COMMUNIQUE

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24537, 10 April 1945, Page 5

COMMUNIQUE

(Rec. 1.30 a.m.) LONDON, April 8. To-day’s communique from Supreme Headquarters says:— HOLLAND AND EMS SECTOR “Allied air-borne troops were dropped over a wide area of northwest Holland. We captured Zutphen. The enemy continues to offer strong resistance in the Meppen area (30 miles south of Emden). OUr forces occupied Lengerich and Freren.both 10 miles east of Lingen (on the Ems) and advanced eastward. We captured Halverde (17 miles south of Lingen). BREMEN’ AND HANOVER “Armoured units advancing northeast made good progress and captured Syke (12 miles from Bremen). We occupied Loccum (five miles south-east of Stolzenau, on the Weser. and Rehburg, seven miles east of Stolzenau. “We reached the outskirts of Neustadt (15 miles north-west of Hanover) and Stadthagen. Armoured units captured Sarstedt (on the Leine river, 10 miles south of Hanover), Himmelsthur, and Mariendburg. Our forces are fighting in Kappelenhagen, seven and a half miles west of AHeld (on the Leine river, 28 , miles south of Hanover), “Our infantry took Gottingen Varlosen, 10 miles west of Gottingen. Other units cleared Minden and pushed on beyond the town. Armoured forces reached Dingelstadt and repulsed a counter-attack in the vicinity of Struth, knocking but nine tanks and killing 500 of the enemy. EAST OF CASSEL “Our infantry retmhed a point four miles north-east of Gotha (50 miles south-east of Casse}). We reached a point three miles south-east of Sum (south of Gotha). , .. “Infantry and armoured units south of Meiningen (65 miles souths east of Cassel) advanced eastward 1 15 miles and reached Konigsnhoflen. RIVER MAIN “East of Wurzburg we cleared the west bank of the Main river for 12 miles. „ “Armoured forces drove 13 miles westward from Crailsheim (45 miles north-east of Stuttgart) and reached Geislingen. “House-to-house fighting continues in Heilbronn (25 miles north of Stuttgart). We captured Pforzheim (25 miles west of Stuttgart) and made good gains eastward. RUHR POCKET "Infantry in the northern sector of the Ruhr pocket extended their bridgehead across the Rhine-Herne canal and entered Gelsenkirchen and Katernberg. “Our forces entered the northwest outskirts of Dortmund after clearing a number of towns, “West of Siegen we cleared several towns, including Freudenberg, Merten, and Morsbach. “The Allies on Saturday took 39,662 prisoners.”