01 May 1944
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 26 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Portsmouth Herald
Location
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States of America
Date
May 01, 1944
Page
1
DeWitt Mackenzie notes heavy weekend bombing aimed at Hitler's aviation. He says the Luftwaffe is wounded though not yet crippled and that German defenses must be ready for a major attack with Allied forces preparing for D-day. He predicts a simultaneous Soviet strike alongside Western Allies this summer.
In a letter to Prime Minister Chireniis, President Roosevelt expresses hope that the Greeks will end their quarrel and return to the Allied camp to participate against the barbarians.
AP reports May allocations include 39 new jams and 99 bicycles by the state OPA. The notice lists items assigned for May and outlines distribution details.
London May 1 AP The Allies intensified the nerve war with a new U.S. broadcasting station in Britain, Absie, telling occupied Europeans that great Allied armies will aid them from the west and south in coordination with Soviet forces. Robert E. Sherwood urged underground workers to stay ready for signals. German jamming failed to block reception. the aim is to provoke invasion jitters as D-Day anticipation weighs on nerves.
Premier Joseph Stalin urged a simultaneous Red Army and Allied onslaught from east and west to finish off Hitler’s Germany. He praised Allied contributions, warned a wounded Nazi beast remains dangerous, and called for Romanian Hungarian Finnish Bulgarian liberation moves, noting Allied forces divert and weaken German power.
Mayor Charles M. Dale proclaims May 1 as Child Health Day in Portsmouth New Hampshire urging public gatherings in schools churches and homes to discuss actions to improve health conditions. He calls on parents teachers and adults to assist in organizing voluntary campaigns and health activities.
Two years after General Stilwell began his Burma push, the first all American tank unit joined the fight against Japan’s supply network in northern Burma. The advance aims to sever the Mandalay Myitkyina rail line and open the Ledo India to China route. Allied forces near Myitkyin and Mogaung, with Kohima and Imphal also in focus as Allied and Chinese positions tense under Japanese moves. American ships shelled Wake Island after aircraft raids, signaling broader Pacific operations.
The War Department reports the sinking of an American vessel in the Mediterranean with a loss of 428 military personnel. Affected unit details and casualty figures are provided by officials for record.
A Laconia girl Marlo Macauley navy sailor and her fiancée Lens Peavey were found dead in a closed Sanbornton coupe from carbon monoxide after exhaust blockage. The pair, from Sanbornton and Laconia, were on leave from Camp Parks. Navy autopsy and investigation pending.
Prophecy from Izvestia London dated May 1 reports the Soviet government newspaper Investig sug gested a lull on the Russian front would end soon due to weather and Red Army regroupings and predicted a new offensive would burst on the Germans with hurricane force.
Allied dispatch reports German forces launch offensives along Yugoslavia with limited gains. Tito’s Yugoslav resistance remains steady as operations unfold across multiple fronts.
A terse exhortation urges readers to act on war bonds, implying a duty beyond rhetoric. It frames bonds as solid investment and patriotic support, encouraging personal action without detailing schemes or dates.
Miss Jane E Drobisewski of 341 Circuit road reports her brother Corporal Alexander Drobisewski Army Air Forces missing in action after operations in North Africa on April 20. A Portsmouth native age 21, son of Mr and Mrs Stanley Drobisewski, he graduated Portsmouth High School and worked at Camp Langdon post exchange before enlisting in October 1942. He was injured last fall but returned to active duty. His last letters home were in March. Another brother, Cpl Stanley Drobisewski, also serves in North Africa. Four Portsmouth sisters survive. His sister notes their mother Mrs Lavely and father.
Sen James M Tunnell a loyal Roosevelt ally argued Republicans turn the Montgomery Ward company seizure into politics while acknowledging civil rights concerns. He said drastic action was needed and that net political reaction may not be adverse. Sen George D Aiken suggested Roosevelt damaged reelection prospects if he seeks another term.
A thousand American bombers and fighters attacked German targets in northern France as part of the pre invasion air offensive. RAF and Allied forces also struck Genoa Livorno and Monfalcone in northern Italy, with heavy bomber raids and several enemy aircraft destroyed.
Rudolf Messerschmidt a 10 year old resident of Jerusalem born in Switzerland applied to the government for permission to change his name to Rudolf Spitfire.
Mayor Charles M. Dale announced that the Navy may operate Portsmouth airport under a wartime lease approved by the airport commission and to be sent to the city council. The plan calls for the navy to install equipment and run the field for the duration of the war plus six months at a nominal maintenance charge.
A weekend wave of fires destroyed farm buildings owned by Fred A Wentworth in North Hampton and damaged the Heenan block in Dover. Six people displaced as a house and barn burned. a tractor and farming equipment were lost. One body of flames spread to six acres of scrub. a Moulton property in Hampton was also torched. Separate Dover and Exeter fires damaged stores and a large barn, with several workers overcome by smoke.
Frank Knox secretary of the navy lies in Arlington as Navy and allied services honor him. Flags at half mast mark mourning for the man who shaped the United States Navy. A church service in Manchester N A follows a formal funeral with guards of honor and officers from three military branches.
Major Republican candidates met at Nashua Country Club to urge party harmony for the November elections. Speakers included Gov. Robert Blood, Mayor Charles Dale, Rep. Chester Merrow, and four second district candidates Sherman Adams Charles Mills Rita Collyers and Oliver Munroe. Sen. Tobey sent regrets due to illness. Blood noted the state’s strong finances and a debt reduction of 3,674,289 in two years. Dale teased upcoming campaign themes on postwar employment problems.
Out of door memorial services at Portsmouth Navy Yard will honor the late Secretar y of the Navy Frank Knox. The parade ground fronting the marine barracks will host the service directed by Lt. Gomar Chester K Hults USNR chaplain. Music led by Bandmaster William Correll. Chaplain Hults assisted by Ltgs Paul Galligher. Tributes by senior Navy officers will be read. In Manchester, Knox home, Pol and of Washington DC praised Knox as a patriot and war effort supporter who helped New Hampshire meet its war bond quota.
Sam Forrest 73 a general stage manager for George M Cohan and Sam H Harris for over 30 years died yesterday in New York. He helped coordinate the early rehearsals of Gee Rich Quick Wallingford in 1919 and urged starting an association that endured beyond a formal contract until Cohan’s death two years ago.
New Hampshire observers speculate on a successor after H B McDonough confirms his resignation as chairman and a member of the state industrial school board. He cites unsatisfactory conditions from politics intruding on affairs and denies ties to the Osborne survey report released last fall by Governor Blood.
The Mississippi River swelled to its highest level in a century and passed St Louis as floodwaters spread destruction. Day 48 saw a tributary in Illinois tearing at earthen levees, per Associated Press.
The German high command asserted that two percent of Allied merchant ships and transports, totaling 253,820 tons, and 27 destroyers and escort vessels were sunk by German action in April.
New York reports stray phrases about railroad stations, cheap cigars, and rising drink costs amid crime. The piece laments post repeal chaos, cites 16 percent beer markup, and notes shift to cans and home brewing as a fading craft from a bygone era.
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