24 Feb 1945
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 18 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Canberra Times
Location
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date
Feb 24, 1945
Page
1
London reports the tenth day of Allied air offensives with over 6000 planes from seven commands striking Germany’s communications network. The raid aimed to paralyse road, rail and canal transport as clouds cleared for a coordinated attack from multiple directions. The primary system showed signs of collapse while secondary lines were also targeted.
London reports a Goebbels propaganda piece forecasting a bleak European future. The article links a German leader’s warnings to Roosevelt’s defeat and a German army advance, describing Allied and German troop movements, bombers, and heavy weaponry across Hamburg, Chemnitz, and Munich with Germany poised to dominate the continent.
Readers of a World War II dispatch report American Third Army forces crossed the Saar under fog, advancing 80 miles with six towns captured in a two mile front. Allied and German reports describe heavy artillery, patrols, and continued offensives as Allied forces push toward the Rhine while Montgomery and British Canadian troops hold and probe.
Stalin lauded the Soviet Union for victory in the war and warned against complacency. He highlighted Soviet defeats of German forces, the destruction of enemy planes and tanks, and the ongoing need for harsher blows as the war nears its end. The Order of the Day noted massive prisoner captures, rail and military production disrupted, and announced celebrations in 14 cities including Tallinn.
A Reuters dispatch from Zurich states Allied aircraft accidentally bombed Swinetuwna on Thursday, killing 36 and injuring several others near the Rhine border. A communique cautions damage to property and notes casualties amid war tensions.
A Nazi prisoner in Aachen allegedly killed himself to avoid trial after brutalities against Russians. Dell, once mayor of Bachweller, faced charges for atrocities against captured Soviet soldiers forced to labor in a mine. German witnesses testified to beatings leading to death under superiors Wilhelm and a mine superintendent.
Delegates to the Empire Radio Conference learned that wired television and top relay radio may expand reach. Efforts are under way to use eight cable-towire television systems to bring broadcasts into homes. The BBC plans relays at Maita, Aden, and Colosi to provide a full Pacific hookup.
A fragmented report notes the death of a French fascist figure amid Allied broadcasts. It mentions delegates worried over postwar markets and arms deals with American firms offering exotic wares. The piece references bomber attacks and travel among supporters in a troubled, decaying landscape.
At a press conference Lieutenant George Petite said American planes bombed and sank a Japanese prison ship off Luzon on December 15, killing or trapping prisoners. About 800 survived. many were recaptured, and earlier incidents in the Pacific involved other ships and prisoner deaths from suffocation before removal of bodies.
Reported from Guam on Friday cites American forces securing half of Iwo Jima after heavy fighting near Suribachi. Admiral Nimitz praised the victory as the toughest beachhead yet, with further carrier raids on Tokyo and the invasion of Awaji planned. Japanese efforts included attempted swimmer attacks and a naval bombardment, but American defense held.
US forces of the Americal Division and 8th Army landed on Capul Island, San Bernardino Straits, 270 miles from Manila. The island serves as a key point to Sea routes into Manila Bay. Franklin Dexter reports on the progress of the war and the battle to destroy enemy positions near Manila with limited air and artillery usage described in the field dispatch.
Melbourne dispatch reports Japanese hell ship survivors, former prisoners of war, urging Lieutenant General Gordon Bennett to assume command and preside over a union dinner next week. They express loyalty to Bennett and propose he be given command to rescue comrades still in captivity.
RAF bombers struck the Japanese stronghold at Fondans Tondano in Celebes. About 1000 residents in the administrative center for 19,000 Japanese were in the target zone as Kittyhawks and Beaufighters attacked for around 40 minutes. Photographs showed the town devastated with depth charges dropped.
Soviet forces assert control over the Neisse line as Red Air Force harasses German positions. Pravda reports Soviet troops near Berlin while German offensives push for Keongmbreg and Königsberg. Russian counter-attacks and naval reports from Admire Achec and Hipper indicate continued pressure on German formations.
Friday senator McFarlind chaired a postwar probe on national communications. He urged government action to cut the cost of press dispatches so newspapers worldwide can meet the expense of a world wire service.
Australian ministers defend sovereignty amid debate over MacArthur command. Parliament members argue Australia retained sovereignty though allied leaders and officers directed forces. In London a separate blitz hits a store of explosives, spurring wartime alarms as Spitfires strike targets in Holland.
Report of a visit by France's Foreign Minister to England notes discussions with Allied leaders on postwar plans. It cites France and Belgium seeking to influence the future of the Rhineland and Berlin's control, with expectations of coordinated actions amid wartime diplomacy.
Australian forces launch a brutal assault to seize a vital hill at Aitape routing entrenched Japanese skirmishers. The offensive destroys jungle cover, breaks the northern entrance to a major trail, and inflicts heavy casualties on Japanese positions while sustaining Australian gains and advancing toward strategic objectives.
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