Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-02-28
MAP on Page A-4.)
By the Associated Press,

By the Associated Press.
PARIS, Feb. 28.-The American
LIST Army today crossed the Erft
River in a swift advance within
miles of Cologne, while to the
north the 9th Army raced full
speed across the Rhine Plain on
the heels of retreating and dis
ordered Germans in the biggest
break-through since Normandy.
A news blackout cloaked gains
and prevented disclosure of towns
captured by the spreading 9th Army
tanks, but German defenses had
collapsed into a virtual rout. When
censors started damming up reports
last night, the 9th Army was at the
edge of the Ruhr and the gates of
Muenchen Gladb2ch.
British pilots spotted long columns
of German transports rushing back
for the Rhine and getaway.
The list Army plunged ahead so
swiftly that it captured a bridge
intact across the Erft, Cologne's last
natural defense. Infantry swarmed
across the river at another place
where it was not bridged.
Canadians Also Advance.
Canadians on the north cleared
a miles of the west bank of the
Rhine and beat on the last swaying
defenses of the northwest corner of
the Ruhr at points 295 miles from
Berlin, the nearest approach from
the west.
Americans before Cologne were 80
miles deep in Germany and within
298 miles of the Reich capital.
In the center, the American Sd
Army advanced up to 81 miles on
a 50-mile front and started an en-
circling maneuver against the
ancient bastion of Trier, fortified by
the Romans before the days of
Christ.
The American 9th and Canadian
LIST Armies were within less than
% miles of junction in the Rhine
land, coup which might trap Is
VI lllOl e VI oCl bOot N1o4OAiS.
(The British radio said German
troops were pulling out of Muen-
chen Gladbach, city of 1000.
(The German radio asserted at
noon today that the Americans
had reached to within 2 miles of
Rheyde, a satellite city of Muen-
chen Gladbach and IL miles from
Dusseldorf. Rheyt itself is a city
of 10000. 1t and the textile cen
ter of Muenchen Gladbach, both
are packed with bombed-out ref
ugees from Dusseldorf
City Is By-passed.
A 9th Army dispatch which the
censor passed just before the black
out, however, said "Muenchen Glad
bach was y-passed yesterday by the
rampaging 9th Army, which cap
tured 10 more towns" These in
cluded Bucholz, Mehlbusch, Borsche-
mich, Otzenrath, Pesch, Lutzrath
and Garzweiler. All are in the gen.
eral area of Muenchen Gladbach.
The fast, fluid battle on the Co.
logne Plain was the nearest ap-
proach to a German rout since 1t.
Gen. Omar N. Bradley broke Ger
man lines in Normandy last summer
and opened the gates for 1t. Gen.
George S. Patton's historic dash
across France.
The Germans were surrendering
at the rate of 5000 to 10000 day
and the only resistance mentioned
was described officially as "negli-
sible to moderate"
With the Canadians clearing the
west bank of the Lower Rhine and
the American LIST and 9th Armies
beating close to it where the river
courses through the Ruhr, an. up
permost question was whether the
Allies would be able to win an i'm
mediate crossing.
The Rhine is from 1850 to 1900
feet wide at Bonn, 1900 to 1,7OO
feet wide at Cologne and 3,270 feet
wide at Emmerich.
Whole Front Advances.
1t was considered hardly likely
at this stage that the plan and
equipment for q crossing have not
been prepared.
A dispatch from Field Marshal
Montgomery's headquarters said the
whole front in the Rhineland sprang
forward. At last reports, the Amer
lean 9th and Canadian LIST Armies
were less than 80 miles apart. A
swift junction might trap the 10
divisions opposing the Canadian
Army and those strung along the
Mouse River around the Dutch
towns of Roermond and Venlo.
The speed of the LIST Arny's war
of movement in the outer defenses
of Cologne was attested by the cap
ture Of the Erft River Bridge intact.
"Fhe move was so fast that OBJ
viously the Germans were caught
unprepared, Associated Press Cor
respondent Don Whitehead reported
from 1t. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges
headquarters.
The crossing was made in
marshy area where the 100-foot
river is canalized except for one
small and shallow stream on the
east side.
The Erft also was crossed at
Fine additional men from
the District area haze been