The world's capitals were flooded with reports at\d rumors last night in
such mass they could not be dismissed and, together with Josef Stalin's
declaration that "Germany is standing on the edge of a catastrophe,"
gave more and more convincing proof that the collapse of Germany
actually was within sight.
The greatest naval battle in history was believed to be raging last night in the Bismarck Sea with the most
powerful U.S. fleet ever assembled in the Pacific attacking four big Japanese convoys racing toward Rabaul with vitally-needed supplies for their beleaguered garrisons in the Solomons and New Britain.
powerful U.S. fleet ever assembled in the Pacific attacking four big Japanese convoys racing toward Rabaul with vitally-needed supplies for their beleaguered garrisons in the Solomons and New Britain.
Concerted heavy offensive by both the Fifth and Eighth Armies has sent
the enemy reeling back two to five miles along most sectors of the
Italian front as American troops seized the dominating heights,
outflanking the key city of Mignano.
Vatican City Friday night, shattering the Bernini stained glass windows of St. Peter's, damaging the governor's palace and scoring direct hits on a mosaic factory and the railway station.
THE STARS AND STRIPES
Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
New York, N.Y.—London, England Monday, Nov. 8, 1943
State of Emergency Ordered in Reich
Catastrophe Is Near
For Germany-Stalin;
Rumor Flood Grows
Second Front Near, Russian Chief Says;
Hitler "Reported Told by Rundstedt
War Is Lost, Asked to Quit
The world's capitals were flooded with reports at\d rumors last night in such mass they could not be dismissed and, together with Josef Stalin's declaration that "Germany is standing on the edge of a catastrophe," gave more and more convincing proof that the collapse of Germany actually was within sight.
Declaring that the opening of a real second front in Europe, "which is not far off," would greatly speed victory, Stalin told the world in a broadcast Saturday night that the crushed German armies were about to abandon the remainder of the Ukraine. Lending weight to Stalin's prediction of imminent catastrophe within the Reich were these scattered reports last night:
Berlin radio itself announced that Himmler" had ordered a state of emergency throughout all Germany, obviously caused by growing unrest and aimed at combating revolt.
From inside Europe, a Reuters correspondent reported that Field Marshal Gerd von Runstedt, commander of the Nazi west wall, had written Hitler declaring that the war is lost "as far as is humanly possible to judge." Von Runstedt was said to have added that it was incomprehensible to him why Hitler did not resign immediately for the Fatherland's sake, leaving-peace negotiations to people acceptable to the Allies.
Finland Soon to Quit?
All indications in Washington suggested that Finland at last was taking active steps to make peace with the Russians and abandon Germany. It was believed in Washington that substantial agreement already had been reached between Finland and Russia. Stockholm heard that the Finns would place her problem before the new Three-Power Commission when it meets in London.
Kiev Captured,
Reds Plunge On
Toward Poland
Russians 20 Miles Beyond City;
Vast Encircling Thrust Foreseen
Great Pacific Sea Battle Raging
U.S. Armada
Attacking 4
Jap Convoys
2 Cruisers Already Sunk \
By Carrier Planes
Near Rabaul
The greatest naval battle in history was believed to be raging last night in the Bismarck Sea with the most
powerful U.S. fleet ever assembled in the Pacific attacking four big Japanese convoys racing toward Rabaul with vitally-needed supplies for their beleaguered garrisons in the Solomons and New Britain.
At Rabaul itself, already one Jap cruiser has been sunk and another blown sky-high after direct hits from carrierbased naval bombers cooperating for the first time with the Army's Fifth Air Force.
Ten other warships—five of them cruisers—were hit by torpedoes during the action, descriyed by a naval spokesman as the "most daring U.S. naval move of the Pacific war."
Attacks Began Friday
The attacks began on Friday morning after a B24 patrol plane spotted several Jap surface fleets moving south over the coral-spotted Bismarck Sea from Truk to New Ireland. The next day, U.S. naval planes roared low over Rabaul, attacked one of the convoys which had since reached the base's snug harbor, and
sank one cruiser and damaged five others with aerial torpedoes.
While this was going on, Fifth Air Force army bombers flying from bases in New Guinea strafed Rabaul's harbor installations and three airfields, starting many fires and destroying 24 enemy planes. For hours Rabaul was the scene of fire and flame and when .the smoke cleared the entire Jap fleet of- warships had been
"temporarily knocked out" according to a 'spokesman from Adm. William Halsey's naval headquarters.
Cruiser Blows Up
The second convoy was attacked Saturday afternoon off the northern tip of New Ireland (70 miles north of Rabaul) by U.S. carrier-based planes. One cruiser was directly hit in the magazine and blew up in a violent explosion. Another destroyer was hit arid several other cargo ships damaged.
Allied Offensive
Rolls Nazis Back
Front Advanced Two to
Five Miles in Italy;
Key City OutflankedALLIED HQ, North Africa, Nov. 7 (AP)—
Concerted heavy offensive by both the Fifth and Eighth Armies has sent the enemy reeling back two to five miles along most sectors of the Italian front as American troops seized the dominating heights, outflanking the key city of Mignano.
Fighting desperately, the Germans threw the new 94th infantry division into the bitter struggle against the Fifth Army.
Galluceio^ three miles southwest of Mignano, fell into Allied hands as Gen. Mark W. Clark's troops surged forward to take the heights on both sides- of Mignano and moved into position with the possibility that they might by-pass the town completely and pour down into the broad valley leading to Cassino and eventually to Rome.'
Cross Vital River
Nearer the west poast, British units and Fifth Army patrols crossed the Garigliano river at at least one point.
Beating back a series of sharp enemy counter-attacks, strongly supported with tanks, the Eighth Army hammered out gains up to five miles in sectors near the Adriatic coast, making a total advance of about ten miles in that area in three days.
New blows on the coast were accompanied by a general attack which drove the enemy back from the Trigno river line along a 19-mile front inland from the Adriatic, and the few remaining Nazi strongpoints near headquarters becameuntenable.
Raid on Vatican
Denied by Allies;
Bernini Stained Glass
Windows Shattered by*
Unidentified Plane
Allied headquarters in North Africa denied last night a German claim that an Anglo-American plane bombed
Vatican City Friday night, shattering the Bernini stained glass windows of St. Peter's, damaging the governor's palace and scoring direct hits on a mosaic factory and the railway station.
The Allied statement said that "while it is manifestly impossible to establish beyond doubt the fall of bombs of aircraft participating in night operations, a thorough investigation of the missions carried out during the night of Nov. 5-6 indicated that the crews adhered to their definite instructions and did not bomb Vatican City."
A Swiss telegraphic agency dispatch from Rome, passed by German censor, disclosed last night that the dome of St. Peter's by Michael Angelo resisted the shock. The basilica was closed yesterday, however, while damage was checked.
The dispatch added that there were no victims and the damage, "while considerable, was not catastrophic." Some instruments were destroyed in the Vatican radio station, but the damage was described as "not important." Broadcasts were not interrupted.
A dispatch to the Stockholm Tidningen from its Rome correspondent said eyewitnesses were convinced the Vatican bombing was "no^accident" because the plane circled many times over the Vatican before dropping its explosive on a line between the observatory and the railway station.
No comments:
Post a Comment