Current Events December 21, 1943

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY DECEMBER 21, 1943:

  Hundreds of RAF bombers gave Frankfurt its most crushing blow of the war last night, raining 2,000 long tons of incendiaries and explosives on the German chemical and armament center. In this and subsidiary attacks the RAF lost 42 bombers.

American Fifth army forces have lunged forward two and a half miles in a snow storm to capture 2,600-foot Mt. Spinuccio, while U. S. 15th air force heavy bombers escorted by long-range fighters attacked Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and an Athens airfield, it was announced today

 The pressure of allied land and air attacks forced the Japanese to retreat in the jungles of New Guinea and Bougainville amid indications today of a possible attempt to open up a second invasion front on the enemy's key base of New Britain
In China, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek's soldiers broke into the enemy's forward bases in the rice bowl area and threatened entrapment of Japanese forces between Lake Tungting and the Yangtze river.

                       Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Tuesday, December 21,1943.
Hundreds of RAF bombers gave Frankfurt its most crushing blow of the war last night, raining 2,000 long tons of incendiaries and explosives on the German chemical and armament center. In this and subsidiary attacks the RAF lost 42 bombers.
The great air offensive against Germany reached a new intensity with these additional attacks during the past 24 hours:
1. RAF subsidiary formations attacked Mannheim-Ludwigshafen, Mesquitos stabbed at western Germany nd Belgium, and mines were laid in enemy waters.
2. Heavy formations of American Liberators and Fortresses in daylight struck heavily at the German U-boat campaign by'bombing Bremen.
3. American bombers based on the Mediterranean for the fifth time in recent weeks blasted the rail yards of Sofia, capital of war-weary Bulgaria, and Elevsis airfield near Athens.
4. American and British medium bombers spread destruction on targets in northern France.
                                                   Lose Over 90 Planes
The allies lost more than 90 planes in the 24-hour operations. This includes 33 (counting 25 heavy bombers) over Bremen, 42 in the sweeps including an unspeciied number of heavies, 11 in the Italian-Balkan area and six fighters over northern France.

 HEAVY BOMBERS
HAMMER SOFIA,
ATHENS AIRFIELD
Allied Headquarters, Algiers—
(.AP)—
American Fifth army forces have lunged forward two and a half miles in a snow storm to capture 2,600-foot Mt. Spinuccio, while U. S. 15th air force heavy bombers escorted by long-range fighters attacked Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and an Athens airfield, it was announced today.
In a companion drive, Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's Eighth army forces pushed ahead in "stiff fighting" toward Tollo in the central sector of the Adriatic front, improving their positions near Ortona, the allied headquarters communique added. German resistance was said to be increasing.
                                                           Lose 11 Planes
Allied planes shot down 28 enemy planes in the twin attacks on Sofia railroad yards and the Elevsis airfield in Greece and in other operations which included fighter-bomber raids on rail and motor targets in the Rome area. Eleven allied planes failed to return.
This brought the Luftwaffe losses in two days' sky battles to 71 planes plus three more shot down by American anti-aircraft fire during two German attacks on newly-captured San Pietro.
                                                     Vigorous Night Action
Another announcement said that American motor torpedo boats, which gained fame in the Pacific, teamed up with British craft to fight a vigorous night action Dec. 18 off the island of Elba with two Nazi destroyers on which torpedo hits were probably scored. Apparently trying hard to keep their Balkan satellites from being bombed out of the war, the Germans threw large numbers of fighters into the air.

JAPS RETREAT
ON NEW GUINEA,
BOUGAINVILLE
Washington —(AP)—
Raiding Japanese positions in the Marshall islands, army heavy bombers destroyed at least seven enemy fighter planes of an intercepting flight that attacked them over Maloelap atoll.
A communique issued by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander- in-chief of the Pacific fleet, said five other enemy planes probably were destroyed and two American planes damaged. Three Americans were wounded.
                                             ________________________________
BY MORRIE LANDSBERG
The pressure of allied land and air attacks forced the Japanese to retreat in the jungles of New Guinea and Bougainville amid indications today of a possible attempt to open up a second invasion front on the enemy's key base of New Britain
In China, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek's soldiers broke into the enemy's forward bases in the rice bowl area and threatened entrapment of Japanese forces between Lake Tungting and the Yangtze river.
                                                              Aussies Rout Enemy
Fighting for control of the strategic Huon peninsula, bayonetwielding Australian veterans routed the enemy south of the Masawang river in northeastern New Guinea. Then they forded tanks and artillery
across the stream at three places in pursuit of Nipponese remnants.
The drive has carried the Aussies more than 15 miles north of allied-held Finschhafen. The quickening battle for the northern Solomons b r o u g h t an 'American push five miles inland from the Empress Augusta bay
beachhead on Bougainville island, and occupation of a high ridge overlooking
Torokina valley. Reconnaissance reports led military authorities to express belief the Japanese are beginning to evacuate the southern part of Bougainville.
                                                       'Situation Static at Arawe
The situation on the U. S. Sixth army's beachhead at Arawe, New Britain, appeared static after capture of the enemy's bomb-torn emergency landing field for a threemile gain. But the greatest bombing attack of the Pacific war, carried out 70 miles away on the southwestern tip, pointed up the possibility of further landings on the 300-mile long island.