| Show ig Bombers om ers Blast I ast Path at r for or Patton atton I 3 More Divisions Rip Into Nazis On Mile 50 Front Yank Airmen Lay Carpet of Explosives On Enemy Strongholds Near Metz Sky Blow Recalls Ta Tactics tics in St. St Lo Drive LO LONDON DON Nov 9 JP Lt Jt Gen George S. S Pattons Patton's attack toward to toward toward to- to ward the Rhine bl blossomed Into a 31 roaring offensive with hea heavy bomber support Thursday as armor and Infantry rolled forward fon on both sides of 1 and counted the capture of 25 towns and anda a gain of ot six sIc miles for the two two-da two day drive WITH WIT THE THIRD ARMY IN FRANCE No Nov 9 UP- UP Armor joined Third army armr infantry in pushing Third array army lines eastward d Thursday and nine more towns were captured By William Frye Fre LONDON Nov 9 UP jp Lt Gen George S. S Pattons Patton's Third army infantry jabbed into a yielding nazi line at four places along a snowy mile 50 front Thursday in an attack supported by 1300 U. U S. S heavy bombers which laid laida ai a carpet of ex explosives explosive 5 on line front-line enemy positions Inthe in inthe inthe the Metz area The Third army chieftain threw in three more American Americ n divisions In the move toward the doubling the force employed in inthe inthe inthe the jumpoff attack Wednesday and extended his operations to the north of ot the fortress city ity as well wellI as to the south I Berlins Berlin's radio commentators tors' tors de deI declared declared de- de I dared Patton from just below the Luxembourg border to the Marne Rhine canal cast east of Nancy was signaling the prelude to the big offensive aimed a at bursting open the historic gate to the Palatinate which was was was' chosen chos chos- en by Napoleon as the marching route for his battalions and regi regi- ments More than 1300 American heavy bombers pounded German frontline frontline frontline front front- line positions in the Metz area Thursday to clear a path for forthe the Third arm army Recalls St. St Lo Heavy bombers have been U used cd In the past for carpet bombing at atthe atthe the thc start of a new offensive The Thelast Thelast Thelast last such use of the four aircraft generally employed In strategic bombings of the Cerman German German Ger Ger- man homeland was on July 25 just before the American breakthrough breakthrough breakthrough break break- through at St St. Lo at the base of ot the Cherbourg peninsula The bombers swept over the bat- bat Thursday at levels lower than usual Hundreds of dive- dive bombers struck the area both before before before be be- fore and after the Flying Fortresses Fortresses For For- tresses and Liberators attacked Perhaps fighters escorted the heavies The main attack was timed for tor about midmorning and was carried carried car car- ried ned out In muggy overcast weather er Cr crews reported No G German German- interceptors were encountered encounter d and flak was not heavy Pathfinder marked the targets but some bombers were able to Ia lay their explosives visually Low v Temperatures An air force statement described the objectives simply as tactical targets in the retz Metz area Crews flew in zero below temperatures part of the way and said some of ot the battleground was blanketed with snow Front line troops presumably were pulled back during the attack as they were at St. St Lo La Front line dispatches said Patton Patton Patton Pat- Pat ton sent two divisions into action north of of- Metz Thursday morning and that fresh progress had been made in the area of Berg just be below below be- be low the thc Luxembourg border A A. third division joined the three which attacked south of ot the city city- Wednesday on a mile 25 front and gained up ip to three miles At least 16 villages were captured captured captured cap cap- in the combined advance ance of ot the Third and Seventh armies with two Third army corps the and in action Several of the villages had been previously captured however and relin- relin on Pace Fae Two PM Column n live lH z Liege Aa hen urR s g bw g o arbor ERMA x N w td gr A I N i Wiesbaden F C a ct r Ri gen Manz L EMB G Se T e Darms adt uv r f. f elms 44 r Y rr tr erk ludwi 9 she en Mannheim r V P A V Ss i f l l s n S c E Heidelberg t tZ c 1 v to N 11 V it Heilbronn K ti c ki y T-y Q i V wi J. J i 11 Y if j northern Nf nu Nang a rv t r ncy Y- Y 2 art r razor l b bA N g A f l WEST LL 1 c cv v s rs F R N t r rI GEN PATTON MOVES AGAIN Arrows show locations of American America drive toward Rhine which I was bolstered by two more divisions Thursday Yanks have 9 gained ined upward of three miles reports indicate Heavy American Bombers Blast Path for Patton Drive on Reich C d from Pate pa Ont One qui shed in the face of ot tacks South of or Metz the Attack spread all the way from Cheminot 10 miles mites south of or Metz and four miles east of ot the Moselle to the Chateau- Chateau Salins area where the doughboys hammered a mile deep wedge north of or the RhIne Marne canal at a point 20 miles cast east of or Nancy and nn an equal distance west of ot Sarrebourg Sarre Sarre- bourg The Germans said the Americans Americans Ameri cans are making feverish preparations preparations preparations for a new offensive in the Aachen region a also lo and were seeking to eliminate German artillery artillery ar ar- tillery observation post posts by dropping dropping drop drop- ping smoke moke canisters on them Artillery fire was Wa intensified on both sides the Germans said In Holland where the first snow now of oC the season fell Wednesday night Field Fjeld Marshal Sir Bernard L L. L Montgomery's army group had seized all of ot island at the mouth of ot the Schelde except a tiny pocket around the villages of oC Butting and St. St Laurens two miles mites northwest of ot Middelburg This pocket was wu Isolated from the coast roles Poles Hit Jilt Bridgehead South of ot the Maas Meuse Poles had blown their way through the concrete defenses around the southern end of ot the Moerdijk bridges and were attackIng attacking attack attack- ing an enemy bridgehead one and anda a half miles long and three-fourths three of ot a mile deep The U. U S. S First army was slowly slowly slow slow- ly regaining some Borne of the ground lost this week southeast of Aachen to strong German counterattacks The allied said the Americans were advancing slowly against heavy enemy pressure inthe in inthe the area south of ot Vossenack and southwest of ot the town of Hurtgen against v very ry heavy resistance West Vest of ot Schmidt which the First army reached before beCore being thrown I back enemy pockets arc are being mopped up the announcement I said I The Third army divisions which attacked Thursday morning near I Metz made minor gains Opposition Opposition I tion ranged from light to mod mod- era erate te I Cross Moselle River The division crossed the I Moselle river in two places north of ot Metz Another fresh division still unidentified in dispatches e es established established es- es a brid bridgehead over a Moselle Moselle Mo Mo- selle tributary also above the city The Fifth Filth division pushed across the river and occupied the town of oC Cheminot 10 miles due south of ot Metz and flOd five miles mUes northeast of Pont Mousson on the Moselle which was ct captured turM by bj th the Americans recently after arter arters s several veral unsuccessful stul attempts Below the Third army zone zort Lt Gen Alexander M. M Patch's S Seventh Seventh Sev Sev- v. v army captured 29 mit miles southeast of ot Nancy and two miles beyond R h rry which was taken last laH week wC k end Reports from the Third army front indicated the Germans had hadnot hadnot hadnot not yet caught their balance from tho the first shock of ot the assault and there were no counterattacks counterattack and andrush andrush andrush rush of ot reserves which normally might be expected Weather Grows Worse Pattons Patton's men however were fighting across a a. sodden terrain in the face of ot worsening weather German commanders had a tough day Wednesday Allied tactical tactical tactical tac tac- tac- tac air squadrons attacked and demolished German headquarters and command posts all the way from north of ot the Reichswald opposite opposite opposite op op- op- op the northern tip Up of ot the al allied allied al- al lied front in eastern Holland to the outskirts of or Metz One headquarters was smashed near the Reichswald Capt Jake JakeL L L. L Abraham of Port Gibson Miss flipped a 1 bomb Into the front door of or a comman command post just outside ringed fort Metz Alt o 0 g get e t h her e r eight other command posts were strafed and bombed Berlin broadcasters called Patton's Pattons Pattons Patton's Pat- Pat tons ton's drive a scale large attack apparently aimed at breaking through to the river Just In Inside Inside inside In- In side the German bor border er some 30 miles northeast but the direction of ot tho the thrusts suggested an attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to cut In behind Metz Metz-a Metz a technique employed weeks week ago by Patton to topple Nancy 28 miles to the south The Third army had been largely large large- ly idle since the Germans re repulsed repulsed repulsed re- re pulsed a frontal assault aimed at capturing the old Maginot line fortresses for- for tresses ringing Metz Betz The new spurt of or activity took the spotlight spotlight spot spot- lI light ht from the rest of or the tho mUe milc long allied front |
