Evening star., 1945-01-01
Patton Striking at
Waist Of Bulge
Beyond Bostogne
MAP on Page A-5.)
Ey the Associated Press.

PARIS, Jan. Third Army
troops have shattered a strong
German counterattack seeking
again to pinch off Bastogne,
while other forces of 1t. Gen.
George S. Patton were reported
today to be striking heavily
northeast to narrow the 13-mile
waist of the Belgian bulge.
The counterattack cost Marshal
Won Rundstedt 1$ tanks.
The Germans hit with tanks, ar
tillery and infantry at Chenogne,
southwest of Bastogne, and north
of Letrebois to the southeast.
At these points the enemy columns
were 512 miles apart.
Nazis Attack 7th Army.
Meanwhile, the Germans smashed
at the United States 7th Army line
on a 10-mile front on both sides of
Bitche in five successive attacks,
two of them in battalion strength,
in what may be another major blow
by Won Rundstedt.
1t is too early yet to assay the
weight Of the onslaught, but the
German &C umander's Christmas
offensive acl oss Luxembourg into
Belgium started in much the same
fashion.
Bitche Is a strong point in the
old Maginot Line, 13 miles south OF
the German industrial city of
Zweibrucken.
Luftwaffe Challenges Allies.
The best flying weather in well
over a week touched off blazing air
battles over the western front.
The Luftwaffe came up by the
hundreds to answer the challenge
of Allied air forces and So German
craft were claimed as definitely de-
stroyed in preliminary reports Of
these, 33 were downed in sWirling
battle above an American airfield in
Belgium.
Some so MeSserschmitt 109s and
Focke Wulfs attacked the field and
were met by American fighter de-
fenses which knocked down all but
II of the attack group.
(The German communique said
American positions had been at
tackled on wide front on both
sides Of Bitche on sector from
which major forces have been
withdrawn" The enemy claimed
the destruction of 121 tanks yes
terday between the Meuse and
Moselle Rivers)
Northern Flank Quiet.
Supreme headquarters said the
northern flank of the Ardennes
salient was quiet. Northeast OF the
corridor to Bastogne, Gen. Patton's
men were attacking to the north
east. Immediately south of Wiltz
the Sd Army made some progress
northward. Farther east the Sd
captured Reisdorf south of the Sure
River and Az miles east of Diekirch.
The battle remained fluid and in
decisive.
Both armies had the same aim:
To pinch off large segments of op-
posing troops. The Germans once
again appeared to be striving for
the road center of Bastogne where
the 10lst Air-borne Division said
Nuts" to Won Rundstedt's demand
for surrender. The Allied aim was
to pinch off the whole western end
of the German salient.
Battle dispatches covered action
only up to yesterday morning. These
reported German resistance stiff
ened south of Wiltz and said Nazi
artillery was more active east OF
Bastogne and in the Saarlautern
bridgehead area in the Saarland.
Rochefort's Recapture Confirmed.
Supreme headquarters confirmed
the recapture of Rochefort, 25 miles
northwest of Bastogne. A front
dispatch reported only patrol action
along the north side of the bulge.
The determined enemy efforts to
cut into the Bastogne salient from
both sides betrayed his anxiety lest
this area become springbohrd for
a drive across the Belgian waist to
trap an estimated three to five Ger
man divisions west of Bastogne.
Saturday night accounts, finally
passed by censors today, said the
Sd Army had gained up to 2 miles
in eight hours in a renewed tank
attack and infantry drive northeast
ward from the Bastogne sector. The
attack was along 7-mile front west
and southwest of Bastogne. 1t pro-
gressed smoothly without real re-
sistance until it reached point 2
miles south of st. Hubert, where
German defenses stayed the ad-
vance.
The southern edges of Moircy, II
miles west of Bastogne, and Re-
magne, 10 miles southwest, were
reached before the Nazis cracked