30 Oct 1944
Page 1
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Newspaper
Athens Messenger
Location
Athens, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Oct 30, 1944
Page
1
Report describes U S carrier strikes near Luzon and Manila. Admirals Nimitz and Halsey announce losses: five Japanese warships sunk including four carriers, nine cruisers, and 21 damaged. Significant Allied air casualties noted in a three pronged battle off Leyte and nearby waters.
State officials estimate more than 44 million will vote with 3.3 million service members included. Roosevelt and Dewey campaign across states including Massachusetts and New York with Bricker and Truman making multiple appearances and broad national broadcasts.
Maj. Richard Bong, America’s top fighter ace, scored his 32nd and 33rd victories at a Leyte airfield shortly after arriving from the States. His gunnery lessons paid off as he downed two more enemy planes in rapid succession.
Melbourne Herald reports former film star Ayres assists in Leyte area relief efforts for victims of Japanese bombing raids. Corresponder notes he is involved in treatment and aid campaigns amid ongoing relief work.
Readable fragments suggest a local classified item with stray names and numbers. The text is incomplete and unclear but hints at a methods and heaters theme amid scattered references to people and places.
Allied troops shattered a 50 mile Nazi defense line north of Antwerp as the Maas crossings opened and British officers reported firm progress. In the Pacific, U S Seventh Fleet claimed victory in the Surigao Strait as Japanese battleships, cruisers and destroyers came under heavy air and naval fire.
In Jackson Mississippi rebel electors challenge the Democratic plan to support the national nominee. Three electors pledged to back Harry F Byrd of Virginia while another warned actions would follow the state convention conditions on states rights the two thirds rule and racial questions.
Karin Young, quoted as claiming to have served in the American Army in 1920, tells Pvt. M. Mulling of Decatur Alabama that he once lived in Wayne Pennsylvania and that he has two sons in the U S Army. She alleges she was captured by the Yanks and met Mulliny’s division.
Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers urged an end to Army filtering of home news for service members overseas. She said Stars and Stripes should freely access the AP UP and INS without Army pre screening. Soldiers and sailors deserve home news and not protectionist barriers.
Paris AP reports nationwide demonstrations loomed as De Gaulle banned private bearing arms except for regular army and police. The decree sparked opposition from the National Resistance Council and underground groups, with Communist centers in Southern France allegedly recruiting for a militia. Humanite notes continued anti-German actions despite the ban.
An Army training plane forced down in the Kanawha River near Point Pleasant after two hours aloft due to fuel exhaustion. Lieut Eugene Zim mer and Lieut Francis J Daly parachuted to safety and were unhurt. They sought shelter with the Childers family and later were joined by Major C D Sinonon.
Gen. A. C. Wedemeyer assumes lead of U.S. forces in the China theater after a drastic shake up that saw Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell relieved at the request of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The scene is captured by a U.S. Army NEA telephoto.
Ohio governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Jon V. Bricker urged sweeping tax reductions on individuals, corporations, and consumption to spur business, higher incomes, and employment. He argued lower rates would ease war debt and attract money into industry, boosting government revenue in the long run.
A Chicago boy, Vance Norum, eight, woke to smoke from a closet door and led his mother and three siblings to safety. He carried his two younger brothers downstairs and called the fire department, earning praise as a brave "man of the house" while his Army father was away.
Coroner S R Gerber said few more bodies would be found among the East Ohio Gas Co ruins as investigators and doctors work to identify the unknown dead. The death toll stood at 137 with remaining remains possibly unidentifiable ash. Athens saw below freezing temperatures with the mercury dropping to 21 after a high of 62 earlier.
The Paris based Stars and Stripes reports 5000 civilians evacuated by rail from the besieged St Nazaire on the French west coast. A five day truce allowed the movement with American French and German officers agreeing rail transport was best.
Census figures show fewer marriage licenses issued in cities over 106000 than a year earlier. In September 42 000 licenses were granted versus 48 000 last year, highlighting a drop in marriages in major urban areas.
Thomas Kennedy of the United Mine Workers of America called for stronger state and federal mine safety laws at the Powhatan Mine monument unveiling honoring 66 miners who died last July 5. Nearly 000 Eastern Ohioans attended as the event drew attention to safer coal mining. Music school note follows with Dr. Albine Gorno, dean of the Cincinnati College of Music, attending.
American submarines and carrier groups rout Japanese warships off the Philippines. Planes bombed and strafed as two flotillas split, forcing a double trap in the Eastern Philippines. Losses reached 500,000 tons, the heaviest single engagement since modern naval warfare began.
The text notes broad naval strength with about 300 American and allied ships, and cites Adm. Lord Louis Mountbatten announcing British 26th Division actions in Burma. It mentions General Stilwell's withdrawal from the China-Burma-India theater, Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault assuming acting command in China, and Maj. Gen. Albert Wedemeyer preparing to supply Chiang Kai-shek as Chinese defenses endure renewed pressure.
Tokyo reports claim more than 200 U S carrier planes swept the Manila area in three waves and Japanese planes attacked an American carrier task force in Lamon Bay on Luzon s east coast. MacArthur said Leyte Valley resistance collapsed as guerrillas and the 21st Infantry cleared the lower Leyte. Schools and churches reopened on Leyte and Samar after Nipponese control. Fierce fighting continued near Kweilin as Japanese forces push toward China.
Washington reports indicate a new Sino-American crisis as General Stilwell is recalled to Washington. Officials fear Chiang Kai-shek’s ability to steer China’s war effort. A Michigan high school student died from a neck injury during football practice, underscoring concerns about safety and stability in wartime.
Moscow rejected attendance at the international aviation conference opening in Chicago. Bulgaria terms drafted under Churchill and Stalin aim to curb fascist influence, dissolve pro-Hitler groups, repeal discriminatory laws, restore property, and provide food to Greek and Yugoslav territories affected by Bulgarian actions.
Sir Thomas Blamey said 99 000 disciplined Japanese troops remained bypassed in the South Pacific from Wewak New Guinea to the Solomons. He warned complacency in anticipating the war's end had been too apparent.
RAF Mosquito aircraft again attacked Cologne in moonlight raids after a weekend of major operations over the Reich. The fast planes swept across Germany hitting trains and road targets, with plans for continued heavy assaults today. Senator Vandenberg of Michigan remains sidelined at home with a severe cold during the presidential campaign.
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