Communique Number 365 – 8 April 1945
Allied forces entered Meppen on the Ems River. Farther south, the bridgehead over the river at Lingen has been extended against moderate resistance. Northeast of Rheine we occupied Hopsten and pushed east of the town. South of Bremen our forces passed through Sulingen and Siedenburg. In the area of Stolzenau on the Weser, we met determined enemy opposition. To the south we advanced more than 12 miles beyond the river near Minden. Strong points, gun positions and enemy troops in the areas of Deventer, Rijssen, Leese, Haselünne, Fürstenau and Freren were hit with rockets and bombs by fighter bombers. Rail lines were cut in many places including the Amersfoort and Zwolle areas. And a bridge was destroyed west of Rijssen.
Our armor broke out of the Weser bridgehead in the Hameln area, took Schulenberg and Elze, and reached Hasede, mopping up continues in Hameln. Farther south, our infantry captured Stahle, across the Weser River from Holzminden. Armored elements reached a point two miles from Helmarshausen, and other units are in the vicinity of Trendelburg, on the Diemel River. We have taken Veckerhagen on the west bank of the Weser north of Hann-münden, and just southeast of the city our units are on the autobahn in the vicinity of Laubach. Our infantry is in the area four miles southwest of Witzenhausen. West of Mühlhausen we have retaken struth after it was lost in an enemy counterattack. We have reached the vicinity of Keula, northeast of Mühlhausen, and to the southeast of the city we cleared Langernsalze.
Our armor in the area south of Suhl captured Schleusingen. Enemy troops and other targets in the Ruhr Pocket, and armor east of Kassel, were hit by fighter bombers. Other fighter bombers attacked airfields in the areas of Hanover, Dortmund, Hildesheim, Erfurt, Laucha, Zwickau and Bayreuth. On the northern side of the Ruhr Pocket our armor captured Ost Onnen, west of Soest, which has been cleared, and reached Mullingsen to the southeast along the easternside of the pocket we are fighting in Gleidorf, two miles northeast of Schmallenberg, and we repulsed a counterattack in that area. We have taken Fleckenberg and Wingehausen, south of Schmallenberg. On the southern flank of the pocket our forces reduced all enemy strong points in Siegen, and made a new crossing of the Sieg River two and one-half miles west of the town. Southeast of Fulda we gained up to ten miles against spotty resistance. Our armored elements reached Crailsheim, east of Heilbronn after a 20-mile advance. A number of enemy motor convoys were trapped in Crailsheim. In heilbronn the enemy continued to resist stubbornly. East of Karlsruhe gains of more than eight miles were made. Resistance was strong from Siegfried Line defenses in the direction of Rastatt. Allied forces in the west captured 42.888 prisoners on Apr 6.
Strong forces of medium, light and fighter bombers attacked rail and road transport, communications and rail facilities at Northeim and Gottingen; along the Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar rail line; between Hildesheim and Calbe; between Kassel and Halle; and in the triangle formed by Göttingen, Bayreuth and Chemnitz. Escorted heavy bombers in very great strength, bombed objectives in northern Germany including airfields at Wesendorf, Parchim and Kaltenkirchen, an oil storage depot at Hitzacker, an ordnance depot at Gustrow and rail yadds at Luneburg and Neumünster. Strong points in and near Odheim, north of Heilbronn were attacked by fighter bombers. In the course of the day’s operations 105 enemy aircraft were shot down, 116 were destroyed on the ground and many others were damaged. Twenty-two of our bombers and 16 fighters are missing.
Enemy movements from Hanover to Berlin were attacked during the night by light bombers northeast of Mühlhausen, and to the southeast of the city we cleared Langernsalze. Our armor in the area south of Suhl captured Schleusingen. Enemy troops and other targets in the Ruhr Pocket, and armor east of Kassel, were hit by fighter bombers. Other fighter bombers attacked airfields in the areas of Hanover, Dortmund, Hildesheim, Erfurt, Laucha, Zwickau and Bayreuth. On the northern side of the Ruhr Pocket our armor captured Ostönnen, west of Soest, which has been cleared, and reached Mullingsen to the southeast along the easternside of the pocket we are fighting in Gleidorf, two miles northeast of Schmallenberg, and we repulsed a counterattack in that area. We have taken Fleckenberg and Wingehausen, south of Schmallenberg.
On the southern flank of the pocket our forces reduced all enemy strong points in Siegen, and made a new crossing of the Sieg River two and one-half miles west of the town. Southeast of Fulda we gained up to ten miles against spotty resistance. Our armored elements reached Crailsheim, east of Heilbronn after a 20-mile advance. A number of enemy motor convoys were trapped in Crailsheim. In Heilbronn the enemy continued to resist stubbornly. East of Karlsruhe gains of more than eight miles were made. Resistance was strong from the Siegfried Line defenses in the direction of Rastatt. Allied forces in the west captured 42.888 prisoners on Apr 6. Strong forces of medium, light and fighter bombers attacked rail and road transport, communications and rail facilities at Northeim and Göttingen; along the Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar rail line; between Hildesheim and Calbe; between Kassel and Halle; and in the triangle formed by Göttingen, Bayreuth and Chemnitz.
Escorted heavy bombers in very great strength, bombed objectives in northern Germany including airfields at Wesendorf, Parchim and Kaltenkirchen, an oil storage depot at Hitzacker, an ordnance depot at Gustrow and rail yadds at Luneburg and Neumünster. Strong points in and near Odheim, north of Heilbronn were attacked by fighter bombers. In the course of the day’s operations 105 enemy aircraft were shot down, 116 were destroyed on the ground and many others were damaged. Twenty-two of our bombers and 16 fighters are missing. Enemy movements from Hanover to Berlin were attacked during the night by light bombers.
Communique Number 366 – 9 April 1945
Allied airborne forces have been dropped over a wide area in northwest Holland. Zutphen, on the Ijssel River, has been captured. Enemy resistance continues to be strong in the Meppen area. East of Lingen we occupied Lengerich and Freren and are continuing to advance eastward. To the south, we captured Halverde. Gun positions and strong points at Deventer, in the areas of Lingen, Haselünne and Quakenbrück, and road and rail transport over wide areas in Holland and northwest Germany were struck at by fighter bombers and rocket-firing fighters. Our armored forces advancing northeast from the Dümmer See, continued to make good progress. Syke has been captured and we are less than 12 miles from Bremen. East of the Weser river we occupied Loccum and Bad Rehburg and are on the outskirts of Neustadt after passing through Sachsenhagen. We reached the northern outskirts of Stadthagen.
Our armor captured Sarstedt and Himmelsthür, north of Hildesheim, and Marienburg, two miles south of the town. To the southwest we are fighting in Capellenhagen, and we captured Eschershausen. Fighting continues in Höxter. Northeast of Kassel our infantry reached a point three miles west of Hardegsen. We took Göttingen and Varlosen, while other units cleared Hann-Münden and pushed beyond the town. Our armor reached Dingelstädt, ten miles northwest of Mühlhausen. In the vicinity of Struth, west of Mülhausen, we repulsed a counter attack, knocked out nine of the 16 enemy tanks employed and killed or captured approximately half of the estimated 1000 man infantry force. Another counterattack was repelled southwest of Mühlhausen. Our infantry reached a point four miles northeast of Gotha, and other units mopping up behind the armor cut the Ohrdruf-Suhl road eight miles north of Suhl. Our forces reached a point three miles southeast of Suhl.
South of Meiningen our infantry and armor advanced eastward about 15 miles to reach Königshofen. In mopping up the area between salients farther south, we occupied many towns and villages south and southeast of Bad Kissingen. East of Würzburg our troops have cleared the west bank of the Main River for a distance of some 12 miles. Armor, driving westward from Crailsheim, reached Geislingen. House-to-house fighting continues in Heilbronn. The town of Pforzheim, southeast of Karlsruhe, has been captured and our forces have made good gains to the east. On the northern sector of the Ruhr Pocket our infantry extended its bridgehead over the Rhine-Herne Canal and entered Katernberg and Gelsenkirchen. We are meeting strong resistance in Castrop-Rauxel.
To the west a number of towns were cleared including Merklingen and Rahm, and we entered the northwest outskirts of Dortmund. Farther west our armor entered Werl, captured Gunningen and entered Warstein. On the eastern edge of the pocket we are within two miles of Meschede. West of Siegen our forces captured several towns including Freudenberg, Morsbach and Merten. Allied forces in the west captured 39.662 prisoners on Apr 7. Rail yards at Stendal, Plauen, and Cheb, southeast of Plauen; ordnance depots at Bayreuth and Grafenwoehr, southeast of Bayreuth; an aircraft repair factory at Furth and airfields at Schafstädt, southwest of Halle, and at Roth, south of Nürnberg were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in great strength.
Rail and road transport, rail yards and other communications targets at Celle, northeast of Hanover, Magdeburg, Sondershausen, Leipzig, Schleiz, northwest of Plauen, Bamberg and in the area of Nürnberg were attacked by strong forces of medium, light and fighter bombers. Sixteen enemy airfields including those at Nordhausen, Dessau, Halle, Merseburg, Erfurt and Hof, and others in the Nürnberg area, also were targets for medium, light and fighter bombers. And oil refinery at Nienhagen, northeast of Hanover; an oil storage depot at Münchenbernsdorf, southwest of Gera; and an ammunition dump at Kleinengstingen, south of Stuttgart, were hit by medium and light bombers. During the day’s operations, 35 enemy aircraft were shot down, 66 were destroyed on the ground and many others were damaged. According to reports so far received ten of our heavy bombers, one medium bomber and six fighters are missing. Last night heavy bombers in great strength attacked submarine building yards at Hamburg, and a synthetic oil plant at Lützen west of Leipzig. Targets in Berlin were also bombed.
Communique Number 367 – 10 April 1945
Allied forces overcame enemy resistance at Meppen and after crossing the Ems River made good advances northward beyond Lathen. East of Lingen our units occupied Fürstenau. South of Bremen we captured Bassum and Riede where enemy resistance is stiffening. Armored elements have captured Niedernstocken on the Leine River and farther south other units have secured bridges intact across the river in the area of Neustadt am Rübenberge and have continued their advance. Our units crossed the Leine River at Ricklingen, northwest of Hanover, and other elements reached a point five miles from the western edge of the city. To the south our armor captured Gestorf and cleared Hildesheim, while infantry crossed the Leine River south of the town and pushed seven miles eastward.
Northwest of Göttingen we took Diemarden and Reinhausen. We are across the Leine River on an 11 mile front from Göttingen south to a point just northeast of Witzenhausen. East of Mühlhausen, our armor and infantry entered Altenhausen and reached the vicinity of Klettstedt. East of Gotha, our infantry is in the vicinity of Nottleben, while farther south other elements are near Crawinkel and Stutzhaus. To the west, we repulsed a counterattack near Tambach-Dietharz. Northeast of Suhl, we reached the vicinity of Stützerbach after repulsing a small counterattack. In the area 15 miles south of Suhl our armored elements occupied Bedheim. Gompertshausen and Rieth, south of Bedheim, were reached by our armored elements after a 12 mile advance. We are within four miles of Schweinfurt on both the north and south sides. East of Ochsenfurt our armor reached Dormheim after a six-mile gain. The southern point of the Crailsheim salient was widened against strong ground resistance supported by enemy air attacks.
Farther west our troops have pushed south from the Jagst River and forced the enemy back toward the Kocher River. House-to-house fighting continued in Heilbronn. Brackenheim, southwest of Heilbronn, has been captured. South of Karlsruhe the enemy continues to hold out in the Siegfried Line fortifications. Targets at Niderstetten, Neuenstadt and Kochendorf were attacked by fighter bombers operating ahead of our ground forces. In the Rruhr Pocket our infantry entered the northwestern part of Essen after meeting fairly stiff resistance. Southwest of Soest we cleared Werl and reached Wiehagen. On the eastern side of the pocket our forces reached Hirschberg and took Meschede, moth southwest of Rüthen, our armor cleared Fredeburg, northwest of Schmallenberg, while southwest of the city we captured Saalhausen and Heinsburg.
North of Siegen we entered Hilchenbach and Büschhutten. Ten airfields in an area 60 miles square around München, an oil storage depot at Neuberg, and an explosive plant at Wolfratshausen were attacked yesterday by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength while 13 airfields from north of Hanover southward to Ingolstadt were bombed and strafed by fighter bombers. One hundred sixty eight enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground and many others were damaged in these attacks. Rail yards at Jena, Saalfeld, Bamberg, Stuttgart and near Leipzig and road and rail transport north of Nordhausen and in the Nürnberg area were attacked by medium, light and fighter bombers. Other medium and light bombers attacked an oil refinery at Dedenhausen, oil storage depots at Bad Berka and Weißenhorn, an armored vehicle depot southwest of Leipzig, and an ordnance depot at Amberg while supply and ammunition dumps near Erfurt and at Kleinengstingen were hit by medium and fighter bombers.
Gun positions in the Zutphen sector were silenced by medium bombers. Enemy transport and communications in Holland and northwestern Germany were attacked by fighter bombers. U-boat shelters and oil storage depots at Hamburg were bombed by escorted heavy bombers. Twenty-two thousand pound and 12.000 pound bombs were dropped. During the day’s operations 21 enemy aircraft were shot down. According to reports so far received 11 of our bombers and ten fighters are missing. Last night heavy bombers were over Germany in very great strength with the shipbuilding yards at Kiel as their main objective. Targets in Berlin, and enemy movement over a wide area of Germany, were attacked by light bombers.
Communique Number 368 – 11 April 1945
Allied forces occupied Deventer against strong opposition. Farther east, Rijssen and Nijverdal have been captured. East of the Ems River we captured Sögel, and Haselünne. Troop concentrations, gun positions and strong points at Arnhem and in the Deventer area and rail transport and other communications targets in northern Germany from Cloppenburg eastward to Bremen were attacked by medium and fighter bombers and rocket-firing fighters. More crossings of the Weser River have been made at Hoya and Nienburg and we advanced several miles east. North and east of Neustadt we gained ten miles. We cleared Hanover, cut the Hanover-Braunschweig autobahn midway between the two cities, and are within five miles of Braunschweig. Our armor captured Othfresen about seven and one-half miles north of Goslar which was entered by our infantry.
Other elements were fighting near Münchehof to the southwest. Our forces captured Einbeck. Armored units reached a point 14 miles northeast of Northeim and fought a tank battle at Gieboldehausen to the south. Armored task forces are in the area eight miles east of Duderstadt and have entered Nordhausen to the east, and Clingen, north of Erfurt. Infantry following the armor cleared towns northwest of Göttingen, captured Duderstadt and Deiligenstadt and reached Dingelstädt, east and southeast of the city. Other infantry advanced east of Bad Tennstedt, southwest of Clingen, and our units are in the vicinity of Dachwig farther south. We entered Gottstedt and are near Schmira in the Erfurt area. To the south we entered Plaue, are in the vicinity of Roda, and reached Unterneubrunn.
Our armor entered Bad Rodach, northwest of Coburg, while other units reached Wohlsbach northeast of the city. Our armor advanced southeast of Meiningen, reaching points within six miles of Coburg and 15 miles of Bamberg. We have closed around Schweinfurt from three sides against heavy artillery fire. Armor driving toward Schweinfurt from the south cleared 15 miles of the east bank of the Main River. Strong enemy pressure was exerted against our Crailsheim salient. House-to-house fighting continues in Heilbronn, and to the northwest we forced the enemy back more than three miles from the line of the Jagst River to the Kocher River. We established a bridgehead over the Kocher. Gains up to five miles were made southeast of Karlsruhe. We have a bridgehead some five miles deep across the Enz River east of Pforzheim. Fortified positions and troop concentrations in and near Schweinfurt, and at Rothenburg and Beuerbach, north of Crailsheim, were targets for medium and fighter bombers.
In the Ruhr Pocket we advanced southward to the Ruhr River just east of Essen, and captured several small towns on the western edge of Dortmund. Two fairly strong counterattacks northwest and west of Dortmund were contained. To the northeast and east, our armor took Höingen, and our infantry reached a point one and one-half miles west of Meschede. A small counterattack was repulsed at Bonacker. We entered Cobbenrode, and to the southwest gained six miles and cleared Olpe. Siegburg, southeast of Koln, has been cleared and we advanced five miles northeast of the town. Allied forces in the west captured 54.395 prisoners Apr 8 and 9.
Enemy airfields at Zerbst, briest, Neuruppin, Oranienburg, Parchim and Larz, and a supply depot at Oranienburg were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength. The escorting fighters destroyed 284 enemy aircraft on the ground. Other escorted heavy bombers attacked rail yards at Leipzig. Rail yards at Triptis, east of Neustadt an der Orla; Cheb, Nürnberg, Ansbach, and in the triangular area of Coburg, Bayreuth, and Hof; rail and road traffic in the Weimar and Leipzig areas were attacked by medium, light and fighter bombers. An oil storage depot at Staßfurt-Leopoldshall; a motor transport repair depot at Rudolstadt; and a rail viaduct and a rail bridge at Cheb were hit by other medium and light bombers.
Fortified positions and troop concentrations in the area of Nordhausen, and objectives at Braunschweig were attacked by medium and fighter bombers. Airfields near Braunschweig, Weimar, Hof, Cheb, Nürnberg, Illesheim, and in the München area were struck at by other fighter bombers. During the day’s operations 57 enemy aircraft were shot down, 339 were destroyed on the ground and many others were damaged. According to reports so far received 25 of our heavy bombers and 18 fighters are missing.
Communique Number 369 – 12 April 1945
Allied forces have launched an attack westwards across the Ijssel River. We pushed beyond Fürstenau, crossed the Hase Canal and captured Badbergen, Ankum and Bersenbrück. North of Osnabrück we occupied Bramsche and Vörden. Southwest of Bremen, our forces are in Wildeshausen and Harpstedt but farther east we are meeting strong enemy opposition. Our armored elements, advancing more than four miles eastward, have reached the Elbe River at Magdeburg after enveloping Wolfenbüttel, just south of Braunschweig, and passing through Eilenstedt and Wulferstedt, southwest of Oschersleben. Other armored units have reached Meine, north of Braunschweig, while infantry is heavily engaged in and around the city against stubborn enemy delaying action. Our infantry made rapid progress to the vicinity of Halberstadt. Armored and infantry units reached Herzberg and Osterhagen, northwest of Duderstadt.
Armored elements cleared Nordhausen, and east of Mühlhausen reached Bilzingsleben, eight miles northeast of Clingen, and are one mile from Kölleda to the southwest after a 22 mile advance. Southwest of Coburg we made limited advances against scattered resistance. Schweinfurt was entered after being practically surrounded and heavy house-to-house fighting is in progress. Armored units pushed along the Main River to the east and also made gains to the south. To the southeast we advanced four miles along the highway between Ochsenfurt and Ansbach, occupying Uffenheim and Rudolzhofen. Our armor withdrew from a part of the Crailsheim wedge after more than 1500 prisoners and important enemy materiel were taken. Our bridghead over the Kocher River in the vicinity of Niedernhall, was extended to a depth of three miles. Progress was made in Heilbronn and north of the city two bridgeheads over the Neckar River have been joined. We made advances up to three miles southeast of Karlsruhe and have reached the Schwartzwald Forest.
Our bridgehead across the Enz River east of Pforzheim has been expanded. Allied forces in the west captured 24.846 prisoners on Apr 10. In the Ruhr Pocket our infantry cleared Essen, captured Gelsenkirchen and entered Bochum. We took Fröndenberg south of Unna. West of Meschede we captured Freienohl. Our infantry advancing in the area north of Siegen took Attendorn, while armored elements made limited gains north of Siegburg. Enemy armor and artillery around Dortmund and in the triangle formed by Remscheid, Gummersbach and Meschede were attacked by fighter bombers. In Holland, fighter bombers attacked a bomb factory buildings at Heveadorp, west of Arnhem; enemy transport withdrawing northward in the Zwolle area; communications between Utrecht, Amersfoort and Zwolle, and a number of gun positions. In Germany, an oil storage depot, an ordnance depot and an airfield at Regensburg; an airfield and rail yard at Ingolstadt; an explosives plant at Kraiburg, east of München; an ordnance depot at Landshut; an oil storage depot at Freihaim, west of München, and rail yards at Treuchtlingen, Neumarkt, Donauwörth and Amberg were attacked by escorted heavy bombers in very great strength.
Enemy troop transports and oil and ammunition supplies in the Bremen area were attacked by fighters and fighter bombers. Medium and fighter bombers struck at rail and road targets in the areas of Emden, Bremen, Hamburg and Hannover, rail yards at Rotenburg and Soltau were hit and an oil train was blown up at Westen. Fortified building in Braunschweig, heavy artillery and road transport in the area formed by Halle, Jena, Hof and Chemnitz, and airfields in the Braunschweig, Halle, Erfurt and Jena areas and at Cheb in Czechoslovakia were attacked by fighter bombers. Many enemy aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the attacks on the airfields. Rail yards at Köthen and Zwickau and a motor vehicle plant at Bamberg were attacked by medium and light bombers in strength. Fighter bombers bombed rail yards at Nürnberg and Bayreuth. Fuel and ammunition dumps at Geislingen an der Steige and in the Ulm area were attacked by medium bombers. Targets in Berlin were attacked last night by light bombers.
Communique Number 370 – 13 April 1945
The allied attack across the Ijssel River between Deventer and Zutphen is progressing well against stiffening resistance. Between the Ijssel River and the Ems River we advanced up to 20 miles and occupied Spier, Exloo and Weerdinge. In the area east of Haselünne where the enemy still is offering stubborn opposition from rear guards, we captured Wachtum and Löningen. Between Fürstenau and the Dümmer See we made good progress to the north and occupied Löhne and Holdorf. Rethem, on the left bank of the Aller River has been captured after heavy fighting and we established two bridgeheads across the river. We repulsed a tank-supported counterattack which was launched against one of the bridgeheads. Celle, northeast of Hanover, has been occupied. We have reached the vicinity of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, northeast of Northeim.
Farther southeastn, our armor and infantry are clearing the Harz Mountains. An armored column in a 20 mile advance east of Nordhausen reached a point two and a half miles beyond Sangerhausen. Another column is at Niederröblingen to the south. Our armor crossed the Saale River south of Naumburg. Infantry reached the river in the vicinity of Camburg and at points farter south. Other elements are at the outskirts of Apolda, while another crossing of the Salle river was made by our armor south of Jena. Fighting continues in Erfurt and Weimar has been cleared. Our forces reached Dienstedt, east of Arnstadt, and Schwarzburg, seven and a half miles west of Saalfeld. Our armor captured Coburg, and reached Gestungshausen, southeast of the city, while infantry advanced in the area to the northeast. South of Coburg our armor and infantry made gains of up to 15 miles. Lichtenfels, southeast of Coburg was reached. Other elements reached a point within five miles of Bamberg.
Following the capture of Schweinfurt, our infantry advanced eastward on both sides of the upper Main River, taking any towns in the Haßfurt area. East of Ochsenfurt on the Würzburg-Nürnberg highway, our armor drove as far as Markt Bibart. To the southwest our units are within five miles of Rothenburg ob der Tauber on the Tauber River. East of Heilbronn, our bridgehead over the Kocher River is eight miles deep. The city of Heilbronn has been cleared of all but isolated pockets of resistance. Near the Rhine we took Rastatt and the resort town Baden Baden, approximately 1000 prisoners were taken at Rastatt. Allied forces in the west captured 40.159 prisoners on Apr 11.
In the Ruhr Pocket our forces continue to make steady progress. In the northeast corner we reached a point one mile west of Arnsberg, and our armor is on the southern end of the Sorpesee Dam. Farther south we reached the area six miles north of Attendorn. Other forces gained up to 12 miles in the area northwest of Siegen and we reached Much, northeast of Siegburg. Armor advancing north along the Rhine on the western side of the pocket has reached a point near Burscheid, northeast of Köln. Road traffic in the Ruhr Pocket was attacked by fighter bombers. Road traffic in the triangular area formed by Leipzig, Plauen, Dresden; rail transport east of Leipzig and other rail targets in the areas of Jena, Plauen and Chemnitz were heavily attacked by fighter bombers. Enemy airfields near Dessau, Schafstädt, Leipzig, Weimar, Orlamünde, Jena, Cheb and Bayreuth, were targets for other fighter bombers.
Fortified positions near Arnhem, in Holland, a rail bridge at Hof; the communications center of Laupheim, southwest of Ulm; and an ordnance depot at Kempten, were attacked by medium and light bombers. Road and rail transport near Utrecht, Zwolle, Emden, Bremen and Uelzen and an airfield at Brockzetel, east of Aurich, were hit by fighter bombers and rocket-firing fighters. Targets in Berlin were attacked last night by light bombers.
Communique Number 371 – 14 April 1945
Allied forces made a second crossing of the Ijssel River and are fighting in Arnhem. We expanded our bridgehead south of Deventer and captured Teuge. Between the Ijssel River and the Ems River we captured Dalfsen and Assen. In the area north of Osnabrück we reached Friesoythe and Cloppenburg and occupied Vechta. In the Rethen area we expanded our bridgeheads over the Aller River. Northeast of Hanover we made another crossing of the Aller at Celle, from which our forces advanced ten miles and captured Eschede and Eldingen. Other units pushing from the south have reached the vicinity of Celle. Braunschweig has been cleared, and our infantry gained 15 miles to reach Meine to the north. Infantry units pushed east of Braunschweig and reached the vicinity of Calvörde. Other elements reached Hasselburg. Our armor advanced more than 50 airline miles to the Elbe River at a point southeast of Stendal.
Infantry units reached the Elbe near Barby. We now control ten miles of the west bank of the river in the vicinity of Magdeburg. We crossed the Rlbe and are meeting enemy small arms and artillery fire. The crossing was made in assault boats. On the edges of the Harz Forest our armor has cleared Osterode, Hersberg and Sangerhausen and pushed five miles northeast of Sangerhausen. Infantry following the armor has reached the vicinity of Schwenda and Wolfsberg in the forest, and is fighting against fanatical resistance. Our armor advancing 25 miles from Weißenfels reached a point seven miles from Leipzig. Infantry is mopping up in Weißenfels. Armored units entered Pegau, 11 miles south of Leipzig. Zeitz, southeast of Weißenfels, has been entered. Erfurt has been cleared and our forces are fighting in Jena.
Our armor reached a point 11 miles east of Jena. South of Jena we are along the Saale River on a 40-mile front. We have entered Rudolstadt and reached a point three miles southeast of Saalfeld. We entered Gräfenthal. Northeast of Coburg we cleared Steinach and Sonneberg. East of Coburg our armor has cleared Kronach, and other elements are four miles south of the town. Our infantry and armor closed about Bamberg after advances of more than 15 miles. Fighting is in progress in the vicinity of Hallstadt two miles north of Bamberg. To the west our troops south of the Main iver have cleared most of the area between Schweinfurt and Bamberg. In clearing Schweinfurt the number of prisoners taken there was increased to approximately 2500.
Northeast of Heilbronn our bridgehead across the Kocher River was expanded and we captured many more towns. North and south of Heilbronn enemy resistance weakened. The east bank of the Neckar River was cleared to Horkheim, three miles south of Heilbronn. Some 2000 prisoners were taken in the capture of Rastatt and Baden Baden. Allied forced in the west captured 50.177 prisoners on Apr 12. In the northwest edge of the Ruhr Pocket, our infantry is meeting stiff resistance north of the Ruhr River. Farther east we reached the southeastern outskirts of Dortmund. On the eastern side, infantry reached Neuenrade and Lüdenscheid. Farther southwest we captured Wipperfürth.
On the western edge tanks gained five miles east of Köln. Enemy armor and troops in the pocket were attacked by fighter bombers. Rail yards at Neumünster, north of Hamburg, were attacked yesterday by escorted heavy bombers. The escorting fighters strafed enemy airfields at Neumünster and destroyed enemy aircraft on the ground. Enemy troops, transport and armored vehicles in the area formed by Emden, Cuxhaven, Wismar and Salzwedel were bombed and strafed by fighters and fighter bombers. Coastal guns at Den Helder; troops, strong points and gun positions in the Apeldoorn area; rail yards at Zeitz, Hainichen, Neustädtel, Wildstein and in the Gera area; an oil dump at Zerbst and airfields at Wittenberg and Bayreuth were attacked by fighter bombers. In the attacks on the airfields enemy aircraft were destroyed and damaged on the ground. Last night heavy bombers were out in great strength with Kiel as the main objective.
