Evening star., 1945-02-23
Western Front
Continued From First Page }

fensive started with a violent drum
fire barrage last night with the AL
lies using phosphorus shells, among
other things.
The Americans established sew
eral small bridgeheads across the
Roer between Linnich and Jelich (6
miles southeast" Berlin asserted,
"heroically fighting Germans have
succeeded in sealing of the bridge
heads and frustrated the bringing
up OF fresh enemy reinforcements.
Resumption of Red Drive Seen.
The Allied grand scale offensive
which began this morning will prob
ably be the signal for resumption of
the Russian offensive. The Ger
man command has reckoned with
such a co-ordinated synchronized
attack" -
| Along the Roer, which the Gef-
mans flooded through dams at tsthe
headwaters, the British 2pds ard
American 1st Armies have beeh
standing in mighty strength for
weeks. The Roer has been subsidine
and the current yesterday was re-
ported only from 3 to 5 miles an
hour, sufficiently slow for engineers
to bridge it,
Linnich is So miles south of Goch.
center of the Canadian offensive
which has attracted 10 first-rate
German divisions This, with re-
ported large scale Withdrawals from
the western to the Russian front,
has considerably thinned German
lines
Montgomery Drive Reported.
The German radio said Field
Marshal Montgomery also had be-
gun new breakthrough" attempts
at the northern end of the Allied
line, in coordination with the
American attacks in the Aachen
sector, but did not name the exact
point of the Montgomery attack.
The Eisenhower offensive was be-
gun at 5:45 am, the Germans said.
in the wake of yesterdays great
aerial blows and following ldrumfire
artillery barrages by thousands Of
guns.
Although Allied headquarters Is
yet had not confirmed the Berlin
accounts Of the new offensive, signs
multiplied that the big push could
not be far off If it had not actually
begun.
1t. Gen. William H. Simpsons
American 9th Army has been ar
rayed. in the Linnich area, baked
for weeks by the flood stage of the
now-subsiding Roer and possibly
reinforced by the numerous Ameri-
can divisions which Secretary of
War Stimson said yesterday had
been landed at Antwerp.
Move Toward Dueren.
| The Germans reported the Ameri-
cans crossed the Roer with tanks
north of Linnich and infantry
crossed south of the town.
The crossings of the muddy Roer
were preceded by the Smelling last
evening on Koerenzig, TX miles
northeast of Linnich, with phos-
phorous missiles, the Germans said.
To the south Of the Linnich area
the Americans also were attacking
with tank and infantry formations
along the road leading to Birkeshof,
a mile north Of Dueren, the broad.
cast added.
Il 1t said yet other attacks were be.
lieved taking shape south of Dueren,
where heavy artillery barrages were
directed at Niederau and Kreuzau.
respectively 2 and 3hz miles south
of Dueren.
Gen. Patton's tanks and infantry.
men who ripped two holes yesterday
in the northern edge of the Saar,
moved at a pace so rapid that one
front-hne armored force oflicer said
This looks like the payroll"
| A field dispatch from the Sd Army
| front said that overnight the cath
Infantry made a third crossing Of
/ the Saar and entered Ockfen, q
miles northeast of Saarburg. This
/ spearhead was aimed toward Trier.
1 The two bridgeheads won south
OF Saarburg were being steadily ex-
/ plotted. One group was engaged in
heuse-to-house fighting in Serrig,
/ east of the river. The other was
driving ahead against small arms
and mortar fire east Of Taben.