01 Apr 1945
Page 1
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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Apr 01, 1945
Page
1
A reader photo feature showcases life in our town, emphasizing shared spaces, neighbors, and daily routes. It notes small events and the sense of belonging that ties residents to schools, shops, and local groups.
A downtown car collision on Sixth Avenue South caused minor injuries and no fatalities. Fire crews responded to an oil fire at 924 Sherman Street with no loss reported.
Allied naval and air forces pound toward the Asiatic mainland as American troops seize Bacolod on Negros Island in the Philippines. U S fliers sink ships off Indo China and Hainan while raids target Kyushu Honshu Nagoya and Lang. Burma front tightens with Mandalay Meiktila pocket shrinking as Allied columns close in on Kyaukse.
Lt. James Faulkner once publisher and president of the Alabama Press Association in 1940 41 is now a student at Courtland Army Air Field Entering the service two years ago he has served as an aviation instructor Mrs Faulkner and two sons stay in Auburn plan to move to Decatur while Faulkner is stationed at Courtland
Montgomery March 3 State Highway Patrol Chief Van B Gilbert warned that drunken driving is not tolerated on V E Day. Officers will be lenient with celebrants unless life or property is at risk, as traffic rules must be enforced.
E W W James reports rising confusion and hunger in Germany as Nazi officials urge citizens to aid in locating Allied agents. Stockholm dispatches claim civilians sheltering deserters and agents, while rumors of armistice talks and continued resistance circulate amid severe food shortages and ration strain. Dr Robert Ley calls for a few thousand fanatical supporters to halt Allied efforts.
Hillard Columbus alias Lumbo Terry, battered and unshaven, turned himself in at Moulton sheriff’s office saying he had to do what he did. He is charged with murder in the killing of George Allen after an argument at their Courtland home. Terry and his daughter were at the scene. a third shot wounded the daughter. Terry says he lost the pistol.
Five thousand Allied planes pounded targets from the Austrian Alps to the Baltic Sea as a record month ends with an estimated 165000 tons of bombs. Eighth Air Force units joined by 850 escort fighters hit Halle Brunswick and Zeitz while German defenses faltered. British Lancasters and Halifaxes struck Hamburg sub yards, and 5th Air Force bombers hit Austrian Star as operations continued.
Washington report says soft coal operators and John L. Lewis accepted a War Labor Board order to continue production under the present contract. Lewis demanded written assurance of retroactive pay. If operators refuse, the issue may go to the WLB or another agency to enforce the retroactive pay provision.
William P. Larkin vice president of Crowell Collier Publishing and president of P R Collier and Son Corp died unexpectedly in New York. The subsidiary publishes Harvard Classics and National Encyclopedia among other works.
Russian tanks thrust up to 11 miles inside Austria south of Vienna as Soviet forces push from Wiesmath toward the capital and seize Kophaza near Sopron. Tolbukhin’s third Ukrainian army advances on a 35 mile front, with other units driving toward Bratislava and Graz, tightening a 300 mile front across Silesia Slovakia and Hungary.
Easter services begin with a 7 AM sunrise at Benson Field in Decatur. The Decatur high school band led by Carl Schwachow opens the service. Protestant churches participate with special morning and holiday programs.
The landing signal officer LSO guides returning planes from a strike, using bright paddles and sign language to remotely control the approach. He stands on a stern platform with a canvas backdrop and rope netting beneath, wearing yellow gear for visibility. The pilot follows the LSO's cues until the final cut sign signals touchdown.
Allied dispatch reports Hitler and top Nazi leaders may have fled to Berchtesgaden as German troops stiffen defense on eastern and western fronts. Eisenhower doubts a lasting Nazi refuge, noting advances by Soviet and American forces toward Berchtesgaden amid shifting German positions and mounting pressure on the Bavarian region.
James Byrnes told Americans that factories will free to produce nearly a third more civilian goods within nine months after Germany falls. He outlined plans to release metals, cut war spending, and ease controls after VE-Day while maintaining price and wage safeguards.
Edwin Buddy Dockery, 11, son of Mr. and Mrs. P. L. Dockery of 1227 Seventh Avenue East, has been missing since Friday at 10:00 AM. Police Chief J B Whitmire said he was last seen on Somerville Road after telling classmates he would run away. He is about 4 feet 3 inches tall, weighs about 63 pounds, with a scar on his left jaw, wearing a blue brown striped sweater and blue pants.
The United States and Britain refused Moscow’s demand to invite Poland’s postwar government to the San Francisco United Nations conference. Diplomats saw the move as an attempt to push the Moscow regime on Allied powers. Senators fret over rifts from the Crimea conference and the Yalta agreements.
A liberated American prisoner of war from the Seventh Armored Division reports severe German chaos behind the lines. He says one third of German ambulances carry weapons, prisoners suffer mistreatment in guarded camps, and civilians show hostility to Allied air crews. He describes long marches with scarce food and frequent beatings, noting the tense mood as Allied tanks push into Germany.
Paris dispatch reports the Ruhr basin frontline near Berlin with German forces fighting to break out toward a now 170 mile distance from the capital. Allied leaders warn of a final West battle as remnants mass along the Weser for a possible last counteroffensive amid expectations of a bloody end to the war.
General Eisenhower broadcast to Germany urging Wehrmacht units to surrender to avoid further sacrifice. He said Allied forces were penetrating deep into Germany and noted loss of German government and high command control. A warning to captive workers accompanied the appeal, advising shelter from railroads and roads until Allies finish mop up.
Allied commanders sealed a large Ruhr pocket isolating remnants of three German armies amounting to tens of thousands of troops. U S Ninth and Third Armored Divisions reported contact near Warburg and Paderborn as Eisenhower urged German forces to surrender. The Ruhr basin, key to war production, was cut off and in ruins.
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