Current Events September 7, 1943;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY SEPTEMBER 7, 1943:

The  e v a c u a t i on of  I t a ly's  s o u t h e rn tip by Ge rman troops was  a dmi t t ed
by Be r l in radio yesterday as  B r i t i sh and  C a n a d i an troops of the  E i g h th
A r my edged  f o rwa r d,  c a p t u r i ng  the  i n l a nd  c i ty of San St e f ano  and widen-,.
ing  t h e i r br idgehe ad to 40 miles

   A l l i ed  l a n d, sea and air forces have  l a u n c h ed one of the most  p o w e r ful  a s s a u l ts of  the war  in  the Pacific  aga inst Lae, biggest Jap base in New  G u i n ea and
o ne  of  t h e ir  p r i n c i p al  s t r o n g h o l ds  on  t he i s l a n d.
 

T h e  f a ll  of  S t a l i n o ..  m a in  G e r m an base  in the D o n e t z.  a p p e a r ed  i m m i n e n t 

t o d ay  as  S o v i et  c o l u m ns  a d v a n c ed  w i t h i n  three  mi l es  of  t he  g r e at  r a i l r o ad  a nd  i n d u s t r i al  c e n t e r,  c a r r y i n g  o ut  an e n c i r c l e m e nt   o p e r a t i o n.
       

                        Forts Raid Germany, B26s Bomb Rouen
 
             THE STARS AND STRIPES
           Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
                        New York, N.Y.—London, England Tuesday, Sept. 7, 1943

              Vise Closed on Italy's Tip

Nazis Evacuate Area;
Allies Edge Forward,
Capture San Stefano
Eighth Army Advancing Toward Palmi;
3,000 Prisoners Taken, Mostly Italians;
Enemy Putting Up Little Resistance

The  e v a c u a t i on of  I t a ly's  s o u t h e rn tip by Ge rman troops was  a dmi t t ed
by Be r l in radio yesterday as  B r i t i sh and  C a n a d i an troops of the  E i g h th
A r my edged  f o rwa r d,  c a p t u r i ng  the  i n l a nd  c i ty of San St e f ano  and widen-,.
ing  t h e i r br idgehe ad to 40 miles.
The  A l l i ed hold on the  t i p—k n own as the Calabrian peninsula—now
s t r e t ches  f r om Melito on the  s o u th to  p o i n ts near Palmi, where the latestclashes  w i th Axis troops were reported. As  E i g h th Army  supply forces rushed troops and  e q u i pme nt across  t he Messina Straits to Italy they met no opposition  f r om shelling or  s u r f a ce ships, only an occasional small air a t t a c k.
The  m a in  B r i t i sh  t h r u st is  at  P a l m i, six miles  n o r th of Bagnara, whi le another force is  p u s h i ng  e a s twa rd  f rom Bagnara across the  c ent er of the peninsula toward P l a ti  to  the  n o r th of Aspromonte. On  the s o u t h e rn tip of the bridgehead other E i g h th  A r my troops  a re  advanc ing along the coast  t owa rd Cape  S p a r t i v e n t o. San  S t e f a no  was  c aptur ed by  C a n a d i an
troops, and their advance now brings the
A l l i ed forces well into the foothills of the  m o u n t a i ns in the  int e r ior. Progress
in  o t h er sectors, however, was slight, p r ima r i ly because of the extensive demol i t i on  w o rk being carried out by the e n emy. The lessons learned from the Germa ns in Si c i ly have enabled  I t a l i an troops
to pr epa re a series of delaying obstacles a l o ng the two coasts of Calabria.
                                                   Enemy Offer Little Resistance


Allies Launch
Powerful Push
In New Guinea
MacArthur's Troops Hit
Lae from Sea, Isolate
Japs at Salamau

A L L I ED HQ, Southwest Pacific, Sept.  6 —
A l l i ed  l a n d, sea and air forces have  l a u n c h ed one of the most  p o w e r ful  a s s a u l ts of  the war  in  the Pacific  aga inst Lae, biggest Jap base in New  G u i n ea and
o ne  of  t h e ir  p r i n c i p al  s t r o n g h o l ds  on  t he i s l a n d.
The first blow in the largest  a m p h ibious  o p e r a t i on of the New Gu i n ea campa ign was  s t r u ck by  g r o u nd forces  w h i ch l a n d ed on  the coast of Hu on  G u l f, east of Lae.  u n d er a  t e r r i f ic 
n a v al  and  a e r i al b o m b a r d m e n t.  L a n d i ng  c r a ft we re protected by a smoke-screen  l a id  d o wn by e s c o r t i ng  vessels.
Y e s t e r d a y 's  o f f i c i al  c o m m u n i q ue said the  c o m p l e te  i s o l a t i on of Lae and  Salamaua  a ir base, 15 miles  s o u t hwe st of  La e, f r om  the rest of New  G u i n ea  is  i m m in e n t.
The fact  t h at Gen. Mac  Arthur is in pe r sonal  command of operations  i n d icated  it was no small
landing of  the  ' " h i t - a n d - r u n"  type but the beginning of a major offensive to sweep the Japs outof New  G u i n e a. The Al l i ed  c omma n d er in chief  t r a n s f e r r ed his he adqua r t e rs  f rom
A u s t r a l ia  to  the New Guinea  f r o nt  " for an  inde f ini te  period," and his first statem e nt 
f o l l o w i ng  the  l andings was, "The i n v e s tme nt of Lae has begun."
The  i n v a s i on was preceded by a dev a s t a t i ng attack, by Liberators, wh i ch levelled Japanese
h e a d q u a r t e rs at Lae w i t h  84  tons of bombs Fr iday and by a n a v al  b o m b a r d m e nt be fore  a nd  d u r i ng the  l andings,  t h us holding the enemy's a t t e n t i on  u n t il beachheads were established.


Fall of Stalino Near as Reds
Drive to Three Miles of City
MOSCOW. Sept. 6  ( U P ) —
T h e  f a ll  of  S t a l i n o ..  m a in  G e r m an base  in the D o n e t z.  a p p e a r ed  i m m i n e n t
t o d ay  as  S o v i et  c o l u m ns  a d v a n c ed  w i t h i n  three  mi l es  of  t he  g r e at  r a i l r o ad  a nd  i n d u s t r i al  c e n t e r,  c a r r y i n g  o ut  an e n c i r c l e m e nt   o p e r a t i o n.
B ut  t h is  was  o n ly  p a rt  of  t he Reds  a d v a n ce  a l o ng  a 600-mile  f r o n t.  Near
K h a r k ov  t h ey pushed  w e s t w a r ds  t o w a rd the Dnieper  R i v e r, despite  i n c r e a s i ng  Nazi
resistance.  F u r t h er  to  t he  n o r th  t he Soviets swept pa st  t he  v i t al  r a il  j u n c t i on
of  Ko n o t op in a  d r i ve  t owa rd Ki e v, 150 miles  away.
Occupa t ion of  S t a l i no by the Rus s i ans would  e n d a n g er  a ll  the Ge rman forces  in
t he  n o r t h e rn  p a rt  of  t he Donetz.  I ts  r a i lroad  n e t w o rk supplies most of the Ba s in a
r epe t i t ion of the tactics whi ch b r o u g ht  a b o ut  the  f a ll of Ku r s k, Byelgorod and  K h a r k ov has cut off all of  the  r a i l r o a ds  l e a d i ng  i n to  t he town  b ut one.  A d v a n c i ng  f r om  t he
s o u t h, east  a nd n o r t h, the Rus s i ans today formed a  r i ng a r o u nd  the  t o w n. To  the west,  the Germans  s t i ll  cont rol  t he  r a i l r o ad leading  out to  P a v l o g r a d.