The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-02

Sibret and Lutrebois to be dealt with by the main forces moving up in their wake.
 Senochamps, Chenogne and Hou- mont, two to five miles west-south- west of Bastogne, were captured by the Americans, while nine miles to the west they re-took Remagne after losing the town to a German counter-attack Sunday.
 MOircy Retaken
 The NaziS recaptured Moircy 1-2 miles northwest of Remagne after three days of furious fighting, but other American units outhanked that position on the east and west by driving to within 1-2 miles of Tillet and about the same distance south of St. Hubert.
 Headquarters spokesmen and heavily field dispatches were vague about the progress of Patton's central column striking di- rectly northward into the German flank above BaStogne.
 At last reports, the Americans had driven a deep wedge into the German lines well north of Long, champs, five miles above Bastogne, indicating they were only dozen miles or less from a juncture with American First Army forces below Manhay on the northern wall of the salient.
 It was the threat of that june ture that appeared to have prompt ed the German decision to pull back their most advanced panzer spear heads at the western tip of the salient.
 Farther east of Bastogne, the Third Army continued to make slow progress in the rugged Luxembourg hill country below Wiltz. German counter attacks were beaten off in the Nothum are. two miles south- west of that highway town. and heavy fighting was reported under way just south of WiltZ
 Headquarters also confirmed be- latedly a German announcement | that Echtelnach, on the Luxem- bourg- German border Is miles northeast of Luxembourg City. was reoccupied by the Americans on Dec. 28.
 Just north of Echternach, the Nazis were being backed up against their own frontier formed there by the Sure river, and it was disclosed that some American patrols had the river into the outposts of the Siegfried line.
 The new German counter-b blows on the Seventh Army front some 100 miles southeast of BaStogne cen tered in densely- wooded area ex- tending l2 miles east and southeast of enemy hold Bitche.
 The Germans opened their thrust with two batalion-strength counter attacks in the Bitche sector Sunday night and followed through with supporting blows in the Bannstein forest six miles to the southeast By midnight the attacks had spread another five miles east to the area around Dambach and 1t was that the Americans aad been forced to give up some of ,he positions they had carved out
 
 Counter Attacks
 Fifteen miles west of Bitche Ger nan troops were reportd counter attacking with undisclosed results against the American Third Army in Germany's Saar Val ey around Sarreguemines.
 German skirmishers also were abbing repeatedly at the northern iank of the Ardennes salient with put success, losing a considerable number of troops who were per nitted to infiltrate the First Army ines and then were surrounded.
 At the same time, other German ines along the Maas river in Hol- and and at French positions on the outhen end of the Allied front in he Vosges mountains.
 The Allied air forces took up the lttack on the Ardennes pocket and ts rear communications bases along he Rhine in great strenwth yester- lay, shooting down at least 205 Ger nan planes, ard the U. s. Eighth Iir forces heavy bombers returned O the attack again this morning.