Evening star., 1945-01-17
British Troops
|ContinueG Gains
Above Aachen
Cross Roode River
At Two Points and
Drive Into Dieteren
MAP on Page Az
By the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
PARIS, Jan. 17.-Fresh and
rested British troops, in a re-
sumption. of the Allied offensive
have gained 1000 yards, crossed
the little Roode River at two
points and driven into the viii
lage of Dieteren, % miles above
Aachen, and still were progress
ing today through the icy ground
haze.
Their attack, started with a mas.
sive artillery barrage-Field Mar
shal Bernard L. Montgomery's mill
tary trademark-apparently caught
the Germans mapping.
To the south, the United States
lst Army, further reducing the Bel
gian bulge, drove to within 5 miles
of st. With, last major road center
which the Germans held in the
salient.
Inside Germany. farther to the
south, an undisclosed number of
enemy troops were trapped near
captured Butzdorf by Sd Army tanks
The British Tommies captured at
least one bridge over the Roode in
tact as they advanced, in white ca pes,
through relatively soft spot In
German defenses. British divisions
in the attack had not been engaged
In the battle of the Belgian bulge
now reduced to about a fourth its
original size.
Driving Toward Roer.
The little Dutch town of Dieteren
is Q miles from the German FROM
tier and 6 miles north of Sittaro
The British appeared to be driving
toward the Roer River on the left
flank of the United States 9th Army
which guards its banks from Lin
Mich to Schmidt.
The fog which shrouded the at
tack of infantry and tanks also
slowed the progress of the British
who could hardly see their buddies
along the assault line. Roads were
slippery with ice and sleet. Under
meath all were massive German
mine fields, planted during three
months of lull.
The attack presumably was in
tended to straighten out a German
wedge into Allied lines, it was backed
up overnight by Intruder air raids
on German billet areas in the towns
'of Wassemburg and Wegberg just
east of the Roer.
The German salient in the Ar
dennes was flattened back until
nowhere was it more than Is
miles deep. The United States 1st
Army was battering relentlessly
down from the north toward st
With, last main road gate back to
the Siegfried Line. A few German
snipers were being hunted down in
the ruins of fallen HouffaliZe.
Nszis Being Beaten Back.
In the Maginot Line battle north
OF the Haguenau Forest, the United
States 7th Army had withstood three
days OF an increasingly powerful
German attack against the village
OF Hatten and was slowly beating
the Nazis back from the town
Three fourths of it was in Allied
hands; about 1900 Germans with
f1ame-throwing tanks were in the
other fourth.
The cross-Rhine German stand
north of Strasbourg was under two
way attack by 1t. Gen. Alexander M
Patch's troops for the first time. The
7th Army gained a mile at both ends
of the pocket despite German rein
forcements which built Nazi strength
to $500 men and dozen tanks.
In the Belgian bulge, the Ameri-
can 1st and Sd Armies joined up in
captured Houffalize, Is miles west of
the German frontier. That union
obviously sealed out of the battle
zone those British forces which had
been mopping up scattered German
pockets to the west. It also reunited
the 18th Army Group of 1t. Gen
Omar N. Bradley, whose 1st, Sd and
9th Armies were split by the German
offensive.
The American assault on the north
flank finally won Thirimont and the
1st Division was pushing through
drifted snow and rugged country be-
yond Faymonville into the strongly
dug-in German lines guarding st
With. The 1st Army vanguards were
within 5 miles of that meeting place
OF two railroads and seven highways
and it was under artillery fire.
Advance Through Forest.
The 30th tOld Hickory Division
of Maj. Gen. Leland S. Hobbs OF
Washington moved closest to St
With by advancing through spruce
forest east of Recht
Only $40 prisoners were taken in
the closing of the Houffalize pock.
ct yesterday, another indication oi
the successful German retreat from
the pocket, Associated Press Core
|spondent E. D. Ball reported from
1st Army headquarters. Mr.. Bal
said the 1st and Sd Armies fought
together to capture Houffalize
1t. Gen. George S. Patton's Sd
Army captured Rachamps, Q miles
Thirteen additional men from
the District area haDe been re-
ported killed in this Ddr. See
"On the Honor Roll" Page AZ.
L .
tsee WESTERN FRONT, page A-2)