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Newspaper
La Crosse Tribune
Location
La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
Date
Jan 02, 1944
Page
1
Allied headquarters said Cape Gloucester on New Britain remains under heavy attack as Japanese losses in the campaign run into thousands. Initial counts show about a thousand enemy dead, with operations extending toward Rabaul and Arawe.
Four long term inmates at the Amosa reformatory stabbed guard Grant Eilers, seized two hostages, and fled toward the Illinois state line after a confrontation in Deputy Warden L J Womachka’s office. They held the hostages for about 90 minutes, commandeered a car, and disrupted a farm family dinner before fleeing north toward Devonport. The escape followed a New Year holiday relaxation of yard rules and involved three other guards.
Allied air operations intensify as Eisenhower signals victory this year and Belgian Premier Pierlot predicts liberation within months. Spaatz arrives to join Eisenhower’s team while raids focus on Paris Cognac and Ivry targets. German envoy Renthe Fink urges Petain to show loyalty as Europe braces for major action.
Lieut. Gen. Ira C. Baker reported from his new Mediterranean post that the 8th Air Force dropped a record 12 000 tons of bombs in 10 raids during December, more than double November and about 30 percent higher than the first six months of 1943. About 1 500 planes were used in the last two raids, over half four engined bombers.
Soviet forces under Vatutin press 1st Ukrainian Army toward Korosten Berdichev and Zhitomir capturing Belokorovichi rail hub. Russians advance 28 miles beyond Korosten with 1900 Germans killed and bridges left intact as German retreat accelerates. Front dispatches say Soviet spearheads near the Bug river and 90 miles from Romania, with heavy mechanized units in action.
The Soviet Trade Journal War and the Working Class argues Japan lost the strategic initiative in the Pacific. It notes Japan’s temporary advantage is past and cites dwindling German support. The piece stresses Japan cannot count on Germany and reflects Soviet neutrality.
New York Mayor F H La Guardia marks his 10th year as city leader by forecasting a German crisis near Easter and the assassination of Adolf Hitler by a member of Hitler's own staff. He told reporters Hitler will not be captured alive.
Allied dispatch from Algiers reports King Vittorio Emanuele appeals to the Italian people to forget past political differences and rally around him to preserve the throne despite mounting opposition.
The War Food Administration plans to release about 440000 cases or 20000000 pounds of canned pork and beans for civilian sale. The stock comes from supplies previously set aside for war requirements.
Senator White says Congress may push revision of the communications act to require opponents of President Roosevelt to have equal time on radio to answer his political broadcasts. He suggests extending the equal time rule to other public figures who discuss controversial political questions.
The Associated Press notes a planned all-out central Pacific offensive in 1944 coordinated with General MacArthur in New Guinea and Rabaul. Admiral Halsey is seen as a likely commander, with King saying plans are ready to shift US naval力量 into the Pacific against Japan.
An army colonel in Washington secured priority boarding on a flight to a southern camp to attend a lecture by a New England professor. He later learned the professor he sat beside had been intimate with him, after the fact.
Army and Navy Journal reports Cairo Teheran talks agreed the United States should receive Japan held islands in the Pacific after the war. Marian Marshalls and Carolines were mandated to Japan by the League of Nations and later fortified as bases.
The destroyer Perkins was sunk in a collision off New Guinea on November 29 and the coastal transport APC-21 was sunk by enemy aircraft off New Britain on December 17. Next of kin for Perkins casualties have been notified, and officers of both ships were among survivors. Commanders Gerald Lyle Ketchum and William N. Vinchos lead Perkins and APC-21 respectively.
Capitol talk centered on stiffening laws to criminalize wartime strikes after a United States and United Nations concern that labor disputes delayed the war effort. Lawmakers split on presidential leadership, with some pressing new statutes and others defending White House handling. Four officials blamed unions and accused the administration of bungling key battles, while rail and steel workers defended their production records.
Residents enjoyed bright skies and a 38 degree high in La Crosse as the new year began. Kids queued for sleds and skis while rinks stayed open. forecasters predict light snow Sunday night with a high near 40 degrees.
President Roosevelt limited by illness but pledges new and greater Allied offensives in the new year to topple Axis powers. Secretary Stimson says the United States stands on the threshold of a titanic decisive struggle with renewed strength to be unleashed in Europe and the Far Pacific.
Three people died and 11 were injured when a car collided with a crowded bus of the Chicago and West Towns Railway in Oak Park. The car victims were Harold R. Mathews 38 Edward J. Batko 26 and Henry A. Blumenthal 35 all of Chicago. The bus driver and several passengers were hospitalized.
Allied forces in Italy report further gains as American and Canadian troops seize three heights near Cassino and advance toward Viticuso amid icy rains. A British raid behind German lines destroys a key bridge and takes prisoners, while weather limits air operations and several Allied planes go missing.
Washington expects a large shift to civilian production by mid summer with most American industry out of war work by early 1945. The change follows a timetable and does not relate to Eisenhower's 1944 forecast. Military output will be maintained until mid summer then reduced to a replacement basis. The first impacts will hit mining and processing plants as war contracts fall and demand for steels and copper declines.
Washington announces a new five point pork bonus Spare stamp number two in ration book four valid for fresh pork and all sausage from January 2 to January 15. Stamp one remains for five points on fresh and cured pork, expires January 15. Sausage types allowed exclude canned or jarred smoked varieties. Midwest markets report record pork sales and reduced spoilage as the bonus ends.
Stockholm dispatch reports seven Danes were executed Friday after convictions by a Nazi court martial on charges of sabotage.
The FEA reports Germany cannot expand to meet UN offensives in 1944 while Japan should raise armament output despite shipping limits. Germany’s war economy remains strained by bombing and resource controls, with Europe’s economy not collapsing yet, and Japan poised to boost production though hampered by logistics.
Washington officials warn that while west coast workers have eased, shifting wartime centers may trigger a labor shortage in coastal cities worse than the first.
Berlin reports a Nazi radio broadcast claiming 607 Allied merchant ships sunk in 1943 naval action. The tally includes one aircraft carrier, six cruisers, 63 destroyers, 18 submarines, three corvettes, 56 motor torpedo boats, and several midget submarines, totaling 3,784,500 tons. The broadcast asserts U-boats sank 593 merchant vessels.
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