December 24, 1944; CHRISTMAS EVE 1944:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, DECEMBER 24, 1944:

Long Beach 2, California, Sunday, December 24, 1944

Allies Score by

Air but Foe Gets

Close to Gateway

by Thurston Macauley

INS STAFF CORRESPONDENT

PARIS. Dec. 24 (Sunday)—

"1,000 plane allied air blow, deterred  in suddenly clearing weather, was disclosed today, to have destroyed at least 180 German planes and "scores of tanks but the nazi Yuletide offensive thrust an armored company to within 25 miles of the Sedan invasion gateway to France.

Airmen of the Ninth United State air force were credited with having shot down at least 77 German planes as the Luftwaffe also came up in strength in sunny weather that came as answer to the prayers of the Allies, with their aerial superiority.

At k-«»t another 77 nail planes were shot down by formations of  the  British based United States fifth air force, while other allied aircraft  knocked out no less than

nine more enemy machines In the air and on the ground.

Yanks Finish 'Mopping Up

Enemy in Ormoc Corridor

OGDEN CITY, UTAH, SUNDAY MORNING. DECEMBER 24. 1944

Liberators Lash

Clark Field

In Philippines

Destruction of Nips

In Ormoc Corridor

Completed, Reported

By James Hutcheson

' GENERAL MACARTHUR

HEADQUARTERS, Philip-"

pines, Sunday, Dec. 24 (AP)

Headquarters t o d a y reported a smashing, daylight air raid on Clark field, near Manila, in which the majority of 100 grounded Jap planes were destroyed, and said also that U. S. troops had completed the destruction of Nips in the bloody Ormoc corridor of  Leyte island.

Liberator bombers, operating from Leyte. made the Clark field Friday, Philippine time.

It was the first daylight Liberator operation against that main Jap air center in the Philippines and an army spokesman said it was a first class surprise to the Nips, who got only -nine of their fighters in the air to meet the assault.

Eight of the nine interceptors were shot down by U. S. Thunderbolts. The dispersal and taxi areas between two of the airstrips were left enveloped in fire and smoke.

Liberator crews reported one tremendous explosion from which a smoke column rose 5,000'feet.

Yanks cleaning up Leyte's Ormoc corridor and pocketed Japs to the east counted another 3,788 enemy dead in one day, bringing the 8-day total to 16,661.

Air Forces Cut

Bloody Swaths

In Enemy Ranks

But Nazi Legions

Reach City 23

Miles From Sedan

By Ned Nordness

PARIS, Sunday, Dec. 24

(AP) —

American relief .columns, swinging up through Luxembourg and southeastern

Belgium in their first effective counter-action, have bitten into the., southern flank

of the German penetration which now has reached Libramont, only 23 m i l e s

northeast of historic Sedan, allied headquarters disclosed last night.

With clearing skies the world's mightiest air force also swung into action with 4500 sorties against the German invasion columns, cutting destructive swaths through their ranks and hammering their rear bases.

News Lag Lifts

Allied headquarters, lifting a 48- hour time lag on front news, gave this report of the situation: Striking north of the city of Luxembourg and also north of Arlon,

13 miles northwest of Luxembourg, American troops have dented the German southern flank.

Striking north of the city of Luxembourg and also north of Arlon, 13 miles northwest of Luxembourg, American troops have dented the German southern flank.

A front dispatch covering this action through Friday morning said the Luxembourg counter-action was sprung north of Mersch, eight miles above Luxembourg city. Although this dispatch was censored it contained these perhaps significant words.   

Civil War Spreads Across

Greece in Fresh Eruption

By Stephen Barber

ATHENS, Dec. 23 (AP)—

 Fifteen thousand to 20,000 left-wing Elas warriors stormed the rightist guerrilla

stronghold in northwestern Greece Saturday, spreading civil war clear across the nation, as stiff fighting also erupted north of the Athens port, of Piraeus, where British-Indian troops landed under the support of naval guns .and rocket-firing Beaufighters

British headquarters, which only Friday night received the Elas' reply to its cease-fire ultimatum, officially declared that the the Eleventh Elas assault on the right-wing stronghold around loannina was an "unprovoked attack" in violation of an agreement reached between the rival factions at Caserta before the original British landings in Greece.