The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-10
Gigantic Dam
0utfIankedBy
Yank Arm y
Third Army Hammering AT
Germans Behind Eifel
Stronghold

PARIS. Feb. 9.-tR-The Cana
dian Army broadened the front o:
;ts bic new offensive to almos
fen miles today after sweeping uI
Il towns in gains of nearly five
miles and drove to within fou,
miles Of flaming Kleve, imperileo
northern fortress of Western Ger
manys defenses.
The fury of the assault from the
West mounted on a 200-mile front
as Gen. H. D. G. Crerar's Cana
dian and British forces battered
eastward between the Rhine ano
Mas rivers q miles from Vessel,
at the northwest corner of t h {
Ruhr Valley-last great source Of
the enemy's war potential.
The U. S. First Army, IS miles
10 the south, outflanked the giant
Schwammenauel dam, w h o c
pent up waters could be Embossed
to crush any British and American
drive on the Ruhr from h T
springboard positions north n
east of Aachen.
Striking behind one of the heavi-
est barrages ever laid down by
First Army guns, the Americans
seized Hasenfeld, less than mile
east Of the dam, and brought the
structure itself within range of ma
chineguns.
Farther south, the u. S. Third
Army was hammering at the Ger
man defenders of the Eifel noun
tain stronghold of Pruem from pc,
sisions thre quarters of mile
northwest of the city. The enemy
fought furiously to hold the inpor-
tant communication center.
Less than six miles to the north,
doughboys already eight miles in
side the Reich threatened to out
flank Pruem by forcing two cross
ings of the river of the same name.
They were within four miles OF
the main road east out of the city.
In southern Alsace, all enemy
resistance was wiped out, an Off
cial announcement said, and vic
tory flags flew over the city of Col
mar. The only Germans remaining
Oh French soil were in northern
AlSace, where they were dug in
for nothing more than a defensive
stand.
Field Marshal Montgomery threw
reinforcements into the mounting
battle at the northern hinge of the
Western Front, where Canadians
and Tommies were slogging
through the mud against still rel
auvely light resistance about $50
miles from the Russians on the
Eastern Front.
In the second day Of the often
sYe they already were well into
Inc Reichswald-a forest protect
ing Kleve from the west-and were
hacking into the Siegfried Line aft
er passing through what veteran
troopers called The valley Of
Death
This valley of death was one
lhelr own shells and guns had Gre
aled-a scene of devastation mark
Cd by flaming houses, trees and
venlcles, shattered gun positions,
ana flattened earthWorks.
"A front dispatch, emphasizing
nat for security reasons the ex-
lenl Of the eastward push could
noV be disclosed, declared that it
was ol1flcult to see how the enc
my could hold back the crushir 9
sselght OF men and armor which
Asu oeen thrown into the assault.
-FOUR hundred British bombers
anu nghterbombers pounded enc
n!y positions ahead OF the ground
moops, while nearly 1000 other
Iva Go- planes bombed communication
fn." n an attempt to seal off the
a. I from enemy reinforcements
lying TO come up.
t,L least SIX more towns were
~ ,1Aen today to add to the eight
S W., were seized in the first
Oa " and night of battle.
co1 me strongest resistance was
e evlnlng from the Reichswald, but
tion WI 'AeSe naturally strong posi-
T7a lS were were gradually being neutra-
no eu by assaults from the north
"G e. and southwest.
poin. was possible that at som
t tSrn the attack had carried
bal tosh Inc first of three defense
on 9''s 8. which make up the West Wal
reno moAt dispatch timed at S pm
assam ing the broadening of t h {
cou nt't lines, said the prisoner
cant can5 mad risen to 1900.
canadian and British troops had
"'n''nued on Page Five; Col. 81