Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (December 1, 1944)
FROM
(A) SHAEF MAIN
ORIGINATOR
PRD, Communique Section
DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN
011100A December
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) SHAEF 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) NEWS DIV. MINIFORM, LONDON
(REF NO.)
NONE
(CLASSIFICATION)
IN THE CLEAR
Communiqué No. 237
Allied forces, continuing to clear the Maas pocket, have occupied enemy strongpoints in the two castles near Wanssum and Broekhuizen. The village of Broekhuizen was cleared of the enemy.
Railway transport and communications in northern and eastern Holland were again under attack by fighter-bombers. At Süchteln, factory buildings were hit by fighter-bombers.
In the area of Linnich, our forces have reached the Roer River north of Koslar. We are fighting in Beeck, Lindern and Flossdorf. Fighters and fighter-bombers, closely supporting our ground forces in this sector, attacked enemy troops and mortar positions, and bombed and strafed strongpoints at Baal, Rurich, Glimbach, Gevenich and Boslar.
Farther south, we have cleared Lammersdorf after hard fighting and have entered the section of Inden west of the Inde River. High ground east of Grosshau was occupied. In Merode, heavy fighting continued.
Medium, light and fighter-bombers destroyed a number of enemy tanks at Pier and Inden, attacked the fortified villages of Stockheim, Vettweiss and Erp, bombed and strafed strongpoints and gun positions at Brandenberg, Bergstein and Berg, and bombed an armored vehicle repair depot at Gemünd.
Other medium and light bombers went for railway yards at Zweibrücken. Escorted light bombers attacked a benzol plant at Duisburg during the afternoon and two other benzol plants at Oberhausen and Bottrop were the targets for escorted heavy bombers which made concentrated attacks through cloud. Last night, heavy bombers were over Germany in strength with Duisburg as the main objective.
Fort Saint-Privat, in the Metz defense ring, was taken, and 500 prisoners were captured. In the Saar River Valley, further gains were made. We occupied high ground west of Merzig and are fighting in the Buren area northwest of Saarlautern. In clearing out the Saint-Avold area we occupied Carling and L’Hôpital and entered Adamswiller, southeast of Sarreguemines.
Limited advances were made by our ground forces east and west of the Vosges Mountains north of the Saverne Gap, and near the Rhine River in the vicinity of Haguenau.
Strasbourg was shelled heavily by enemy guns across the Rhine.
On the northern Alsace Plain, our units reached Gerstheim and Stotzheim, meeting little opposition.
The advance in the southern high Vosges continues on a wide front and our forces are within a mile of Urbes and Saint-Amarin.
We inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in repulsing a counterattack at Burbach, just south of Thann. East of Mulhouse, deep penetrations have been made into the Forêt Domaniale de la Hardt.
On the Channel coast, strongpoints at Dunkerque were hit by our medium and fighter-bombers.
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 FA2409
AUTHENTICATING SIGNATURE
/s/
