October 29, 1944; STILLWEL RELIEVED OF COMMAND:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, OCTOBER 29, 1944:

Salt Lake City, Utah, Sunday Morning, October 29, 1944

British and Canadians Race North

To Block Rhine Escape Route;

Victory Speeds Up Use of Antwerp

Allies (Official)—By Associated Press

LONDON, Oct. 28—

Forty thousand Germans reeled northward Saturday in a scramble to get across the Maas (Meuse) and Waal Rhine and escape destruction at the hands of advancing Canadian and British forces who smashed the enemy defense lines in western Holland.

Field dispatches from the muddy Dutch front said that the 50- mile-long German line from the sea to ('a) Hertogcnbosch had fallen, to pieces and that it was evident a full-scale German withdrawal was in progress after some of the most stubborn fighting of the western front campaign.

Significance of the retreat was pointed up by enemy abandonment of Bergen op Zoom, mainland coastal key to this line.

Dooms Antwerp Barriers

Allied headquarters announced that, as a result, free use of the great Belgian port of Antwerp was now blocked only by the isolated German batteries at Vlissingen  (Flushing), on Walcheren island, and these were doomed.

Even when the Germans there and In the contracting pocket south of the Schelde are liquidated, however, a gigantic minesweeping and dredging job must be done on the 100-mile Schelde estuary before deep-draft ships can use the port readily, it was disclosed.

Vinegar Joe Leaves Burma

Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, who has been relieved of his command in Asia.

He has become « * famous to his many soldiers  as 'Vinegar Joe' because of

his forthright habit of speaking his mind.

Washington reports that he is to be given new and important command,

while observers in China claim he was removed because of numerous

disagreements with Asia commanders and particularly Generalissimo Chiang

Kai-shek.

Gen. Stilwell

Relieved of

His Command

Chiang Requested

Recall Because

Of Opposing Views

By United Press

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28—

Gen Joseph W. Stilwell, hero of the north Burma campaign, and "Uncle Joe" to thousands of worshipful fighting men, has been relieved of all his command and staff posts in the Far East at the request of Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.

The sensational development first of its kind Involving, a four star general in this war—was brought to light by a brief White House announcement that Stilwell has been relieved of his Far Eastern command and "recalled to Washington." The war department added later that he would be given "a new and important but at present undisclosed  a s s i g n m e n t."

Neither disclosed any of the factors leading to Stilwell's 'recall.

Dispute With Chiang

The United Press, however, learned from other sources that Chiang had' requested the action in a climax of long-standing differences with the American over

conduct of the Far Eastern phase of the war against Japan.

Stilwell, 61-year-old soldier' of the old school, was commander of U, S,, forces in the China-Burma- India theater, chief of staff to Chiang, and deputy to British Adm. Lord Mountbatten, commander of of the allied southeast Asia command.

He was relieved simultaneously

of all three posts.