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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Mar 17, 1944
Page
1
A fragmented note hints at local community topics and costs, offering brief glimpses into upcoming plans and budget concerns. Read as a partial item from a community page, it signals civic interest without detailing specific actions or dates.
Weather outlook calls for clouds this afternoon and tonight with cooler temperatures. Tennessee River level at 17.90 feet, high 73 and low 54 degrees. Cotton prices quoted: strict middling 21.00, middling 20.80, strict low 19.00, low 17.00. Films showing: Thousands Cheer at Princess, Traitor Within at Roxy, Hitting The Trail at Capitol. Rev J M Pickens to preach at Flint Baptist Sunday morning and evening. Various local community notices include military and church updates, scouts meeting, campus news, and social visits.
Secretary of State Hull stated the United States would not extend diplomatic recognition to the Badoglio government. He said Washington was not consulted by Moscow before exchanging representatives with Badoglio and noted policy aims to remove King Vittorio Emanuele III and Badoglio once Rome is freed.
Allied forces under Fifth Army attacked Vienna area as Monastery hill in Cassino neared capture. New Zealand troops pressed on Cassino's southwest edge while U S Fortresses and Liberators bombed targets, meeting little air opposition and moderate ground resistance.
Russian forces cut the Odessa Lwow rail line and seized Vapnyarka, tightening pressure on Vinnitsa and Nikolaev as Konev’s second Ukrainian army nears the Dniester. Soviet reports say German divisions near Nikolaev trapped, three divisions wiped out, and Voronezh front actions push toward the Prut border.
Senator Kenneth McKellar and Senator John Bankhead prepare for a keen Senate clash over amendments to the independent offices appropriations bill. Bankhead vows opposition to plans to hamstring TVA, while McKellar seeks to tie TVA funds to congressional control. The dispute centers on designating Muscle Shoals as TVA headquarters and curbing salaries for directors and staff not based there.
London reports a daylight aerial strike plan and American bombers flying toward German territory from Italy while British observers note large daylight raider formations. The US communique tallies 125 enemy planes shot down, with 48 bombers lost on a major raid over Ulm and Friedrichshafen.
Washington March 17 The Dies committee ordered an investigation of radio columnist Walter Winchell. A subpoena was issued to Mark Wood New York president of the Blue Network to produce all scripts and recordings for the past two years. Chairman Dies says Winchell campaigns to smear Congress citing references to Dies Hoffman and Rankin.
Four year old George Earl Walters died in a fire that gutted his family's frame three room home in the Ensley district. His mother Bessie Lawson, 36, was hospitalized with burns on hands and face. Nancy Walters, 7, was rescued by a neighbor. Fire Capt E W Little said the blaze likely started from wiring in an improvised chicken brooder in the kitchen.
Fifth army forces advance through bombed Cassino to the town outskirts and capture key heights. New Zealand troops push from the ruins after a 2500 ton raid, driving Germans from most areas while still contending with fire from Monte Cassino abbey. Allied engineers clear rubble and build a 70 foot bridge to resume armored crossings. American troops in the Carano area repel German counter attacks as Rome’s approaches loom. RAF Halifaxes join operations against Sofia targets in Bulgaria.
The Cassino attack is reviewed as a brutal test of air power versus ground defense. Observers note that despite massive bombing the Germans held the ruins, and infantry engagement remains essential to breach the German line. The piece discusses lessons for the future invasion of Western Europe and the limits of aerial bombardment.
Washington reports that the little steel formula will not be cracked and wage ceilings stay in place unless Congress acts. Army decisions curtail civilian production by prioritizing soldiers over materials under manpower pressures. Donald Nelson says the Army must get men even if it costs production.
Senator O’Daniel of Texas predicted that Wendell Willkie would seek an independent bid if he does not secure the Republican nomination. Supporters dispute the notion, arguing he will stay with the party or pursue other avenues within the GOP framework.
Top-ranking WPB officials condemn the War Food Administration livestock and feed program in letters to the White House War and Navy Departments and War Food Administrator Marvin Jones. They warn grain movement from farms to processors is too slow and call for steps to prevent a market shortage.
James Caesar Petrillo AFM president boasted he could keep high school music off the radio. His remarks prompted a reopening of the Senate inquiry into Petrillo and a subcommittee of Interstate Commerce will meet Monday to probe the Petrillo ban on broadcasts by high school musicians at Interlochen Michigan last summer.
Allied forces struck Asia and Pacific targets as three major offensives unfolded. An airborne landing behind Japanese lines in Hukawng Valley Burma aimed to clear a China supply route. Truk in the central Pacific faced a land-based bomber raid from Liberators near Eninwetok. Manus Island invasion began in the Admiralty group, advancing toward Lorengau airfield with light casualties. Other strikes pummeled Rabaul and Wewak, while Bougainville saw renewed fighting as Empress Augusta Bay endured the latest air assault. Central Pacific fliers hit Oroluk and Ponape as assailants pressed Japanese defenses across multiple theaters.
In Canberra on March 17 Gen Douglas MacArthur pledged to return to the Philippines and reconquer the islands. He said a major offensive will be launched at the proper time to isolate Japan and restore Pacific sea routes, saluting the troops who fought in the jungle campaigns that saved the continent.
Three musicians from Kilby prison orchestra fled after a dance last November and gave a repeat performance last night. Jack Wilson faces 100 years on two robbery convictions in Tuscaloosa county. Rufus Davis has 9 to 10 years for grand larceny, Richard Miller 15 years for robbery. They were recaptured earlier and punished, then allowed to reform the musical group.
Governor Chauncey Sparks announced that the federal absentee ballot for service men may be used in Alabama elections for senators and representatives if the law is a proper exercise of Congress power. He said state rights and registration procedures must be preserved and that no legislative session is needed.
President and Mrs. Roosevelt observed their 39th wedding anniversary as aides reported the Chief Executive at his desk. He sent an anniversary greeting to the First Lady while she visited armed service bases in the Caribbean. They wed on St Patrick’s Day 1905 in New York City with Theodore Roosevelt giving her away.
Sen McKellar faces opposition from former Sen Norris of Nebraska in a Senate bid to end TVA revolving fund. Hill reads Norris telegram defending Lilienthal as a faithful public servant while McKellar cites it as sharp strategy.
The committee bill lists prohibitions on land purchases without congressional permission and using funds for political aims. It bars free fertilizer to farmers without county approval and restricts salaries above 4500 dollars for non Senate approved officers. It also limits TVA ads and politically active salaries. Senator McKellar accuses TVA Chair Lilienthal of using TVA funds for newspaper advertising to undermine him.
ERNIE PYLE reports in Italy that trains are running but crowding remains extreme. Trains, including Naples electric runs, are modern yet far from prewar capacity with passengers riding atop cars. A tunnel routine forces hangers on to jump off to avoid tunnel walls. A Naples black market item is American C-ration meat and vegetable hash selling for 23 cents.
A wartime dispatch recalls a hoax where cans of C-ration hash were found filled with sand after purchase. At a nearby air field a ragged Italian vendor sells apples to soldiers while locals often pay higher prices. An Italian customer angrily flings apples at a vendor after being charged soldier’s rates.
Miss Winifred Fairchild, 64, confessed to police that she beat and choked her 87-year-old invalid mother, Mrs Lucy Fairchild, to exorcise the devil after summoning help. She recounted striking with a shoe, wrapping a neck string, and believing the act would not kill.
In Opelika Alabama on March 17 W J Cole aimed at a polecat invading his home above a highway store. The pistol shot missed the animal struck a water pipe and tore, wounding Cole in the cheek mildly. Mrs Cole later opened doors and the unwelcome visitor left.
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