Current Events December 22, 1943;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY DECEMBER 22, 1943:

Marauder bomber fleets pounded' military targets in northern France—possibly Hitler's secret rocket guns— in daylight yesterday to follow up the RAF's 2,200-ton night raid .on Germany's chemical industry at Frankfort.

 American troops attacking in the snow advanced two and a half miles on the Fifth Army front to capture
Mount Spinuccio, while U.S. air forces shot down another 28 planes in raids on Sofia railway yards and the. Eleusis airfield, near Athens:

Secretary of Navy Frank Knox told ,a press conference today that the .Japanese probably are evacuating the southern part of Bougainville and moving to strongly-fortified bases near Buka, just off the northern tip of the Solomon island

 American and British heavy bombers of Maj. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer's newly-established Eastern Air Command made their first long-range stab into Jap-held Thailand over the weekend to pound Bangkok
—hub of the Japs' sea and land supply lines for their bases in the China Sea area.

B26s Over France;
May Have Blasted at
Secret Rocket Guns
    Frankfort Pasted
     With 2,200 Tons
       In Night Raid
Marauder bomber fleets pounded' military targets in northern France—.possibly Hitler's secret rocket guns— in daylight yesterday to follow up the RAF's 2,200-ton night raid .on Germany's chemical industry at Frankfort.
It was the second consecutive day of Marauder attacks on installations in northern France, Neutral sources
have been speculating for more, than a month whether the German secret weapon might be guns capable of lobbing a type of rocket-propelled bomb onto England, even London.
                                                           RAF Diversionary Attack
The RAF attack on Frankfort, plus a. diversionary mission to Mannheim- Ludwigshafen, came only a few hours after American Liberators and FlyingFortresses had given the big port of Bremen another heavy pounding in the series which, may be aimed at reducing the port to the sort of shattered uselessness in which Hamburg was left last summer.
The two RAF attacks, plus a night of minelaying, intruder patrols and Mosquito hit-run for.ays against western Germany, cost 42 aircraft, the Air Ministry announced.

Two Balkan
Bases Hit As
5th Edges On
U.S. Infantrymen Advance
2 1/2 Miles in Push
Over Mountains
ALLIED HQ, North Africa (AP)—-
American troops attacking in the snow advanced two and a half miles on the Fifth Army front to capture
Mount Spinuccio, while U.S. air forces shot down another 28 planes in raids on Sofia railway yards and the. Eleusis airfield, near Athens:
Luftwaffe losses the last two days were 71; plus three planes shot down by U.S. flak batteries during attacks on the newly captured town of San Pietro. American torpedo-boats teamed with British craft in a victorious night action with two Nazi destroyers off the island of Elba.
Nazis Throw in Many Fighters apparently trying'hard to keep their satellites from being bombed out of the war, the Germans threw large numbers of fighters into the air in a futile attempt to halt the Balkans attack, but 15th Air Force Libs and Forts, escorted by P38s, fought their way through fighter screens ' to the key Bulgarian railway yards at Sofia and the Eleusis airdrome outside Athens.

 Japanese May Be Evacuating
So. Bougainville, Knox Says
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21—
Secretary of Navy Frank Knox told ,a press conference today that the .Japanese probably are evacuating the southern part of Bougainville and moving to strongly-fortified bases near Buka, just off the northern tip of the Solomon island.
He said the Japs were moving steadily northward away from the Buin-Faisi area, where hitherto they have maintained elaborate air establishments. U.S. air forces have been! systematically destroying these establishments: Many men are marching northward, others are leaving in barges.
Emphasizing American air superiority in the Pacific, Knox said during the week of Dec. 13-20, Army, Navy and Marine planes carried out 71 missions and met negligibje opposition. On some missions not a .single enemy -plane was found in the air.
In nine missions against the Marshall Islands, .19 Japanese planes were definitely shot down and seven probably destroyed, as against United States, losses of three.
                                                                 Japs Still Withdrawing
The Japanese forces on New Britain tonight were keeping up their steady withdrawal toward the series' of razorbacked ridges, where the first strong counterattack is expected to be launched against the Texan shock troops of General Krueger's Sixth Army.
But the enemy's chances of stemming the U.S. drive are rapidly diminishing as the hold on the western half of New Britain increases. One U.S. spearhead is smashing directly inland from the Arawe peninsula towards the range of ridges,while another, further to the east, is moving towards the vital coast trails east of Cape Merkus on the way to the stronghold of Gasmata. 'in New Guinea, Australian forces quickened  the tempo of their grim advance along the Huon peninsula on the northeast coast of the'island.
Matilda tanks, blazing the way over the hill-studded jungles, have crossed the Masawang river.
To the east of. the Huon Peninsula, other' Australian troops tonight were pressing steadily on three-and-a-half miles north of the recently captured enemy stronghold of Wareo.

     Allied Bombers
      Blast Bangkok
    Dock, Arsenal Targets Hit
      By India-Based Planes;
       Burma Raids Continue
 NEW DELHI, Dec, 21—
American and British heavy bombers of Maj. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer's newly-established Eastern Air Command made their first long-range stab into Jap-held Thailand over the weekend to pound Bangkok
—hub of the Japs' sea and land supply lines for their bases in the China Sea area. '
"Strong formations" which flew 3,000 miles round-trip from India blasted the dock and arsenal area effectively with 'little opposition, today's Southeast Asia communique said.
In southern Burma, widespread attacks were carried out.by the USAAF by day and the RAF by night. Mediums, escorted by bomb-carrying long-range fighters, started fires in ammunition and supply dumps at five places.
In northern Burma, U.S. fighterbombers further intensified air activity against Jap installations and supply
dumps in the jungle. Only one Allied plane was lost in all operations.