March 13, 1945; Bridge accross Rhine:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, MARCH 13, 1945:

RACINE, WIS., TUESDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 13, 1945.

VonRundstedt

Loses Command,

Reports Say

PARIS — (AP) —

The First army has thrown a pontoon bridge across the Rhine to its Remagen bridgehead and has driven to a point less than two miles from the six-lane autobahn linking the Ruhr with Frankfurt - on - the - Main, a bridgehead dispatch announced tonight.

"The doughboys are slowly enlarging their bridgehead against stiff opposition and numerous counter - attacks," said t h e dispatch from Don Whitehead of the Associated Press.

Hodges Men Take Hill

New gains widened the bridgehead to nearly six miles a two points along its 11-mile breach in the German Rhine line. The Germans estimated that from 60,000 to 70,000 First a r m y troops were in the critical area—a maximum increase since yesterday of 30,000 Americans.

Hundreds of rocket fireing planes were reported  assisting the attacking infantry.

Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges' troops captured a hill north, of Hoenningen, 16 miles northwest of Coblenz, at the south end of the cross-Rhine salient.

Bombs Drop

On Osaka

WASHINGTON—(U-B—Hundreds of Super Fortresses showered fiery destruction upon a third great' J a p a n e s e city today with an incendiary bomb attack on Osaka.

The Super-Fortresses attacked " in very l a r g e force." the 20th air force announced. That meant that  Osaka's war factories got punishment comparable to that handed to Tokyo and Nagoya, both of which were hit by upwards of 2,000 tons of fire bombs.

B-29s from Saipan, Tinian and G u am participated in t h e attack. " Super - Fortresses from Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay's 21st bomber command today (March 14, Japanese time) carried out, in very large force, an incendiary attack upon strategic industrial targets in Osaka, J a p a n , " an announcement said.

Reds Attack Above Frankfurt

In Wake of Kuestrin Capture

LONDON.— (AP) —

German broadcasts declared today at least nine soviet divisions had crossed the Oder river between Kuestrin and Frankfurt and were attempting to beat toward Berlin. The Berlin radio said r e d army forces were striking toward the capital from Kietz, on the Oder's west bank opposite Kuestrin, from a bridgehead opposite Goeritz six miles farther south, and from a third bridgehead at Lebus, 12 miles south of Kuestrin and four north of Frankfurt.

By RICHARD KASISCHKE

L O N D O N — —

Soviet troops are attacking powerfully north of Frankfurt in an attempt to expand

their bridgeheads over the Oder river, the German high command said today after Moscow announced capture of the east bank fortress of Kuestrin.