February 24, 1945;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1945:

THE WORLD

AT WAR TODAY

BEST NEWS OF THE DAY —

Allies open big push on Western Front behind barrage from 2,000 big guns.

Page 1.

EASTERN  FRONT—Reds, by capturing Poznan, clear way for knock-out drive  on Berlin.

Page 1.

PACIFIC — Brave marines continue to claw out slow, costly gains on Iwo Jima. Page 1.

PHILIPPINES — American invasion forces .take tiny Biri Island in vital San Bernardino Straits. Manila clean-up nears

end. Page 1.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, SATURDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 24, 1945

U.S. Troops Quickly Take

Fortress of Juelich and

Fight Way Into Dueren

By Associated Press

PARIS, Feb. 24.—

The American 1st and 9th Armies launched their long-awaited drive toward the Rhine Friday on a 22-mile front along the Roer Ricer, quickly captured the ancient fortress city of Juelich and fought their way into Dueren.

After hurling the still swollen Roer in the opening assault of what may be the final great offensive of the western front, the doughboys of both armies advanced up to two miles to the east of the river. Jeulich as well as five other smaller towns east of the Roer were seized by Lt.Gen. William H. Simpson's 9^th Army, which pushed steadily ahead along the whole portion of its offensive arc in the initial stages of the drive.

By-Pass Citadel

They captured Glimbach, Gevenich and Boslar, northJ

east of Minnish, Rurich northeast of Linnich and Selgersdorf

southwest of Juelich.

The citadel in the northern part of Juelich still was holding out, but had been by-passed.

The citadel is a cluster of buildings surrounded by walls which measure more than 2,000 yards around. The walls are 13 to 14 feet thick and some 50 feet high, protected by a moat 20 feet deep and 70 to 100 feet wide. It was believed to be lightly held and expected to fall momentarily, Associated Press Correspondent Wes Gallagher said in 4 dispatch early Saturday, Lt.Gen. Courtney H. Hodges' 1st Army, driving ahead on the right flank of the 9th, fought into the streets of Dueren, the German stronghold 10 miles southeast of Juelich, and also captured the towns of Huchem and Stammein.

Casualties Are Light

Birksdorf, a northern suburb of Dueren, also was broken into.

Associated Press Correspondent Don. Whitehead, with, the 1st Army, said casualties in the attack were surprisingly light in view of the tricky maneuver of crossing the flooded river in darkness.

Long Wait

Worst Part

Of Assault

By DON WHITEHEAD

By Associated Press

WITH AMERICAN ' INFANTRY

ON THE ROER

RIVER, Feb. 23.—

The moon was very bright—too bright—for a night attack. But orders had been issued for H-hour at 3:30 a. m."Hell, the Krauts can see us coming a mile away," a

soldier growled.

The men in a battalion command post in a basement near the flooded Roer River didn't have much to do now except to wait for the hour of attack, which had been held up. for days by the Germans releasing water from the dams to the south. All plans had been made and troops were in position near hidden assault boats in which they were to cross the river.

Time Passes Slowly Capt. Robert Neilsen of Bloomington, Calif., looked at his watch.. His face was drawn and his eyes red from lack of sleep. It was

midnight. "It will be a lifetime from now until .3 o'clock," Neilsen commented.

Outside guns boomed occasionally. There was an undercurrent of tenseness in the little room. A truck idled by outside and the slight noise made everyone look up.

Marines Take

One End of

Iwo Airfield

Slopes of Mt. Suribachi

Strewn With Dead Japanese

By Associated Press

U.S. PACIFIC FLEET

HDQRS.; GUAM, Feb. 24.—

The raging battle for Iwo swayed slowly in favor of three U.S. marine divisions Friday as they occupied one end of an airfield in the island's center and strewed the

volcanic slopes of Mt. Suribachi on the south tip with Japanese dead.

It still was a slugging match, with the leathernecks requiring more than three days to cover 700 yards up sloping ground to the south tip of the two-runway fighter field.

Blasted By Fleet

The Japanese c o n s t a n t l y blasted by guns of the U.S. 5^th Fleet and dived on by carrier planes, fought back from concrete pillboxes.

The first Devildogs to get to the fighter field .were elements of the U.S. 3rd Marine Division under Maj.Gen. Graves -B. Erskine, veterans of the  Solomons andGuam campaigns. That division entered the fiery struggle Wednesday at a time when the fourth and fifth divisions had been halted in their push north from the southern third of the island in American hands.

Fight Side by Side

The communique disclosed-for the first time that the three divisions are fighting, side by side in a co-ordinated push on the fighter field.