Evening star., 1945-01-11
Western Front
Continued From First PAGE

made the Ardennes break-through
IN slde-by-Side onslaught.
/ But enough is left for the core of
a new mobile reserve to back up the
line. still bulged we'll west of the
| Rhine.
For the next phase of the fight
whether 1t is another period of grim
defense or another high risk crack
at Gen. Eisenhower's line-Von
Rundstedt must have such a re-
serve. 1t seemed obvious that only
the lack of mobile reserve punch
ing power had kept him so long
from exploiting his dents into the
9th Army groups menaced positions
around Strasbourg in the Alsace
plain.
Indications were that the Ger
mans were trying to form a new
line all the way from Vielsalm to
Houffalize to Bastogne.
The 83d Infantry Division, COM
manded by Maj. Gen. Robert C.
Macon, captured Bihain and ad-
vanced to point miles north of
Houffalize. German tanks and in
fantry counterattacked strongly
southeast of Bihain, but the 1st
Army unit pushed on through the
deep snoWdrifts and seized another
strong point near Langlir
Parachute troops of the 82d Air
borne Division crossed the Salm
River north of Vielsalm and ad-
vanced more than 1000 yards.
Move Up From South.
Gen. Patton's l3 or more Sd Army
divisions were moving up from the
south on a 24-mile front from st.
Hubert to WiltZ in Luxembourg.
! Though there was no confirmation
OF the German announcement of
withdrawal from st. Hubert. the Sd
Army advanced up to a mile near
that Belgian road center and won
commanding ground a mile east and
slightly south. The ridges were de-
Tended only lightly.
| A few miles east, another mile
advance recaptured for the second
time the town of Tillet. miles west
OF Bastogne. This again cut the St.
Hubert-Bastogne highway, the enc
my main lateral supply line on the
south side of the salient.
4 The 4th Armored Division. COM
manded by Maj. Gen. Hugh Gaff- =
ney, pushed up a mile northeast
ward from Bastogne toward Bourcy.
| but withdrew to previous positions
despite the fact it met no strong
! German forces.
26th Division Advances.
The 26th Infantry Division, COM
manded by. Maj. Gen. Willard S
Paul, advanced half mile to within
500 yards of Wiltz, perhaps the
largest own taken in the German
offensive. The 101st Air-borne Divi-
sion tightened its hold on Recogne,
Az miles north of Bastogne.
The lone German Offensive
gesture against the Sd Army was
an attempt by large raiding party
to cross the Sure River few miles
south of Echternach.' Artillery
smashed the force.
Third Army cages now contain
10,160 prisoners taken since Decem-
Der %. The 1st Army had captured
1887 since December 16.
In the Alsace plain, II miles south
Of Strasbourg, the Nazis continued
to hurl tanks and infantry against
French lines in the Herbsheim and
Rossfeld areas in an effort to widen
the salient they have pushed up
along the Rhine -Rhone Canal. The
enemy failed to pass. The Germans
were reinforced in this area.
Bridgehead Being Erased.
The German bridgehead jutting
within miles north of the Alsatian
capital was being slowly squeezed
down. There was no sign of rein
forcements above Strasbourg.
The Germans counterattacked
strongly in the Bitche salient OF
Northeast France, but elsewhere the
60-mile front of 1t Gen. Alexander
M. Patch's 7th Army from the Rhine
to west of Saarbrucken was rela.
lively quiet.
The Germans attacked last night
southeast of Sarreinsberg. miles
below Bitche, and were repulsed by
morning. The enemy struck in bat
talon strength northwest of Rel.
| DPrtSwillpr on the Sollth Side of the