23 May 1944
Page 1
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Newspaper
Lethbridge Herald
Location
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Date
May 23, 1944
Page
1
British 8th Army and Canadian forces breached key Hitler line positions near Pontecorvo and Aquino as Anzio operations press the front. French units with American tanks cut routes, while Piedimonte and Pico-San Leuco zones see stubborn street fighting and several towns under Allied control or pressure.
Canadian infantry with British tanks pressed forward along the Pontecorvo Aquino road line as they crossed minefields under cover of engineers. They breached defences in the Pontecorvo sector and reached positions overlooking the southern end of the road, while British Polish and Canadian forces probed northern sectors. Recce and reconnaissance troops captured over 300 prisoners since Sunday, including 28 alarm company troops, as partisan resistance and heavy machine gun fire persisted in the Cassino area.
London reporting the fifth day of a renewed pre invasion air offensive states about 3,500 Allied planes attacked Hitler's Europe. More than 5,000 tons of explosives targeted German air dromes yards and military sites. RAF and RCAF night bombers hit Dortmund Brunswick and other targets. American heavy bombers attacked rail yards Epinal Chaumont and French airfields plus German targets. Over 1,700 planes took part in daylight raids with heavy Allied fighter escort.
Jules Levy plans The Hairy Ape with Bill Benda in the title role to bank $35,000, as makeup erases rugged looks. Director John Farrow rejects the altered visage, while Benda longs for inner beauty. Industry bosses fear plastic surgery could ruin the intimate tale. A Canada horse racing note records 1943 bets totaling $33,145,013 across 283 race days, up $7.7 million from 1942.
London dispatch reports 47 Allied POWs were killed by guards at Stalag Luft III in March. Six Canadian airmen among the dead, according to eye witness accounts reaching Sweden via British pilots. Guards shot prisoners haphazardly in barracks courtyards and workshops over several days.
On May 23 Marshal Josip Broz Tito announced that Yugoslav Partisans killed more than 200 Germans and Chetniks along a 55 mile front from Nevesinje near Mostar in Hercegovina to Gacko and Trebinje. The communique also reports 140 enemy killed or wounded in eastern Bosnia and says two trains on the Zagreb Belgrade line were blown near Velika Gorica, causing heavy losses.
Ottawa May 23 Members of the commons reflect on Prime Minister Mackenzie King remarks after his return from the Empire prime ministers conference in London He warned that the end of this war will not end strife and that future battles against evil forces and social divisions may continue for years.
London sources quote Ankara radio claiming Hristo Kalfov will form a new Bulgarian government with Dobri Bojilov replaced as premier. Reports say Hitler seeks Bulgarian break with Russia and more Nazi military aid amid anticipated Red Army offensive. Moscow radio notes anti-German and pro peace sentiment in army and people. Telegrams mention Bulgarian mission in Germany for military talks and Prince Cyril declining a Berchtesgaden visit.
Agriculture Minister Gardiner corrected a prior statement in the commons on bacon contracts with the United Kingdom. Negotiations covered 1944 45 and 46 47 with billions of pounds of bacon and minimum deliveries, but four year terms were not finalized. Britain open to a four year deal, Canada willing to supply, with details still unsettled. Prime Minister Mackenzie King condemned arson tied to sectarian agitation after a Quebec incident. Parliamentarian notes also cover a physical fitness council urging a national crusade for recreation to support wartime morale.
Allied tanks and infantry launched a major assault from the Anzio beachhead toward the Appian Way to Rome. Under Lt Gen Mark W Clark, thousands of infantry and hundreds of armored vehicles struck after a half hour artillery barrage and air bombardment, with 6th Army forces pressing from the south and east toward Cisterna and the Alban Hills.
Victoria Day observed in Lethbridge prompts no Herald on May 24. The paper will not publish Wednesday. full edition with war news and holiday updates appears Friday.
The hospital ship Lady Nelson arrived in Halifax with 500 to 600 battle casualties and support personnel from across the Dominion. The injured will be unloaded and loaded onto two hospital trains for transport. one train will serve eastern and central Canada, the other headed to western points.
U S planes began landing on Wakde airstrip in New Guinea as 6th Army moved ashore to an air base 110 miles from the Philippines. Allied command said the field could be lengthened to 7900 feet for heavy bombers while fighting nearby continued toward Maffin Bay and Sarmi with French-type mortars hindering the advance. Casualties in Wakde Sarmi sector listed as 41 killed, 135 wounded, 1 missing. enemy dead tallied at 833.
The House of Commons will continue consideration of agriculture department estimates amid a federal session schedule. Yesterday the House greeted Prime Minister Mackenzie King returning from the empire conference in London. He voiced confidence in victory, urged unity, warned war’s end may bring class and race tensions, and expected to tackle external affairs estimates within a fortnight. Agriculture Minister Gardiner announced a four year bacon agreement with the United Kingdom.
KANDY Ceylon May 3 Reuters reports in the eastern area command of the 3rd Tactical Air Force destroyed 213 Japanese aircraft over 10 weeks. Announced today, 31 enemy planes were probably destroyed and 58 damaged in Allied attacks on Japanese airfields in Burma, crucial to support troops in Manipur and harass Chindits along communications lines.
May 23 dispatches report drastic cuts to main line passenger schedules leaving thousands stranded in stations with trains cancelled without forewarning. Troops receive priority on rail while timetables run day to day amid tension from invasion fears.
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