September 15, 1944; NAZI TOWNS FALL:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1944:

London—New York

Paris—Renines

Friday, Sept. 15', 1944

Vol. 4 No. 271, 1D

Pour Across

Border; Nazi

Towns Fall

Engineers, Artillery Back

Tanks Blasting Path

Through line

WITH U.S. FORCES ATTACKING

SIEGFRIED LINE, Sept. 14 (UP)—

American tanks, backed up by artillery: and closely supported by engineers with TNT, have blasted a path through the outer concrete and steel fortifications of the Siegfried Line in the vicinity of Roetgen. The  penetration was made after an offensive! lasting all day.

Enemy resistance was stubborn but uncoordinated. U.S. casualties were described as "not too heavy."

Aache-n is now under artillery fire and is directly threatened by the advance.

Drive Resumed at Dawn The offensive near Roetgen -was resumed 'in strength at dawn today after a 24-hour breather. The skies were overcast, preventing

bombing, but massed artillery and selfpropelled Long Toms and howitzers have been giving the Siegfried outposts a very heavy pounding all day in support of the attacking forces. At one place between Roetgen and Aachen the Yanks are well into Germany, but the exact point of penetration cannot yet be revealed.

American First Army, troops poured across the German frontier at numerous places in a general advance into the Reich and captured several German towns.

A Reuter dispatch- from First Army headquarters last night said that the Americans pushed seven to eight miles into Germany with strong concentrations

battling along a wide, front on German soil. 

Strong German resistance was met in some areas, and dispatches from 12^th Army Group indicated that the Yanks had an extremely tough job ahead. The Third and Seventh Armies slashed forward in France, between Nancy and Belfort.

S. & S. Reporter in Reich

Sees U.S. Tanks Bust Trap

Germans Fake a Retreat,

Line Siegfried Road With Guns

By Andy Rooney \

Stars and Stripes Staff Writer \

WITH THE FIRST ARMY IN GERMANY,

Sept. 14—

An armored task force led by Lt. Col. William B. Lovelady, of Soddy, Tenn., was mousetrapped yesterday but smashed its way through the German trap in an outpost of the Siegfried Line. The Germans have engineered this line so that invaders are funneled into easily defendable spots.

This column of a crack armored division pushed through the German border town of Roetgen, 3 1/2 miles inside Germany,

Tuesday night and in the morning continued down the road. This road leads through a deep gorge dotted with thousands of concrete tank defenses. Sixfoot

triangular concrete obstacles run 50 feet deep in many places through the Siegfried Line.

Fire From Three Sides

Lovelady's advancing armor came into the town before they realized they were in a German trap. The Germans had left guns along the road into the town to make it look as if they had made a hasty retreat. The German anti-tank and selfpropelled guns opened up on the column from three sides when the tanks and half-

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tracks came into the town and knocked out several before they were wiped out by our artillery and tanks. The lead tank in the column commanded by 2^nd Lt. Paul Bear, of Reading, Pa., was knocked out and Pvt. Wesley White, of Belleville, III., dragged one wounded comrade to safety.

In Roetgen, some hung out sheets, some just pillow cases, but all the German citizens, hung white flags of surrender from, every house when the racing column of First Army armor passed through.

Most civilians ran to the woods for "safety" and the rest emerged from their houses with hands overhead in surrender. Many hid in haystacks because the fleeing German soldiers had told them they would be killed.