The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-21
Third Drives
Into Germany
AtTwoPoiints
p Towns 0verrun By Ar
mored Units Nazis
Launch Attack

PARlo, WeullSouos' ~
# Gen. George S. Patton's
rampaging Third Army broke
loose in a new offensive along a
5o-Inile front yesterday, invading
Germany at Two new points, max
ING new breaches in the West Wall
and overrmning % towns.
Pattons main blow was sud
dent armored invasion of the Mo-
selle Valley across the Moselle
river north of Remich, which
opened under a screaming artil-
lery barrage followed by an in
fantry attack south of Remich.
The twin attacks overran y
towns in the first l8 hours and
speared within two miles of the
Saar river. a main natural de-
tense line guarding the rich Saar
Basin, and within four miles of
Saarburg.
simultaneously, Patton tighten
ed trap north of Echternach that
threatened to isolate a 14-nile
stretch OF the Siegfried Line. The
trap engulfed 10 towns in two-mile
gains that rolled up both ends of
the disintegrating West Wall fac
ing the Our and Sure rivers.
In this area Patton's troops
from Echternach and Pruem were
driving toward junction behind
a 14-m;le stretch of the West Wall
and tonight were less than II
miles apart at Binscheid in the
north ard bersgegen in the
south.
When they meet they will have
neutralized the West Wall defenses
to their west and will be COM
pletely through the main crust of
the Siegfried Line on a 30-mile
front between the two towns.
The Third Army found German
defenses weak and crumbling al
most everywhere along its wind
ing 50-mile front. but in the north
ern Rhineland the Nazis threw
five powerful counter-attacks
against the Canadian First Army's
drive for the Ruhr.
The G m an counter-attacks
were directed at two Canadian
columns closing in on Calcar, on
the Canadians Rhine flank, but
there appeared to be no effort to
recapture Goch, one-time heart of
Nazl defenses guarding the north
ern Ruhr.
In Goch itself. Scottish troops
fought to eliminate the last Ger.
man richards in the southern Sec
ton OF the town and formal an
houncemet of the city's capture
appeared to De imminent.
Patton's new Moselle Valley Of
lenslve, opening under a thunder
ing artillery barrage of $1,000
smells, vas spearheaded by fresh
armored units that stormed west
across the Moelle river at three
PAGES on three-mile front.
The amor speared three miles
through shattered German defen-
seS' capturing Wincherigen, Pal
reaching Rommelfangen, four
niles vest Of Saarburg.
Inc Gath In ant try Division,
SMcn has lain in wait on Ger
aah soil south of the Moselle
.ol months, simultaneously explod-
" companion attack toward the
north. The Gath drove ahead three
nlleS' took S26 prisoners and
S Sd Or captured Oberleuker,
cana Muzingent Kirf, Weiten. Or
s s ana Freudenberg in t he
hrst 10 hours.
TINS iliS advance brought Patton's
nellantry within two miles of the
n A 18th Army Group spokes-
ha said that German defenses
A Aa collapsed and that the Third
,ay soon would be breasting up
vs. eainst the West Wall all along
we river line.
cra'tons second new invasion of
tied Ian! d was made by unidenti-
II w. =, divisional units near Dasburg,
49, H. 'ae center Of the 14-mile Sieg-
h hr stretch now being isolated
fos meeting of other Third Army
'oaces behind it.
MIL; lneSe troops pushed nearly one
b bnrs east, overrunning 81 pill
b bv%eS' cutting the Dahnen-Das-
r Gts highway and Selling a two
n sie stretch of highway north of
ten me weak state of German de-
by 'Se e IN this area was indicated
csnt Uefmans found manning the
Ta p.ured pillboxes. seventy-five
man e taken prisoner, including
SoI LjitpeFs Of labor battalion, one
WINK ei VINO was deaf and another
last a a crippled hand from the