at Wingen was
obscure. 1t was not certain whether
the Allies still controlled vital high
ways from Strasbourg to Saare
Union and Sarreguemines.
A military expert explained that
the word "infiltration" used to de-
scribe the enemy penetration to the
area might easily cover powerful
assault, considering the heavily
wooded terrain
Offensive Virtually Stopped.
The slight Allied gains, and even
some Withdrawals of forces around
the rim of Won Rundstedt's Ardennes
bulge indicated the offensive to
erase the damage Of that break
through had ground to a virtual
stop.
Blizzards, giving way to fog, ice
crusted roads and intense cold, COM
bined with expert German defense,
were handicaps which even a new
secret artillery weapon developed by
the United States Navy had not
overcome.
The continued bad weather and
intensified enemy counterattacks
along the northern rim of the salient
slowed the pace of Field Marshal
Sir Bernard l.. Montgomery's offen-
sive, involving the British I'd and
United States LIST and 9th Armies.
On the south side of the salient,
1t, Gen. George S. Patton's Sd Army
men, under the overall command
of 1t. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, made
the most progress despite with
drawals in the Bastogne area under
repeated German counterattackS.
The 80th Infantry Division crossed
the Sure River and entered Goes
dorf, IL miles southeast of Bastogne
Road Cut by Yanks.
Thirteen miles west of Bastogne,
other infantry drove up half mile
and cut the st. Hubert Bastogne
road within 2 miles of st. Hubert,
at the southwestern tip of the Ger
man wedge Tillet, 8 miles west of
Bastogne, was captured.
Since the start of the push on
the north side Allied lines had been
driven forward 31s miles at the
most.
One gain of 21a miles in the
Lierneux area to the edge of that
town 10 miles north of Bastogne
ironed out kink in the line yes
terday, but advances were mostly
limited to around 1000 yards.
In one advance on its east flank,
1st Army vanguards reached the