Army Reaches Full Strength But Draft Tempo Remains High
The Army has reached 7.7 million but draft calls stay rapid to expand the Navy to 3.6 million by September. OWI says 75 000 to 100 000 men monthly needed in 1944. Navy aims 3.5 million by July 1 with replacements and further 100 000 by September 1. Inductions cannot be materially reduced before July.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Army
Office of War Information
Navy
Marine Corps and Coast Guard
War Department
OWI
Navy Department
Selective Service Headquarters
Water Board to Present Plan for Musselshell Irrigation
The Montana Water Conservation Board will present a $300,000 plan to irrigate 15 000 acres in the Musselshell valley between Roundup and Melstone to the Dead Man's Basin Water Users association on April 13 at Musselshell. The project proposes 65 miles of canals parallel to the Musselshell river and aims to gain approval to begin work. If not approved, funds and materials will be redirected to another project.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Helena
State Water Conservation Board
Musselshell Valley
Roundup
Melstone
Dead Man's Basin
Montana
Fred Buck
Soil Conservation District
Musselshell Basin
Dead Man's Association
Buck
Ruby Valley
Water Board
Musselshell
O. S. Warden
Great Falls
Sam C. Ford
Sidney Rural Electrification Co-Operative
Yellowstone
White Sulphur Springs
Ickes Forecasts Coal Restrictions Will Be Tightened
Secretary Ickes said coal restrictions may be tightened again next winter due to the draft pulling younger miners into service. He and War Fuel administrators offered no specifics on measures, noting coal types vary in heat value and current purchase and stockpile limits already restrain supply.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Ickes
Interior Secretary
War Fuel
Weather Outlook West and East of Divide
West of the continental divide expect increasing cloudiness and a rise in temperatures with light showers possible in the extreme west during the afternoon. East of the divide, mainly partly cloudy and warmer with slightly warmer conditions elsewhere.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Continental Divide
Armies Dig In on Beachhead at Anzio
On the Anzio beachhead south of Rome April 6 the battle settled into a steady artillery duel with barbed wire, buried explosives, and patrol activity. German guns outrange Allied arms by four to ten miles while Fifth Army forces outnumber on artillery and ammunition. Front-line German units face heavier fire though Allied rear areas suffer more shelling. Both sides are dug in, keeping casualties comparatively low despite intensity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
FIFTH
Anzio
Rome
Fifth Army
Himmler Seeks New Scapegoats
London dispatch says Heinrich Himmler ordered roundup of half Jews and Aryans who married Jews. Labor Front leader Robert Ley instructed to compile a list from armament plants and Model National Socialist factories, depriving industry of 300,000 workers and sending them to Poland as labor battalions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Heinrich Himmler
Germany
Himmler
Labor Front
Robert Ley
Poland
Bombing Raids Hit Moen and Dublin in Truk Atoll
Liberator bombers of the 7th American Air Force struck Moen and Dublin islands in the Truk atoll in a seven day air offensive against the Japanese base. Fires lit the sky as bombs hit oil storage and seaplane areas. one Japanese plane was shot down and another probably downed. two Liberators missing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pearl Harbor
U.P
Moen
Dublin Islands
Truk Atoll
Adms
Chester W. Nimitz
Carolines
Pacific Fleet
Adm
Nimitz
Dublon
Soviets Tighten Surround Around Odessa Front Line
Soviet forces closed in on Tarnopol and Skala in the northwest Ukraine front while pushing toward Odessa. The midnight communique reported Skala captured and several strong points overrun as German troops suffered heavy losses. In Odessa, the Red Army seized Karpovo railway station and Razdelnaya area, advancing toward the port and claiming over 100 towns taken.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Tarnopol
Skala
Ukraine
Red
Odessa
Black Sea
Czernowitz
Karpovo
Razdelnaya
Goroshilovo
Parents Inspect Youth Center in Butte Rousing Show
Butte parents toured the new youth center’s spacious quarters on Thursday and voiced approval of the fit-out. An official inspection will continue Friday as hundreds of adults viewed the facility. Mining City craftsmen who donated time were praised along with civic sponsors and cooperative teen members.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Butte
Demobilize Slowly to Back Military Strength Says Hershey
Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, director of Selective Service, urged a deliberate and gradual demobilization after the war. He called for a national system of military training and continuous mobilization of replacements to ensure adequate force, domestic employment, and a strong voice at the peace table.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Lewis B. Hershey
Selective Service
Army
Navy
United States
National War Veterans’ Conference of the United Automobile Workers
Hershey
Thousands of Butte Residents Attend Good Friday Services
Thousands of Butte residents gather in churches to mark Good Friday with prayers and devotion. Businesses close noon to 3 pm to allow participation as Catholics bless water and Paschal candles on Holy Saturday ahead of Easter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Butte
Pegler Returns to Montana Standard Editorial Page
Pegler the columnist returns from vacation with his first dispatch on the editorial page of the Montana Standard. Other columns will follow six days a week.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Westwood Pegler
Montana Standard
215 U.S. Newsmen Accredited to Cover the Invasion
London reports that 215 American newspaper writers photographers radio and magazine men and 91 British writers are accredited with the U S Army for the invasion of continental Europe. Dispatches will be flown to London for censorship and transmission, with 15 extra censors added and field censors to accompany troops as events unfold.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Europe
U. S. Army
Ministry of Information
Air Power Takes Lead in Allied Spring Offensive
Allied air forces assume major responsibility for the spring offensive against Nazi forces in the Balkans with heavy bombers striking Sofia Budapest Bucharest and Ploesti from southern Italy. In a week nearly 2000 tons of bombs fell on targets up to 500 miles from the Italian battlefront while Ploesti oil refineries and railway yards faced repeated raids.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Allied
Naples
Southeastern
Rome
Italy
Germany
Sofia
Budapest
Bucharest
Ploesti
trans-Apennine Line
U. S
Balkans
John C. Slessor
Mediterranean Air Forces
Slessor
Ira C. Eaker
Mediterranean
Allied Air Force
Dewey Reaffirms He Is Not Republican Nominee Candidate
Governor Thomas E. Dewey refused to comment on presidential candidacy after Wendell Willkie’s withdrawal. He stated he has discussed the issue many times and maintains his position that he is not a candidate for the Republican nomination.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Albany
N. Y
Thomas E. Dewey
Wendell L. Willkie
Willkie
Dewey
New York
Bombers Hit Hollandia Base Destroy Dozens of Japanese Planes
Allied headquarters report U S bombers attacked Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea. The raid destroyed hundreds of planes and facilities, with little to no Japanese air resistance. Australian troops pushed three miles toward Bogadjim on the northern New Guinea coast.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Allied
Southwest Pacific
U.P
Hollandia
Dutch New Guinea
Douglas MacArthur
Japanese New Guinea
Wewak
New Guinea
Bogadjim
Japanese Booby Traps on Dead Soldiers Recounted
Army officer Col J Sladem Bradley reported in Washington that Japanese were wiring explosives to the bodies of American dead in the Saidor area of New Guinea. Soldiers found dead with rifles strapped and traps set to trip and detonate explosives as troops advance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
New Guinea
Col
J. Sladem Bradley
Mount Pleasant
N. C
General Staff Corps
Saidor
Bradley
Brakeman Rescues Baby From Train Chase
In Roseville California on April 6 a war freight train caromed down a grade. Brakeman Hug McDaniel leapt from the cab and snatched an 18 month old child from the tracks before the locomotive could stop. Both survived unharmed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Roseville
Calif
Sierra Nevada
Hug” McDaniel
McDaniel
Sacramento
Allies Ambush Japanese Units Near Imphal and Along Assam Front
Allied jungle troops ambushed Japanese units on roads north and south of Imphal, inflicting losses as Japanese pressure continued along the Assam front. A Mountbatten bulletin cited no details on Dimapur spearheads while noting a Japanese attempt to fly in supplies failed and Japanese aircraft losses.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Delhi
India
Imphal
Assam
Lord Louis Mountbatten
Dimapur
Bengal-Assam
Upper
Burma
Brahmaputra
Tiddim
Mogaung
Wakawng
Aungban
Nagorn Sawarn
Moulmein
Italian Rail Lines Cut Across Italy in WWII
North south rail links feeding German fronts in Italy were cut since March 24. Allied air forces based on Sardinia and Corsica disrupted a line from Spezia in Genoa Gulf to Rimini on the Adriatic coast. Brig. Gen. Lauris Norstad confirmed air force operations. Lt. Gen. Ira Eaker disclosed the tactic.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Allied
Naples
U.P
Italy
Tactical Air Force
Ira . Eaker
Sardinia
Corsica
Lauris Norstad
Allied Mediterranean Air Force
Spezia
Gulf of Genoa
Rimini
Adriatic
American Air Losses in Bombing Germany Slower Than Expected
General Frank O D Hunter told the Society of Automotive Engineers that overall German bombing losses since 1942 were 3.1 percent, with bomber losses 2.2 percent and fighter losses 8 percent. He said Allied air power is rising, German production cannot match losses, and credited U S aviation growth and the Russian advance as keys to victory. The A E Wright Brothers medal was awarded to Costas Ernest Papps for airplane stabilization research.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Germany
New York
Frank O. D. Hunter
National Aeronautic
The
Society of Automotive Engineers
Hunter
Europe
United Nations
United States
Costas Ernest Papps
Republic Aviation Corp
Pappas
Society
Invasion Coast Hit by U S Air Raids Across Europe
U S Eighth Air Force Liberator bombers pounded the Pas de Calais invasion coast and Austria and northern Yugoslavia as part of a two day raid surge. The bombing missions, flown under Thunderbolt escorts, reported safe returns and light Luftwaffe opposition. Berlin radio claimed heavy Allied air battles near the Austrian border and over southeastern Reich territory.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Eighth Air Force
Austria
Yugoslavia
U. S. Eighth Air Froce
Toulouse
France
Pas de Alais
U. S
Nathan J. Twining
U. S. 15Th Air Force
Italy
Balkan
Berlin
Reich
Old Austria
Styria
Lower
Navy Trims Pilot Training With Focus On Quality
The Navy said reduced air pilot requirements for 1944 1945 and 1946 stem from a lower attrition rate in training. It plans to shift emphasis to higher quality pilots while not broadly releasing personnel. Previous totals stood at 35 800 pilots and 27 500 planes in operation with 28 000 more planned in 1944.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Navy
Civil Aeronautics Administration
Naval Flight
MacArthur to Keep Control of Southwest Pacific
General Douglas MacArthur will continue in command of southwest Pacific offensives despite potential changes in the area’s leadership. War correspondents note Admiral Halsey may move to another post, but indications are MacArthur’s control and long term plans remain intact. Operationally, southwest and west Pacific forces have been under his command since June 1943.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Allied Headquarters
Southwest Pacific
Douglas MacArthur
South Pacific
William F. Halsey
MacArthur
Halsey
Arthur
Also Mentioned on This Page
Lal
U.S
U. S. First Cavalry Division
Los Negros
Admiralty Islands
Red Cross
Meryon Mitchell
Cleveland
Ohio
Signal Corps
By Kenneth L. Dixon
William F. Tyree
Jap Holdings
Marshalls
By Tom Yarbrough
Pegler
Daniel DE Luce
George C. Kenney
Fifth Air Force
By Charles A. Grumich
By Walter Cronkite
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