Editorial: 4-Fs aren’t slackers
…
Normandy invasion days relived interpretively
John Mason Brown reflects reactions of fighting men
By Harry Hansen
…
I DARE SAY —
Being a rambling excursion into the past of actor Franchot Tone
By Florence Fisher Parry
…
Night baseball not to suffer by fuel measures
Order for curtailment of lighting will not apply to outdoor sport
…
Marines have competition –
Marshall Islanders know baseball
By Sgt. Theron J. Rice
…
Older men do good job but Army wants ‘em young
Individual records fine but 35-40 group can’t recover quickly from grueling tests
By Charles T. Lucey, Scripps-Howard staff writer
…
U.S. Army inducts American in England
…
Salzburger Zeitung (January 15, 1945)
Verstärkter Ansturm in Ost und West
Die Ostschlacht noch in der Entwicklung
…
Ostasienkrieg in der Entscheidung
Härteste japanische Abwehr auf Luzon – Der Kampf um eine der wichtigsten Bastionen Japans
…
Führer HQ (January 15, 1945)
Kommuniqué des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht
Im Westen lagen auch gestern die Brennpunkte der Abwehrschlacht im Gebiet südlich Malmedy, zwischen Salm und Ourthe sowie beiderseits Bastognes. Unsere tapferen Verbände verhinderten, sich erbittert zur Wehr setzend, den mit stärkstem Einsatz auf der Erde und aus der Luft erstrebten Durchbruch der Amerikaner. Nur an wenigen Stellen konnte der Feind örtlich Boden gewinnen. 24 Panzer wurden abgeschossen.
In den Unteren Vogesen und in der Maginot-Linie scheiterten stärkere feindliche Angriffe. In Rittershofen wurden mehrere Widerstandsnester des Gegners niedergekämpft, beiderseits Straßburg unsere Brückenkopfstellungen erweitert und befestigt.
Über der Westfront kam es mehrfach zu erbitterten Luftkämpfen, in denen 23 feindliche Flugzeuge abgeschossen wurden.
In Budapest besteht die deutsch-ungarische Besatzung, seit dem 24. Dezember vorigen Jahres dem stärksten Materialeinsatz des Feindes ausgesetzt, in schweren Straßenkämpfen Proben höchster Bewährung. Die gestern im Ostteil der Stadt mit Unterstützung zahlreicher Panzer und Schlachtflieger angreifenden Bolschewisten konnten nur einige Häuserblöcke gewinnen.
Nördlich der Donau warfen unsere Truppen den Feind aus seinem Einbruchsraum weiter nach Osten zurück.
Im ungarisch-slowakischen Grenzgebiet stehen unsere Verbände bei Blauenstein, Losonc, Pelsöc und westlich Nagyiada in schweren Kämpfen mit dem angreifenden Feind.
Wie erwartet eröffneten die Sowjets ihre Offensive nach mehrstündigem Trommelfeuer auch aus ihren Weichselbrückenköpfen bei Pulawy und Warka, aus dem Weichsel-Bug-Dreieck nördlich Warschaus sowie 845 den Narew-Brückenköpfen beiderseits Ostenburg. Erbitterte Kämpfe sind an der gesamten Front entbrannt.
Im Einbruchsraum zwischen der Weichsel und den Südhängen der Lysa Gora dauern die schweren Kämpfe mit den über die Nida nach Westen vorgedrungenen Infanterie- und Panzerkräften der Bolschewisten an.
Zwischen Ebenrode und Schlossberg im ostpreußischen Grenzgebiet scheiterten erneute Durchbruchsversuche starker feindlicher Verbände an der zähen Gegenwehr unserer Divisionen.
In der großen Winterschlacht zwischen den Karpaten und der Memel wurden nach Teilmeldungen gestern 175 feindliche Panzer vernichtet, davon 82 in den Narew-Brückenköpfen und 51 im ostpreußischen Grenzgebiet.
Anglo-amerikanische Terrorverbände griffen am gestrigen Tage West-, Nordwest- und Mitteldeutschland an. In den Abendstunden waren vor allem der rheinisch-westfälische und der mitteldeutsche Raum erneut das Angriffsziel britischer Bomber. Gleichzeitig warfen Störverbände Bomben auf die Reichshauptstadt. Durch die Luftverteidigung wurden über dem Reichsgebiet 64 anglo-amerikanische Flugzeuge, darunter 46 viermotorige Bomber, abgeschossen.
Das Vergeltungsfeuer auf London dauert an.
Bei den Angriffskämpfen nördlich Stuhlweißenburg hat die gepanzerte Gruppe der Berlin-brandenburgischen 3. Panzerdivision unter Führung von Oberstleutnant Weymann vorbildlichen Angriffsschwung bewiesen und in sieben Kampftagen 173 Panzer, 24 Panzerspähwagen und 47 Geschütze der Bolschewisten vernichtet.
Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (January 15, 1945)
FROM
(A) SHAEF MAIN
ORIGINATOR
PRD, Communique Section
DATE-TIME OF ORIGIN
151100A January
TO FOR ACTION
(1) AGWAR
(2) NAVY DEPARTMENT
TO (W) FOR INFORMATION (INFO)
(3) TAC HQ 12 ARMY GP
(4) MAIN 12 ARMY GP
(5) SHAEF AIR STAFF
(6) ANCXF
(7) EXFOR MAIN
(8) EXFOR REAR
(9) DEFENSOR, OTTAWA
(10) CANADIAN C/S, OTTAWA
(11) WAR OFFICE
(12) ADMIRALTY
(13) AIR MINISTRY
(14) UNITED KINGDOM BASE
(15) SACSEA
(16) CMHQ (Pass to RCAF & RCN)
(17) COM ZONE
(18) SHAEF REAR
(19) NEWS DIV. MINIFORM, LONDON
(REF NO.)
NONE
(CLASSIFICATION)
IN THE CLEAR
Communiqué No. 282
On the northern flank of the Ardennes Salient, south of Stavelot and Malmedy, opposition has stiffened. Allied forces have taken the village of Hénumont, Hédomont, and Thirimont.
To the southwest, we have cleared Montleban and cut the main Houffalize–Cherain road south of Cherain. in the area west of the La Roche–Bertogne road mopping up operations continue and reconnaissance elements have reached the Ourthe River and contacted Allied patrols from the southern flank of the salient.
Northwest of Bastogne, Allied units, advancing against moderate resistance, captured Givroulle and Bertogne and pushed two miles beyond both towns to a point on the Ourthe River. Earlier, an enemy counterattack made by a force of infantry and 25 tanks was repulsed just east of Bertogne. Farther east we advanced to the edge of Compogne and have entered the town of Noville, four and one-half miles northeast of Bastogne.
East of Bastogne, our forces pushed one mile past Mageret. We have made additional gains on the high ground just southwest of Wiltz.
Southeast of Remich, near the Luxembourg-German border, we have cleared the enemy from Tettingen-Butzdorf.
Fighter-bombers destroyed fortified buildings in the region of Houffalize and hit road and railway bridges at Prüm and east of Malmedy. Medium and light bombers attacked communications west and south of St. Vith, at Schleiden east of Monschau, and at Bitburg. Other medium, light and fighter-bombers attacked bridges at Ahrweiler, Mayen and Bullay and fighter-bombers struck at motor vehicles and tank concentrations between Trier and Merzig.
Against stubborn resistance in rugged terrain, we made gains up to one thousand yards at the southern edge of the lower Vosges Salient.
Fighting continues in the Maginot Line in upper Alsace and we made headway despite intermittent enemy attacks. Part of Hatten has been cleared, and in Rittershoffen the enemy still holds one strongpoint. In Saturday’s fighting in this area, 17 tanks and six other enemy armored vehicles were knocked out.
Fighter-bombers cut railway lines south and southeast of Kaiserslautern, destroyed a bridge at Frankenstein and attacked railway tunnels between Frankenstein and Lambrecht. Medium and light bombers attacked a railway embankment at Rinnthal, west of Landau.
Escorted heavy bombers again hit the railway yards at Saarbrücken.
South of Strasbourg, fighter-bombers struck at enemy positions near Benfeld.
Fighter-bombers and rocket-firing fighters attacked barges off the Schouwen Island in Holland; hit railway lines west of Utrecht and in the area of Dordrecht and Amersfoort, and struck across the frontier at railway targets north of the Ruhr. Fighters flew on offensive sweeps in the Enschede-Rheine-Osnabrück region.
More than 900 heavy bombers with an escort of over 850 fighters attacked the Hemmingstadt oil refinery near Heide in the Danish Penninsula, a synthetic oil plant at Magdeburg, oil storage depots at Derben, northeast of Magdeburg, and at Ehmen, northeast of Braunschweig, a benzol plant and a steel works at Hallendorf. Attacks were also made on three bridges across the Rhine River at Köln.
In the day’s air operations, 235 enemy aircraft were shot down and eight others were destroyed on the ground. Nineteen of our heavy bombers, one medium bomber and 33 fighters are missing.
Early last night, heavy bombers attacked a railway junction at Grevenbroich southwest of Düsseldorf. Later heavy bombers in very great strength were again over Germany with the Leuna synthetic oil plant near Merseburg and a fuel depot at Dülmen as the main objectives. Berlin was also bombed.
COORDINATED WITH: G-2, G-3 to C/S
THIS MESSAGE MAY BE SENT IN CLEAR BY ANY MEANS
/s/
Precedence
“OP” - AGWAR
“P” - Others
ORIGINATING DIVISION
PRD, Communique Section
NAME AND RANK TYPED. TEL. NO.
D. R. JORDAN, Lt Col FA2409
AUTHENTICATING SIGNATURE
/s/U.S. Navy Department (January 15, 1945)
CINCPAC Communiqué No. 234
Further reports from U.S. Pacific Fleet forces which struck at shipping and other targets along the coast of French Indochina on January 11 (West Longitude Date) show that our carrier-based aircraft inflicted the following damage on the enemy. (This report includes damage previously reported in Communiqué No. 231)
SUNK:
41 ships totaling about 127,000 tons.
DAMAGED:
28 ships totaling about 70,000 tons.
ENEMY PLANE DAMAGE:
- 15 aircraft shot down.
- 77 aircraft destroyed on the ground.
- 20 aircraft destroyed on the water.
- About 50 aircraft damaged on the ground.
GROUND INSTALLATIONS:
- A large dock at Camranh Bay demolished.
- 6 oil tanks at Saigon destroyed.
- Oil storage facilities, warehouses and buildings on Saigon River destroyed.
- Seaplane hangar at Cat-Lai destroyed.
- Two locomotives at Quang-Ngai destroyed.
- Oil refineries in Saigon area damaged heavily and fires started in Saigon Navy Yard.
- Our forces suffered losses of 16 planes in combat.
While inflicting the damage listed above our aircraft sank a convoy of 1 oiler, 4 medium cargo ships, 2 destroyer escorts, and 4 coastal cargo ships in its entirety. A second convoy was all sunk or damaged and beached. It consisted of 1 light cruiser now believed to be KASHII, of the KATORI-class, 4 destroyer escorts, 4 oilers, 7 medium and 2 small cargo ships and 1 coastal ship. A third group of ships approaching Saigon from the south was attacked, an oiler sunk, and 1 large cargo ship, 1 medium cargo ship and 1 small coastal cargo ship damaged. At Camranh Bay, a destroyer escort and a small cargo ship were sunk, and at Cape St. Jacques, 3 destroyer escorts, 1 oiler, 3 large cargo ships and a small cargo ship were sunk. Attacking the Saigon area heavily, our planes sank a large oiler, a large troop transport, 2 medium cargo ships, a dismantled French light cruiser LAMOTTE PICQUET and damaged a large cargo ship, 4 medium cargo ships and 2 coastal cargo ships. Along the coast, our planes sank an additional medium cargo ship and damaged 5 small coastal cargo vessels.
On January 13, carrier-based aircraft of the Pacific Fleet struck at targets in Formosa and along the China coast including Amoy, Swatow and Hong Kong. Details of these attacks are not now available.
Fires were started in storage areas on Iwo Jima in the Volcanos by bombs dropped by Army Liberators of the Strategic Air Force, Pacific Ocean Areas, on January 12 and 13. On the same date, Marine Mitchells scored rocket hits on a small ship in Okimura Ko at Hahajima in the Bonins.
Fighters of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing attacked warehouses, defense positions, coastal defenses and a dry dock on Babelthuap and Urukthapel in the Palaus on January 12. Attacks on Babelthuap were repeated on the following day.
An enemy reconnaissance plane was shot down off Guam in the Marianas on January 13.
Sixty-eight tons of bombs were dropped on installations on Truk in the Carolines by StrAirPoa Army Liberators on January 13. Escorting Lightning fighters shot down two defending enemy fighters and probably destroyed another.
Search Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed and strafed targets on Wake Island through intense anti-aircraft fire on January 12.
Neutralizing raids were continued by the 4th MarAirWing on enemy-held bases in the Marshalls on January 12.
The Pittsburgh Press (January 15, 1945)
YANKS STORM KEY NAZI BASE
U.S. breakthrough casualties: 40,000
Stimson tells losses as Allies hurl foe back in Belgium
…