Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (March 11, 1945)
FROM
(A) SHAEF MAIN
ORIGINATOR
PRD, Communique Section
DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN
111100A March
TO FOR ACTION
(1) AGWAR
(2) NAVY DEPARTMENT
TO (W) FOR INFORMATION (INFO)
(3) TAC HQ 12 ARMY GP
(4) MAIN 12 ARMY GP
(5) AIR STAFF
(6) ANCXF
(7) EXFOR MAIN
(8) EXFOR REAR
(9) DEFENSOR, OTTAWA
(10) CANADIAN C/S, OTTAWA
(11) WAR OFFICE
(12) ADMIRALTY
(13) AIR MINISTRY
(14) UNITED KINGDOM BASE
(15) SACSEA
(16) CMHQ (Pass to RCAF & RCN)
(17) COM ZONE
(18) SHAEF REAR
(19) SHAEF MAIN
(20) PRO, ROME
(21) HQ SIXTH ARMY GP
(REF NO.)
NONE
(CLASSIFICATION)
IN THE CLEAR
Communiqué No. 337
UNCLASSIFIED: Allied forces have virtually eliminated the German bridgehead west of Wesel and only mopping up operations remain to be completed. The enemy has blown both bridges at Wesel.
Farther south we have expanded our Rhine bridgehead at Remagen with gains of 500 to 1,500 yards eastward toward high ground. Considerable artillery fire is being directed against the rail bridge crossing the Rhine to the bridgehead.
Fighter patrols were maintained throughout yesterday over the bridgehead. A small number of escorted enemy fighter-bombers which attempted to bomb the rail bridge were driven off by our fighters. Two of the enemy aircraft were shot down.
Twenty-three thousand Germans are estimated to be in a pocket created by the linkup along the Rhine of our armored elements advancing from the north and south. We captured 75 artillery pieces and a dump containing 20 carloads of materiel, mostly ordnance, in the vicinity of Ahrweiler, southwest of Remagen.
Farther to the south, in the area west of Mayen, we captured Bauler, Rothenbach, Bodenbach and Hyroth. East of Bitburg, we have captured Manderscheid, Bettenfeld, Musweiler, Wittlich and Neuerberg.
Northeast of Trier, our armor advancing against moderate resistance, has reached Salmrohr after capturing Bekond, Fohren and Rivenich.
Other armored units, pushing east of Trier, repulsed a counterattack and reached the vicinity of Fell.
From the Saarbrücken area to the Rhine and southward to Switzerland, activity was limited to patrolling and scattered artillery fire.
Allied forces in the west captured 6,012 prisoners 9 March.
The enemy’s communications in an area stretching from Burgsteinfurt, south of Rheine, to Koblenz and eastward, were heavily attacked yesterday by heavy, medium, light and fighter-bombers.
Striking in and near the Ruhr, escorted heavy bombers in very great strength bombed railyards at Coesfeld, Dortmund, Schwerte, Soest and Paderborn, and other objectives including rail viaducts. Railyards at Burgsteinfurt, Lippstadt, Lennep, Erndtebrück and Niederscheid, and the communications centers of Altenkirchen and Siegen were attacked by other medium and light bombers.
Farther south, communications at Kaiserslautern, Homburg, Zweibrücken, and Wissembourg, and rail stations at Donaueschingen and Tüttlingen were attacked by fighter-bombers. Near Landau, medium bombers struck at a supply dump.
A synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen was attacked by escorted heavy bombers.
According to reports so far received, one bomber and ten of our fighters are missing.
Targets in Berlin were attacked by light bombers last night.
COORDINATED WITH: G-2, G-3 to C/S
THIS MESSAGE MAY BE SENT IN CLEAR BY ANY MEANS
/s/
Precedence
“OP” - AGWAR
“P” - Others
ORIGINATING DIVISION
PRD, Communique Section
NAME AND RANK TYPED. TEL. NO.
D. R. JORDAN, Lt Col FA4655
AUTHENTICATING SIGNATURE
/s/