327-357, March 1945

              [page 475]

ORIGINATORS FILE No.________

SHAEF MESSAGE FORM

CALL

CIRCUIT No.

NR

PRIORITY

TRANSMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

SPACES WITHIN HEAVY LINES FOR SIGNALS USE ONLY

FROM

(A) SHAEF FORWARD

ORIGINATOR

PRD, Communique Section

DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN

011100A 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

MESSAGE INSTRUCTIONS

GR

(REF NO.)

NONE

(CLASSIFICATION)

IN THE CLEAR

COMMUNIQUE NO. 327
 01 March 1945

UNCLASSIFIED:

ALLIED FORCES HAVE OCCUPIED CALCAR [KALKAR] WHICH WAS FOUND TO BE CLEAR OF THE
 ENEMY.  FARTHER SOUTH THERE HAS BEEN HEAVY FIGHTING IN THE HOCHWALD AND
 ALONG THE UDEM [UEDEM] - XANTEN RAILWAY.  WE HAVE OCCUPIED A NUMBER OF VILLAGES
 BETWEEN GOCH AND THE MAAS.

FERRY AND BARGE TRAFFIC ON THE RHINE 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 COLOGNE [KÖLN] [KOELN].

OUR FORCES HAVE DRIVEN TO WITHIN SEVEN MILES OF COLOGNE [KÖLN] [KOELN] AND HAVE ES-
 TABLISHED [ESTABLISHED] THREE BRIDGEHEADS OVER THE ERFT RIVER AND CANAL WEST OF TE CITY.
 WEST OF THE ERFT, WE HAVE CLEARED ESCH [ESCHE], AND HAVE REACHED MODRATH [MÖDRATH] [MOEDRATH] TO THE
 SOUTHEAST AFTER CROSSING THE RIVER WEST OF THE TOWN.

EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF DUREN [DÜREN] [DUEREN], 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
 MUNCHEN-GLADBACH [MUNCHENGLADBACH] AND NEAR EUSKIRCHEN.

SOUTH OF SCHLEIDEN, WE HAVE CLEARED RESCHEID.  NORTHEAST OF PRUM [PRÜM] [PRUEM], OUR
 FORCES MADE GAINS OF UP TO ONE MILE, REPULSING A COUNTER-ATTACK FOUR AND
 ONE-HALF MILES FROM THE TOWN.

SOUTHWEST OF PRUM [PRÜM] [PRUEM], OUR ARMORED ELEMENTS CROSSED THE PRUM [PRÜM] [PRUEM] RIVER, CAP-
 TURED [CAPTURED] PRONSFELD, LUNEBACH [LÜNEBACH] [LUENEBACH], AND MERLSCHEID, AND MADE PENETRATIONS OF ONE
 MILE EAST OF THE RIVER.  WAXWEILER HAS BEEN TAKEN.  BITBURG IS NOW CLEAR OF

DISTRIBUTION:

Communique

Distribution

COORDINATED WITH: G-2, G-3 to C/S

THIS MESSAGE MUST BE

SENT IN CYPHER IF LIABLE

TO INTERCEPTION

________INITIALS

THIS MESSAGE MAY BE

SENT IN CLEAR BY ANY

MEANS

________INITIALS

Precedence

"OP" - AGWAR

"P" - Others

ORIGINATING DIVISION

PRD, Communique Section

NAME AND RANK TYPED. TEL. NO.

4655

D.R. JORDAN Lt Col FA

AUTHENTICATING SIGNATURE

THI or TOR

TIME CLEARED

Opr.