The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-04-09
Hodges Men
Join In Race
For Capital
Allied Airborne Army
Throws Ring Around
Foe In Holland

PARIS, Monday, April S.-F-.
U. S. Ninth Army tanks roared un'
opposed along a superhighway to.
ward Berlin yesterday and last
were reported 1913 miles from the
capital as the U. S. First Army
Joined the race and the Allied First
Army threw a giant net around
two German armies in Holland.
1t was the Ninth Army's Second
Armored Division that surged out
onto the autobahn within 70 miles
of Brunswick. It was at least IS
miles ahead of the First Army's
Berlin-bound forces sWarming
across the Weser river.
Other U. S. Ninth Army forces
smashed within five miles of Han
mover. The British Second Army
drove up within artillery range Of
Bremen and laid siege to that u
boat center.
One British column approached
within seven miles of Hanover,
then wheeled northward and was
reported 81 miles from Hamburg,
Germany's second city and big.
gest port. The enemy said this was
an ambitious attempt to seize
Hamburg and seal off Denmark.
On the southern front, the 10th
Armored Division of the U. S. Sew
enth Army captured Crailsheim.
IS miles from Munich, then Wheel
ed 10 miles westward in a move
to trap sizeable German forces in
the Hebron sector.
The Germans were striving des-
perately to bring an ordered line
out of the chaos of defeat and col
umns of enemy troops were
streaming westward toward the U.
S. Third Army front, where an
American salient has been ham,
mered within 1870 miles of Berlin.
The U. S. First Army north of
this front was threatening to out
flank these fresh forces even as
they were struggling to get into
position. In an 18-mile thrust, 1t.
Gen. Courtney H. Hodges First
Army tanks and troops swept up
the ancient university city of Goet-
tingen, captured $1,000 wounded
German soldiers in hospitals there,
and pressed unopposed two miles
beyond, within 143 miles Of Ber-
lin.
The battle of humiliation in the
Ruhr pocket took a decision turn
as the Ninth Army fought into
Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen, two
of the basins biggest cities, after
taking 13,417 prisoners Saturday.
The First Army was driving in
from the east and south, gaining
four miles or more.
Allied airborne troops were
dropped over a wide area of north
ern Holland Saturday night, and
had established radio contact with
Canadian First Army armored
columns driving for a junction.
The Canadians were but II 1niies
from the Zuider Zee anu less than
a mile from the last good route of
escape open to the Germans out
of Rotterdam and Amsterdam
after smashing to within three
fourths of a mile>of the road and
railway center of Meppel
Another Canadian force ham.
mered northward into Haren, 81
miles from the North Sea and AZ
miles from the big port of Emden.
The Canadians broke German re-
sistance in the pivotal stronghold
Of Zulphen and were chasing the
enemy across the 1ssel river.
where the Nazis may stand to de-
fend Rotterdam, Amsterdam and
the Robot bomb coast.
On the U. S. Third Army front,
a big tank battle roared into its
second day and pilots said the
Germans were hurrying up rein
forcements from Weimar. The
Third Army took 10000 more pris-
oners yesterday.
Tanks and infantry Of the Sew
enth Army were four miles from
the ball bearing manufacturing
city Of SchWeinfurt.
On the south end Of the front.
the French First Army seized the
transmitter Of the Stuttgart radio
only IS miles from that capital Of
province. With q
population of $4,000, Stuttgart Is
one of the most important manu-
featuring cities of the Reich.
The French also captured the
Black Forest city Of Pforzheim.
Allied warplanes were once
more out in force after knocking
out 22l German planes who gave
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