03 May 1945
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 29 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
New Castle News
Location
New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
May 03, 1945
Page
1
British forces entered Hamburg, Germany's largest port, as the Nazi radio announced its occupation and the city prepared for a curfew and handover at noon. Hamburg stations warned residents to stay indoors while the British commander arranged occupation procedures.
The past ten days rain has the grass tall on many lawns while tulips recover from frost. A youngster hurt riding handlebars underscores bicycle safety dangers. Gov. Edward Martin promotes school safety patrol day on May 12 urging citizen participation.
News bulletin reports German officers of all ranks offering to surrender en masse to the U.S. First and Ninth armies. Negotiations are ongoing as BBC broadcast via NBC notes the British army captured over 100000 prisoners yesterday.
United States weather statistics show a maximum of 60 and a minimum of 43 with trace precipitation. A year ago the high was 78 and the low 51 with no precipitation recorded.
Soviet forces completed victory in Berlin as First White Russian and First Ukrainian armies raised flags over the city. Second White Russian units took Rostock port and naval base, narrowing the gap to the British in Wismar as Red Army press forward.
London reports say Japan acknowledges Germany’s fall is near and Gen Jiro Minami urges continued resistance. He tells the Political Society of Greater Japan that Nippon must fight on alone against Anglo Americans as Allied forces shift to the Pacific.
London reports from Field Marshal Montgomery’s headquarters indicate the final curtain of the war in Germany may be near. All formations on the north front stand by for rapid developments as evidence grows that enemy resistance is breaking down.
News from Moscow at 3 p.m. Moscow time indicates Hitler, Goebbels, and General Krebs have not yet been located. Mutual Reporter Arthur Davies relayed details from the Russian capital.
Australians press inland from Tarakan beachheads on Tarakan island off Borneo's east coast with the aim of seizing the air drome. General MacArthur said the beachhead was established quickly and would extend the air field chain from Luzon to Darwin, enabling raids across the southwest Pacific.
A Reuters dispatch from Moscow reports rumors of immediate unconditional surrender by Germany circulating in the Soviet capital. The reports cannot be confirmed but are notable as Moscow may be the only United Nations capital not previously speculating on surrender.
Allied authorities announced that Holland will be isolated for two months following the total liberation of the Netherlands to contain raging typhoid epidemics.
Washington observers say Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz may seek a quick peace as legal successor to Hitler. Doenitz is viewed as secure in leadership and capable of ordering the Wehrmacht to cease hostilities, a move welcomed by a German high command convinced the war is lost. The discussion notes that even with peace talks failing, mass mobilization is unlikely.
British forces today entered Rangoon the capital of Burma following air and seaborne landings on the Rangoon river. Rangoon had been under Japanese control since March 8 1942, enabling occupation of much of the country’s life.
Nazi circles in Bern claim Adolf Hitler was killed last Thursday by the Gestapo during a secret war council in Bern and Zurich, according to a Daily Mail dispatch. The report cites a Zurich source stating Hitler died in a clandestine meeting of army and Nazi leaders.
The Dutch government offered the United States permanent use of bases in the Netherlands East Indies to help maintain peace in the Pacific, disclosed in Amsterdam.
Allied headquarters report a standstill on the Italian and western Austria front as Nazi and Italian Fascist forces pause under the surrender terms. About a million troops quit Europe’s battle, with German forces not moving until formal surrender. Allied positions held while awaiting ceremony as Axis commanders face final surrender. New Zealand troops reported in field dispatches from the British front.
City Treasurer B. N. Hanlon reports 1945 city taxes collected to April 30 total $518,955.78, about 75.8 percent of levy, up 3.8 percent from 1944. Last year 72 percent was paid by the same date during the one percent discount period which closed April 30. Final payment date for 1944 school taxes is May 5 before they go to county commissioners for collection.
A force of 50 to 100 Marianas based Superfortresses bombed Kyushu airfields with good results. The operation marked the 13th strike against Kyushu since March 27 as B-29s hit six dromes from medium altitude. Official reports say the results were favorable.
A German Dunkerque operation was under way from the east and west coasts of Schleswig Holstein. Harassed Nazi forces tried to flee Allied pursuit by sailing out to sea in fishing boats and other craft aiming to reach Denmark.
An epidemic of black typhus sweeps the liberated German camp at Dachau with 2000 cases reported. Authorities work day and night to alleviate the appalling conditions found there.
London reports on Hitler’s death unleash a torrent of explanations and conjecture. Some claim suicide with Goebbels involved, others allege Gestapo execution, while Allied commands push to confirm the fatal event beyond doubt amid a tangle of conflicting dispatches.
President Truman announced unconditional surrender of Axis troops in Italy and confirmed Hitler's death. Washington hopes the end of European hostilities is near as Germany's strength collapses and victory appears in sight. He moved to reduce war-time European expenses and addressed doubts about Hitler's death at a White House news conference.
U S staff correspondent reports in Paris that Germany is a defeated nation yet allies expect weeks before formal end. Observers see Italy's unconditional surrender as increasing field commanders' likelihood to surrender individually in Germany and nearby countries rather than a coordinated total capitulation.
London reports unconfirmed from Paris that Reichsführer Doenitz and Gestapo chief Himmler approached the Allies with a peace settlement. The proposed terms allegedly targeted the United States Britain and the Soviet Union with new proposals. An Exchange Telegraph dispatch claimed Doenitz arrested Himmler's wife and children and threatened their execution if Himmler kept contacting the Allies.
The Big Three press to resolve the Polish problem as smaller nations shape a world security order. Molotov delays Moscow trip to May 8, signaling a settlement acceptable to the United States and Britain and possible Poland invitation to San Francisco. A secret conference on Poland preceded the postponement and the move toward parity among United Nations.
General Patton's Third Army entered Braunau Austria Adolf Hitler birthplace with 13th Armored Division crossing the Inn River by boat. Locals greeted troops with flowers while police noted Hitler's death. Patton's forces widened fronts to 60 miles and drove toward central Austria.
Panic-stricken Germans flee as Allied forces drive along the Baltic coast. British Second Army units join with Red Army troops near Rostock and Luebeck to secure the ports of Rostock Kiel and Hamburg, forcing a German retreat toward Denmark. The Arnhem veterans of the Sixth Airborne Division led the night linkup with Red Army tanks, while RAF Mosquito bombers hit Kiel.
London dispatch says Prague, one of the last Hitler era fortresses, is ready to surrender to the Allies. Hamburg radio claims Admiral Karl Doenitz announced Prague as a hospital open city, following Hamburg and Innsbruck in declaring open status amid retreat.
A fragmented weather note describes unseasonably cold early May with sun missing and frosty nights. The speaker imagines skating on river or lake, warning of costly results as garden and spring memories mix with uncertain conditions.
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