The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-03-30
Ruhr Section
Nearly Taken
FronCermany
British Second Army AT
Least Al Miles East
OF Rhine

PARIS, Friday, March 30.-F
Tanks of the U. S. First Army,
scattering all resistance on 4 dazz-
ling 55-mile sweep, roaded up with
in 1856 miles west of Berlin yester-
day and all but cut the Ruir basin
from the rest of Germany, there
by robbing the enemy Of his last
great source of war material.
The British Second Army raced
across the north German plain
under a news blackout, was at
least Al miles east of the Rhine by
last account and was within 60
miles of a junction with the First
Army. Between the two armies
were thousands Of Germans in dis
ordered flight.
While the northern defenders of
Berlin's approaches reeled under
these tremendous blows, the U. S.
Third Army slashed almost half
way across Germany's waist with
a 20-mile eastward surge that net
ted a total Of $4,000 prisoners, a
record for one day.
All Germany's great western
cities, her last reliance in any
long--drawn struggle, were topp-
ling into Allied hands.
Already the Third Army had
Frankfurt, the Reich's Ninth lar
gest with a population Of $4,000,
the U. S. Ninth Army had Duis-
burg, population $4,000 and Eu-
ropes biggest river port, almost in
the bag, and the U. S. Seventh
Army captured Mannheim, popu-
lation $4,000.
The Germans, realizing the en-
or;nity of the disasters in the west,
wrote off as lost the entire Ruhr,
with such manufa curing cities
as Essen-greatest munitions max
er of all Europe-Hamm, BORT
mund, Dusseldorf and Muelheim.
The First Army cut one Of the
most important railways from Es-
sen to Berlin as well as a super
highway, leaving only two rail-
ways still open out of the Ruhr
to the capital.
Luxembourg radio said the
British had entered the Westphal-
ian capital Of Muenster, cutting
one Of these railways. There was
no confirmation, but hard-riding
British tanks were only II miles
aWay when the news blackout was
clamped on.)
The u. S. First Army reeled off
the longest gain ever made in a
single day on the Western Front,
sweeping around the headwaters Of
the Ruhr river, and completely
outflanking the vital production
center.
Running roughshod through
demoralized German defenses, the
hard-hitting columns knitted to a
point 10 miles south of Paderborn,
43 miles almost due east Of the
big city of Hamm, rear door Of the
Ruhr. They apparently were across
the Ruhr-Berlin superhighway.
This put them but 81 miles south
west OF Hanover, and well out
straight east across the Westphal-
ian plain and last was reported
about So miles from a junction
with the First Army.
simultaneously, the U. S. Third
Army lunged out 20 miles east
across the mid-German plain.
herding the disorganized enemy
before it and rounding up $4,000
prisoners.
At last reports it was within 1913
miles of Berlin, but the German
radio said the Third Army's Fourth
Ar;nored Division had driven at
least II miles farther on and was
within less than 100 miles Of the
border of Czechoslovakia.
The Third Army captured Frank
furt on the Main, Germany's Ninth
largest city with a normal popu.
lation OF $4,000, and As miles to
the southwest the U. S. Seventh
Army seized Mannheim, Rhine fac
tory city Of $4,000.
While the U. S. First Army
wheeled abruptly north, and the
British Second Army-with Amer
lean infantry riding its tanks -
1oared up from the west, German
oroadcasts wrote off the once rich
Ruhr, greatest of the enemy ar
senals.
The Ruhr, said one enemy war
correspondent, was nothing but
one wide field of rubble in which
he army and the Volksstrum fight
side by side with nothing to lose
out their lives"
CONTINUED nm pa1o rro. ~>y .,