January 4, 1945; New Offensive in Belguim Bulge)

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JANUARY 4, 1045:

Push Within

131 Miles of

Patton Salient

PARIS. — ( AP) —

 American First army infantry and tanks fought three miles forward in the new offensive against the north flank of the Belgian bulge by 8 a. m. and continued the advance today through a blinding snowstorm, it was disclosed at supreme headquarters.

The advance reached to within 13 ½  miles of Third a r m y vanguards in the south in the Bastogne sector.

T h e village of Beffe, four miles southeast of Hotten and seven southwest of Grandmenil, was captured. F i g h t i n g was in progress for Malempre, three miles east of Grandmenil. Other forces of  t h e  F i r s t a r m y  c a p t u r e d  t h e  towns  southeast of Rochefort at the westernmost tip of t h e bulge, beatin g German t a n k divisions.

3rd Army Halted.

The gains were along a wide front on b o t h sides of Grandmenil, 20 miles n o r t h of Bastogne. Three too five miles north and northeast of that bastion

Town on the  German penetration.

The U. S, Third army was halted by violent counterattacks  against the heroic 101st airborne division.

Americans Make

2 New Landings

On Mindoro

(By The Associated Press)

General MacArthur’s Headquarters , Philippines — Co-ordinated air blows smashed southern Japan, the Ryukus and Formosa along a solid 2,000-mile arc down through Luzon, prized island of the Philippines, as Gen. Douglas MacArthur

disclosed today his troops have made two new landings on Mindoro, his closest approach to Manila.

Hellcats, Helldivers a n d Avengers from aircraft carriers opened a battering r am assault Wednesday (Philippines date) on Formosa, which funnels Japanese men and planes to the Philippines. (Japanese broadcasts said that 900 XJ. S. carrier and land-based planes struck Formosa and Okinawa islands, Wednesday and

Thursday. Five hundred planes s t r u c k yesterday for nearly seven

hours and 400 r e t u r n e d to the attack today.

Fires Blaze on Nagoya.

Japanese reports said the bulk of the planes, largely from carriers , concentrated on Formosa. Imperial h e a d q u a r t e r s said 17 planes were shot down Wednesday and Formosa army reported three were downed today.

Russians Battle

Nazi Tank Push

MOSCOW.—(AP) —

 Mobile warfare raged between Budapest and Vienna today as a huge German tank and infantry force, mounting  t h e first German counter-offensive on the eastern front since October, sought to break through Russian line to the relief of thesurrounded garrison in t h e Hungarian capital.