October 9,1944;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, OCTOBER 9, 1944:

THOMASVTLLE. GEORGIA. MONDAY AFTERNOON. OCTOBER 9, 1944

ESCAPE GAP NEAR AACHEN IS.

NARROWED TO 2 MILES IN DRIVES

(By .JAMES M. LONG)

London, Oct. 9—(AP)~

The U. S. First Army clamped a death grip on Aachen today in a twin drive which left an escape corridor only a mile and a half wide northeast of that ancient coronation place of Teutonic kings.

Respite desperate German counter-attacks, three of them up Crucifix Hill overlooking the city from the northeast, Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges' warriors cut

the last major road out of Aachen, thee Adolf Hitler highway running to Julieh and Cologne, and severed most of the secondary roads.

Driving south from the Ubach breakthrough zone in the Siegfried Line, Hodges Americans overran Bardenburg and reached the edge of Würselen, through

which runs the only secondary road remaining for an estimated .Aachen garrison of 1,500 guards.

Already American cleanup squads were moving through the outskiits of the ancient crossroads city, cleaning out Germans who clung to their positions house

by house in obedience to orders to stand and die.

10,000 ALLIED PLANES MAKE

GREATEST ASSAULT IN HISTORY

By HENRY B. JAMESON)

London, Oct. 9—(AP)—

Close to 10,000 Allied planes hammered Germany and Holland over the week-end in the greatest 24-hour assault in the history of aerial warfare and only unfavorable weather proof across Holland and France kept the number from being much greater.

While the heavy bombers, which had their biggest day of the war Saturday, were grounded

Sunday American and British tactical fleets on the continent flew more than 1,000 sorties in support of the ground armies. Ninth Air- Force night bombers,

roaming the length of the western force, were credited with destroying 132 enemy gun opposing the American First and Third Armies. Meanwhile, RAF fighter and medium bombers slashed at German troops^ railways and barges in the Nijmegen and Tilburg areas of Holland.

STRONG U.S FLEET

SILENCED BATTERY

ON MARCUS ISLAND

(By LEONARD MILLMAN)

(Associated Press War Editor)

A strong U. S. battleforce stood off Japan's tiny Marcus Island all day yesterday and with "deliberate and destructive gunfire" silenced "the greater part of the

coast defense batteries."

Neither Adm. Chester W. Nimitz’s surprise announcement early today nor a previous report by Tokyo made mention of planes attacking or defending the outpost island 1,135 miles southeast of Tokyo.

Shore defenses and installations were heavily damaged by the bombardment. which Tokyo said included

the 16-lnch guns of U. S. destroying  battleships. The attack was carried out by units of Adm. William Halsey's third fleet which has been pounding the Philippines and German troops^ railways and the Palau Islands.