The Wilmington morning star., 1945-04-16
Ninth Loses
Bridgehead;;
Another Made
Foe Says Americans Driv.
en- Back After Hitting
Capital

STOCKHOLM, April To- ~ -
American reconnaissance patrols
have reached Berlin's western
suburbs, the German-controlled
Scandinavian telegraph bureau re-
ported tonight from Berlin.
The dispatch said that small
American armored detachments
ranged from the Elbe ito the west.
ern suburbs of Berlin" but wers
forced to turn back after meeting
stiff resistance.
The same Nazi agency said also
that there was street fighting In
Chemnitz in south Germany and
that American advanced units had
reached the suburbs Of Dresden,
capital of Saxony.
A military spokesman said that
a meeting of the American and
Russian armies in the area OF
Dresden could be expected "any
day now
He declared that several Ameri-
can armo1ed columns" had crossed
the Elbe river west Of Berlin and
that the Americans controlled the
streams west bank from Witten-
berge 70 airline miles southwark to
Schoenebeck, south of Magdebu~g
Ivar Westerlund, Berlin cores
pondent for the Dagens Nyheter Of
Stockholm, reported through Ger
man censorship that Services held
in the Swedish church Tin Berlin)
today probably were the last Of the
war;"
Westerlund said all Berlin was
shocked by Saturdays (aeriaD
bombardment of Potsdam, which
completely erased the town.
PARIS, April Is. - up - U. S.
Ninth Army forces pounding four
miles beyond the Elbe river today
in furious fighting erupting SO
miles southwest of Berlin after the
capitals defenders dealt the Amer
leans a setback by smashing
second bTidgehead farther north.
While the Germans committed
at least three divisions to the
battle of Berlin, three American
armies far to the south were over
running the outer bastions of the
Nazis' mountain retreat. Van.
guards were within Is miles OF cut
ting Germany in two at the waist.
The Ninth Army was assaulting
Magdeburg. South of that city the
Second Armored Division was
driven back into the Elbe with
heavy losses Saturday after being
battered by the capitals leveled
antiaircraft guns. White flags flew
in Magdeburg after an all-night
bombardment.
The push toward Berlin opened
from the second bridgehead at
Barby, Is miles southeast Of Magde-
burg. Closest American forces to
the capital are those on the Elbe's
west bank northeast of Magdeburg
and As miles west of Berlin.
a German broadcast declared
that an American junction with
the Russian armies sis on the
point OF being realized with the
U. S. Third Army sto1ming into
the communications city of Chem
ritz 80 miles west of the enemy'S
big East Front base Of Dresden.
The U. S. First Army hammer.
ed across the Nude river north
OF Chemnitz and IS miles west Of
Dresden. On it north flank Il
reached the Nude near Dessau.
close to its junction with the Elbe
river 81 miles southwest of Berlin.
The Goth Infantry of the U. s
Third Army battled five miles
west OF Hof, striving to cover the
last 13 miles to the Czech border.
cut Germany in half and leave
only the circuitous roads of Czecho-
slovakia open for Germen. re.
treat to the Bavarian and Austrian
Alps.
Already the last good road be-
tween north and south GERMANY
was severed, and the 18th Armor.
ed Division captured the Wagner.
ian festival city Of Bayreuth, first
large locality to fall in the Ameri.
can drive into the mountain for.
tress of Bavaria.
There 1t. Gen. George S. Pat
toms forces were 124 miles north
OF Munich, where Hitler launched
the Nazi movement, and 173 miles
from his mountain retreat at
Berchtesgaden.
Continued On Page Five; Col ~