Letter, Dwight D. Eisenhower to George C. Marshall

SECRET DDE/nmr 15 April 1946 Dear General: pear Today I forwarded to the Combined Chief's of Staff the essentials of my future plans. In a word, what I em going to do now that the western enemy is split into two parta, is to talco up a defensive line in the center (along a geographical feature that will teni to separate our forces physicelly from the advancing Russians) and clean up the im- portant jobs on our flanks. A mere glance at the map shows that one of these is to get Lubeok and then cloar up all the areas west and north of there. The other job is the so-called "redoubt". 1 deem both of these to be vastly more important than the capture of Berlin I anyway, to plan for making an immediate effort against Berlin would be foolish in view of the relative situation of the Bussians and ourselves at this moment. We'd get all coiled up for something that in all probability would never come off. While true that we have seised a small bridgehead over the Hibe, it must be ramembered that only our spearheads are up to that river; our conter of graviby is well batok of there. Montgomery anticipates that he will need no help from the Americans other than that involved in an cortension of Simpson's left. However, I rather think that he will want possibly an Amerioan Airborne Division and maybe an Armored Division+ I will have enough in roserve to give him this such help if he needs it. But assuming that he needs no American holp, that job will be performed by the 17 divisions of the 2lst Army Group. In the center. extending all the way from Newhouse on the Elbe down to the vicinity of Selb on the border of Casehoslovakia will be the Ninth and First Armies, probably with about 23 to 24 divisions, including their own reserves. This will be enough to push on to Berlin if resistance is light, and the Bussians do not advance in that sector. Bradley's main offensive effort will be the thrust along the line Wursberg-lluremberg-Minz. carried out by the Third Army with about 12 divisions. Devers, with snother 12 U.S. divisions and. 6 French divisions, will capture Munich and all of the German territory lying within his zone of advance. About 8 divisions at that timo will be onstrictly occupational duties, largely under Fifteenth Army. This will leave about 5 divisions, includ- ing Airborne, in my Reserve. The intervention of the British Chief's of Staff in my military dealings with the Soviet has thrown quite a monkey=wrench into our speed of com- munication. if you will note from Antonov's reply to the telegram that BSR 146