This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 20 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Aug 22, 1944
Page
1
Partly cloudy and showers forecast across the state with temperatures 85 high 68 low. Community updates include hospital recuperation, choir resumption, military promotions and assignments, and local notices on protests, baptist institute, and a Pendleton event.
Geneva reports say Marshal Philippe Petain was seized Sunday morning at the Pare hotel in Vichy by Gestapo agents. Also taken were Bernard Menetzes, his secretary, and several staff members. reports note Petain's estrangement from Laval and his prior attempts to join Free French forces in 1942.
Four Allied armies push east and north in a broad offensive slicing German lines. At least 30 000 German troops surrender in the Falaise trap as Canadians British and Americans advance toward the Seine and the Pas de Calais coast. Field Marshal Von Kluge reportedly pulls back units but a total collapse is not yet assured.
Rome reports Florence fully occupied by Allied troops with eighth army patrols moving out from the northern outskirts. Officials say delay avoided urban street fighting and damage. In the Adriatic front Polish troops win near Cerasa with 100 prisoners, while Italy’s inland sector sees Santa Maria Carpioneta captured.
John A. Caddell of Decatur a Peach and Caddell partner has been chosen by the U S House special committee investigating presidential and House campaign expenditures. He will split time between Washington and other hearing sites through January 1945, with four Democrats and three Republicans on the panel led by Rep Clinton P Anderson.
Burglars looted the Pell City residence of circuit solicitor Frank Embry last night, taking diamond rings watches and other jewelry valued at 1300 dollars. Entry was gained through a window and authorities vow vigorous prosecution if suspects are caught.
The Ingells Shipbuilding Corporation launched the first of 600 Army freight-passenger ships. The vessel completed sea trials with brooms flying signaling a clean sweep begun Saturday. More ships in the series are under construction at the Ingalls yard.
Exiled Polish leaders move to form a new supreme command for all Polish forces to satisfy Soviet aims. Gen Sosnkowski would remain commander in chief of Polish forces in France or Italy but lose policy influence. Russia demands Sosnkowski sever ties with the exile government, deeming him anti Soviet.
Allied headquarters report German garrison forces encircled at Toulon as French Seventh Army closes in. American units advance toward Marseille from the northwest while expanding control in Southern France, with Bordeaux area hard pressed and a push toward Cannes and Aix-En-Provence widening the beachhead to over 2,000 square miles. Maj. Gen. Patch urges maximum energy and speed despite fatigue and shortages.
General Montomery declares victory near in Northwest France while stating battle continues. Patton’s bridgeheads threaten to trap German forces south of the Seine as Nazi propaganda hints at armament boosts and new weapons to delay defeat. Voelkischer Beobachter notes withdrawals to regroup.
Lieutenant Kathleen R. Dial of Florence Alabama recovering at Hamilton Field California from injuries in a South Pacific plane crash has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross the highest award for a woman in uniform. She earned it for caring for 18 patients after a flying ambulance crashed near Port Moresby New Guinea as a veteran of 150 air evacuation missions.
Washington reports that Dumbarton Oaks talks focus on basic peace framework and agent creation while delaying full peace terms. Cadogan Gromyko and Stettinius note progress as they set mechanics and scope for an international organization and postwar coordination.
British based Allied airmen were largely grounded by adverse weather overnight and could not resume their assault on German forces in Northern France. The German radio claimed Allied bombers over Hungary and Vienna, with light raids into Silesia.
Eddy Gilmore reports from Moscow that Russian troops crossed the Bug river northeast of Warsaw in a bold flank against the Polish capital. Marshal Rokossovsky’s regrouped armies moved toward the Vistula confluence while facing fierce German counterattacks and waves of tanks. Izvestia notes Germans reinforced with a new Italian tank division and other units, aiming to sever the corridor to East Prussia. air and artillery support fueled repeated assaults.
Iasi, Romania's fourth largest city with about 104 471 people, has been evacuated as German and Romanian authorities anticipate a renewed Russian drive in the south. Iasi sits west of the Prut, connects railway lines to Bucovina and the oil hub Ploesti, and lies 165 miles northeast of Ploesti and 120 miles north of Galati, a Danube port. A Russian push toward Galati would complicate German defensive plans in the Balkans.
Soviet and White Russian forces advance across Estonia and Latvia near Tukums and Tartu while pushing toward Warsaw. In the Baltic, troops withdraw to favorable positions after Tukums fall. in Poland, Rokossovsky’s army breaks defenses northeast of Warsaw and Konev expands the Vistula bridgehead as German losses rise with 12,000 dead men and 1,550 prisoners reported.
The War Department says Thunderbolt aircrews used decoy tactics to locate hidden Japanese gun positions. Four plane teams drew fire from gun nests, allowing three decoy flights to strike. In one two hour sweep, crews knocked out nine machine guns and three anti aircraft guns and bombed coastal positions.
Japanese Foreign Minister Shigemitsu urged Asia's peoples to support a life or death war against the Allies as Marianas, New Guinea defeats and heavy air attacks press Tokyo. Nimitz notes significant Allied raids on Yap and other Pacific targets while MacArthur says air supremacy in the Moluccas nears. Japanese losses in the Marianas exceed 44,000 troops killed versus 4,470 Americans.
British forces push toward the Seine as an officer predicts final victory with a Russian sledgehammer blow and Western efforts. Montgom ery says the end is in sight while intelligence notes Maginot guns turning toward advancing Allied armies. The seventh army armor is said to be broken up in the Normandy bulge.
Japanese forces deepen the Hunan push as they fail to show progress toward seizing the 170 mile Hankow–Canton railroad gap. Reports say French patriots contest in central and southern France signaling Gestapo resistance in Northwestern France. U S Third Army threats near Paris converge with Nazi defenses along Dreux and the Ayre as Patton’s forces tighten their flanks toward the coast.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.