Evening star., 1945-04-09
MAP on Page A-3.)

Py the Associated Press.
PARIS, April 9-Allied troops
today fought within sight of the
North German cities of Bremen
and Hanover against shattered
German armies bled by 100000
casualties in 10 days.
Tanks crashed beyond both cities
down the last 63 miles to the Elbe
River, water barrier which flows
within so miles of Berlin.
Bremen was In flames. So were
Hanover, Brunswick Hamburg
and Lubbock and dozens of lesser
towns-apparently put to the torch
by the Nazis themselves. All avail
able bombing reports showed no at
tacks during the last "a hours on
either Brunswick or Lubbock.
The American 9th Army was with
in miles of Hanover, and was
expected to enter the city of 472,527
during the day, a front dispatch
said.
The British I'd Army last was
reported the same distance from
the great naval base and ship
building center of Bremen (342,52
and shelling the city. The British
menaced Hamburg, Germany's Sec
ond city, 54 miles from their van-
guards.
Canadian forces closed within 10
miles of the Zuider Zee and the
hard-pressed Germans blew the
dykes, virtually trapping Army
Group, H in Holland, once estimated
at 10000 men.
9Th Army Enters Essen.
The 9th Army, fighting within
1913 miles of Berlin, captured the
Pied Piper City of Hamelin (260OO)
and the old Catholic center of Hill
desheim (62,00O), and threatened
Brunswick, from positions less than
20 miles away.
1t. Gen. William H. Simpsons
men fought into the streets OF Es-
sen. largest city in the Ruhr, home
of the Krupp works and OF RelchS-
marshal Hermann Goering. They
also were in the second largest
Ruhr city of Dortmund C537 ,OO0)
and Gelsenkirchen (313,000). A
great proportion of Essens $4,000
population were skilled steel work
ers.
New gains of up to 9 miles were
reported today on the Sd Army
front, with the llth Armored Dl-
vision making the greatest advance
to the vicinity of Roth, 36 miles
south of Gotha The 9th Armored
Division in a 4-mile gain entered
Almenhausen, IL miles east OF
Muehlhausen and % miles north
west of Eyfurt.
1t. Gen. George S. Patton's ad-
vanceS we're scored in Stra1ghten-
ing his front, a task that was vir-
tually complete except for small
bulge 7 to IS miles south of Gotha,
which was 7 miles wide at the
mouth and tapered IA miles back
to its tip.
Associated Press Correspondent
Thoburn Want with the Sd Army
said resistance ranged from mod
crate to none among most of Gen
Patton's front.
100000 Nazis Captured.
The estimate of German casual
ties came from headquarters OF
Gen. Omar N. Bradley, whose 18th
Army Group has captured total
of more than 100000 Germans
German losses were estimated at
$4,000 a day for the last 10 days
in captured, killed and wounded
About $4,000 a day were taken pris-
oners. Allied losses were only a
fraction as large
Gen. Patton's Sd Army leads in
number of Germans captured with
418,501. 1t. Gen. Courtney H
Hodges 1st Army, two months
older, has taken 405,7 and the 9th
Army of Gen. Simpson has bagged
182,162 for a combined total of l.
OO6, 1866.
No figure has been announced
for 1t. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow's
18th Army, also a part of Gen
Bradley's command, which includes
more than million American
troops. Another American Army
the 7th, had captured almost 20O,-
900 German troops. 1t is a COM
ponent of 1t. Gen. Jacob L. Devers
9Th Army group.
250,0O0 Men Lost in Week.
In the first week of April the
Nazis lost 250,00O men alone, su-
preme Allied headquarters esti-
mated. On Saturday and Friday
82,550 surrendered.
The Sd Army, first to report to-
day. reported l0,887 taken yesterday
Greater than the prisoners was the
Sd Army capture of enormous Ger
man treasure, more than $1OO,000,-
900 in gold bullion alone. Huge
amounts of currency were taken and
since bombs have destroyed many
German engraving plants, the
Wehrmacht may have difficulty
meeting its payrolls.
Germany's Weser River line was
shattered along a 100-mile stretch
At the southern end of the front