| Show r Open Dam Gates to Flood linth J Army Front on Roer River 1 Canadians Hit Deeper in Siegfried Line Pattons Patton's Men Drive Close to Prize Highway Center PARIS Feb 10 UP The UP-The The U. U S. S First arm army won von the bitter old eek eel old battle for the Hoer river dams Saturday by capturing capturing ing Schwammenauel while the Canadian First arm army gaining three miles reached the Rhine river at By B James 31 M. Long PARIS Feb 10 UP JP Canadian First arm army troops b bur bursting u r s t tin i n g through the main concrete belt of the Siegfried line in the thc reichswald w wald ld struck Saturday to within 2 2 miles of Kleve while the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans flooded Hooded the Roer river on the theU U U. S. S Ninth army front through gushing bushing spillways of the Schwammenauel Schwammenauel dam Canadians and British forces gaining two more miles were assaulting assaulting assaulting as as- earthworks of the Siegfried's Siegfried's Sieg Sieg- frieds fried's secondary defense in a power pow pow- er drive rolling toward the outskirts outskirts outskirts out out- skirts of Kleve Kieve northern anchor of the original west wall Other units battled In the Rhine town of Millingen six miles northwest northwest northwest north north- west of KleVe in th the army's swift swift- developing threat to slice behind the Rhine and the rich Ruhr Ruhr indus industrial indus indus- trial area River Ricer Starts Rise Waters Vaters of the lower Roer river along which the American Ninth army is arrayed rose a a. afoot foot and a half in an hour at some points as the Germans opened floodgates of the Schwammenauel dam d m Impounding impounding impounding Im im- im- im pounding 17 t to tons o n 11 s of water U U. S S. S First army infantrymen upstream reached one side of the great dam today and prepared to togo togo togo go on across to clinch its capture The Germans had opened the valves on the north side of the foot 1080 long structure whose up pent-up power If released all at once might send an foot 18 tide storming down the Roer Hoer valley Built of earth around a concrete core the dam is feet high and has a drainage area of square miles Still farther south U U. S S. S Third army troops fought within three- three quarters of a mile of the Siegfried prize of and scored advances advances advances ad ad- vances of up to a mile northeast and southwest of the road hub Germans resisted desperately Nazi Reinforcements German reinforcements were flung against the Canadian First army push which apparently had breached completely the main pillbox pill pill- b box x line protecting Kleve Ile Gen H H. D. D G G. Crerar's men seized 2 2 miles from Kleve Ilce on the main road to Nijmegen Nijmegen Nijmegen gen in a two-mile two push beyond Kranenberg The town of Mehr also north of the forest fell and Crerar's troops fought into Mil Mil- lingen At least J 1 towns owns and 2500 prisoners have been been rolled up in inthe inthe inthe the Canadian onslaught gaining some seven miles but forward troops now have engaged elements clements of at least three veteran German divisions The Canadians bored through the reichswald itself and some of See su PD Pare Pace C Two Column One On I NETHERLANDS e J vJ-I. vJ f I Arnhem Do Gro n o V r CANADIAN Nijmegen C i- i 1 r f 4 f 1 uric Boehm Aum f Rift NETHERLANDS 1 Y YI I s G E R M ANY A I 1 MI 0 elmo d ti Df 1 v Man J r WI en J fN Z D At 1 N n. n RUHR da vf AREA N An vv r R Kp rn y a on ur 0 ussel orf S I r r rJ r J 9 4 r e LekA of AoA l 1 rf 1 1 f r L NETHERLANDS v M. M r f f tea wv rs jr u m t im r ra a it- it jrr f Y Ien Canadian troops black arrow broke through main fortifications fortifications fortifications on the north end of the western front broken line and stabbed within two miles of Kleve Kle northern anchor of the Siegfried line A through break open arrow would turn the front down own the Rhine river The dams ams circle which control control control con con- the water level lc of the Hoer Roer river have ha been opened by bythe bythe the Germans raising the level le of t the e river a and d threatening threaten threaten- in ing to flood floo the area bracket no Bomb b symbols Js indicate where a bridge across the Rhine at Wesel Vesel was knocked out and a. a road feeding fee ing the Rhineland front was as cut by airmen i meD Nazis Open Dam To Flood Roer Continued from Pace One Oro the heaviest fighting flared on the southern flank in the lower edges of ot the forest lorest Allied progress there thereWa Wa was slow The First battalion regiment regiment regi regi- ment of ot the U. U S. S division reached the Schwammenauel dam after a mile half-mile advance ad from the north with artillery and mortar fire the main resistance Hear Explosions The troops had no way of ot knowIng knowIng know- know Ing whether the huge structure largest of a series of 11 dams at atthe atthe atthe the Roer's headwaters had been wired for tor demolition Just after midnight there were three explosions explosions- one explosions one me at the control control control con con- house on the Ule south side another another another an an- other at a spillway bridge and a third not immediately traced traced but but the big dam darn remained intact U U. S. S First and Ninth army troops reached the Roer Roer- cast of ot Aachen in November but the menace menace menace men men- ace of the wall of water which the Germans might send down the river prevented their crossing Third army troops made two fresh crossings of or the river overnight and in new advances of up to a mile reached points two to two and a half miles northeast northeast northeast north north- east of ot Pm em and a mile and three-quarters three on the tho southwest The Germans counterattacked three times in the area twice with tanks but were beaten back Take Tako More Pillboxes Twenty more pillboxes were cleared in the area southwest of ot completing penetration of the main Siegfried belt and widening the breach breath to nine miles Bridgeheads over the Ule Our and Sure rivers in the Das- Das bourg and Echternach ar areas as were yere built up against strong nazi opposition The Thc U. U S. S Seventh army cleared long-contested long Ober southeast southeast south south- east of ot Haguenau The French First army had liquidated the Colmar Colmar Colmar Col- Col mar pocket taking prisoners pris One field dispatch from the Canadian Canadian Ca Ca- nadian nathan front said the thc full extent of ot gains there could not be disclosed disclosed disclosed dis dis- dis- dis closed for security reasons Associated Press Correspondent Ned Nordness described the offensive of of- offensive as an avalanche of allied power and added It is difficult difficult difficult cult to see how the tho Germans can can stop it Gain Five Miles The Canadian and British troops gained almost five miles and broadened their front to nearly 10 miles yesterday esterday on the second day dayoC of oC their new offensive The total number of t towns captured mounted mount mount- ed to 14 H. Gen H. H D. D G. G Crerar's troops pushed eastward 27 miles from Wesel Vesel at the northeast corner of the Ruhr valley the U. U S. S First army 85 85 miles to the south outflanked outflanked outflanked out out- flanked the giant Schwammenauel dam part of oC the Roer river tem tern Striking behind one of the heaviest i iest st barrages ever laid down by his artillery units Lt Gen Cen Courtney Courtney Courtney Court Court- ney Hodges' Hodges troops captured Hasenfeld Hasenfeld Hasenfeld Has- Has enfeld less than a n. mile cast of the dam darn Farther south the the U. U S. S Third army fought within three-fourths three of a mile of the German-fortified German center of Other Third army forces less than six miles to the north threatened to outflank by forcing two crossings of ot the river Oth Other r units fought into Hermespand two miles northeast of on the river Crerar's forces were well into the Reichswald a forest shieldIng shieldIng shielding shield- shield Ing Kleve Kieve northern anchor of the permanent defenses of the Siegfried Siegfried Sieg Sieg- fried line Inside the forest the Germans were putting up their stiffest resistance e. e The Canadians and British possibly were through the first of three Siegfried defense belts a front dispatch said s o 50 Gill S T A TUn MILlS S a Rj k a I I f A POLAND iv C q il i S. S I Front Two Ov Ago Cottbus Glogau I GERMANY jc ONY t Octet R. R pr C ro s S SL St t L v KA J Arrows locate principal action reported I along the easte eastern front heavy solid line In East Prussia the Russians have hac captured Elbing important important important tant port on 00 tho the Baltic In Inthe Inthe Inthe the drive to toward to V ward Stettin for Berlin red the Baltic port troops have haC surrounded A Along the Oder river near Berlin the thc enemy has reported Russian bridgeheads bridgeheads bridgeheads bridge bridge- heads but Moscow remains remains remains re re- re- re mains silent about them Inthe In Inthe Inthe L the south Russians are fighting 25 miles west of the Oder southwest of Breslau |
