December 25, 1944; MERRY CHRISTMAS, 1944:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, DECEMBER 25, 1944:

Yet in Thy Dark Streets Shineth The Everlasting Light

The Hopes and Fears of all The Fears Are Met in Thee Tonight

Sky Armada of Greatest Total

Rains Hurricane of Destruction

On Hun Invaders;

Gains on Front Held to One Mile

As Situation Is Reported Improved

BULLETIN

Paris. Dec. 24.—(AP)—

The German offensive had been held virtually to a standstill for 38 hours up to late Saturday, Allied supreme headquarters disclosed Sunday night and American counterattacks against the enemy's southern flank gained ground in

four sectors.

A front dispatch covering fighting up to late Saturday morning declared American forces storming Field Marshal Karl Von Rundstedt's southern

flank had gouged out gains along a 20-mile front in northern Luxembourg,

lifting the menace to that tiny Ducy's capital.

Paris, Dec. 24 — (AP)—

The German winter offensive ground almost to a halt Saturday and Its

deep wedges in Belgium and Luxembourg were pounded from the ground and swept Sunday by a hurricane of destruction turned loose by the mightiest air force ever massed in war.

A record fleet of 2,000 U. S. heavy bombers, with 1,000 fighters in escort, roared out from Britain in one wave, hundreds of medium bombers and fighter-bombers sailed into the attack from continental bases and it appeared the total force would exceed even the 13,000 which flew on D-day.

Rescue from Siegfried Line Is Best Christmas

Present They Ever Had, Yank Soldiers Proclaim

With American Troop* on the

German Border, Dec. 24—(AP)—

Seventy - nine infantrymen and three officers of the U. S. Seventh army gave thanks Sunday for "the biggest Christmas present we ever got" after their rescue from the Siegfried line town of Bundenthal where they had been trapped for seven days.

The rescue was made possible by the heroism of two Indiana boys who slipped through the German lines Friday and found the route by which the rescue troops could pick their way past the Siegfried pillboxes and guide the gaunt, unshaven and hungry men back to safety.

This was done Saturday after a 1,000 round artillery barrage which succeeded In keeping the German heads down during the breakout.

Four men didn't come back. Their bodies are resting in cold basements of houses on the outskirts of Bundenthal into which the GI's fought their way on the night of December 17.

Some of the trapped troops lived most of the week on cold potatoes. sharing one loaf of bread among 24 men. Others who were situated more fortunately had rabbit stew, chicken, fresh bread baked by a civilian baker and cookies raided from a German grocery and were preparing to get fresh milk from three captured cows.

There wasn’t a day or night that I didn’t pray. This is the biggest Christmas present I could get, “to be here talking to you now," said Sergt Robert Jefford. Philadelphia, Pa.

The two men who made the first break back to the American lines to bring the rescue party were Pvt Allan Guriel of New Goshen, Ind., and Sergt William Alter of St. Paul, Ind.

"They saved our necks," Sergt. William Whitaker, Phoenix, Ariz., said simply.

Liborator Bombers Hit

Nip Airfield at Manila

Transport Planes Drop Greetings of

Christmas Cheer To Free Filipinos

General MacArthur's Headquarters,

Philippines, Monday, Dec. 25.—(AP)—

Liberator bombers smashed at Manila's Grace park airfield on Luzon, while the American 77^th division moved rapidly in on Palompon, last Japanese strongpoint on Leyte island, a headquarters communique reported Monday.

And in the Strange contrast to the bloody battle, transport planes on a peaceful mission dropped Christmas greetings on liberated Filipinos, who waved in holiday spirit to the American airmen. American airmen gave an explosive holiday greeting to the enemy on northern Halmahera, in the Moluccas, where 280 tons of bombs were dropped on airdromes, supply and communications facilities and defense positions.

Two Offensive

Prongs Joined

Paris, (AP)—

Two German armored columns by Sunday night had plunged 50 miles into Belgium, reaching within four miles of the Meuse river. The enemy wiped out the American St. Vith salient and formed a solid front 35 miles wide.

Supreme Headquarters disclosed this information today.

Two and possibly three Nazi armies have been flung into t h e battering offensives, believed at supreme headquarters to have been planned by Hitler himself in a n effort to shatter Allied forces in the west.

Backed up by infantry the twin German tanks had carreened 11 more miles Into

Belgium since the last previous headquarters report

.Enemy Front Solid Now

They had pinched out the A m e r i c a n  s t a n d  west of St . Vith—ajutting salient that had split the  G e r m a n offensive prongs — and formed a single bulge 35 miles wide and now 50 miles or more deep.

Punching  due west one Nazi tank column neared Celles, only four miles from the Meuse at Dinant, and just eight miles northeast of the border.

Another column hit west and

north, reaching Clney in a 10-mile gain. Ciney lies nine miles from the Meuse and 14 from the jutting northeast corner of France . Ciney

and Celles a r e s i x miles apart.