Current Events February 22

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY FEBRUARY 22, 1944:

 ALLIED HEADQUARTERS Naples, (AP)—

Heavy artillery barrages and small but fierce infantry clashes marked the fighting Monday in the allied beachhead below Rome, where, 5th army officers said Tuesday, savage American and British resistance and their counter-attacks definitely have beaten the Nazi all-out drive to push the allies into the sea

 The allies stand united on war plans which make certain a victory that "may not be so far away," he declared

LONDON, (AP)—

Prime Minister Churchill told the world Tuesday that allied bombing far beyond any thing yet "employed or indeed imagined" would strike Germany in every corner in prelude to the final smashing by American and British invasion armies of "approximately equal" power.

WASHINGTON, (AP)—

Secretary of the Navy Knox reported Tuesday the destruction of 92 Japanese vessels in the last three weeks, but warned "there is nothing to justify any estimates of an early end of the war in the Pacific."

LONDON, (AP)-

The first co-ordinated air attack against Germany from bases in the United Kingdom and Italy was carried out Tuesday, with planes from the south and west hitting aircraft factories' and other targets, U. S. army headquarters announced,
 LONDON, (AP) —

American and British medium and light bombers, sustaining the" air offensive which nearly 2,000 U. S. heavy bombers and fighters punctured Monday with attacks on two nazi aircraft plants at Brunswick and six German airfields, jabbed Tuesday at enemy targets in the Netherlands and northern France.

 COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 22, 1944.

 

Germans Fail

to Push Allies

Into the Sea

Neither Side Able

to Make Gains in

Desperate Struggle

By Richard G. Massock.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS Naples, (AP)—

Heavy artillery barrages and small but fierce infantry clashes marked the fighting Monday in the allied beachhead below Rome, where, 5th army officers said Tuesday, savage American and British resistance and their counter-attacks definitely have beaten the Nazi all-out drive to push the allies into the sea. American front-line troops and the Germans fired everything they had at one another at two points Monday, but neither side gained any ground and positions all along the beachhead remained as they were. This was equally true after British troops clashed with the Germans in several local fights near the key road junction of Carroceto.

Allied artillery, in a fierce exchange of fire throughout the day, shelled German infantry und tanks forming up around Aprilla "factory" east of Carroceto and apparently broke up preparations for a renewed enemy attack. None developed.

As another day passed without decisive actions either on the main front around Cassino or at the beachhead, 5th army spokesmen interpreted relaxation of German pressure against the beach head as meaning the German offensive to erase it had failed for the second time since the allies landed below Rome just a month ago.

Says Victory

May Not Be

So Far Away

Churchill Reassures

World There Is No

.Rift in Allied Camp

By James !tt. Long-.

LONDON, (AP)—

Prime Minister Churchill told the world Tuesday that allied bombing far beyond any thing yet "employed or indeed imagined" would strike Germany in every corner in prelude to the final smashing by American and British invasion armies of "approximately equal" power.

The three great allies still stand "absolutely united" and "none of the ground made good at Moscow or Teheran" has been lost despite disquieting articles in the soviet press, the British war leader asserted in a confident but cautious war review in commons.

The allies stand united on war plans which make certain a victory that "may not be so far away," he declared.

Secretary Knox

Issues Warning

Japan Strength Not

Yet Tested, He Says

WASHINGTON, (AP)—

Secretary of the Navy Knox reported Tuesday the destruction of 92 Japanese vessels in the last three weeks, but warned "there is nothing to justify any estimates of an early end of the war in the Pacific." "Nothing is gained by foolish optimism in a war of this kind, he said at a news conference.

The navy secretary said he had observed "a tendency in comment on the Truk attack to go wild in optimism." But, he continued, "we haven't yet tested the strength of the Japanese. We are operating only in the intermediate defenses; we haven't yet entered the inner defenses of the empire."

Blast Japan

Along 3,000

Mile front

American Bombs and

Shells Rain Down on

Installations and Ships

By Morrle Lundsberg.

Associated Press War Editor.

American bombs land shells blasted the-Japanese from Paramushiro to Rabaul in the surging allied offensive along a 3,000-mile long front of the war in the Pacific. U. S. soldiers, and marines captured stubbornly-defended Eniwetok island while air and-surface units pounded adjacent" Parry island to put the finishing touches on the successful six-day old invasion of Emwetok atoll at the western edge of the Marshalls.

In a new victory against the enemy's weakened shipping, Gen, Douglas MacArthur reported that American air patrols destroyed nine enemy freighters and escort vessels as they attempted to flee Rabaul, New Britain. A 6,000-ton Japanese vessel was sunk at Wewak, New Guinea, to bring enemy losses for one week to 44 ships in the Bismarck archipelago area alone.

Kuriles Group Hit Again.

Completing a cycle of potent attacks on Japanese positions throughout their system of Pacific defense bases, navy fliers returned to the Kuriles chain to bomb Paramushiro and Shumushu

islands at the far northern end of Nipponese home territory. Not a plane was lost.

Airforce Again

Pounds Germany

Medium and Light

Bombers Hit Targets

LONDON, (AP)-

The first co-ordinated air attack against Germany from bases in the United Kingdom and Italy was carried out Tuesday, with planes from the south and west hitting aircraft factories' and other targets, U. S. army headquarters announced,

* * *

By W. W. Hercher.

LONDON, (AP) —

American and British medium and light bombers, sustaining the" air offensive which nearly 2,000 U. S. heavy bombers and fighters punctured Monday with attacks on two nazi aircraft plants at Brunswick and six German airfields, jabbed Tuesday at enemy targets in the Netherlands and northern France.

American Marauders of the new 9th airforce sprayed bombs on the strategic German airfield at Gilze-Rijen.

It was announced that three British fighters were missing from RAF night operations in which Mosquito bombers assaulted targets in western Germany, attacked two enemy E-boats in the channel and laid mines in enemy waters.

A German raid on England Monday night barely disturbed London, only a handful of nazi planes crossed the channel, dropping a few bombs in southern England. "Little damage and d small number of casualties were reported," an official announcement said.

The U. S. air attacks on Germany Monday carried to new heights an allied offensive against the reich in which approximately 5,000 planes have dropped nearly 3,000 tons of bombs in less than t:wo days.

Losses Comparatively Very Small

The assaults were carried out with a loss of 15 U. S. bombers estimated at roughly one and onehalf per cent of the force dispatched. Five fighters also failed to return. The escorting Mustangs, Thunderbolts and Lightnings destroyed 33 nazi planes and the total probably will climb after the bomber gunners' reports are tabulated.