The Wilmington morning star., 1945-04-17
US. Reported
But s. Miles
From Soviiets
Units Are 80 Miles From
Munich; Bridgehead
Expanded

PARIS, Tuesday, April 17.-R)-4
Three American armies battled
possibly IS miles from Russian
lines today, hammerins five miles
beyond the Elbe liver, outflank-
ing the great fortress of Leipzig
and driving a steel wedge 30 miles
from the enemy's Eastern Front
base of Dresden.
Yet another American army.
the Seventh, broke into the Nazi
shrine city of Nuremberg. 30
miles north of Munich and an out.
er bastion of the Germans Alpine
retreat, where the final shots in
the war in Europe may be fired.
The U. S. Ninth Army was So
miles southwest Of Berlin after
hacking out a foothold five miles
beyond the Elbe, and unconfirm-
ed enemy reports said the Amer
leans had forced new crossing
farther north at Havelbert, As
miles northwest of Berlin and
some IS miles from Russian lines.
The U. S. First Army cut loose
with a 14-mile tank dash that
swept into Wurzen. IL miles east
of Leipzig, where an estimated L.
100000 civilians faced an ordeal
of fire ans steel because 10000
German troops are bent on maxi
ing a Stalingrad of that refugee
swollen fifth city of the Reich. In-
fantry battled up seven miles
south of the city.
The U. S. Third Army as well
as the First was IS miles from Rus
sian lines and slashing into the
rear area of German forces on
the Eastern Front. Both were up to
if not across the western bounda-
ry of German territory marked
for Russian occupation.
The Third Army laid siege to
Chemnitz, was seven miles from
the border of Czechoslovakia. and
showed a steel fist on northeast
of Chemnitz 80 miles from the
Elbe and Dresden.
The First Army at Wurzen was
10 miles from the Elbe - along
which the Germans may make
their final stand in central Ger
many - and was less than two
miles from the river farther north
as it opened an attack at the APP
proaches to Dessau, 81 miles
southwest of Berlin.
With the British and Canadians
threatening the north German
ports of Bremen, Emden and
Hamburg. and with the Allies
sqeezing enemy pockets in west
ern Holland, the Ruhr and on
Frances Atlantic coast, German
soldiers were giving Up by the
thousands.
A total of 66, 1911 prisoners were
counted Sunday, most of them
from the Ruhr, where German
Panzer division which had fought
in Africa and Normandy surren-
dered. Equally surprising was the
abrupt capitulation of tough Ger
man marines to the Canadians at
Groningen, Hollands fifth largest
city.
For all that, Gen. Eisenhower
dampened any optimism that the
end of the war in Europe was I'M
minent.
He told visiting radio correspon-
dents that war probably would not
end until Allied troops had COM
pletely occupied Germany, and no
victory would be proclaimed "un.
til all important enemy pockets on
the Western Front have been Wlp-
ed out"
Allied air forces were Fastening
that day with tremendous blows
at the German Air Force, Destroy
ing 842 additional enemy planes
yesterday.
In the north, the British Second
Army launched a big assault on
Germany's fine river port of Bre-
men, advancing to within two and
a half miles of it's southern out
SklrLS anu 1dl tllSl GdoI wv ASOoS
with a 15-mile surge from its AL
Ter river bridgehead that wound
up only 40 miles southeast Of Ham,
burg, Germany's second largest
city.
The Canadian First Army won
the battle of north Holland by cap.
turing Groningen, and famed out
all along the North Sea coast TO
within five miles of the port At
Emden.
Farther south, Canadian armor
all but pinned four German divi-
sions against the Zuider Zee with
lightning drive that rolled up
northwest of Anthem to within
five miles of the old Dutch water
line guarding Utrecht, Rotterdam
and Amsterdam.
The battle of the Ruhr was al
most at an end, and with 10000
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