Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (April 5, 1945)
FROM
(A) SHAEF MAIN
ORIGINATOR
PRD, Communique Section
DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN
051100A April
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. 362
UNCLASSIFIED: Allied forces north of Nijmegen reached the line of the Neder-Rijn on a broad front. In the Zevenaar area north of Emmerich we made further progress to the northwest. North of the Twente Canal, we cleared Hengelo and made gains to the north and west. Farther north, armored units, advancing northeast from Nordhorn, reached the line of the Ems River at several points. Southeast of Rheine, our troops crossed the Dortmund-Ems Canal.
Northeast of Osnabrück we crossed the Ems-Weser Canal and advanced beyond it. Osnabrück has been entered, but is not yet clear. Other units bypassed the town to the south and reached a point seven miles east of it. Münster has been cleared with the exception of snipers. Over 1,700 prisoners were taken in the city.
Our armor reached the Weser River in the vicinity of Bad Oeynhausen, and other elements reached a point five miles northeast of Bad Salzuflen. Other armored units reached the Bega River, on the outskirts of Lemgo capturing more than 4,000 prisoners. Our infantry is mopping up a bypassed hill in the Teutoburger Forest.
In the Detmold area we are meeting resistance from the remnants of an SS tank battalion. Enemy strongpoints near Gütersloh were attacked by fighter bombers. Kassel has been cleared after heavy house-to-house fighting. Our armor reached the vicinity of Oberdorla, four miles south of Mühlhausen. Other armored elements are in the vicinity of Heldra, northwest of Kreuzburg. Infantry, advancing behind the armor, crossed the Fulda River and reached a point 14 miles northwest of Eisenach.
Eisenach, bypassed by our spearheads, is an enemy strongpoint defended by tanks and infantry. Armored spearheads cleared Gotha and entered Ohrdruf, seven miles to the south.
Farther south of Gotha, our armored units reached the vicinity of Oberhof and cleared Suhl. German troop concentrations at Nordhausen were attacked by escorted heavy bombers. Fighter-bombers hit enemy airfields at Schweinfurt and Jena. On the northern side of the Ruhr Pocket, our infantry crossed the Dortmund-Ems Canal, captured Ickern and Waltrop, and advanced to a point one and a half miles west of Lünen after repulsing several small counterattacks. Resistance continues in Hamm with considerable artillery fire coming from the city.
On the eastern side of the pocket, northeast of Winterberg, our armor reached Hildfeld and Grönebach against tank and self-propelled gun fire. We cleared Oberkirchen to the southwest and repulsed two small counterattacks.
Southwest of Siegen, we cleared a number of small towns including Mudersbach and Katzenbach and repulsed several counterattacks. Targets at Essen and Lüdenscheid, in the pocket, were attacked by fighter bombers. It is estimated that our ground units inflicted 4,600 casualties in breaking the enemy resistance at Aschaffenburg.
Northeast of Aschaffenburg we gained ten miles in rugged terrain, advancing past Obersinn. Burgsinn and Rieneck were cleared. Our forces made another crossing of the Main River south of Lohr. About a half of Würzburg has been cleared. Our armor, driving south of the Main River bend at Ochsenfurt, gained some ten miles.
Farther west our armor reached Igersheim on the Tauber River. Möckmühl, Bad Wimpfen and a number of other towns northeast of Heilbronn were captured. Enemy resistance around Heilbronn was strong and we repulsed a counterattack north of the city. Karlsruhe, was captured against stiff resistance.
Between the Aschaffenburg area and Heilbronn, 2,594 prisoners were taken.
Allied forces in the west captured 28,817 prisoners 3 April.
Supply depots at Ebrach, east of Würzburg and Grossaspach, northeast of Stuttgart were targets for medium and light bombers. Enemy troop concentration and fortified positions in the area from Heilbronn northeastwards to Bamberg and Nurnberg, and a barracks area at Crailsheim were struck at by medium, light and fighter-bombers.
Submarine yards at Kiel and Hamburg and airfields in northwest Germany were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. Road and rail transport in Holland in the Meppen and Cloppenburg areas northwest of Osnabrück; near Oldenburg and Bremen; and in the area of Mühlhausen and Halle, and railyards at Erfurt, Schweinfurt and Crailsheim were heavily attacked by medium, light and fighter bombers.
In all the day’s operations, 31 enemy aircraft were shot down and 32 others were destroyed on the ground.
According to reports so far received, nine of our heavy bombers; three medium bombers and 17 fighters are missing. Last night heavy bombers were over Germany in very great strength with synthetic oil plants at Merseburg and Hamburg as the main objectives.
Light bombers again attacked targets at Berlin.
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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