Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (March 12, 1945)
FROM
(A) SHAEF MAIN
ORIGINATOR
PRD, Communique Section
DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN
121100A 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. 338
UNCLASSIFIED: Allied forces have eliminated the enemy bridgehead west of the Rhine at Wesel. We have extended our Remagen bridgehead to a width of nine miles and a depth of three miles. Two small enemy counterattacks were repulsed. Our units in the bridgehead are fighting in Bad Honnef and have captured the towns of Rheinbreitbach, Bruchhausen, Unkel, Ohlenberg, and Linz. Our anti-aircraft claimed 23 enemy planes destroyed and five probables out of a total of 47 planes over the bridge site. Fighter aircraft patrolled the bridgehead area yesterday.
Farther south, along the Rhine, our armor cleared another six mile stretch of the west bank of the river reaching a point about one mile north of Koblenz. Southwest of Koblenz, we cleared the north bank of the Moselle River from the vicinity of Koblenz to Cochem, capturing nearly a score of towns and villages including Guis, Winnigen, Kobern, Gondorf, Hatzenport, Karden, Pommern, Landkern and Cochem. North of Wittlich, our infantry, mopping up behind our armored units, captured a number of towns including Gillenfeld, Dierfeld, Flussbach, Luxem, and Dorf. In the area northeast of Trier our armor captured Longuich and Longen and cleared Wengerohr. In the Saarbrücken area, our artillery knocked out a small number of enemy armored vehicles. Along the Rhine, south of Strasbourg, enemy patrols were repulsed.
Allied forces in the west captured 4,719 prisoners 10 March.
Yesterday afternoon, escorted heavy bombers in very great strength, struck at Essen. The attack was controlled by a master bomber and a great weight of high explosive bombs was dropped. Other escorted heavy bombers, also in very great strength, attacked submarine building yards at Bremen, Hamburg, and Kiel, and oil refineries at Bremen and Hamburg. The communications centers of Ahaus and Stadtlohn, northwest of Coesfeld and ammunition factories at Wülfen, north of Dorsten and Sythen, northeast of Haltern were attacked by medium and light bombers. Other medium and light bombers struck at communications centers at Hachenburg and Westerburg, east of Remagen; targets at Weyerbusch and Wissen, northeast of Remagen; at Siershahn, northeast of Koblenz; and four enemy airfields in the areas south and southeast of Siegen and east and southeast of Giessen. A rail bridge at Bad Münster, a road bridge northeast of Sarreguemines and rail targets in and near Saarbrücken, Sankt Ingbert, Neunkirchen, Homburg and Zweibrücken were targets for medium and fighter-bombers. Targets in Berlin were bombed by light bombers last night.
COORDINATED WITH: G-2, G-3 to C/S
THIS MESSAGE MAY BE SENT IN CLEAR BY ANY MEANS
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Precedence
“OP” - AGWAR
“P” - Others
ORIGINATING DIVISION
PRD, Communique Section
NAME AND RANK TYPED. TEL. NO.
D. R. JORDAN, Lt Col FA4655
AUTHENTICATING SIGNATURE
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