America at war! (1941–) – Part 5

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U.S. Navy Department (May 9, 1945)

CINCPOA Communiqué No. 357

Carrier-based aircraft, Marine aircraft based ashore and ships’ guns continued to support the troops of the Tenth Army with heavy bombing and gunfire on enemy positions in southern Okinawa on May 8 (East Longitude Date). Adverse weather continued in the Okinawa area through May 8 and no enemy aircraft were active over the Ryukyus on that date. The troops continued to move southward on May 9.

At noon on May 9 every gun ashore and every gun afloat which bore on the enemy on Okinawa fired one round simultaneously in recognition of the victory of the United Nations in Europe.

From the beginning of operations against Okinawa through May 7, the Tenth Army lost 2,107 soldiers and 577 Marines killed in action. A total of 10,402 soldiers and 2,800 Marines were wounded and 501 soldiers and 38 Marines were missing.

Aircraft from carriers of the British Pacific Fleet bombed airfields and defenses on Miyako and Ishigaki in the Sakishima group on May 9 destroying two planes on the ground and shooting one out of the air. Two units of the force suffered minor damage during an air attack but remained operational.

A substantial force of Mustang fighters of the VII Fighter Command destroyed two aircraft on the ground and probably destroyed five others in low-level strafing attacks on Kisarazu airfield and Tateyama Naval Air Station southeast of Tokyo on May 8. In other attacks a small cargo ship and a locomotive were destroyed and a train and a number of small craft damaged.

On the same date, Liberators of the 7th Army Air Force bombed airfields on Marcus Island and at Truk. In low-level attacks on Marcus on May 9, Liberators and search Privateers of Fleet Air Wing Eighteen destroyed five aircraft on the ground and damaged three others. Anti-aircraft fire was intense and two of our planes were shot down in the action. Survivors of one were rescued. On the same date, Liberators of the 7th AF again bombed air installations on Truk.

Corsairs and Hellcats of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing attacked installations on enemy-held islands in the Palaus on May 8 and 9.

Statement by President Truman Upon Signing Bill Extending the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940
May 9, 1945

harry.s.truman.jpg

I am reluctantly giving my approval to this legislation. I do not wish this approval to be interpreted as expressing my concurrence in Section 2 of the Bill, which places added restrictions on the War and Navy Departments in their management of the fighting forces. I sign the legislation only because the immediate extension of the Selective Service Act is of compelling necessity in the continuance of military operations against Japan.

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Holy shit… that is ‘tightened up’ work hours?

What is loosened up then? 32?

1 Like
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The Pittsburgh Press (May 9, 1945)

CURFEW, RACE BAN LIFTED
Amusement curb revoked – ban on travel

Iceboxes, washers to be manufactured

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Goering gives up to Yanks

Marshal says Hitler sentenced him to die – Kesselring also taken
By Eleanor Packard, United Press staff writer

goeringcaptive.up
After surrendering, Reich Marshal Hermann Goering, ex-head of the German Air Force, baffled, donned a fresh uniform with medals and posed for this photograph. (Signal Corps)

WITH U.S. SEVENTH ARMY – Reich Marshal Hermann Goering has surrendered to the Americans.

The former chief of the Nazi Air Force told his captors that he had been in hiding since April 24 when Adolf Hitler condemned him to death for expressing a desire to take over control of the German government.

An announcement today that Goering was in custody of the U.S. Seventh Army also revealed the capture of Marshal Albert Kesselring, former commander of Germany’s Western Front.

Goering was the first of the old guard Nazi triumvirate – Hitler, Goering, Goebbels – to be accounted for officially. He surrendered to the 36th Infantry Division, which was engaged in the Seventh Army mop-up of the surrendered area on the southern wing of what was the Western Front.

Helen Kirkpatrick of The Chicago Daily News and Pittsburgh Press quoted a “most reputable source” in Paris as saying that Heinrich Himmler, head of the Gestapo, is under house arrest in Flensburg, seat of Adm. Doenitz’s German government.

The Danish Kalundborg radio said it learned that Himmler is in Sweden.

Miss Kirkpatrick’s dispatch said Doenitz seized power by a coup d’etat after arresting Himmler.

Reich Marshal Goering – the rank was his alone in the heyday of Nazism – gave up to Brig. Gen. Robert J. Stack, assistant divisional commander, at Radstadt, about 35 miles southeast of Salzburg.

Saved by air force

He told Gen. Stack that Hitler – who was reported by the Nazis to be dead in the ruins of Berlin – sentenced him to death on April 24, when the handwriting was on the wall for even the most nearsighted Nazi to read.

Hitler’s SS Elite Guards arrested him, Goering said. But members of the German Air Force, from the command of which he was ousted in the Nazi debacle, rescued him, he said.

He streaked for a hideout in the Bavarian Alps, the touted “national redoubt” in which the Nazi fanatics were going to hold out after the rest of Hitler’s Reich was gone.

Sends aide

When the 36th Infantry Division approached his hideout, Goering sent his personal adjutant, Col. von Brauchitsch, a son of the commander-in-chief of the German Army in the early days of the war, to divisional headquarters with an offer to surrender to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gen. Jacob L. Devers, commander of the 6th Army Group.

Von Brauchitsch arrived at a command post at 9 a.m. yesterday. He explained his mission to Gen. Stack and Maj. Gen. John E. Dahlquist, division commander.

Gen. Stack went with von Brauchitsch to the Radstadt hideout, meeting the Reich Marshal on the road. Goering was accompanied by his wife, a child, and several military aides and personal retainers.

The entire party went to a castle near the famous ski resort of Kitzbuhel, which was occupied by friends of Goering. They arrived at 10:30 p.m. yesterday.

***Give non-Nazi salute

When Gen. Stack and Goering met on the road, both clambered out of their cars and gave the military salute – Goering’s, significantly, not the Nazi salute.

“I am Gen. Stack of the 36th Division,” the officer told Goering.

Goering explained that he spoke some English but understood it better than he spoke it. On the drive to Kitzbuhel, Goering told Gen. Stack that he last spoke to Hitler on April 24.

On that day – one day before the Red Army completed the encirclement of Berlin, where the Nazis said Hitler died in battle – Goering said he telephoned the Fuehrer at Berchtesgaden.

Gives reminder

The Allies were about to bisect Germany, and Goering reminded Hitler that the Fuehrer once said in the early days of the war that if anything happened to him, Goering should assume command.

Goering said he suggested that the time was at hand, since the end seemed near.

Hitler, he said, was enraged by the suggestion. He accused Goering of losing faith and bluntly flung in his teeth the warning that Goering’s death warrant was ready, adding: “If you renounce all your titles and high honors, you will be forgiven.”

Goering said he complied, but Hitler nevertheless ordered his execution. He was arrested at Berchtesgaden, he said. Then his followers shot their way through the Elite Guard and carried him away to a mountain hideout, the location of which the SS men could not ascertain.

Goering seemed in excellent health and high spirits. He gave no evidence of realizing that he was out of the frying pan of Hitler’s sentence into the fire of probable trial by the Allies as a war criminal.

As soon as he arrived at the castle, he bathed and put on a favorite gray uniform trimmed with heavy gold braid. He pinned on a row of the medals for which he has become notorious, and posed for photographers. He asked them to hurry, saying he wanted to eat.

“And drink?” one photographer added.

“Nein, nein,” he retorted. “Drinking is for you.”

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Secrecy pledge given Reds –
AP surrender ‘scoop’ imperiled peace, Eisenhower reveals

General says premature story put him in position of breaking his promise to the Russians

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10 million Yanks to fight Japan

Shifting of forces already started

WASHINGTON (UP) – U.S. armed might, which helped doom Germany, now is turning to hurl its entire weight against the last Axis nation.

A total force of 10 million men is expected to be used in the final assault on the Jap empire.

Japan, already fighting a losing war, must now get set for blows far heavier than anything she has suffered thus far. Her military destruction, assured for some time, will now be accelerated.

Shift underway

She has the choice – stated yesterday by President Truman – of unconditional surrender or “utter destruction” of her war-making power.

The shifting of U.S. forces for the final assault upon the enemy in the Pacific is underway. It will take time and tremendous effort, this change from a two-front to one-front war. And the enemy is strong. Adm. William D. Leahy, the President’s chief of staff, has warned that Japan still has “perhaps seven million troops.”

But the process of arraying superior might against the eastern enemy has started, and its tempo will be increased until all of this country’s power is concentrated for the all-out blow.

Navy’s size cited

There are an estimated one million Army troops already in the Pacific. To them will be added most of the nation’s post-V-E Day Army, expected by the War Department to total 6,968,000 men.

Already dedicated primarily to victory in the east are the Navy’s 3,270,000 men and women, the Marine Corps’ 475,000, and the Coast Guard’s 172,000. This gigantic force will now give its undivided attention to Japan.

Thus, the nation will have a total of about 10,800,000 men and women in uniform between V-E and V-J Day. Most of them, except for European occupation forces, will be available for use in the war against Japan.

At the Navy’s disposal, exclusive of the power contributed by Japan’s other enemies, are 1,200 warships including 23 battleships, 91 aircraft carriers and swarms of cruisers, destroyers, submarines and lesser vessels.

U.S. won’t falter

The industrial production which first dismayed and then overwhelmed Nazidom will now flow in irresistible flood to the east.

If the Japs had hoped this country’s will would falter after defeat of their German partner, they must have derived nothing but despair from the statements of American leaders on V-E Day.

From the President down all responsible leaders emphasized that the war will not be over until Japan capitulates. War, Navy and production officials echoed Mr. Truman’s statement that “our victory is only half-won.” They adopted the theme of “work, work, work.”

No one knows what effect ultimately the example of Germany will have upon Japan. The assumption here, however, is that Japan’s warlords, like Nazidom’s, will fight to the last.

Japs ‘more ruthless’

Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, commander of the Army ground forces, said on the strength of long experience fighting Japs that they are “even more savage and ruthless” than the Germans.

Acting Secretary of State Joseph C. Grew, who for years was U.S. Ambassador in Tokyo, said Japan “is strong, and she is still fighting with cunning and tenacity.”

But even the Jap militarists, Mr. Grew said, must know “that they will be crushed.”

The War Department disclosed that the piecemeal collapse of Germany made it possible to curtail troop and supply movements to Europe well before V-E Day and start redeployment of troops.

The mass movement from Europe “is just about to get underway,” the War Department said, and all transportation facilities, ships and planes, will be utilized to the utmost to complete it.

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U.S. drafting plans to invade Japan

Air attacks will be increased immediately

GUAM (UP) – The Joint Chiefs of Staff now are working on plans for an invasion of Japan, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz disclosed today.

With the war spotlight now focused solely on the Pacific theater, Adm. Nimitz told a press conference, the United States immediately will step up “very materially” its air bombardment of the enemy homeland.

He spoke as adverse weather slowed ground operations on Southern Okinawa. Five American divisions were hammering at the strongest Jap defenses in the Pacific only a mile above Naha, capital of the island.

Blast Jap guns

U.S. battleships and cruisers knocked out enemy gun emplacements, artillery and mortars in a heavy bombardment. Illumination shells fired by the warships at night curbed Jap infiltration of the American lines.

Navy patrol bombers sank 14,000 tons of shipping and damaged 3,500 tons in a series of attacks in Korean coastal waters Monday. A small freighter transport and a large fleet oiler were sunk.

Other patrol bombers sank two small cargo ships, a large fishing craft and a coastal cargo ship in the fourth straight day of raids, off Southern Honshu yesterday. Four small cargo ships, four large fishing craft and a coastal vessel were damaged.

Okinawa important

No Jap planes were sighted over the Okinawa area yesterday or Monday night. Through Monday, Marine fighters operating from Okinawa had shot down 209 Jap planes.

Adm. Nimitz said that he was anticipating the shifting of large forces from Europe to the Pacific and added that his command was endeavoring to obtain areas to support them.

Additional air strength probably would arrive first, he said. Their attacks would be supported by increased raids by American carrier planes, he said.

Asked if he thought the Japs would capitulate before their homeland were invaded, he said:

I don’t know how much the Japs can take. If they can see the handwriting on the wall, they can see what happened to Germany. We will plan the invasion of Japan and go ahead on the basis that the invasion will be necessary.

Okinawa was the most important island yet invaded by American forces, Adm. Nimitz said. The operation was going according to plan despite losses from Jap suicide plane attacks, he said.

Buckle down, he urged

Adm. Nimitz parried questions as to how his and Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s commands would be linked for the next phases of the Pacific campaign. He pointed out that plans for Pacific operations were under the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He urged the home front to buckle down more than ever to insure as speedy as possible a victory over Japan.

Earlier, he said in a V-E broadcast to the United States that the Pacific command did not count on a quick end to the war against Japan.

He said:

There is nothing in prospect for them but continually mounting pressure applied by Allied land, sea and airpower with eventual complete destruction.

But it will be necessary to apply much more pressure against this tough, tenacious foe. The faster we can build it up, the sooner will come the day of Japan’s defeat.

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Each man an individual case –
Vinson reveals ‘point system’ for discharging 1,300,000 G.I.’s

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parry3

I DARE SAY —
V-E Day in New York

By Florence Fisher Parry

NEW YORK (Monday) – I was writing by my window. It was about 9:40 this morning. I looked out toward Grand Central and at first, I thought it was snowing. It could have been – we’ve had every sample of weather here. Then I heard the noise… must have been going on for minutes. A shrill, far roar, unidentifiable, peculiar, but charged with a funny high excitement.

“This is it!” I cried to Mama, and we dove into our coats. We were hailing a taxi in a few minutes after.

I told the driver:

Just cruise around. Up Park to 42nd, over to Fifth, on up to one of the Fifties and then over to Broadway. Go down Broadway till you’re stopped.

In a minute we were in the midst of an ocean of people. The newspapers had not yet made the street, but ribboned streamers were floating from the windows, and any kind of scrap of paper was being thrown from the buildings.

We were stopped on our way down Broadway at about 48th Street. Times Square was already a sea of celebrators. We detoured and raced down to Macy’s. Then we began to walk up toward Times Square.

Broadway

By this time the newspapers were on the street – great full-page streamers – and nothing official. The President hadn’t made the announcement. It wasn’t official.

But now it was too late. V-E Day was here, damn it, and let him who dared deny it! That was the mood of the crowds. If THIS was a false alarm then Heaven help someone! The bars along Broadway filled to bursting.

We jammed into a restaurant and tried to eat something. Everyone was talking to everyone else. They simply IGNORED the delay of the President’s statement. The wholesale places had already declared a holiday and the workers were on the street. The other stores were still open, but the little shopkeepers stood in their doorways, uncertain what to do.

Now the people were grabbing the papers in a kind of desperation. What? No President’s statement YET? Okay, it was V-E Day ANYWAY! You can’t be fooled twice!

We got into a taxi that had a loud radio. “Cruise and turn up the radio,” we asked the driver. George Hicks was talking from inside Germany somewhere. Surrender had come there, all right.

Overhead some planes tore madly. The headlines on the papers grew blacker, bigger. The cops looked very sober and important, standing like rocks, human eddies whirling around them.

Presently, the white confetti began to thin… the crowds grew a little less boisterous. The shopkeepers who had locked their doors returned. Broadway showed a widening channel.

The painter

We came back to our hotel. I sat down here to write. A sudden white apparition filled the window, made me jump out of my skin. Just a white-overalled painter dropping down outside to paint the frame of my window, smoking nonchalantly, heedless of the noisy hum beneath him, the excited planes, the slow-drifting “snow” from other windows…

“The thing is to take it easy!” he remarks with a grin, lowering himself and swinging gently 12 stories above the street. “We’re suckers for excitement, wear ourselves out. Nobody can tell us nothin’ if we’re set to hear what we want to hear. We’re told not to throw confetti or wastepaper, and look what we done arready and the President not even told us it’s time to let out yet! Solves us right if we’re fooled again. Me, I fastens my belt and makes sure I’m all set, before I starts paintin’ the town!”

“But suppose it IS true. Won’t you celebrate?”

“Yep. In doo time. In doo time. But this is a swell afternoon for to paint, lady after all this rain we’ve been having.”

…Now he’s swung over to the other window. I feel quieter watching him. The noise below has quieted down, too. And the snow isn’t falling at all, anymore, from the high windows around Grand Central, yonder…

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V-E Day development –
Blood bank here closes on May 19

Army and Navy needs are cut in half

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Racketeer accused of fleecing U.S. Army

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3015

House group urges world trade parley

Stresses need for reciprocal program
By Charles T. Lucey, Scripps-Howard staff writer

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U.S. raids on Japan to top blows at Reich

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Hitler turned war secrets over to Japs

Gift of V-bomb data one of final acts
By B. J. McQuaid

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3018

Hague reelected for ninth term

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Allies feared Axis junction in Far East

That gave European war top priority

WASHINGTON (UP) – The reason America gave the European war top priority after Pearl Harbor was because it was imperative to prevent a German-Japanese junction in India.

Speaking in the Army’s V-E Day film, Two Down and One to Go, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall said the Axis had planned to meet in India and then destroy Britain, Russia and the United States one by one.

Any cost strategy

“Our strategy,” he said, “was to prevent at all costs the junction of Germany and Japan, and then push them back.”

It was imperative to send forces to Europe immediately because Germany had Britain and Russia “on the ropes,” he said. Had the U.S. concentrated first on Japan, he declared, Germany would have become almost impregnable.

Gen. Marshall said another reason for temporarily subordinating the Jap war was that it was a two-year job to build the shipping strength to transport troops and supplies across the Pacific.

Ended at El Alamein

The threat of a German-Japanese junction ended when the Germans were forced back from El Alamein in 1943 and the British smashed the Japs at Ceylon.

The film, shown privately to the press last night, will be distributed theaters for exhibition to the public. It was made last summer for distribution with the end of the European war.

Be kind to Reich, Japs urge Allies

Hope expressed for Germany of future
By the United Press

Tokyo’s newspapers gave prominent display today to news of Germany’s surrender and expressed hope that Allied treatment of the fallen Nazis would be “as kind as that which Germany would have given if the Axis had been the victor.”

Most of the newspapers said the surrender had not been entirely “unanticipated” and reiterated that Japan’s determination to continue the war would be unaffected.

Press comments, reported in a Jap Domei broadcast, emphasized that Japan’s leaders should take advantage of lessons learned in Germany’s collapse to prepare Japan for “the very hard times that lie ahead.”

The newspaper Asahi was quoted as expressing hope that Germany eventually would rise to regain its position as a leader nation in Europe.

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Second oilfield on Tarakan menaced by Australian drive

Jap headquarters on island off Borneo captured – area near airfield cleared

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3021

Allies shift men from Italy to Pacific

Troops sent directly to Far East area

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Humbled arrogance mixes with Nazi tears of relief

German officers look stunned as they file up to drop weapons in barrels after surrender
By Malcolm Muir Jr., United Press staff writer

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Germans battle Norse patriots

Quisling reported under arrest

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PWs due to stay in U.S. long time

By Earl Richert, Scripps-Howard staff writer

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Hoover criticizes delay in relief

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In Washington –
Pearl Harbor quiz demands stepped up

Army, Navy still gathering evidence

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33 die in plane crash

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