This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 7 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Sikeston Herald
Location
Sikeston, Missouri, United States of America
Date
May 03, 1945
Page
3
Pvt Tommy McClure visits family in Sikeston after duty in the Philippines and a Hawaiian layover. In Okinawa, Lieut Ernest Tongate Jr. reports vivid scenery and wary locals. other Sikeston natives serve in Germany, Italy, and Belgium, with several promotions and trainings noted.
Lieut Barney V Blankenship son of Mr and Mrs C E Blankenship of Canaloa received his fifth bronze battle star for five major campaigns in the European Theater of Operations. His unit the 438th Troop Carrier Group led by Lt Col Lucien N Powell performed airborne drops in Normandy and later supplied and evacuated troops across Europe. The group made the first paratroop drop to secure the Rhine bridgehead in the Ruhr valley for its sixth major operation.
Corporal Loomis Mayfield Jr. writes from Germany to his father, noting that Allied green news misses the danger at the front. He observes the beauty of German towns, the presence of churches and religious imagery, yet underscores the harsh reality of slave labor and occupation.
In a series of letters written on April 21 from Okinawa Ryuku Islands Japan Pfc Gordon Shy Jr paints a brutal life in combat describing frigid nights, screaming shells and close calls with grenades He recalls longing for home yet finds small comforts like a captured hog barbecue and souvenirs including a flag and a mahogany sling-shot handle from the Philippines He notes the change from Leyte to Okinawa and observes Japanese civilians and garrisons amid ongoing war.
Sgt. Harry G. Harrison of the 30th Infantry Division in Germany earned the Bronze Star for meritorious conduct in battle. He has been treated in England for frozen feet and wrote his mother in Sikeston that he would return to combat zones, after working for the Missouri State Highway Department before service.
Real old home week for Lieut Col Wade Shankle and Capt Daniel Malone when they met in Germany. Letters describe the reunion after an eight day rest camp on the Riviera coast. Malone helped with sleeping arrangements and the two shared an all night gabfest. Other notes tell of Lieut Dempster from the South Pacific and Lieut Lindsay arriving in San Diego. Ralph C. Dollar, son of Sikeston residents, completed training at Chanute Field and Althin M Moore of Morehouse, in the Women’s Army Corps, left Port Des Moines for Brooke General Hospital Fort Sam Houston Texas.
The War Production Board notes an unusually large number of small building starts in the area in violation of Construction Limitation Order L-41. Penalties apply for wilful violations, but materials will not be diverted from the war effort. Remodeling up to 200 dollars is allowed. above that, permission is required, with consults to FHA, county boards, and the War Production Board. Curtain on cooperation is urged to ensure vital war material flow.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.