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Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Dec 24, 1941
Page
3
The outlook for American forces in the Philippines is bleak as Japanese troops land at several points. General MacArthur faces daunting odds and must perform an extraordinary feat to hold the remote islands. Many experts doubt U S chances, yet the defenders have shown courage and resourcefulness.
Labor leaders AFL CIO and industrial management agree to no strikes or lockouts until victory. A war labor board will hear unresolved disputes while the President shows unity, though no guarantee of uninterrupted defense production. St Odile prophecy linked to Hitler’s rise and wartime propaganda.
Dutch East Indies official sources report air and naval action off Borneo sinking three Japanese transports and a tanker, wiping out the enemy supply fleet attacking Miri in Sarawak. Hongkong recaptured ground, Rangoon saw air defense successes, and Malaya reported skirmishing as Allied forces blunt Japanese advances.
Churchill tells reporters that Allies must strike the Axis with knockout blows and not rely on internal collapse. He and Roosevelt outline unity for war council aims while planning to defeat Hitlerism globally and defend Singapore as US-UK high commands draft joint action against Japan.
Washington AP report confirms Wake Island defense credited for destroying two Japanese destroyers during final landing operations. Navy notes radio with Wake cut and predicts island capture while Palmyra and Johnston islands shelled with no casualties. S.S. Larry Doheny shelled but reached port. no new Atlantic or Far East developments.
The article notes U S Pacific and Asiatic fleets along with British and Dutch forces have not reported surface ship activity while Japan moves troops across the China Sea toward the Philippines Malaya and Borneo. Submarine and bomber actions have occurred but surface warships’ whereabouts remain secret suggesting possible Japanese surprises amid a war shaped by aviation and naval power.
The piece notes how military communiques sanitize combat, preferring phrases like proceeding to headquarters, withdrawing to positions, or launching operations over blunt terms for action. It highlights how official rhetoric glosses violence and keeps operation labels orderly in field reports.
Admiral Ernest J. King, new commander in chief of the U S fleet, urged Wednesday that the United States must have more planes and ships at once. He warned the road to victory would be long and hard but said the nation would strike when ready and win in time.
German cross-Channel bombardment lit the Kentish coast near Folkestone on Christmas Eve night. British gunners answered as air raid sirens wailed and civilians sought shelter along the English coast.
In a Christmas Eve message from Vatican City Pope Pius XII proposed a five point plan for world peace. The plan calls for limits on armaments no aggression no minority oppression no attempts at wealth based hegemony no total war and no persecution of religious groups. He urged a return to a Christianity with soul and warned against those who distort faith.
Cedar Rapids residents flood the civil service office after The Gazette announced openings at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. Walter C. Anawalt said there is no cap on job seekers for skilled positions including machinists boilermakers electricians instrument makers and riveters with government paid transportation.
Japanese defense headquarters announces General Saro Nakamura named to lead the defense ministry. Details from TOKIO wire report confirm the appointment on Wednesday.
London dispatch reports Germany moving troops through France toward Spain as Vichy leader Petain allegedly considers stepping down amid German pressure. Other notes say Italy to send envoy to Paris and Abetz in Berlin, with Malta and North Africa as likely targets in a broader Mediterranean campaign.
Bells sounded at the Church of the Nativity as a wartime blackout shaded Bethlehem. Pilgrims from Jerusalem and Allied soldiers gathered for the midnight mass amid olive groves and monastery shadows, with Italian clergy absent and Italian prisoners nearby.
General Douglas MacArthur took field command against a major Japanese assault on Luzon as American and Philippine troops form a defense around Manila. Tokyo boasted air, sea and land supremacy while Luzon faced multiple landings and ongoing bombardment, with Manila considering open-city status to reduce civilian risk.
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