January 6, 1945; 7th Philippine Island Liberated:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JANUARY 6, 1945:

RACINE, WIS., SATURDAY AFTERNOON, JANUARY 6, 1945

2-Day Sweeps

Meet Feeble

Air Opposition

By LEIF ERICKSON

U. S. PACIFIC HEADQUARTERS,

Pearl Harbor—(AP)—

Pacific fleet carrier planes destroyed 111 Japanese, planes and sank or damaged 95 enemy ships in a daring, punishing two day assault on China - guarding F o r m o s a and Okinawa, fleet Adm. C. W. Nimitz announced today.

Striking all the way across the Pacific, many planes from Vice Adm. John S. McCain's force winged down 500 miles of the China coast searching for Japanese shipping, reported asociated war correspondent Rembert James aboard McCain's flagship.

Could Fly Inland.

The Formosa attacks were made Tuesday and Wednesday (U. S. time). Twenty-seven ships were sunk. Sixty-eight ships were damaged.

Nimitz's communique did not mention the first China probing flight by navy carrier planes, apparently because no material attack targets were sighted by pilots making their first reconnaissance of the China coast, goal of a three year fighting advance across the Pacific.

U.S. 3d Army

Forced Back on

Belgian Front

PARIS—(AP)—

A second German winter offensive t h r e a t e n e d Strasbourg from three directions today as British and American troops butted against stonewall German

resistance in the hard wedge driven by Field Marshal Von Rundstedt's first surprise attack across Luxembourg and into Belgium.

The second German drive had burst through U. S. Seventh army lines for 15 miles in five days southeast of Bitche in northern Alsace.

The Americans still fought to wipe out an advance guard which had filtered into Wingen on the Moder river, 9  miles southeast of Bitche and 28 miles northwest

of Strasbourg, where the Germans were within 12 miles of Saverne, the Vosges backdoor to Strasbourg.

Americans Liberate

7th Philippine Island

(By The Associated Press)

G E N E R A L MAC ARTHUR'S HEADQUARTERS, Philippenes

Unopposed American invasion of Marinduque, only 100 miles from Manila, was announced today by Gen. Douglas MacArthur who said this seventh Philippine island liberated puts the Yanks in "direct contact with the southern Luzon

coast."

With air and naval support, the Americans seized the little island Wednesday, the same day American carrier planes were pounding Formosa and general MacArthur

was announcing fresh U. S. landings on Mindoro.

12 Miles from Luzon.

Marinduque is about 20 miles east of Mindoro and is only 12 miles south of the Tayabas peninsula on southern Luzon, principal Philippine island.

Japs Report

Raid on Kyushu

(By The Associated Press)

The Japanese high command r e p o r t e d today that 70 or 80 China-based Super – Fortresses bombed western Kyushu, second most important island in Japan, Saturday morning.

 The unconfirmed imperial communique, as broadcast by t h e Japanese Domei News  agency and recorded by the federal communications commission, said t h e B-29's "conducted blind bombing from above t h e clouds. Damage suffered b y our side was extremely slight."

I n previous B-29 strikes from China at Japan proper, the big aircraft plant at Omura has been a favorite target. Other objectives on Kyushu have included t h e steel mills at Yawata, the Sasebo naval base and Nagasaki industries.