Document Source: Supreme Allied Headquarters Archival Document, Original Communiques of the Supreme Commander, European Theater of Operations
Communique Number 327 – 01 March 1945
Allied forces have occupied Kalkar which was found to be clear of the enemy. Farther south, there has been heavy fighting in the Hochwald and along the Uedem-Xanten Railway. We have occupied a number of villages between Goch and the Meuse River. Ferry and barge traffic on the Rhine River between Rees and Wesel, troop concentrations at Winnekendonk and Sonsbeck, and strong points near Weeze were hit yesterday by fighter bombers and rocket-firing fighters. Medium and light bombers attacked targets at Geldern, Kamp and Rheinberg. Other fighter bombers struck at the railway yards at Wesel.
We have continued our operations across the Roer River against slight to moderate resistance which has stiffened in the area west of Köln. Our forces have driven to within seven miles of Köln and have established three bridgeheads over the Erft River and the Canal west of te city. West of the Erft, we have cleared Esche, and have reached Mödrath to the southeast after crossing the river west of the town. East and southeast of Düren, we have taken Norvenich, Hochkirchen, Gladbach, and Vettweiss, and our units have driven to the edge of Muldenau, encountering heavy enemy artillery fire. Fighter bombers attacked fortified villages at and in the area of Munchengladbach and near Euskirchen. South of Schleiden, we have cleared Rescheid. Northeast of Prüm, our forces made gains of up to one mile, repulsing a counter-attack four and one-half miles from the town. Southwest of Prüm, our armored elements crossed the Prüm River, captured Pronsfeld, Lünebach, and Merlscheid, and made penetrations of one mile east of the river. Waxweiler has been taken. Bitburg is now clear of the enemy, and our units have advanced to the Kyll River and have captured Röhl, Sülm, and Idenheim. We have taken Irrel and Helenenberg, seven miles northwest of Trier.
Wasserbillig, at the junction of the Saar River and the Moselle River, is now in our hands. Armored elements, advancing one mile against enemy strong points, anti-tank guns and road blocks, have entered Pellingen, five and one-half miles southeast of Trier. In the wooded area five and one-half miles east of Saarburg, our infantry gained up to one and one-half miles southward. Fortified towns and strong points in the Prüm area and along the main road from Bitburg south of Trier were attacked by fighter bombers. From Saarbrücken to the Rhine River and south to the franco-swiss border, patrol clashes were the only activity. Allied forces in the west captured 7168 prisoners on Feb 27.
Rail bridges at Colbe and Niedersheld, north and northwest of Giessen, at Mayen, and traffic centers at Siegen and Sankt Wendel, northeast of Saarbrücken, were targets for medium and light bombers. Fighter bombers struck at rail lines in the areas of Sarrelouis, Kaiserslautern, Zweibrücken and Neustadt. Objectives in the industrial area of Emmendingen east of Colmar were bombed by medium bombers. Rail yards at Kassel, Soest, Schwerte, Hagen and Siegen were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. Fighters strafed rail transport over a wide area. Other escorted heavy bombers made a concentrated attack on the Nordstern Benzol Plant near Gelsenkirchen. An ordnance depot at Unna, east of Dortmund, was attacked by a strong formation of light bombers. From the days’ operations three of our heavy bombers and 20 fighters are missing according to incomplete reports. Last night light bombers again attacked targets at Berlin.
Communique Number 328 – 02 March 1945
Heavy fighting continues in the area between the Hochwald Forest and Weeze. South of Uedem, allied forces have entered Kervenheim against strong opposition. Enemy troops on the northwest fringe of the Hochwald Forest were strafed by fighters. Strong points and gun positions near Labbeck and the village of Sonsbeck were attacked by fighter bombers. Targets at Xanten and Kevelaer were attacked by medium and light bombers and rail lines in the Wesel area were cut by fighter bombers. Our ground units across the Roer River have maintained good progress. Munchengladbach has been captured. Fighter bombers struck at rail yards north of Düsseldorf, rail and road targets between Munchengladbach and Düsseldorf. We are meeting stubborn enemy resistance east of the Erft River. Our units have entered Bergheim, Ichendorf, Horrem, and Mödrath. East of Düren, we have crossed the Neffel River, cleared Pingsheim and Dorweiler, and have entered Wissersheim.
Farther to the south, Müddersheim and Disternich have been captured. Our units, driving south on the east side of the Roer River, have met strong enemy resistance south of Nideggen. Rail and road targets on both sides of the Rhine River near Köln and to the south were struck at by fighter bombers. Medium and light bombers attacked eight communications centers, most of them west of the Rhine in the Köln area, and a rail bridge east of the city. South of Schleiden, we have taken Oberreifferscheid. Our forces have gained one-half mile against stubborn resistance in the area nine miles northeast of Prüm, and we have taken high ground just east of Willwerath, four miles northeast of Prüm. South of Prüm, we have expanded our bridgehead across the Prüm River, and have captured Lascheid and Lambertsberg. In the area north of Bitburg, we have taken Scheid and Ehlenz and our armored elements have repulsed a strong, tank-supported counterattack.
Fighter bombers operating in this area struck at fortified towns and armored columns. North of Trier, our infantry has taken Möhn and Butzweiler. Our armored elements advancing from the south against enemy small arms, mortar and artillery fire have entered the outskirts of Trier and have cut the main highway one and one-half miles northeast of the city. South of Trier, we have taken Krettnach, Obermennig and Oberemmel in an advance to the northwest. Our forces in the area five and one-half miles east of Saarburg have gained one mile to the south. There was little activity in the sector from Saarbrücken to the franco-swiss border. Two enemy raids were repulsed near the Rhine northeast of Strasbourg.
Allied forces in the west captured 7507 prisoners on Feb 28. Rail yards at Hellbronn, Bruchsal, Göppingen, Reutlingen, Neckarsulm, Ingolstadt, Ulm and Augsburg, all in southern Germany and the communications center and industrial town of Mannheim were attacked yesterday by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. By strafing in the vicinity of Stuttgart, München, Nuremberg and Kassel, the escorting fighters destroyed nine enemy aircraft on the ground and shot up large numbers of locomotives, rail cars and road transport. Other escorted heavy bombers attacked the synthetic oil plant at Kamen near Dortmund. Two rail bridges over the Moselle River and an ordnance depot at Giessen were targets for medium and light bombers. Fighter bombers attacked rail yards in the Darmstadt area and at Alzey, northwest of Worms, and cut rail lines in the Kaiserslautern area. Twenty-three enemy aircraft were shot down. Twelve heavy bombers and 22 fighters are missing. Last night light bombers attacked targets in Berlin and Erfurt.
Communique Number 329 – 03 March 1945
Allied forces have fought their way through the Hochwald Forest despite strong resistance, and farther west have taken the strongly defended villages of Kervenheim and Weeze. Targets in Kevelaer, a communications center, were bombed by medium and light bombes, while fighter bombers attacked enemy troops and gun positions near Weeze. Other fighter bombers attacked rail and road transport and communications in the Ruhr, to the north and northeast of the Ruhr, and barges on the Rhine River between Wesel and Dinslaken. To the south, our advance has now reached Straelen, and Roermond and Venlo have been captured. North of Munchengladbach we have occupied Dülken and Viersen. Our units have entered Krefeld and have captured Neuss.
Our forces west of Köln, have advanced to Bedburg and Buchholz. Berghem has been cleared, and we have reached Niederaussem and Habbelrath. Fighting continues in Mödrath. Enemy resistance is stiff in the area east of the Erft River and the Canal. Communications and other targets at Köln were bombed yesterday morning and again in the afternoon by escorted heavy bombers in great strength. More than 3000 tons of bombs were dropped in the targets areas. East of Düren, our units entered Gymnich after a gain of about two and one-half miles. Wissersheim and Erp have been cleared and our armored elements are in Borr and Friesheim. In the Zülpich area, we have reached Bessenich, Junkersdorf and Embken. We have cleared Heimbach and advanced 1500 yards farther south on the east side of the Roer River.
In the Prüm area, our forces reached high ground two and one-half miles northeast of the town, and to the south and southeast have captured Winringen, Plütscheid and Seffern. Fighter bombers attacked fortified places east of Prüm, and targets in the towns of Badem and Eisenschmitt to the south. Trier has been captured by armored and infantry units. Our forces advancing from the northwest are two and one-half miles from the city after taking Kersch and Newel. Southwest of trier we have captured Konz-Karthaus at the junction of the Saar and Moselle rivers. Fighter bombers attacked targets in Schillingen, Greimerath and Losheim, fortified towns south of Trier.
Enemy patrols which crossed the Rhine north and south of Strasbourg were repulsed. Allied forces in the west captured 7053 prisoners on Mar 1. Communications and transport west of the Rhine River from Krefeld southward to Landau and east of the river from Dortmund southward to Haslach were struck at by medium, light and fighter bombers in strength. Among the targets were communications centers at Sinnersdorf and Meckenheim, and bridges at Sinzig, Eller, Zell, Bernkastel-Kues and Simmern. A motor repair depot at Iserlohn and ordnance depots at Giessen and Wiesbaden were hit by medium and light bombers. Railway yards at Chemnitz and Dresden, synthetic oil plants at Magdeburg and Böhlen, an oil refinery at Rositz and the Krupts Works at Magdeburg were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. Airfields near Leipzig and Magdeburg were strafed by some of the escorting fighters. Targets in Berlin and Kassel were bombed last night by light bombers.
Communique Number 330 – 04 March 1945
Allied forces east of the Hochwald Forest are fighting against fierce enemy resistance. We have occupied Kevelaer and to the west have advanced beyond the villages of Bergen and Langstraat on the right bank of the Meuse River. Contact has been made between elements of our forces advancing from the Roer and our units moving southward from the Reichwald. Farther south we have occupied Geldern, Sevelen and Kempen. Enemy troops, defense positions, observation posts, road transport and barges in an area around Xanten and near Sonsbeck; objectives in the Wesel area, and rail and road traffic to the eastward were targets for medium, light and fighter bombers and rocket-firing fighters. The city of Krefeld has been completely cleared of the enemy. Three bridges across the Rhine in the Neuss-Düsseldorf area were blown by the Germans.
We are fighting in Frimmersdorf, southwest of Grevenbroich, and in Stommeln, northwest of Köln while other units have reached Pulheim, four miles from the outskirts of Köln. In this area Büsdorf, Fliesteden, Manstedten and Geyen have been cleared. Mödrath, on the Düren-Köln road, and Herrig, Lechenich, Ahrem and Weilerswist, southwest of Köln also have been cleared. Enemy positions north of Krefeld, communications on both sides of the Rhine and rail traffic around Köln were hit by fighter bombers. Zülpich has been cleared. Our forces across the Erft River north of Euskirchen, repulsed a counterattack supported by tanks and self-propelled guns after a hard fight.
We have crossed the Schwammenauel Dam and have mopped up the area between the Schwammenauel Lake and the Urft Lake to the south. Numerous mine fields were encountered. Northeast of Prüm, we have entered Weinsheim, and repulsed a small counterattack in that area. South of Prüm, our armor has crossed the Nims River. We have captured Oberlauch, Niederlauch, Schönecken and Dingdorf. A bridge at Schönecken was taken intact. Our units hold the high ground overlooking the Nims River in the area ten miles northwest of Bitburg. We have captured Heilenbach.
Armored elements have reached the junction of the Kyll River and the Moselle River northeast of Trier. Southwest of Trier, we have taken Langsur, Igel, Zewen and Euren. Two counterattacks were repulsed by our units in the area two miles southwest of Zerf. Fortified towns in the area of Bitburg and Trier were attacked by fighter bombers. Breaking a lull, our forces made limited gains in an attack in Forbach against stiff resistance. Farther east, a slight gain was made north of Bübingen on the east bank of the Saar River in Germany.
Fighter bombers set on fire a large ammunition dump at Eschringen east of Forbach, and attacked rail traffic in the Kaiserslautern area. In northern Alsace and along the Rhine River, there was little activity. Allied forces in the west captured 9599 prisoners on Mar 2. Medium and light bombers attacked supply and communications targets in the Ruhr Bassin and western Germany, including ordnance and motor repair depots at Schweim, Bergisch-Born, northeast of Köln, Giessen, and Wiesbaden, rail bridges at Remagen and Heimersheim between Bonn and Koblenz, and at Simmern, an ammunition dump at Rheinbach, road blocks at Kirn and a storage depot at Nahbollenbach to the southwest.
Oil, rail, and industrial targets over a wide area of Germany were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. They included rail yards at Chemnitz, synthetic oil plants at Magdeburg and Ruhland, north of Dresden, oil refineries and other factories in the Braunschweig and Hanover areas and a road and rail bridge spanning the Weser River at Nienburg, northwest of Hanover. Fighters strafed rail transport and destroyed 20 enemy aircraft on the ground. Ten enemy aircraft were destroyed in the air. Last night heavy bombers were over Germany in strength with Kamen as the main objective. Würzburg was also bombed. Light bombers again attacked targets in Berlin.
Communique Number 331 – 05 March 1945
Allied forces are meeting determined resistance in the Xanten area, but elsewhere we have made good progress. The Weeze-Geldern-Venlo pocket is being mopped up and to the east of the towns of Kapellen, Issum and Rheurdt have been cleared of the enemy. Farther east and south our forces are fighting in Moers, Alt-Homberg and Uerdingen. Southeast of Neuss we have reached Derikum, less than two miles from the Rhine River, after an advance of more than five miles. Northeast of Köln our forces reached Ramrath and Anstel, cleared Stommeln and Sinnersdorf, and have sent patrols to the Rhine north of Köln.
We reached Widdersdorf, two miles west of Köln, and fighting is in progress at Frechen, on the Köln-Düren road, against strong enemy resistance. Southwest of Köln, our infantry is fighting in Liblar and we have cleared Weilerswist and Derkum on the east bank of the Erft River. Frauenberg, northwest of Euskirchen, is in our hands. To the southwest, we are fighting in Gemund, and our units have taken Schleiden. In the Prüm area we have captured Reuth, Büdesheim, and Seiwerath. North of Bitburg, we captured Balesfeld and our units advancing from the north and south made contact in this area between the Nims River and the Kyll River. North of Trier, our infantry crossed the Kyll and entered Hosten, encountering enemy small arms, mortar and artillery fire. Northeast of Trier, we captured Pfalzel. In the Zerf area east of Saarburg our units repulsed a counterattack by a strong force of enemy infantry. We have cleared almost all of Frobach against stubborn resistance. House-to-house fighting continued in the nearby village of Marienau.
Gains of more than a mile were made between Forbach and Saarbrücken. Our forces partially cleared Stiring-Wendel. We cut the Saarbrücken-Metz highway two miles southwest of Saarbrücken. Along the rhine south of Strasbourg hostile patrols were forced back across the river. Allied forces in the west captured 9769 prisoners on Mar 3. Adverse weather yesterday limited air operations which were confined mainly to attacks on the enemy communications. Communication centers at Winterswijk, in Holland, Barlo, northeast of Bocholt, Brühl and Sechtem, near Köln, and rail yards at Lenkerbeck, Recklinghausen and Wanne-Eickel were attacked by escorted heavy, medium and light bombers. Farther south rail targets in a wide arc from Pirmasens to Donaueschingen were struck at by fighter bombers. Among there were rail yards at Gernsbach and Karlsruhe and the rail station at Donaueschingen. Communications at Freiburg and a fuel dump near the city also were attacked. Rail yards, ordnance depots and industrial targets at Ulm and elsewhere in southwest Germany were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in great strength. Targets in Berlin were bombed last night by light bombers.
Special Communique Number 6
News has been received of the success achieved by Danish Saboteurs against German troop movements through Denmark. Repeated attacks have been made by Danish Patriots on all railway lines in the country with the result that not one train arrives in Germany without having been delayed, either by direct attack or by the necessity of it having to be diverted because of sabotage. In addition, the problem has been made more difficult for the Germans by the destruction of factories making rails and junction points, by the sabotage of water towers and by the blowing up of electric points, turntables and railway stations. This action by Danish Saboteurs is an effective contribution to current military operations on both the western and eastern fronts.
Communique Number 332 – 06 March 1945
Allied forces continue to make good progress in reducing the enemy bridgehead west of the Rhine. Our units have occupied Wardt and advanced to the approaches of Xanten. Mopping up operations in the area of Geldern have been completed and farther east we have reached Rheinberg and captured Orsoyerberg. Moers and Alt-Homberg have been cleared of the enemy and we hold the left bank of the Rhine River from Homberg to Neuss. Farther south, our units reached the Rhine at Grimlinghausen and have captured the town. South and southeast of Grimlinghausen, the towns of Schlicherum and Nievenheim were captured, and we reached Dormagen after a four-mile advance. In the same area. Cavalry elements cleared Benrath-Chorbusch, a forest, and occupied Straberg and Delhoven.
We reached the Rhine River at Worringen, cleared Roggendorf, and pushed south to occupy Longerich. Köln has been entered by our armor which has penetrated more than one mile within the city limits. Other units are fighting in the western Köln suburbs of Müngersdorf and Junkersdorf. To the south, we have taken Gleuel and Burbach. Farther south of Köln we have occupied Schmarzmaar and our armor cleared Euskirchen and pushed 800 yards southeast of the town. Billig and Kreuzweingarten, south of Euskirchen, have been taken. East of the Forest in Gemund, we have taken Berg and entered Glehn. The town of Gemünd has been captured. Northeast of Prüm we captured Schönfeld, Duppach and Schwirzheim. East and south of Prüm, we captured Kopp, Malberg and Neuheilenbach. Our units have reached the Kyll River on a two mile stretch in the area nine miles southeast of Prüm.
East of Bitburg, our forces crossed the Kyll River and captured Pickliessem and Ordorf. In the Saarbrücken area we have cleared Forbach and nearby Marienau after hard fighting. Our units also have driven the enemy from a large part of Stiring-Wendel. Some 1250 allied prisoners of war were liberated at Stiring-Wendel. Most of them were ill. In northern Alsace, and along the Rhine south of Strasbourg, enemy patrols were repulsed. Allied forces in the west captured 7454 prisoners on Mar 4.
Rail lines in Holland and north of the Ruhr were attacked by fighter bombers. Medium and light bombers attacked rail communications over a wide area mainly east of the Rhine. Targets were rail yards at Nuttlar, 45 miles west of Kassel: Altenhundem and Kreuztal, north of Siegen; Marburg, Wetzlar and Bingen; a rail junction at Westerburg, and the communications center of Meckenheim, southwest of Bonn. An ordnance depot at Unna, east of Dortmund also was attacked. Rail yards at Kaiserslautern and Neustadt and rail traffic in the Zweibrücken area were targets for fighter bombers. Escorted heavy bombers attacked railway marshalling yards at Chemnitz and oil refineries at Harburg, near Hamburg. Other escorted heavy bombers made a concentrated attack on a benzol plant near Gelsenkirchen. Last night Chemnitz was again attacked by heavy bombers which were over germany in very great strength. Targets in Berlin also were bombed.
Communique Number 333 – 07 March 1945
Allied forces are meeting fierce resistance along the approaches to Xanten. Sonsbeck, southwest of Xanten, has been captured against moderate resistance and farther south our troops have made advances of two miles to the Bonninghardt Forest. The town of Rheinberg has been cleared. Continued bad weather yesterday again limited our air operation, however enemy troops, armor and transport at Wesel were attacked by escorted light bombers. Our forces cleared the area west of the Rhine River from a point eight miles south of Neuss to Köln, with the exception of Zons and the area in the river band just north of Zons. Köln has been captured, but sporadic fighting continues in the southern outskirts of the city. Resistance in the city came mainly from houses converted into strong points. South of Köln, resistance is stronger and fighting is in progress in Hermülheim.
We captured the Goldenberg Power Station, on the northwest edge of Knapsack and have reached Pingsdorf and Heimerzheim. Our units are within six miles of Bonn. East of Euskirchen, we have taken Niederdrees and Oberdrees. Farther to the southwest the towns of Stotzheim, Satzvey and Glehn are in our hands. South of Gemünd, we have crossed the Olef River and have taken the town of Olef. Northeast of Prüm, our units reached the Kyll River, captured Lissendorf and entered Niederbettingen. An enemy counterattack was repulsed in this area. East and southeast of Prüm, we crossed the Kyll, captured Michelbach and Mürlenbach, and entered Densborn.
An armored column, striking northeast and east from the Bitburg area, drove 25 miles to reach the vicinity of Schönbach. The towns of Gindorf, Meisburg and Oberstadtfeld were over-run by this force, which reached a point 20 miles from the Rhine River in one area. East of Bitburg. We reached the vicinity of Binsfeld. East of Trier, our troops have crossed the Ruwer River to clear Kenn and Eitelsbach. Enemy counter-attacks were repulsed north, east and southeast of Trier. West of Forbach, stiff fighting continued in the Bois de la Résèrve where the enemy established strong points. Hostile infiltrations were mopped up.
North of Forbach, we repulsed a tank-supported counterattack. Sharp fighting also took place on the east bank of the Saar River north of Bübingen. Along the Rhine enemy patrols were turned back. Allied forces in the west captured 6485 prisoners on Mar 5. An oil refinery at Salzbergen was bombed by escorted heavy bombers. Rail yards at Lenkerbeck, Recklinghausen, Rauxel, Opladen and Siegburg were attacked by medium and light bombers. During the night heavy bombers made two separate attacks and light bombers made repeated attacks on enemy concentrations at Wesel. Targets at Sassnitz, on the Rügen Island in the Baltic Sea were attacked by heavy bombers which also attacked targets in Berlin.
Communique Number 334 – 08 March 1945
Allied forces are still meeting fierce resistance in the approaches to Xanten. We have advanced to the outskirts of Veen where heavy fighting continues. Bönninghardt has been occupied and farther east our units are fighting in Ossenberg. The west bank of the Rhine River has now been cleared between Rheinberg and Orsoyerberg. Enemy troop concentrations west of Wesel, and barges in the Rheinberg area were attacked by fighter bombers. South of Düsseldorf we have captured Zons. In Köln, our units continued to mop up sporadic resistance in the southeast section of the city. South of Köln we cleared Rondorf, Immendorf, Meschenich and Fischenich, and reached Brühl.
Northwest of Bonn, we have reached Brenig, and have captured Bornheim and Botzdorf. Southeast of Euskirchen we occupied Rheinbach, Schweinheim and Kirchheim and are fighting in the Flamersheim Forest. East of Schleiden we occupied Kall, Keldenich and Sötenich. East of Prüm, we have captured Bolsdorf, Dohm, Gerolstein and Pelm, and our armor pushing more than 11 miles northeast of Pelm has captured Hinterweiler, Dreis and Boxberg. Another armored unit has reached the Rhine River in the area north of Koblenz after overrunning a number of towns including Üdersdorf, Schönbach and Monreal. Infantry units are mopping up behind the armored thrust. Southeast of Bitburg we have captured Binsfeld and Herforst. Northeast of Trier we have cleared quint, Ehrang and Mertesdorf.
In our Saar bridgehead we repulsed five counterattacks. We met continued stubborn resistance in the Forbach area. The sector farther west and along the Rhine was quiet. Allied forces in the west captured 6467 prisoners on Mar 6. A railroad viaduct near Bielefeld, marshalling yards at Bielefeld, Soest, Siegen, and Giessen, the Castrop-Rauxel benzol plant, the Harpen refinery and two other benzol plants in the Dortmund area were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in great strength. Rail lines and traffic north of the Ruhr were attacked by fighter bombers. Four enemy aircraft were shot down. One of our heavy bombers and two fighters are missing. Last night heavy bombers were over Germany in very great strength with Dessau and oil refineries at Harburg, near Hamburg, and Heide in Schleswig-Holstein, as the main objectives. Targets in Berlin were bombed by light bombers.
Communique Number 335 – 09 March 1945
Allied forces have surrounded Xanten despite strong enemy resistance and are fighting in the town. Heavy fighting continues in the area of Veen. We captured Rodenkirchen and entered Sürth near the Rhine south of Köln. Our units have reached the Rhine and crossed it to establish a bridgehead on the east bank, south of Köln. Northwest of Bonn, we captured Berzdorf, Echtem and Roisdorf, and have cleared half of the city of Bonn. West of Bonn, we occupied Dransdorf, and entered Duisdorf. Three-fourths of the city of Bad Godesberg, south of Bonn, has been cleared. Our infantry units, in gains of up to three and one-half miles, captured Wiesbaum and Leudersdorf northwest of Prüm. Our armored elements have advanced to the vicinity of Boos, nine miles west of Mayen.
Other armored elements are patrolling the Rhine, northwest of Koblenz, and are not in contact with the enemy in this area. Our infantry, mopping up behind the armored thrusts in the area east of Prüm, has occupied Darsheid, Neroth, Salm, Eisenschmitt, and Schwarzenborn. East of Bitburg other infantry units have captured several towns, including Arenrath and Niersbach. Four enemy counterattacks in the vicinity of the junction of the Saar and Moselle Rivers near Trier were repulsed by our armored elements. We also repulsed a counterattack in the area seven miles southeast of trier.
In the Forbach area enemy resistance continued from dug-in positions. Hostile patrols were repulsed along the Rhine. Allied forces in the west captured 6753 prisoners on Mar 7. Six benzol plants and a synthetic oil plant in the Ruhr, mainly in the Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund areas, and rail yards at Essen, Betzdorf, Siegen, Dillenburg, and Giessen were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. Striking at the enemy’s communications leading to the area of our bridgehead over the Rhine south of Köln, medium and and light bombers attacked targets in a number of towns. Other medium and light bombers bombed targets at Bergisch-Gladbach and Altenkirchen and a motor vehicle depot and repair pool at Wülfrath. One heavy bomber is missing from the day’s operations. Last night heavy bombers made heavy attacks on the communications center and industrial town of Kassel, and on submarine building yards at Hamburg; while targets in Berlin, and enemy movements north and south of the Ruhr, were attacked by light bombers.
Communique Number 336 – 10 March 1945
Allied forces have captured Xanten after bitter fighting and advanced beyond it to the south. In the area of Veen our units are meeting strong enemy resistance. We have captured Alpen and Millingen and the town of Ossenberg has been cleared. Enemy troops west of the Rhine River, near Wesel, were attacked by fighter bombers. Farther south, the cities of Bonn and Bad Godesberg have been captured. Some mopping up continues in the southern sector of Bonn. Our crossing of the Rhine was made at Remagen, where a railway bridge was captured intact by our armor. Erpel, on the east bank of the Rhine, was captured by our forces before they proceeded inland.
Fighter aircraft gave cover yesterday to our operations in the bridgehead. Armored units striking northeast in a 19 mile advance, captured Brohl on the Rhine, while another armored column, moving parallel, has captured Mayen and advanced 11 miles farther to take Andernach, on the Rhine. Our armored units advancing from the south have linked up along the Rhine with other units advancing from the north. Other armored elements, mopping up in the Koblenz plain, have captured Mülheim-Kärlich, northwest of Koblenz. Northwest of Mayen, we captured several towns including Adenau, Reifferscheid and Hoffeld. Infantry units mopping up in the area east of Prüm, reached the vicinity of Waldkönigen and other elements reached Manderscheid. In the area east and south of Bitburg, we captured Burg, Landscheid, and Gladbach, and crossed the Salm River on a three and one-half mile stretch, and reached a point one mile east of the river.
Our armor advancing one and one-half miles to the east on a five mile front, entered Föhren. Most of the resistance consisted of road blocks and mines. Rail yards west of the Rhine in the Mannheim area, at Grünstadt, Bad Dürkheim and Schifferstadt, and fortified villages in the Saarbrücken area were attacked by fighter bombers. Along the Rhine, northeast of Strasbourg, we repulsed an enemy raid which followed a violent artillery and mortar barrage. Enemy patrols also were turned back south of Strasbourg. Allied forces in the west captured 5944 prisoners on Mar 8.
Rail yards at Frankfurt, Kassel, Münster, Rheine, and Osnabrück, the Henschel Tank Works at Kassel, and the Hedderheim Propeller and Casting Plant at Frankfurt, were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. Enemy road and rail movement and communications east of the Rhine and barge traffic on the Rhine were attacked by fighter bombers. Medium and light bomber targets were rail yards at Dorsten, Haltern, Arnsberg, Butzbach and in the Wiesbaden area; armored vehicle depots at Wiesbaden and the communications centers of Westerburg and Nastatten, southeast of Koblenz. Ammunition factories at Wülfen, north of Dorsten; and Lünen, north of Dortmund, were attacked.
Fighter bombers hit rail supply routes in eastern Holland and water traffic off the Dutch Island of Overflakkee. Escorted heavy bombers made concentrated attacks on two Benzol Plants at Datteln on the northeastern outskirts of the Ruhr. Fifteen enemy aircraft were shot down during the day. Ten of our heavy bombers, four medium and light bombers and 15 fighters are missing according to reports so far received. Last night targets in Berlin were bombed by light bombers. Other light bombers struck at road and rail targets north of the Ruhr eastward to Magdeburg and east of Köln and Bonn.
