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Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Dec 31, 1944
Page
2
Harry Boyd looks back at 1944 as a year of war and politics, noting how perspectives shift with events. He cites the Nazi counteroffensive, V E Day, wartime elections, and battles for civil rights, stressing hope, democracy, and the value of humor amid hardship.
Washington reports tightened controls driving civilian hardship. Shoe coupons drop to one pair per year and poultry rationing tightens while Byrnes prepares a broad mobilization plan for 1945. WPB halts civilian ammunition and car tire grade changes hit motorists. Officials stress no immediate coffee shortage and outline further wartime measures.
Stabilization Director Fred Vinson announced that War Labor Board approved wage increases averaging 5 to 7 cents an hour for over 400,000 iron and steel workers. OPA said these raises would not trigger general steel price rises, though some product prices may rise.
London AP report says Prime Minister Churchill, in a New Year message to the Primrose League, warned victory in Europe in 1945 is not assured, but voiced cautious hope that the Allies are entering a year that should bring us victory.
Linn county exceeded its 2 331 000 Series E quota during the final push of the sixth war loan drive. Co chairmen B T Perrine and George Hearn praised residents for cooperation and noted it marked the first time since the third drive that Linn county surpassed its Series E portion.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur disclosed Japanese forces were drawn from Manchuria to halt the Leyte campaign. He listed four army divisions plus elements of two more, a naval brigade and other units as lost, with 116 770 total Japanese casualties including 601 killed in mop up.
The United States uses B-29 overflights to silence Japanese radio while sending broadcasts to urge revolution. Honolulu and Saninan transmitters carried the first program with Undersecretary Joseph Grew and Admiral Chester Nimitz warning Japan of destruction if the warlord government remains. The Office of War Information credits the raids for clearing the air and enabling the propaganda to reach listeners.
Washington announces President Roosevelt accepted Philip Reed’s resignation as American minister for economic affairs in London. Reed, based in New York City, plans to return to private life after serving in the Office of Production Management and the War Production Board. He once chaired General Electric and succeeded W Averell Harriman as London envoy.
The AP report describes Red Army shock troops fighting through Budapest from east and west meeting on the Danube islands as ultimata demand German surrender. Moscow declares Debrecen-based government has declared war on Germany amid the city’s battle. A Soviet officer was shot while advancing with surrender terms, described as premeditated murder.
London editors speculate on an imminent shakeup of Allied command on the western front as improvement in Allied positions coincides with an expected official statement on regrouping. War correspondent G Ward Price notes Eisenhower’s popularity but says his responsibilities limit detailed control of seven armies.
Paris reports cited by AP say Supreme Allied Headquarters offered no fix on responsibility or losses after the winter setback. Officials say continued secrecy is needed for security while the battle continues.
A 19 year old, Jack Clarence Hutton, hid in his mother’s attic after escaping from Great Lakes naval training in June 1943. He served a guardhouse sentence for AWOL and was picked up July 4 1943 in Cedar Rapids by Officers Overman and Rubey. He sat in the Cedar Rapids police station recounting his year in hiding near Iowa City.
Nearly 2,500 American planes attacked German rail yards and bridges behind the front, with 1,300 heavy bombers and 650 fighters. Targets included Mannheim Kaiserslautern and Kassel, while Ninth Air Force fighters supported ground forces in poor weather. Eight bombers and three fighters were reported missing due to ground fire.
Four women died in a blaze that engulfed the Wortz Biscuit packing and shipping building in Fort Smith Arkansas late Saturday. Fire crews searched the wreckage to determine if any other employees were killed.
Paris dispatches report a two way assault around Bastogne as German divisions strike west and east to sever Patton's corridor. American forces push toward La Vaselle Chenogne and Rochefort while narrowing the enemy bulge and threatening to cut off armor thrust near Sedan.
In Linn county outside Cedar Rapids the tally lists 21 killed in action two killed in training 16 missing in action one died in service and seven prisoners with casualties in service overall.
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