America at war! (1941–) – Part 5

Neue Dokumente der Feindbarbarei

Interna aus Jalta

Führer HQ (March 27, 1945)

Kommuniqué des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht

In Ungarn beschränkten sich die Bolschewisten auf erfolglose Aufklärungsvorstöße an der Ostspitze des Plattensees. Die blutigen Verluste des Feindes bei der Zertrümmerung seines Gran-Brückenkopfes belaufen sich nach abschließenden Feststellungen auf über 20.000 Mann.

An der slowakischen Gebirgsfront hielten unsere Grenadiere die Taleingänge südlich und östlich Altsohl gegen zahlreiche von starker Artillerie unter flitzte feindliche Angriffe. Zwischen der Hohen Tatra und dem Saum südlich Breslau brachte der Tag bei geringer Kampftätigkeit keine Veränderung des Frontverlaufes. Wiederholte Versuche des Feindes, mit Infanterie- und Panzerkräften in den Abschnitten von Zobten, Goldberg und Lauban Saum zu gewinnen, scheiterten.

Vor unseren Brückenköpfen an der Lausitzer Neiße brachen auch gestern zahlreiche Angriffe der Bolschewisten unter hohen Verlusten zusammen. Gegenstöße warfen den an einzelnen Stellen auf das Westufer vorgedrungenen Feind zurück.

Zwischen der unteren Oder und dem Raum von Pyritz lebte die Gefechtstätigkeit auf. In Mittelpommern stehen herangeführte eigene Verbände an den Ortsrändern von Bublitz und Rummelsburg in schweren Abwehrkämpfen gegen die nach Nordwesten vorgestoßenen schnellen Kräfte der Sowjets. In der Tucheler Heide wurde der Feind im Gegenangriff nach Süden zurückgeworfen.

An der Ostpreußen- und Samlandfront griffen die Bolschewisten unter dem Eindruck ihrer hohen Verluste nur im Raum nordwestlich Kreuzburg in der bisherigen Stärke an. Unsere seit Tagen schwer ringenden Divisionen vereitelten hier den Durchbruch zahlreicher, von Panzerrudeln unterstützter feindlicher Schützenverbände.

In Kurland brachte uns der siebente Tag der Abwehrschlacht südöstlich Libau einen vollen Abwehrerfolg.

Nach stärkster Artillerievorbereitung nahm die 1. kanadische Armee ihre Großangriffe zwischen Niederrhein und Maas wieder auf. Südlich, Kalkar und südwestlich Goch konnte der Feind in unsere Stellungen eindringen. Unsere Reserven warfen sich den Angreifern entgegen und behaupteten so den Zusammenhang der Abwehrfront. Ein dort eingesetztes Panzerkorps vernichtete 57 feindliche Panzer.

Die Materialschlacht an der Rur hat gestern noch an Heftigkeit zugenommen. Im Raum von Erkelenz, östlich Jülich und nordöstlich Düren wurde der massiert angreifende Feind aufgefangen, sein Durchbruch verhindert. In den letzten drei Tagen schossen unsere Truppen hier 170 feindliche Panzer ab. Die Versuche des Feindes, die Stadt Bitburg durch Umfassung zu nehmen, scheiterten an unseren entschlossenen Gegenangriffen.

Bei Saarburg konnten unsere Truppen ein Vordringen der Amerikaner aus ihrem Brückenköpf östlich der Saar verhindern, östlich Forbach dauern die Stellungskämpfe an.

Unsere Artillerie zerschlug vor Dünkirchen den Angriffsversuch einer feindlichen Panzergruppe.

Nordamerikanische Bomberverbände führten am gestrigen Tage einen Terrorangriff gegen die Reichshauptstadt Es entstanden Verluste unter der Bevölkerung und erhebliche Schäden in Wohngebieten. Außerdem wurden zahlreiche Kulturbauten und Krankenhäuser zerstört. Britische Bomber griffen westdeutsches Gebiet und in den Abendstunden Berlin an.

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In Pommern hat sich eine zum Flankenschutz eingesetzte Kampfgruppe der SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadierdivision „Wallenstein“ unter Führung von SS-Obersturmführer Capelle mit vorbildlicher Standhaftigkeit und fanatischem Kampfwillen geschlagen.

Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (March 27, 1945)

FROM
(A) SHAEF MAIN

ORIGINATOR
PRD, Communique Section

DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN
271100A 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. 353

UNCLASSIFIED: Allied forces continued to strengthen their bridgehead over the Rhine north of the Ruhr. Rees has been completely cleared and to the north, Bienen has been captured. North of Wesel we occupied Hamminkeln and advanced beyond it. Good progress has been made between the Lippe Canal and Dinslaken, and Hünxe, Bruckhausen and Hiesfeld have been captured. In the Wesel area enemy armor, gun positions and troops were attacked by medium, light and fighter bombers, operating in strength immediately ahead of our ground forces. Single enemy tanks, being used as forward gun positions, were hit by rocket-firing fighters. Other fighter-bombers took a heavy toll of motor transport in and behind the battle area and attacked airfields at Dorsten and Dortmund. Our forces have broken out of the Remagen bridgehead. In the north we gained 4,000 yards to reach the outskirts of Eitorf on the Sieg River, and to the southeast other elements advanced up to seven miles to reach a point one mile southeast of Altenkirchen.

Tanks and armored vehicles north of Altenkirchen were attacked by fighter bombers. In the central sector of the bridgehead we pushed eight miles eastward and reached Maxsain, while to the south our units gained 15 miles to reach Staudt, two miles north of Montabaur. Our forces in a 22-mile advance, drove east of Grenzhausen, and then southeastward along the Cologne-Frankfurt autobahn to Limburg. East of the Rhine between Koblenz and Boppard, we cleared Filsen and advanced southeast against varying resistance to take Lykershausen. Our units pushing out seven miles to the northeast from the bridgehead in the Mainz-Worms area have entered the outskirts of Frankfurt.

We now control the south bank of the Main River for a stretch of seven miles upstream from its junction with the Rhine. East of Frankfurt, our units reached the Main River opposite Hanau. Two enemy counterattacks, one to the south of Hanau and the other at Aschaffenburg, were repulsed. Targets at Aschaffenburg were bombed by aircraft cooperating closely with our ground forces. In the area between Frankfurt and Darmstadt, we have entered Langen and have cleared Wixhausen. Farther south our units made another Rhine crossing without air or artillery preparation.

Allied forces in the west captured 15,132 prisoners 25 March.

Communications and rail targets in and around the Ruhr were attacked by fighter bombers. Objectives included rail yards at Dorsten, Recklinghausen, Lünen, Ahlen, Hamm, Essem, and Hagen, and 13 rail yards in the Siegen and Giessen areas. A strong force of medium and light bombers bombed rail yards at Flieden, Gemünden and Würzburg while fighter bombers struck at rail traffic in the Frankfurt and Fulda areas. Road and rail transport, strong points and communications were attacked by fighter bombers flying missions ahead of our ground forces in the battle areas south of Frankfurt. In the Heidelberg-Karlsruhe-Stuttgart triangle, motor vehicles were hit. An armored vehicle plant at Plauen and a synthetic oil plant and refinery at Zeitz were attacked by a strong force of escorted heavy bombers. Railroad and water transport in widespread areas of Holland were attacked by fighter bombers. South of Enschede, a train of petrol tank cars was destroyed. Strongpoints southwest of Arnhem and other military objectives northwest of Nijmegen were hit with rockets and bombs.

Targets in Berlin were attacked during the last night by light 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 FA4655

AUTHENTICATING SIGNATURE
/s/

U.S. Navy Department (March 27, 1945)

Communiqué No. 587

The submarine USS ALBACORE (SS-218) is overdue from patrol and is presumed lost. The next of kin of officers and crew have been informed.

CINCPOA Communiqué No. 311

On March 27, (East Longitude Date), carrier aircraft of the U.S. Pacific Fleet continued to attack enemy forces and defense installations in the Ryukyus and surface units attacked coastal objectives with naval gunfire.

Navy search planes of Fleet Air Wing One damaged three small cargo ships in the area around Hachijo Island, 150 miles south of Tokyo on March 26.

Liberators of the 7th Army Air Force bombed the Suzaki airdrome on Chichi Jima in the Bonins on March 25. On the following day storage areas and buildings on Marcus Island were attacked by planes of the same force.

Corsair and Hellcat fighters, Helldiver bombers and Avenger torpedo planes of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing destroyed buildings and other installations and damaged warehouses, transport and pier facilities on enemy-held islands in the Palaus on March 26 and 27.

Marine fighters and torpedo planes strafed and bombed the airstrip on Yap in the Western Carolines on March 27.

Search planes of FlAirWing One bombed and strafed small craft and installations at Truk in the Central Carolines on March 26.

Navy search Privateers of FlAirWing Two bombed runways, fuel and ammunition dumps and bivouac areas on Wake Island on March 26.

Helldiver bombers of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing bombed enemy-held bases in the Marshalls on March 26.

The Pittsburgh Press (March 27, 1945)

NAZIS IN WILD ROUT
Eisenhower: Enemy ‘whipped’ – Smash on to Berlin, he orders

Patton’s Third Army points way with lunge halfway across Reich

Nazi orders to stragglers point to military collapse

Phony rumors about peace started by casual remark

White House aide’s statement misinterpreted – newspapers flooded with telephone calls

Peace feelers are increasing

Would go to Big Three, Churchill says

Okinawa foothold seized, Japs say

Bootleg era just small stuff –
$1-million-a-week meat black market flourishes in district

Racketeers operate high, wide and handsome while honest businessmen ‘starve’
By Chester M. Potter

Senator opposes cattle ceiling

But meat spokesman asks higher subsidy

I DARE SAY —
Take it in time!

By Florence Fisher Parry

With deadline near –
Miss Perkins calls miners, operators

Seizure of pits hinges on pact extension

Ration boards told to cut gas use

Plan may be announced soon –
Perkins: Business and labor join to map program for industrial peace

Cooperative action taken in attempt to forestall feared post-war evils
By Fred W. Perkins, Pittsburgh Press staff writer

Firms ordered to deal with foremen union

NLRB makes ruling by 2-1 vote

Nurse draft extended by Senate group

Married women also face call

GOP considers 1946 election plan