The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-02-12
Capture Of Kleve
 And Pruem Certain
(Continued from Page 1.)

LOILI age 4J
 by the Allied high command in CO., ordination with the Red Army of fensive in the east.
 The curtain raiser" however was gaining ground at rate that stirred the German high command into rushing thousands of picked re- serves into the threatened area in frantic attempt to prevent a breakthrough into the Ruhr.
 More than 4,0O0 German prisoners already had been taken by Gen H. D. G. Crerar's Canadian First Army troops and the push across the Sodden Rhineland was continu- ing steadily despite the mud, floods and fanatical resistance from tough young Nazi paratroops rushed into the breach.
 More than 4,000 German prison CTS already had been taken by Gen. H. D. c. Crerar's Canadian First Army troops and the push across the Sodden Rhineland was continu- ing steadily despite the mud, floods and fanatical resistance from tough young Nazi paratroops rushed into the breach.
 Hard-bitten Scottish High finders were experimenting the attack on both ends Of the Nazi line. One Highland unit captured Gennep, 1-2 miles southwest of Kleve, after a fierce street battle, and thrust on past the town toward Goch, eight miles to the East.
 Kleve itself was stormed by the Kilties yesterday, and by midmorn- ing today they had battled the Ger mans back from street to street in. to a narrow pocket on the south western end of the city. Advancing behind a screen of flame throwing tanks, the Highlanders broke across the Spoy Canal that bisects Kleve and began roofing the remaining paratroops from their last strong points.
 Most of the town apparently had been flattened by heavy Allied bom- bardment at the start of the offen- Sive, and field dispatches said arm o,ed bulldozaI5 were walloWing through the wreckage to clear a path for the advancing infantry.
 Scottish spearheads already had by-passed Kleve and were pushing southWard within six miles of Goch On highway running along the eastern end of the ReichWald for est The forest itself was all but cleared by English airborne troops Whc captured the 300-foot Matter born ridge and the town of Matter born, 1l3 mres southwest of Kleve.
 The Matterborn ridge, command ing Kleve 9nd the flat country sur- rounding, it was the core of the Nazi defenses inside the forest and it's ca ture nullified the suicidal resistance of small bJhds of Germans still hold ing out in isolated pillboXes farther to the west
 Canadian troops fighting on the left flank of the offensive front were stalled momentarily by flood waters backing up from the Rhine after they had captured the river town of Millingen, 6h miles northwest of Kleve, Duffelward, Keeken and Rim dern, two to five miles farther south. Rindern later was abandoned by the Canadians when Waist-deep water began pouring through the streets.
 On the U. s. Third Army front, infantrymen Of the Fourth division were rapidly clearing the last en- emy resistance from Pruem after outflanking the town from the north and south and crossing the Pruem river at four places on 10-mile front.
 United Press War Correspondent Robert Richards reported that the Germans appeared to be withdraw ing from Pruem without making a serious attempt to defend the town, which controls their only good road network in the entire area.
 Nazi Lines Buckling
 The German lines also were buck ling farther south on the Third Army Front, where Patton's troops consolidated their ten crossings of the Sure and Our rivers into three firm bridgeheads.
 The northernmost bridgehead around DaSburg, IT miles southwest of Pruem, was extended to width of four miles and depth of one mile, while 12 miles to the south a second Salient inside German soil measured four miles wide and 1 IA miles deep northeast of Wallen- dorf. Biesdorf, a mile northwest of Wallendorf, was captured.
 A third bridgehead of about the same size was being pushed out steadily by the American Fifth Di- vision in the area east of Echter- mach, ' 1-2 miles below Wallendorf. The Americans drove to the out skirts of> Ferschweiler, 3 1-2 miles of Echternach, and clear ed half of Bollendorf, a half mile farther north.
 The U. s. Seventh and French First Army fronts were relatively quiet, apart from an unsuccessful German counter-attack against the positions in Oberhoffen, four miles southeast of Hagenau Units of the American 36th Division launched strong attack against the German-held town of Drusenheim, four miles east of Oberhoffen, but