Evening star., 1945-03-18
Remoeen Holdings
Enlarged, Section
Of Highway Seized
Hy the Associated Press.

PARIS, Sunday, Mar. 18.-His-
toric Coblenz-the biggest prize
since Bonn-fell swiftly to the
United States Sd Army today as
American armor and infantry
plunged forward against German
forces which appeared in COL
lapse through all of the Palati-
nate.
AS Coblenz toppled before the
flying columns of Lit. Gen. George
S. Patton's Army, the United States
7th Army, operating on the southern
end of the flaming Saar front,
smashed into Siegfried Line defenses
for gains of 6 to miles.
With the 45th and Sd Infantry Di-
visions pacing this assault the
7th momentum carried Americans
through Hornbach, only 31a miles
south of Zweibruecken.
Pincers Threaten Saar.
This placed the farthest elements
of the 7th Army only about 55 miles
by shortest overland routes from
Sd Army forces in Rheinboeller and
Ellern created the threat of great
pincers around all of the rich Saar
industrial area and its defenders.
Meanwhile, fast travelling Sd Army
tanks, 80 miles to the south of Cob
lenz ripped Is more miles across the
rear lines of two fleeing German
Armies and were possibly only 81
miles from the great Rhine escape
city of Mainz.
First Army troops, simultaneously,
expanded the important Remagen-
Erpel bridgehead east of the Rhine,
seizing control of AZ mile stretch
of the superhighWay leading to the
Ruhr and capturing several more
towns.
Flying tank columns of the Sd
Army's 4th Armored Division
reached the Nahe River-last bar
rier before Mainz-Yjth advances
that fast were cutting off all north
ward routes of escape out of the
Sar and Palatinate The Germans
said the Nahe had been crossed.
Peace Rumors Run Riot.
AS Supreme Allied Headquarters
reported these general successes on
all fronts, rumors of armistice and
peace ran riot through Allied
Europe. There was absolutely no
confirmation at Supreme Headquar-
ters that the Germans had asked
for cessation of hostilitieS.
Eyes were on Switzerland, where
many felt negotiations might come
In London only Friday night
responsible diplomats expressed
belief that a wave of German
peace feelers aimed at sowing
dissension among the Allies was
likely to strike neutral European
capitals. An authoritative source
confirmed that one such feeler
already had been firmly ig-
nored" when made to a British
official in Stockholm a few days
ago.
Meanwhile, Gen Eisenhower OBJ
viously was going ahead with bigger
blows against the Germans Rhine
front which may make the f1uke
crossing of the river at Remagen
seem Like tea party.
18th Army Still Mystery.
There also was the question of the
18th Army, that mystery army
which the enemy has reported al
ready in the field. There was no
confirmation at supreme headquar-
ters of that report, but it is possible
that the 18th may turn out to be an
even more powerful force than the
Germans think.
Moreover, the enemy has no way
of knowing but that there might
be still another army behind the
18th so long as the silence prevails
at Allied headquarters.
There seemed little doubt that the
Germans have given up all the
Palatinate as lost and their only
hope is for delaying actions which
will make the advance into the
Reich more costly to the Americans.
Gen. Eisenhower warned civilians
in Frankfurt, Mannheim and Lud-
wigshafen. in the 3rd Army's path,
that these big Rhineland cities would
be subjected to merciless lombard
ment and the Germans themselves
reported major break -throughs in
the starkest terms ever used in the
war
The 1lth Armored Division, which
Joined in the destruction of the
GPTfnan force hatmeen tho Rhina