The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-04-01
Allies Clamp Trap
On The Ruhr Basin
Continued from Page One)

Continued from Page One)
Warburg, also was hammering on
either in or beyond Kassel, Fulda
river stronghold and provincial cap
ital of Hesse-Nassau, and battled
near Lautenhausen, both ITO miles
southwest of Berlin.
Another Juncture was effected
at the southern hinge of the west
ern front between armored ele-
ments of the U. S. Seventh Army
and the French First Army which
crossed the Rhine or 10-mile
front, possibly In the area of Karls-
ruhe. md was fighting eastward
against stiff resistance.
The crossing of the French was
made in the vicinity of Speyer
Seventh Army armored and in
fantry forces which stormed down
the highway toward Karlsruhe,
passed Ketsch and reached Hook
enheim in a 4-nile dash in which
the French were contacted
The j. S. 18th Army took its
place in the battle lines at an I'M
disclosed sector of the front, put
ting five American armies in ac-
| ton.
The U. S. Seventh Army struck
soft spot in German lines and
surged Is miles eastward, crossing
the Tauber river at two points IS
miles west of Wuerzburg and was
1870 miles west of the Nazi shrine
city of Munich and only 81 miles
from the Nazi Party's old rallying
grounds at Nuremberg.
May Block Nazi
| This concerted assault by the
Americans and the French threat
ened to block the Nazi leaders from
their presumed intention of max
ing final stand in the mountain
Businesses of Bavaria
The British Second Army, racing
more than so miles beyond the
Rhine with three afmored divi-
sions in the van. was under a news
| blackout but was believed either
fighting in Muenster or midway
between Muenster and the Ruhr' S
easternmost city of Hamm.
At the extreme northwestern end
of the trans-Rhine front, the Ca
madam First Army was 10 miles
beyond the river and driving into
Holland with gathering speed. lib
Grating a half dozen Dutch towns
during the afternoon as it closed on
Anthem.
In the face of this mounting
threat. the Germans were clearing
out of all north Holland west of
Anthem and heading back for the
Reich. Dutch civilians told their
iliberators
For the Allies. it was the bright
est Easter of the war, for the Ger
mans the gloomiest
The Germans were laying down
their arms by the thousands. The
First Army took 11.206 prisoners
yesterday. the Third Army added
at least 10000 more, the Seventh
took 1900 and the British Second
! .50O-a total of IS, 900 prisoners in
Y hours.
The retreat from the Ruhr had
begun-too late-and fleeing con-
voys were bombed and strafed
from dawn to dusk.
Possibly the last great battle Of
the war west of the Ruhr valley
boiled over the fields south OF
Dorsten, where the Eighth Armor.
ed Division slugged with the cut
off and doomed German 116th Pan
ger division.
The Second Armored Division
covered 30 miles in So hours to
make its tactical junction with the
U. S. First Army. which was bat
Ting in Paderborn against the first
real enemy resistance since its
| breakthrough from the Rhine six
days ago.
1t by-passed all the big MUM
lions cities of the Ruhr, Essen,
biggest of them all. Dusseldorf
Hamm, Dortmund. Duisburg. and
cut across the fertile fields of the
Westphalian plain at such a clip
that one German headquarters was
found deserted with a half-eaten
meal on the table.
It rolled on through the moon
light of Friday night. turning me
battle into an obstacle race with
a determination to end the war ano
go home.
1t had bulled through troop
packed front and dashed ahead
lust as it did when it was r Ger
George S. Patton's outfit in North
Africa and Sicily, and in the way
it struck across the plains o.
a,d 1,4or ocroce AIoo Hoer