19 Dec 1944
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 14 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Mediterranean Stars And Stripes
Location
Naples, Naples, Italy
Date
Dec 19, 1944
Page
1
Muddy survivors from a Belgian field recounted German tank units advancing under a major offensive. Artillery and Tiger tanks disrupted a trapped American unit, then gunners opened fire on prisoners, killing and wounding many. A few escaped by lying motionless as others died.
London reports the French Soviet pact disclosed yesterday was welcomed by the British press as stabilizing for Europe and world order. Editorials insist it supports Dumbarton Oaks aims and regional security schemes, while Soviet Pravda hails the move as strengthening the anti German coalition.
On Mindoro and Leyte, American forces advanced seven miles above Ormoc, forcing Japanese to abandon 2000 dead as they retreated. The 32nd Division and 1st Cavalry moved from the north, breaking the Yamashita Line between Mount Calabaran and Valencia while pressing toward the 35th Army HQ at Valencia. Ground action is led by Brig. Gen. William Dunckel, who sustained an arm wound but remains in command. Allied air attacks continued, with 125 tons of bombs dropped on Negros Island’s airfields and shipping. Japanese radio claimed sunken American ships near Mindoro and noted a strong American fleet south of Mindoro in the Sulu Sea, suggesting further moves from Mindoro.
In Moscow on December 18 AP reports Soviet anger at foreign depictions of the Red Army’s Hungarian offensive fueled a Pravda attack on the Army and Navy Journal The Moscow News cites 220 enemy divisions on the eastern front with 200 German divisions and 70 on the southern front The Pravda editorial targets the American publication as pro Hitlerite propaganda accusing it of misinterpretation and shifting blame after earlier criticism of Tehran conference decisions and Allied cooperation.
Canadian forces report swift advances near Lamone bridgehead and Fosso Vecchie, with 1,100-plus prisoners taken since the west of Montone attack two weeks ago. Polish troops clear ground along Senio line, seizing Casette and Limisano. Ferried Italians and fascist officers among captured. 5th Army sees limited patrols and artillery exchanges.
December 1 report from Basler National Zeitung says Lt. Col. Louis Auersberg resigns his Nazi party membership and his Basel post. He is the fourth German official in Switzerland to break with the Nazi regime.
December 18 report from the 5th Army notes more GIs from states other than New York and Brooklyn resenting Noel Coward's Brooklyn remark. Rep. John J. Rooney of New York told the House Military Affairs Committee tour the front that others praised Brooklyn GIs and that all were ready to back them.
Rome December 18 Prime Minister Ivanoe Bonomi announced in a national broadcast that almost 200000 Italian soldiers are nearing completion of training. He said the first division will soon join UN troops on the battlefront with more divisions to follow before spring to recreate the Vittorio Veneto army. He urged mobilization of all manpower to win the war and pledged support for patriots in the north conducting guerrilla warfare amid winter conditions.
Moscow reports the Bulgarian Chief Public Prosecutor issued an indictment against 51 high state officials for crimes against the country. The group includes ex Regents Cyril, Bogdan Filey, and Nikola Mikhov, advisers to King Boris, ministers, and 36 deputies of the 25th Parliament. They will be tried in Sofia by the Supreme People’s Court of 13 judges.
American B 29s from Saipan raided Nagoya on the Japanese mainland in a sizable force as part of renewed air strikes. B 29s from Asiatic bases hit Hankow on the Yangtze, marking the first Super Fortress attack on the trading port. Tokyo radio claimed formations over Japan but could not identify exact areas due to poor reception.
The Mars Task Force under Brig. Gen. John Willey advances in north Burma below Bhamo, with American infantry and artillery linking with Chinese and British forces after Cal Ernest Easterbrook’s unit made contact at Tonkwa, about 120 miles north of Mandalay. The Mars Marauders, veterans of prior Burma action, include replacements from the United States and volunteers from the China-India Theater, having traveled over 200 miles through jungles to reach the front.
Rome reports that Italy and Hue mania have renewed diplomatic ties. The five governments will appoint chargé d’affaires to their legations in Bucharest and Rome.
Rome announces a Christmas program for service members and their families. A children's party at the American Red Cross enlisted men's club runs from 2 to 5 PM on December 24 with the Red Cross supplying a youngster if needed. A Christmas Eve event from 7 to 10 PM, seasonal music and food, then a 13 piece orchestra for a Christmas Day dance from 3 to 4 PM. Soldiers may bring American or Italian companions to the party and the night program starts at 7 PM.
Washington news bulletin lists top scoring American aces still on active duty across the Pacific and Europe, with several dead, missing, or prisoners of war. Maj Richard Beng leads with 38 downed planes, followed by McCampbell with 34, and McGuire, Precely, Christensen, Robbins, Wall among others still in service. Wayne Morris, credited with seven kills in Navy Air Group 15, is noted as a former actor also serving.
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