Evening star., 1945-04-18
YunksCIeur Half
Of Nuremberg;
Fight in Leipzig
MAP on Page A-5.)
By the Associated Press.

~@SNNStesNN
PARIS, April 18.-Lt. Gen
George S. Patton's Sd Army to.
day entered Czechoslovakia, bi.
Secting Germany.
Censors would pass only the bare
report that Czechslovakia was en-
tered.
presumably, the invasion was
IN the Plauen area, where troops
of the Goth and 26th Divisions
last were reported within 4 miles
of the frontierD
The 9th Army of 1t. Gen. William
H. Simpson captured Magdeburg
securing firm anchor on the Elbe
River opposite Berlin The indus
trial and commercial center of
334.358, was the Goth largest city
of Germany before bombs and shells
reduced it to the smoking ruins
which the He'll on Wheels Cd
Armored) and Old Hickory (30th)
Divisions captured.
Meanwhile, the 1st Army stormed
to within 1000 yards of the center
of surrounded Leipzig and the 7th
Army cleared half the Nazi con-
gress city of Nuremberg.
Allies Gathering Strength.
All along the front, Gen. Eisen-
howerS armies were gathering
strength for the final drive eastward
to meet the Russians.
The Ruhr triumph assumed pro-
portions of the greatest victory of
the war, even more costly to the
Germans than the defeat at Stalln-
grad. Already 309,484 prisoners have
been taken from the industrial trap
and $4,000 more were expected to
surrender today. This does not in
clude countless German dead The
Germans lost 100000 killed and cap
tured at Stalingrad, one of the de-
cisive victories of history.
Supreme headquarters announced
that 2,O55,575 Germans had been
captured in the west since D day.
About $4,000 surrendered yesterday
to run the April total above 875,000.
The halving of Germany was of
more geographical than immediate
military Importance, because the
enemy still has circuitous contact
between North and South Germany
through the mountains of Czecho-
slovakia.
Eastern Czechoslovakia has been
deeply invaded by the Russians,
who today we're fighting within
sight of the industrial city of Bru-
enn. 1t was the seventh, or perhaps
the eighth country invaded by Gen.
Eisenhower's western armies. The
others were France, Belgium. Hol-
land, Luxembourg, Germany and
Monaco. Some of Gen. Eisenhower S
forces in the Maritime Alps may
have crossed the Italian frontier
as we'll.
British Near Hamburg.
The British fought through the
Bremen suburbs and advanced to
within 18 miles of the greater port
of Hamburg in exploiting wide
break-through of German lines be-
fore the Lower Elbe River.
British tanks in sweeping for
ward on 40-mile front also moved
within u miles of Harburg. which
lies across the Elbe south of Ham,
burg The British reached to within
miles of the Lower Elbe and drove
into the outskirts of Luneburg, city
of 10000, against scattered resist
ance.
Dusseldorf, greatest city of the
Ruhr, was falling to the 18th Air
borne Division. CThe Brussels ra-
dio said it had already been cap
tured)
Halle and Dessau we're falling to
the 1st Army, which was closing up
the southwest portion of gigantic
siege arc around Berlin, So miles
from the nearest of 1t. Gen. Court
ney H. Hodges troops.
Chemnitz was under frontal as
sault from 3rd Army troops after its
commander refused surrender ul-
timatum. Third Army troops were
about 30 miles from Dresden and
rs miles from Russian lines.
Canadians closed to within 2
miles of the Zuider Zee on the
south and advanced in preached
dixie floods toward Utrecht, AM
sterdam, Rotter d a m and The
Hague. Up to 100000 Germans
might be trapped in Holland.
Another Trap Reduced.
Another trap in the Harz Noun
tains was reduced to about ITS
square miles, half its original size,
by 1st and 9th Army gains.
main front, the French mopped up
the mouth of the Gironde Estuary,
pressing the last German barring
access to Bordeaux back against the
Atlantic: Rear Admiral Michaelis,
commander at captured Royan, sur
rendered.
Another forgotten front" fared
into action in the Maritime Alps,
where French Gen. Molle's 9th Al
pine Division captured several peaks
and entered Briel, near the Italian
border.
The North Sea port of Emden was
almost within small-arms range of
the Polish 1st Armored Division on
the Ems Estuary opposite the city.
Stuttgart in the south was out
flanked by the French Army which
was rolling up the last of the Sieg-
fried Line in the Black Forest. The
French moved 25 miles southwest of
Stuttgart.
In the battle southwest of Berlin
f1ame-throwing American 9th Army
tanks reduced the last snipers' nests
in Magdeburg, west of the Elbe