November 7, 1944; ALLIES RE-GAIN V0SSENACK

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1944:

ABILENE, TEXAS, TUESDAY MORNING, NOV. 7, 1944 —TWELVE PAGES

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

-. American infantry fought back last night into the German stronghold of Vossenack, 13 miles southeast of Aachen, from which they had been driven by enemy counter-attacks.

A front dispatch reported heavy fighting 'in the center of the shattered town. U. S. fighter-bombers hurled thousands of incendiary bombs on nearby Hurtgen forest, seeking to flush the Nazis out of strong positions. The big fires they set were believed to have inflicted severe casualties on the enemy.

last German troops were being pulled northward across the Maas river. The retreating enemy destroyed half the famous Moerdijk bridge, reputedly

the longest in Europe, and was using a ferry nine miles to the west.

Allied minesweepers and dredges began clearing the Schelde  estuary leading to Antwerp.

The mightiest bombing siege of the war ranged through its third day as another 2,500 Allied heavy bombers and 1,503 fighters and fighter-bombers blasted Germany from the North sea to the Alps. Seven bombers and 10 fighters were reported missing.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tons of shells from American heavy artillery screamed into Japanese last stand positions on western Leyte today in the prelude to a final show-down fight on that strategic island in the central Philippines.

The big guns battered the trapped Japanese in the Ormoc sector while Yank Doughboys tightened the envelopment from the north and south. American airmen added the roar of their bombs to the attacks.

The J a p a n e s e suffered heavily at the hands of U. S. Third Fleet carrier planes. A Pacific fleet communique late Monday said the naval airmen

staged widespread raids on Luzon island, northern Philippines. They sank a sub chaser, in Manila bay, left a heavy cruiser in flames and in sinking condition, damaged a light cruiser, three destroyers and several cargo ships and destroyed 191 planes.

The naval fliers also hit Clark and five other airdromes on Luzon heavily damaging Installations. Five Japanese planes were downed near Third Fleet carriers.

As the battle of Leyte neared Its climax Radio Tokyo was busy'

broadcasting claims, totally unsubstantiated by Allied sources, that Japanese airmen and submarines sank an American carrier, probably sank another and damaged two west of the Philippines. It further claimed Japanese submersible strikes off the U. S Pacific coast.

 Stilwell Returns

To Home for Rest

CARMF.L, Calif., Nov. 6 — (AP) —

Gen. Joseph Stilwell, recently relieved of his command In China, came home today to Carmel for a

brief rest.

He was accompanied here by plane by Mrs. Stilwell, who had met him in Washington, D. C. They went immediately to their fine home at Carmel point, where the general will rest before taking over what the White House has described as "an important" but undisclosed assignment.

Neither the general nor his wife had any comment on public matters.