Current Events November 23, 1943; Allies move into Gilberts:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY NOVEMBER 23, 1943:

 United States armed fores captured Makin island in the Gilberts, a Pacific fleet headquarters communique released here today announced.
On Tarawa island, also in the Gilberts, the marines have consolidated their positions and are making good progress. On Abemama island, the latest of the Gilberts invaded, the situation was described as "well in hand." Carrier-based aircraft and Liberators of the army's Seventh Air Force are continuing raids on the nearby Marshall islands. Text of the Pacific fleet headquarters 

 German forces have captured the Aegean island of Samos, it was announced officially today. Some of the British, Greek and Italian troops garrisoning the island were withdrawn several days ago, along with a number of civilians, the British announcement snltl, adding that the evacuation was completed without: loss.
The fall of the island, which was claimed hy the Berlin radio yesterday, eliminated the last major allied holding In the chain of islands flanking the western coast of Turkey

 In the heaviest aerial bombardrment in history, the R. A. F. engulfed Berlin last night with fire and devastating
explosives thundered down from 1000 bombers.
The roar of strong formations of allied aircraft heading for another blow at the continent cut the clear air of the English channel around noon today, not many hours after R. A. F. bombers had flocked back from their heaviest raid on Berlin.

 A high staff officer disclosed today that Lieutenant-General George S. (Old Blood and Guts) Patton, Jr., struck a shell-shocked soldier twice in a Sicilian hospital tent, then apologized for his conduct which later
was criticized "mercilessly" by his commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower.




 GERMAN FORCES GRAB AEGEAN ISLAND OF SAMOS
              The Bakersfield Californian
                        BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1913
      YANKS CAPTURE MAKIN ISLAND
           Berlin Shattered in Heaviest Air Raid in History

Nip Forces Smashed on
Key Gilbert Atoll as
Yanks Storm Abemama
BITTERLY RESISTING GILBERT NIPPONESE FACING DOOM; TOKYO
CLAIMS HUGE SUCCESS OFF ISLANDS; YANK BOMBERS SMASH KEY
BASES OF NAURU AND MARSHALLS TO BLOCK ENEMY AIR FLEETS

By WILLIAM T. TYREE
United Press Correspondent
WASHINGTON. Nov. 2.'5.(UP)--
United States armed fores captured Makin island in the Gilberts, a Pacific fleet headquarters communique released here today announced.
On Tarawa island, also in the Gilberts, the marines have consolidated their positions and are making good progress. On Abemama island, the latest of the Gilberts invaded, the situation was described as "well in hand." Carrier-based aircraft and Liberators of the army's Seventh Air Force are continuing raids on the nearby Marshall islands. Text of the Pacific fleet headquarters communique No. 19 follows:
                                                                          "Central Pacific:
"1. Our forces have cs\ptured Makin. On Tarawa, the marines have consolidated their positions and are making good progress against enemy concentrations on the eastern end of Hetio island with capture assured. The situation on Abcinama is well in hand.
"2. Raids are being continued against the Marslialls by ; carrier aircraft and army' Seventh Air Force Liberators." Thus, the first of the three Gilbert islands invaded by army and marine troops has fallen.
.Makin and Tarawa were invaded last Saturday.
Tokyo radio today began making extravagant claims of sucess off the Gilberts. A broadcast recorded by
United States monitors quoted a communique as claiming a mudium-slzed aircraft carrier and a destroyer were sunk and 125 planes shot down around the Gilberts since last Friday. Loss of 15 planes was admitted.
"Severe" fighting on the Islands Is continuing, especially on Tarawa, the Japanese said..
                                                          Tokyo Claims
Berlin radio, quoting Tokyo, added to the Japanese claims two large aircraft carriers damaged, one of which
was presumed sunk, a medium-sized carrier damaged and presumed sunk; a battleship, a heavy cruiser and a transport damaged or set afire.
Reports carried from Tokyo by Berlin gave the first hint the Japanese may be planning to give up the Gilberts. Berlin said that It was "stated In Tokyo thut the invasion of the Gilberts was viewed without
alarm since the Gilberts are of no importance for Japan as far as her defense is concerned.")

Germans
Capture
Samos
CANADIANS HURL BACK
NAZI  ATTACK AS BRITISH
SMASH NEARS ALFEDENA
CAIRO, Nov. 2:5. (U.P) -
German forces have captured the Aegean island of Samos, it was announced officially today. Some of the British, Greek and Italian troops garrisoning the island were withdrawn several days ago, along with a number of civilians, the British announcement snltl, adding that the evacuation was completed without: loss.
The fall of the island, which was claimed hy the Berlin radio yesterday, eliminated the last major allied holding In the chain of islands flanking the western coast of Turkey.
British forces hnd moved Into Samos, Leros, and Cos in September, Immediately a f t e r the Italian armistice, in an apparent attempt to secure a foothold on the island invasion route to Greece and the Balkans.
Cos was captured by the Nazis several weeks ago and Leros fell last Tuesday night after a five-day struggle into which the Germans threw in overwhelming ground and air forces from their neighboring strongholds In the Dodecanese islands and on Crete.
                                                                       Canadian Win
Canadian troops have repulsed a German attack north of Agnone and other British Eighth army forces have pushed closer to Alfedena, function on a road to Rome through, central Italy, allied headquarters announced
today.

Airmen
Rip Nazi
Capital
NEW FORMATION ROARS
OUT AFTER RECORD RAID
SMASHES VITAL CITY
By ROBERT STURDEVANT
LONDON, Nov. 23. (UP)—
In the heaviest aerial bombardrment in history, the R. A. F. engulfed Berlin last night with fire and devastating
explosives thundered down from 1000 bombers.
The roar of strong formations of allied aircraft heading for another blow at the continent cut the clear air of the English channel around noon today, not many hours after R. A. F. bombers had flocked back from their heaviest raid on Berlin.
First hand accounts from Berlin correspondents of Stockholm newspapers told graphically how destruction
ran through the heart of the city, wrecking government buildings and foreign legations.
"Berlin never can recover from this blow," the Aftontidningen quoted its sources as saying. Industrial areas still burning from the heavy raid last Thursday night were smashed again. Strong formations. Of daylight bombers roared across the English channel to add further weight to the growing allied-----


Reveal Patton
Struck Man
in Sicily
GENERAL APOLOGIZES
. AFTER EISENHOWER
THREAT TO "BREAK" HIM
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, IN
ALGIERS, Nov. 23. OP>—
A high staff officer disclosed today that Lieutenant-General George S. (Old Blood and Guts) Patton, Jr., struck a shell-shocked soldier twice in a Sicilian hospital tent, then apologized for his conduct which later
was criticized "mercilessly" by his commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The incident, the officer revealed, occurred last August when Patton, American Seventh Army
commander, called the soldier "yellow bellied" and berated him as he wept.
(The war department in Washington said there was no comment: that it was a theater problem and that all details would come from Eisenhower's headquarters.)
Investigation showed the 24- year-old soldier twice refused to leave front lines and finally did so only upon orders and was back in the fighting a week after Patton saw him.
The officer said Patton was not relieved of his command because of the episode or reprimanded formally by Eisenhower because he was "necessary and valuable" to allied operations in Sicily and because
of his record.
Eisenhower did, however, obtain a full report and "took the hide" off Patton for his action, the officer said.
Patton apologized at once to the hospital commander, a nurse and a doctor who watched the episode.
This apology was witnessed by C. R. Cunningham, United Press correspondent. He also apologized to
the soldier and to men of the divisions under his command. Merrill Mueller, NBC correspondent, and Demaree Bess, of the Saturday Evening Post, made a thorough investigation.
Later Eisenhower was understood to have asked correspondents not to transmit reports of the incident.
Yesterday a formal headquarters statement in reply to questions about the incident, reported in the
United States by Drew Pearson, newspaper and radio commentator, said Patton had never been reprimanded and no soldier had ever refused to obey an order from him.
Patton directed operations in both Tunisia and Sicily, once during the latter campaign disembarking on a beach head to command a drive against a serious German counterattack. He goes into battle packing pearl-handled frontier model revolvers.
The story of the incident has been known to literally thousands for weeks.