On the morning of the 14th, the DDR 8th Motorized Rifle Division entered the southern suburbs of Bremen. During that day, they made good progress towards the southern bridges over the Weser River against light Jaeger and recon forces of the West German 32nd Panzer Grenadier Brigade.*
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By night fall, the East Germans were within 3 kilometers of the crossing, but firmly astride the A75 autobahn sat the Mercedes Benz Werke-a large, industrial complex and a natural defensive position. With it's forward battalions exhausted and in need of resupply, the 8th Motorized decided to await dawn to continue the attack. In the interim, fresh troops and heavy artillery would be brought up to support the assault.*
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During the night, NORTHAG ordered elements of the U.S. 17th Combat Engineers and the 3/41st Mech Infantry to proceed to the Mercedes Benz factory and dig in. The West German 11th PzGren Division also committed a portion of it's reserve in the form of platoon of Leopard 2's.*
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At 0600, following an intesive bombardment, the 8th Motorized's 1st Regiment stepped off for the assault hoping to emulate the success of the previous day. After some initial progress against the Jaeger troops screening in the Osterholz Friedhof park, the attack hit the main defense of the industrial area. As the morning continued to wear on, it became apparent to the East Germans that they were in for a hard day's work at the factory.
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