America at war! (1941--) -- Part 2

AXIS ROLLED BACK IN SICILY
Foe forced out of 3 important towns by drive

Yanks push toward Mt. Etna; Canadians threaten enemy flank at Catania; 8th Army smashes ahead
By Virgil Pinkley, United Press staff writer

Allied HQ, North Africa –
Allied troops captured three more important towns in a general advance on a 65-mile front in northeastern Sicily today and fought fiercely over rough mountain country for the knockout punch against the wavering Axis armies.

Americans of the 7th Army, who conquered the entire western half of the island in a lightning campaign, captured the important Axis defense point at Troina after a 12-mile drive from Nicosia and pushed eastward toward Bronte at the base of Mt. Etna.

Canadian forces to the south of the Americans drove forward seven miles and took Regalbuto from the German 15th Panzer Division and provided a good wedge for the Allied attack on the Axis flank at the western end of the Catania plain.

8th Army attacks

The British 8th Army, attacking the length of the southern front, captured Centuripe, six miles southeast of Regalbuto.

The Americans also took Capizzi and Cerami while racing up the winding road to Troina, and a headquarters announcement said they had cleaned up at least 12 small villages.

Units of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton’s 7th Army that captured San Stefano on the northern coast were moving eastward along the coastal road and were reported within 60 airline miles of Messina, nearing San Stefano.

Capture bridgehead

The Canadians and the British had driven a large bridgehead into the Catenanuova sector, just southwest of Regalbuto and north of Ramacca, from which they could start rolling down the Catania plain.

The American advance threatened to tear apart the Axis defense around Mt. Etna. From Bronte, they would be able to branch out north and south on the road encircling Etna.

U.S. troops had reached a densely-wooded district. Resistance by the Germans and Italians had stiffened and most of the Allied gains were made by infantry, because of the rugged terrain and the fact that the retreating Axis had blown up toads and bridges.

Feel out Axis strength

The British 8th Army carried out a series of artillery engagements and were advancing from Ramacca, feeling out the enemy’s strength.

Capture of Troina and Centuripe was first announced by Prime Minister Churchill in the House of Commons. Military observers in London said that the Allied offensive threatened to crush all Axis resistance in Sicily within a few days.

Allied air fleets increased their direct support of land troops with attacks on harbors, communications and front positions.

The British were engaged in patrol activity and artillery shelling in the Catania area along the east coast of the island.

Allied troops were fighting their way uphill at many points and were sweltering from the hot sun and intense humidity. The battle was one of foot-slogging and slugging at close quarters after artillery had laid down barrages.

British Wellingtons took over the offensive against Italy’s big supply and reinforcement port of Naples, blasting its docks, railway yards, harbor installations with hundreds and blockbusters, while medium and fighter bombers strafed and bombed troop concentrations and supply roads.

Blow up dumps

A dispatch from an advanced Allied airdrome said the Germans were blowing up the remaining forward dumps in the Mt. Etna region, an indication that they do not hold out much hope of prolonged resistance. An unusually large number of Axis ship was also reported gathering in Messina Strait, but there was no immediate sign of whether these were to be used for an escape attempt or to reinforce the faltering armies in their last stand.

Relays of Kittyhawk bombers with escorts of Spitfires attacked the ships in the narrow strait and it was believed likely that Allied motor torpedo boats would also join in the raids.

Blast enemy harbors

The Allied air forces concentrated on enemy harbors in Sicily through which supplies have been reaching the Axis, road and rail transport in the northeastern part of the island and against enemy trenches and gun emplacements.

U.S. medium bombers blasting at Adrano, 18 miles northwest of Catania while other planes dumped explosives on Randazzo, 27 miles northwest of Catania. Both are important Axis communication centers. U.S. fighter-bombers made low-level attacks on the docks at Milazzo, Messina and Reggio Calabria, the latter across the Messina Strait in Italy.

In all yesterday’s air operations, six enemy planes were destroyed and seven Allied planes were missing.

Dads going to war –
3-A men face draft Oct. 1

Congress can undo order, but it must hurry

Memphis Belle pilot, fiancé call it quits

No wedding, but they’ll remain good friends, Miss Polk says

The bouncing bureaucrat –
Monodrama of the dance developed by Bovingdon

Far East ‘economist’ interpreted ‘portraits of changing world’ in series of rhythmic rituals

War expenses drop $1 billion

Figure bears out warning of production loss


Lehman gives 4 reasons for post-war aid

Harlem quiet; 500 arrested

Property damage estimated at $5 million

New York (UP) –
Harlem was quiet today as authorities investigated yesterday’s riot which resulted in five deaths, more than 500 injured, 500 arrests and an estimated $5 million in property damage.

Police stood guard over the thickly-populated Negro district to prevent recurrence of fighting, looting, arson and robbery.

Backing up police were 8,000 New York State Guardsmen who assembled at their armories last night in readiness to enter the debris-littered area should the disturbances break out again.

Volunteers on duty

A volunteer civilian patrol of 1,500 residents, mostly Negroes, helped keep the peace. City patrol units, military police and air-raid wardens were on guard.

A 10:30 p.m. curfew imposed by Mayor F. H. La Guardia kept virtually all of the district’s 300,000 Negro residents indoors all night.

And for the first time in months, lights in Harlem shone brightly as the Army permitted suspension of dimout regulations to help police keep order.

Five arrested

Only one incident has reported during the night. Five Negro youths were arrested for throwing a stone through a store window.

Police reported that seven Negroes were injured last night and early today in scattered fistfights and stabbings.

Police Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine said police were investigating reports that hoodlums from southern cities had been sent into Harlem to cause trouble. Police have not been able to confirm these reports, he said.

Victory at hand –
Yanks at edge of Munda Field

Offensive at Jap base in final phase
By Brydon Taves, United Press staff writer

Yanks capture key hill from Nazis in Sicily

Americans forced to rout German soldiers individually
By Richard Mowrer

Northern Sicily, Italy –
The Americans late yesterday took another hill. It was a hard one to take, a long ridge nearly 1,000 feet high that drops sharply to the sea on Sicily’s northern coast.

Our fellows call it Lucky Ridge because in the seesaw fighting of control of the heights preceding our final attack yesterday, our artillery observation post up there had to clear out five different times and never lost a man in the process.

Yesterday’s attack, though, was different. The Americans were up against Germans and had to climb a steep hill under fire. Fortunately, our artillery gave them good support and now we hold Lucky Ridge, which had given the Germans a wonderful view of our territory along the coast and which now gives us a view of still more hills that we are going to have to take.

Ferret out Nazis

This is mountain warfare. The fighting consists of sniping with every arm from pistols to big 155s. The Germans have to be ferreted out almost individually from caves and rocks.

The only good road is the coast road from Palermo to Messina and, as the Germans retreat, they blow up bridges, cause rockslides to block the road, or blow up the road where it winds along the steep cliff’s edge to the sea.

This morning, we climbed Lucky Ridge. It is stony and steep, even if you follow a rocky mile trail part of the way up, but at least we did not have to crawl to the top under enemy fire the way our fellows did yesterday.

Find trouser leg

Getting on toward the town, we came upon somebody’s trouser leg with somebody’s leg was that of an American drab uniform. It had been cut off, presumably in order to bandage a leg wound.

A few yards farther up, we saw what had happened. An American rifle was leaning against an olive tree. Another one was on the ground at the foot of a steep sort of bluff about eight feet high. At the foot of the bluff, we found the remnants of an American first-aid kit. Near the remnants of the first-aid kit was an empty container for American hand grenades.

We climbed up to the top of a six-foot high bluff and saw the rest of the story – a dead German. Apparently, the hand grenade had got him.

Come upon grave

Farther up Lucky Ridge, we found a shallow hole, dug under an olive tree. In the hole were a bloodstained German-Italian dictionary and a Mauser rifle and ammunition but no German. But then, five yards off, we found his grave: A mound of earth with stones on top of it, and a piece of shingle marked “German soldier.”

Nearby, in the shade, some of our fellows were getting ready to move forward. Then we saw the German prisoner. He was stripped to the waist and bareheaded. He had been burying the German dead of Lucky Ridge. He said he was 18 and had been in the German Army since the age of 16, in the Polish, French and Romanian campaigns and at Stalingrad.

This was worse than Stalingrad, he said.

Tokyo’s radio propaganda provides laughs for Yanks

Marines in Pacific listen with scorn to Japs’ efforts to discourage them
By Gilbert Cant

Convoy blocks sub wolfpack

Two, possibly three, of 25 U-boats destroyed

Freshman in Congress joins fight for streamlining

By Daniel M. Kidney, Scripps-Howard staff writer

Italians kiss U.S. ground –
Nazi colonel sells medal from Hitler for cigarettes

War prisoners are surprised to find New York ‘rebuilt so quickly after bombing blitz’

Huh? When was new york bombed?

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Never. It was Axis propaganda.

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Britain getting up to 200 ships from America

Roosevelt says U.S. has taken role of builder for England

Editorial: Hitting Hitler’s gas tank

Background of news –
Eisenhower’s task in Italy

By Col. Frederick Palmer, North American Newspaper Alliance

El Jeepo roars out of sun and Nazis trick hits back

By Nat A. Barrows

Yank LCTs deliver the goods, right at the front

By B. J. McQuaid

U.S. is model for builders of free Italy

Sicilian leader of party hopes to unite all factions
By John Gunther, North American Newspaper Alliance