Evening star., 1945-02-26
Smile Gains on Widening Front
Result in Fall Of 20 More Towns
Brood Advances
Also Scored
By Sd Army
By the Associated Press.

fantry and tanks today drove
within II miles of Cologne in
advances up to 5 miles on a
broadening front approaching the
Rhine and the great Ruhr in
dustrial valley. Twenty or more
towns fell overnight on a 28-
mile sector of the Cologne Plain.
First Army troops of Lit. Gen
Courtney H. Hodges surged closest
to Cologne, city of 10000 which
is described officially as the most
devastated city in all the Rhine
land.
The nearest approach was be-
yond the villages of Morchenick,
Golzheim, Girblerath and Rommels-
helm, all captured in night attacks.
First Army troops fought into Frau
wullusheim.
The AMERICANS were miles past
Dueren, which was cleared out yes
terday and swiftly approaching the
Erft River
Tanks Stream Across Roer.
Tanks streamed across the Roer
bridges to power the attacks of the
American 9th and 1st Armies. which
the Germans said were using 40 di-
visions or up to 100000 men.
The great Ruhr and Rhineland
city of Dusseldorf, with popula-
ton of $4,000, was less than 20
miles from the 9th Army. 1t. Gen.
William H. Simpsons shock troops
closed within a mile of the heavily
fortified communications center of
ErkelenZ and miles of the fringe
of the Ruhr industrial region and
Meunchen Gladbach, city of
127,O0O.
The Americans fought 26 miles
deep in Germany and less than 4
miles from the Erft River where
five German divisions offering
light to moderate resistance" on
the Cologne Plain were expected to
make a supreme stand to bar the
Americans from the Rhine.
Sd Army Makes New Gains.
South of the Cologne Plain, the
American Sd Army registered adj
vances up to miles which carried
the 4th Armored Division to the
Minis River in the vicinity of the
fortified center of Bitburg A dozen
or more towns fell to 1t. Gen.
George S. Pattons troops sweeping
toward Koblenz on the Middle
Rhine.
They fought 312 miles beyond
Saarburg in a gradual encirclement
of the ancient city of Trier.
North of the Cologne Plain, Field
Marshal Montgomery intensified his
attacks behind the preached Sieg-
fried Line and moved his Canadian
1st Army within 1000 yards of the
stoutly defended town of Calcar, 2
miles from the receding Rhine.
Overnight advances were up to a
mile and half These forces were
As miles north of the 9Th Army
flank moving toward the Ruhr.
The American 7th Army invading
the Saar district, Widened its front
inside Germany within sight of the
ruins of Saarbruecken.
More Prisoners Captured.
Everywhere on the western front
the destruction of the thinly spread
German divisions continued. Pris-
oners taken by the Canadians passed
$4,000 One division of the 1st Army
which captured Dueren second larg-
est German city to fall in the West,
captured 1000. The 9th and 1st
Armies took more than 5000 be-
tween them and other bedraggled
prisoners were streaming back. The
Sd Army took 2,7OO prisoners yester-
day.
Weather deteriorated somewhat.
German resistance on the Cologne
Plain, laced with old-style trenches
and dotted with profusion of forti-
fed towns, Stag heaps and villages,
was cracking badly under the DOW
erful blows of the 9th and 1st
Armies. Only five American divi-
sions have been identified in battle
so far.
The Sd Army in the center was
clear through 32-mile- wide breach
in the Siegfried Line and fighting
in other parts of the west wall be-
yond Saarburg.
No Important Counterattacks.
The Germans, backed up into the
outer defenses of the great but rub
bled cities of the Lower Rhine, failed
to execute a single important coun-
terattack overnight.
Ninth Army vanguards, Drawing
costly and delaying mine fields,
fought through hail of fire from
S8-millimeter guns toward the south
ern outskirts of Erkelenz (popula-
ton, 5000 in a dash toward the
Ruhr.
Among the towns captured was
-Oberembt, miles from the Erft,
II due west of Cologne and 26 miles
inside Germany. Others toppled
were Guesten, Haselsweiler, Spiel
Grantenrath, Houverath, Hertze-
rath, Triest, Morsel, Muntz, Mersch
Welldorf, Rodingen, Merzenich
Ellen, Binsdeld, Stockholm and
Kreuzau.
AS the Allied offensive ground
deeper into the vitals of the Reich,
heavy German rail and road move
ments were spotted east of the
Rhine, moving north toward Co
logne. That great communications
and industrial center lies almost en-
tirely on the west bank of the Rhine
and is doubly vulnerable to the
Fine additional men from
the District area haze been
reDOrted killed in this ,rnr See |