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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Dec 22, 1944
Page
1
Weather outlook indicates rain in extreme south tonight with colder air in the east and south. Local highs reached 48 and lows 29. Reports confirm multiple soldiers wounded in action in European and Mediterranean theaters. Community services include White Christmas and Sunday worship at local churches with sermons and special programs. Families receive Christmas messages from abroad and updates on loved ones overseas.
In Greece the ELAS army of 15 000 to 20 000 men advances on territory held by EDES led by Gen Napoleon Zervas. Zervas says ELAS has entered Epirus and massed on Chriskos ridge above Yanina. British reports note Albanian involvement among ELAS forces and evacuations of prisoners.
Saipan based B 29s bomb Nagoya aircraft plants on Japan's main island while Mindoro airfields host U S fighters near Manila. Leyte ground troops close on Yamashita line as 11 327 Nipponese dead in a seven day drive. Mindoro airstrips host dogfights over Mindoro and Iwo Jima 750 miles south of Tokyo.
Cooper Wells and Company at Decatur announces a Christmas gesture for staff on the payroll as of September 1. Each eligible employee will receive a $25 gift war bond. The Cooper Wells Employes Welfare Association distributes $5 from surplus funds. The firm also adds an insurance program costing $10,000 annually with hospital, surgical, sickness, accident weekly indemnity, and accidental death and dismemberment coverage without employee contributions.
John A Caddell of Peach and Caddell was appointed by Governor Charie Sparks as a member of the Alabama Judicial Council for one year. The council aims to continuously study the administration of justice in the state, with members including high court officials, legislators, the dean of Alabama Law, and others appointed by the governor.
President Roosevelt avoided commenting on a published item claiming Democratic national chairman Robert E. Hannegan held a private, off the record talk with the President during a Warm Springs vacation. The piece alleged Hannegan sought a future role, with Postmaster General Walker suggesting Hannegan keep his chairmanship after Roosevelt's reelection.
Canadian forces broke through to the Senio river and captured Bagnacavallo on the Bologna road. The town lies eight miles north and east of Faenza and nine miles east of Ravenna along the Adriatic highway as Allied HQ reports.
HAL BOYLE reports from occupied Belgium where civilians and troops endure grim fronts near the fighting zones. He notes fear in eyes of Belgians, rumor spread among crowds, and weary soldiers moving toward or away from front lines as the war grinds on toward an uncertain end.
Canvass teams will go door to door in Morgan County between Christmas and New Year as the county pursues a $2,241,000 victory quota for the Sixth War Loan. E bonds lag, with $463,106.25 sold of $791,000 target, while total sales reach $1,866,855.25, far above the district but short of the victory goal.
The Daily corrects previous hunting figures for Wheeler Refuge supervised hunts. The record shows 120 quail hunters registered, bringing in 418 birds, and the quail population increase cited as 200 percent instead of 20 percent.
Berlin radio reported Russians massed 27 divisions on a 22 mile front south of Frauenburg in East Prussia. The attack, aided by tanks and a heavy artillery barrage of about 170000 shells in 99 minutes, was described by Nazi commentator Ernest Von Hammer.
Soviet units of Marshal Rodion Malinovsky’s Second Ukraine army pressed toward Losonec and Rimaszombat, seizing key focal points on the Kassa Losonec corridor. The fall of Rimaszombat opens access into the Matra mountains, easing pressure on Slovak patriots. Tolbukhin’s Third Ukraine army joins the push to break the German flank near Budapest as resistance stiffens.
The war bulletin notes the German counteroffensive on the Western front entering a phase of supply and consolidation. Although momentum slows at times, Nazi forces still hold the initiative as Eisenhower concentrates force in crucial sectors. Berlin warns against over-optimism.
President Roosevelt urged Americans at his news conference to keep working and keep supplies flowing to the military as German offensives threaten. He defended the Atlantic Charter and noted civilian production may stay restricted while war needs continue. Reports from Congress and military leaders warned of shortages, with Russian winter offensives shaping the broader war effort.
A group of German agents dressed in American uniforms infiltrated near Stavelot Belgium. Capt. Fordyce Gorham of Coudersport and Pvt Theodore Watson of Brooklyn encountered the deception. Eight Germans fled after a failed setup. two American soldiers were wounded.
The contract for the repair of Cottaco High School, damaged by fire December 5, was awarded to Brown Brothers after bids to the county board of education. Work starts immediately with lunchroom modernization planned. Fire cause listed as unknown, likely oil stove, which will be removed. coal and wood range and electric range to be installed. All rooms in use except certain areas.
Federal judge John C. Knox ordered the release of William Browne and George Browne after serving eight-year terms for extortion linked to a million dollar shake down in the motion picture industry. Their release reflects a reduction in sentence amid ongoing legal considerations.
Allied reports say German spearheads crossed the Our River near Namur and Liege but were slowed as Eisenhower ordered all forces to crush the attack. Field reports note heavy fighting south of Luxembourg with tanks and infantry repelled, while Von Rundstedt's large counteroffensive stalled on several sectors.
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