Operation Annie - December 7, 1944

TRACK 1 0:00-1:48: "Trojan Horse" signature theme (organ) 1:50: Radio 1212 program begins. 2:25: News from the Front. The focus of fighting is on the Saar Front, where the Westwall was breached 2 km north of Saarlautern. South of Saarbrücken there were fierce tank battles in the region near Rarlingen. 2:45: A US effort to capture German positions from the flank has made further progress. The German divisions' path to withdrawal from Alsace is growing narrower. There is not much to report from the northern area near Cologne. 3:05: US infantry broke through defensive lines north of Saarlautern during a surprise attack above the Saar. The railway bridge was defended but soon overrun. Counterattacks began only late in the afternoon. The village of Pachten was abandoned by the defenders as well. 3:45: The Americans are confronted with fierce resistance in the area of Saarlautern. 4:00: A tank filled with explosives pushed forward by German Pioneers [military construction engineers] to destroy the main bridge was destroyed by the Americans before it could be deployed. 4:15: Fierce counterattacks led to wild street fighting to the north of Saarlautern. The Americans successfully crossed the Saar at [inaudible]. Yesterday morning there was fighting in the suburbs of the city. In Saargemünd, suburbs on the left side of the Saar were occupied by the Americans; there was no further fighting near the bridges. The city center is under attack. Fierce fighting further south between three German tank divisions and tanks from the Third American Army. US troops moved forward across Ettingen and Billingen in spite of several counterattacks. 5:04: Area around Düren: Paratroopers counterattacked yesterday around the area of Wehrstein, which was occupied by the Americans on Tuesday. They suffered a backlash of heavy artillery fire. Otherwise little to report regarding combat activity on the 25km Front along Düren, apart from extensive US troop movements. One must expect further efforts to reach the Cologne lowlands. 5:36: Alsace: The railway hub Hagenau was threatened by recent advances by the US troops. German troops south of Schlettstadt continue to withdraw. The route for retreating German troops still fighting in the Alsace area continues to narrow. 6:00: Maas-Front: English offensive plans against the Ruhr area seem to be foiled due to flooding of the Arnheim-Nimwege section. 6:20: Air war: Heavy bombing of railway hubs in western Germany. Bielefeld attacked during the day, other Westfahlen and Ruhr-area locales targeted at night. Railway workers from Stuttgart and other southern German railway hubs arrived to replace those killed in these attacks. 6:57: Conclusion of Front reports. During the broadcast Radio 1212 will report on all locales occupied by the enemy during the last 24 hours. 7:10: Classical music. 11:34: During the past 24 hours the following German locales were occupied by American forces. [Placenames follow.] 12:55: "Trojan Horse" signature theme (organ) TRACK 2 0:00: Announcement in (American) English. Good evening, Radio Luxembourg calling, JELG-1, BBC and ABSIE at 1:04 CET: Message to JELG-1: Can you get us record album entitled “Ballad for America”, sung by Paul Robeson. If you can’t get the Robeson edition, please get us the Bing Cosby edition. BBC, ABC: Message 1: Received royal (?) frequencies and AP frequencies. How about United Press? Message 2: We have a recording by [Elizabeth] Poston this evening for the BBC. Message 3: MCB on 11285KC ran its tape upside down from 11:38 to 11:54 CET this morning. They did not give a repeat when the correction was made, so we lost the Far East roundup. Please watch that. Message 4: Advise you make regular and continued views of 1630 transmissions for service messages. It is at least 24 hours faster than the other method. 3:43: Report for Dec. 4 and 5. Announcer reads out list of radio frequencies, signal strength, and jamming potential for various regions. Stand by BBC for the Poston record. 7:47: Poston recording omitted from disk. 8.17: [in German] This is Radio Luxembourg, broadcasting for the United Nations. We now switch to London for a program by the BBC. England calling, England calling [end of recording]. TRACK 3 0:07: [Sound quality poor at start.] Radio 1212, news for the Wehrmacht and the civilian population of the Western areas. Rapid blasting of the Maginot line at Saargemünd caused by surprise attack by American tanks. 3000 workers from the Saar area, including 1100 foreign workers, are constructing defensive positions. Wehrmacht engineers declared these constructions too weak to withstand a tank attack from the west, therefore these positions were manned sparsely. Reinforcements for positions at the west wall by Saarbrücken are expected. Meanwhile two men must do the work of 6. Food and water rations are provided for only one week. 1:20: Units of the 12th Panzer Grenadier division of Hitler Youth are expected to relieve the exhausted tank division south of Saarbrücken. 1:34: Heavy losses reported in counterattacks against the US tank advance in the area of Saar Union. 1:54: The Hitler Youth division ordered from the Ruhr, where English divisions in front of the Maas are kept at bay. 2:03: 500 men under Oberst Arno Stössel von der Heide surrendered near Metz after three weeks of resistance. Last Sunday a small group of grenadiers of the 30th SS division surrendered in an old fortress in Mutzig, west of Strasbourg. 2:40: In threatened areas in the Saar region, vehicles equipped with loudspeakers are announcing that residents should abandon their homes. In many locales near Kaiserslautern, Bad Kreutznach, residents were awakened by trumpet signals, following which an SS-man announced that a major attack on Saarbrücken has begun and ordered everyone to leave their homes. Farmers and tradesmen already on the streets were warned they were in danger of being pushed aside by troops. 3:36: A report on the uncommonly high number of missing officers of the 275th infantry division is under the investigation by the 7th army. Since August 15, approximately 139 men were declared missing during the withdrawal from France and Belgium. 4:20: Read-out of officers lost, and their regiments. 4:42: Josef Piffer (?) of Franfurt am Main was arrested by the Gestapo for refusing to aid a couple whose home in Saalmünster was destroyed in a bombing. Fiffer refused the couple a place to store coal and wood, caused trouble with garbage disposal, bullied them while cleaning the carpets, and offended them in other ways. He was sentenced to 21 days detention. 5:40: "Trojan Horse" signature theme (organ). 1212 ends its reportage from the Front. 6:14: Classical music (Liszt?). 13:09-end: Radio 1212 returns in one-half hour. "Trojan Horse" signature theme (organ).