Current Events October 14, 1943;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY OCTOBER 14, 1943:

General MacArthur threw every bomber and fighter plane he could risk in a gigantic smash Tuesday at Japan's key sea-air bastion of Rabaul on New Britain, and the resultant devastation prompted the conservative general to say, "I think we have broken its back."
The raid by the biggest air armada ever amassed in this area "marks one turning point in the war in the south Pacific," declared one airforce commander, Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney.

Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney rolled his famous good luck dice today before his Fifth airforce struck a sledgehammer blow at Japan's key base of Rabaul, New Britain.
After he did that, he felt better. General Kenney has carried the tiny dice ever since a Catholic priest in Paris gave them to him in 1917, blessed them and told Kenney they would always bring him luck provided he did not use them to make money

Gen. Douglas MacArthur strode Sunday into the airforce battle operation room in New Guinea and in a calm voice made a disclosure which had the explosive qualities of a bomb. "I have concentrated all available
planes to smash Rabaul," he told hastily assembled war correspondents. "If God stays with me, I may get
some remarkable results

American and British troops, swarming across the steep-banked Volturno river in a resumption of their drive on Rome, have cracked German defenses in a furious night attack and established several strong bridgeheads on the northside of that greatest obstacle in their path, allied headquarters announced today.
The troops of Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark's Fifth army unleashed the mighty new offensive Tuesday night

Loss of two American destroyers in the Mediterranean was reported today by the navy in a communique which also told of an unsuccessful Japanese bombing raid on Attu island in the Aleutians.
The destroyers, the Buck and Bristol both sank as a result of underwater explosions, the navy said.
The Buck, a 1,500-ton ship, went down off Salerno October 9 and the Bristol, a 1,700-ton vessel, was
sunk yesterday.


           Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
                                      Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. Thursday, October 14, 1943. 

      ALLIES SMASH RABAUL IN MIGHTY AIR RAID
 Wreck 123 Ships,
Smash 177 Planes
At Huge Jap Base
 Allied Headquarters in the Southwest Pacific—(AP)—
General MacArthur threw every bomber and fighter plane he could risk in a gigantic smash Tuesday at Japan's key sea-air bastion of Rabaul on New Britain, and the resultant devastation prompted the conservative general to say, "I think we have broken its back."
The raid by the biggest air armada ever amassed in this area "marks one turning point in the war in the south Pacific," declared one airforce commander, Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney.
                                               Far Reaching Result!
The far-reaching results—they may speed the unhinging of the whole perimeter of defenses anchored to Rabaul—were:
Destruction or severe damage of 177 enemy planes, an estimated 60 per cent of the airforce on Rabaul's
airdromes.
Sinking of at least 17,600 tons of ships, including three destroyers and three merchant ships, as well as 43
small seagoing cargo vessels and 70 harbor craft.
Severe damaging of a submarine, its 5,000 ton tender, a 6,800 ton destroyer tender and a 7,000 ton cargo
ship.
                                                Wreck Simpson Harbor
Wrecking and firing of wharves and waterfront installations at Simpson harbor, one of the finest in the world.These accomplishments cost the allies five planes out of the participating hundreds, the bulk of which were Americans. The raiders expended 350 tons of bombs, 25 tons more than the bomb load dropped last week on Wake island, and more than 250,000 rounds of ammunition.
Escorted over Rabaul for the first time in the war by fighters, the Liberators and Mitchells struck by daylight at a base so bristling with defenses that heretofore attacks were made under cover of darkness. But that was before MacArthur acquired forward air bases on islands north of New Guinea. 


Crushing Blow
to Japs, Says
MacArthur
Somewhere in New Guinea, Oct. 12 —(Delayed) — (AP)—
Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney rolled his famous good luck dice today before his Fifth airforce struck a sledgehammer blow at Japan's key base of Rabaul, New Britain.
After he did that, he felt better. General Kenney has carried the tiny dice ever since a Catholic priest in Paris gave them to him in 1917, blessed them and told Kenney they would always bring him luck provided he did not use them to make money.
After the armada of planes was in the air, the little man who boasts he has the best airforce in the world took out his dice, rattled them and rolled while others in the room held their breath. The dice bounced over the desk top and stopped. He had shot an eleven.
Allied Headquarters in the Southwest Pacific — (AP)—
Gen. Douglas MacArthur strode Sunday into the airforce battle operation room in New Guinea and in a calm voice made a disclosure which had the explosive qualities of a bomb. "I have concentrated all available
planes to smash Rabaul," he told hastily assembled war correspondents. "If God stays with me, I may get
some remarkable results."
The huge force of planes struck Tuesday.

Pierce Main Nazi Defenses Along Volturno 
CLARK'S FORCES
UNLEASH LARGE
NEW OFFENSIVE
Allied Headquarters, Algiers —(AP)—
American and British troops, swarming across the steep-banked Volturno river in a resumption of their drive on Rome, have cracked German defenses in a furious night attack and established several strong bridgeheads on the northside of that greatest obstacle in their path, allied headquarters announced today.
The troops of Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark's Fifth army unleashed the mighty new offensive Tuesday night. They had the support of a thundering artillery barrage which tore German defenses to shreds and the aid of powerful air armadas which swept the area unchallenged and pinned to earth the tanks and guns which the enemy attempted to hurl forward in counterattack.
                                                     Floods Finally Subside
Held motionless by several days of rains which had swelled the 100 to 200 yard-wide Volturno to a torrentand bogged down his vehicles,
Gen. Clark took advantage of subsiding floods and drying ground to send his warriors into battle with the words "hit them hard" after the Germans had attempted to throw the projected offensive off balance by a desperate attack of their own against Capua on the south side of the river.

Enemy Sinks
2 American
Destroyers
Washington— (AP)—
Loss of two American destroyers in the Mediterranean was reported today by the navy in a communique which also told of an unsuccessful Japanese bombing raid on Attu island in the Aleutians.
The destroyers, the Buck and Bristol both sank as a result of underwater explosions, the navy said.
The Buck, a 1,500-ton ship, went down off Salerno October 9 and the Bristol, a 1,700-ton vessel, was
sunk yesterday.