The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-04-11
American And Red
 Juncture Nearing
(Continued from Page D

I slow the American Seventh Army's drive across Bavaria toward the Nazis' boasted Hast redoubt" in the southern mountains.
 In the north, Canadian troops plowed ahead through the Ems river valley within 20 miles or less of the North Sea coast and British Second Army forces rolled up for Ham, burg in a weekly opposed drive aim- ed at turning the Elbe line and lop- ping of all of northwestern Ger many and Denmark.
 The British advance on the coast | prompted General Eisenhower's $ dramatic announcement on the German collapse. In special mess age broadcast to German North Sea port odicials and workers, Eisen- hover called upon them to prevent sabotage of the great harbors and naval bases by fanatical Nazi de- molition squads.
 Eisenhower declared that the German Armies of the west were in the process of dissolution and that his troops were moving in to take over the northern seaports.
 Tn these last weeks of the war the future of your towns is in the gravest danger from fanatics who may make last-minute attempt to make the ports unusuable," he said.
 '"The power of the man behind these fanatics is crumbling. It will be broken with the arrival of the Allied Armies. Then your ports will be used at once. It depends on what you do now which will be the first port re-opened."
 The proclamation urged civilians to avoid conscription into the Volk- sturm and to prevent the Nazis from conflscating their food sup- plies.
 As he spoke, the American Ninth Army was breaking loose on the rolling plains far to the east of captured Hanover. Vanguards of the 30th Infantry and Fifth armored division rolled ahead on the main Berlin Autobahn north of Brunswick, 104 miles due west of the capital, and reached a point five miles east of the city. Doughboys of the 84th Division, conquerorS of Hanover only 24 hours ago, were closing on Bruns- wick from the west while the 83rd Infantry and Second Armored Divisions outflanked the city with advance on parallel roads IS to 23 miles to the south. There they were skirting the northern corner of the Harz Mountains.
 White Flags Evident Brunswick itself was reported festooned with whit flags hung out by the war-weary civilian popula- ton.
 United Press War Correspondent Robert Vermillion reported that the Ninth Army columns were rol- ling forward at top speed over a countryside virtually unmarked by war. Throngs of German children lined the roads to wave and smile at the Berlin-bound Tanks. United Press Correspondent John McDermott reported similar triumphal parade on It. Gen Courtney H. Hodges American First Army line on the southern rim of the Harz Mountains.
 Hodges Third Arlnored Division fighting f1ercely to avenge the slay- ing of their commander, Maj. Gen Maurice Rose. was out in front of the advance, with 40-mile Spurt yesterday that ended with the cap- ture of Nordhausen, 115 miles southwest of Berlin.
 There they were only 54 miles southwest of the Elbe river fortress of Magdeburg, already menaced by the Ninth Army columns hankine Brunswick from the south.
 Eight miles southeast of Nord. hausen, an unidentified armored column rolled ahead 31 miles tc take Auleben, IA miles southwest of Berlin, and 8 third force ad- vanced 36 miles into Clingen, 1C miles farther south. At Clingen, the Tanks were only 57 miles due west of Leipzig, through which German troops have been reported funnel ling southward toward Bavaria.
 McDer1nott said the advance was going ahead almost without opposi- tion, with strong infantry forces following up fast to moy up dis organized Nazi units by-passed by the racing tank columns.
 Tt looks like the final hours ol World War two in Europe are al hand" McDer1nott said. reporting that there was no sign of a slow down in the First Army drive.
 "The Germans for all practical purposes have quit fighting, except in scattered. isolated places where individual units are making a do- or-die stand = mostly the latter = for the Fuehrer.
 There is absolutely no sign oi any organized resistance or any possibility that they will be able to form anything like a formidable defense barried before the Elbe, ol at all"
 On the First Army's right flank Patton's Third Army columns clos. ed to within four miles west ana 2 Ia miles southwest of Erfurt al Gottstedt and Schmira after gain ing six to seven miles yesterday Behlin said the Americans hat reached Erflrt. and uncouaruaes . 9Azeuih01Ww 1Ad1o TUp0ElD psSel thew beyond the city enroute q the Czechoglovak border, o6 mile to tho southeast.