Evening star., 1945-02-07
Reich Invaded on 22-MiIe Front
In New Drive by PATRONS Forces;
Reds WidenKuestrin Bridqehead
4 Divisions Move
Across Our and
Sure Rivers
MAP on Page A-4.)
BY the Associated Press


PARIS, Feb. -Four divisions
OF the American Sd Army today
invaded Germany anew on %
mile front, storming across the
Our and Sure Rivers between
Echternach and point in North
ern Luxembourg S miles north
east of Clervaux.
1t. Gen. George S. Patton's shock
troops crossed the rivers by boat
and bridge at seven points and at
tackled the Siegfried Line. Intense
smau-arms fire from the fortifica-
tions was encountered, but early ar
tillery reaction was light.
SThe fresh invasion gave Gen.
Eisenhower's armies a virtually con-
tinuous 120-mile front in Western
Germany between Holland and the
industrial German city of Saarlau-
tern.
West Wall Penetration.
In the north, the American 9th
and British I'd Armies are past IS
miles of the Siegfried Line The
American 1st and Sd Armies are at
or through the first West Wall forti-
f1cations OH a 57-mile sector from
the Upper Roer near Schmidt to
Echternach.
(The Berlin radio said "a vio-
vent artillery barrage which has
been laid down by the United
States 9th Army on both sides
of Dueren for three days may
well herald an imminent often
sive in this sector"
(The German high command
communique said the British I'd
Army had been repulsed in fierce
attacks on the lower Roer, in the
Geilenkirchen Roermond area.
Later, however, the German
radio reported Nazi withdrawal
to more favorable positions
northeast of Eschweiler." miles
northeast of Aachen.)
Half Mile Inside Germany.
Initial gains put Gen. Patton's
men half mile inside Germany and
among pillboxes of the Siegfried
Line.
The new Sd Army invasion of Ger
many started in the cold darkness
before dawn. The 9Th Armored,
18th Air-borne and 5th and 80th |
Infantry Divisions were used in the
drive.
Farther north in the area where !
the Sd Army had bored clear
through the Siegfried Line, foot |
troops advanced a mile and a quar-
ter to within 3 miles of Pruem, ma
jor enemy supply and transit base
The 1st Army, flanking the Sd to
the north, encountered stiffened
opposition in the last half mile of
the eastern belt of the last known
Siegfried Line Notifications The
I'd and 99th Divisions won control
of two-thirds of Hellenthal, 3 miles
south of Schleiden, and fought for
the remainder.
Other Advances Scored.
Other of 1t. Gen. Courtney H.
Hodges men fought within a half
mile of Schleiden, Gemuend and
Schmidt-all bolt positions at the
extreme eastern edge of the double
belt of fixed Notifications.
Americans and Frenchmen swiftly
beat down the German holdings
south of Strasbourg, capturing nu-
merouS Alsatian towns and running
their prisoner toll since January 20
to more than 10000. The once i'm
posing and threatening Colmar
pocket had been split in two The
western segment in the Vosges was
less than so square miles.
The eastern part of the pocket
was compressed against the Rhine
below Neufbrisach, the old moated
Rhine fortress which supreme head
quarters said had finally been
cleared. The western approaches to
the Rhine bridges to Breisach were
captured.
Steady drizzles and continued
thaws limited visibility on the front.
No Artillery Preparation.
Maj. Gen. Leroy S. Irwin's 5th
Red Diamond Division crossed the
Sure River into Germany in rubber
boats and wooden assault craft and
on a foot-bridge at three points
along a Smile stretch just north of
Echternach, site of a Benedictine
monastery, and Bollendorf.
Elements using foot bridge just
north of Echternach showed sub
stantial forces over the river within
a few minutes of the zero hour,
! am. The men went over the top
Without artillery preparation, in
order to gain maximum surprise. It
as this force which drove half a
lie into the Reich.
At two landings farther north, the.
Three additional men from |