Current Events March 15, 1944;

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY MARCH 15, 1944:

Allied Headquarters, Naples, March 15 (AP)

Allicd air power devastated Cassino today with history’s greatest concentrated bombing attack and Allied ground forces immediately charged in to drive the Germans from the rubble of the fortress town.

Moscow, March 15 (AP)

Red army troops are liquidating several trapped Nazi divisions in the Southern Ukraine, the Russians said today, and in a smash along the Black sea coast have closed the harbor of Nikolaev, leaving Odessa as the only large port in Southern Russia still available to the Germans.

By The  Associated Press

A daring sweep of South Pacific seas failed to stir up a single Japanese ship or combat plane, an American cruiser-destroyer task force reported today, but Allied fliers found good hunting at Wewak New Guinea, where they bagged possibly 65 enemy planes during a three-day assault.

 

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 1944

Mightiest Air

Blow Ever Hits

Nazi Bastion

Troops Follow

Plane Raid

On Germans

Ground Forces Charge

Against Enemy After

Devastating Smash

Allied Headquarters, Naples, March 15 (AP)

Allicd air power devastated Cassino today with history’s greatest concentrated bombing attack and Allied ground forces immediately charged in to drive the Germans from the rubble of the fortress town.

More than 1,400 tons of bombs were hurled on a target area of less than a square mile by every

type of Allied plane In an armada of 3,000 sorties. Its goal was destruction of this stronghold where the Germans have been blocking the  main Fifth Army advance since early January.

British and American artillery smashed out in a heavy barrage after the morning-long bombing

stopped.

Cnssino, on a main highway-to Rome, is 75 miles southeast of that capital, and some 60 miles east of the Anzio invasion beachhead,

All Planes Used

Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker threw every plane of his Mediterranean Allied air forces into a gigantic blow to smash the German grip on this town once and-for-all. They started in shortly " a f t e r daylight and continued pounding the town untill noon. Then the artillery opened it’s fearful barrage and the waiting infantry was f l u n g into battle.

Nazi Divisions

Being Wiped

Out By Reds

Harbor of Nikolaev

Closed By Russians;

Bug River Crossed

Moscow, March 15 (AP)

Red army troops are liquidating several trapped Nazi divisions in the Southern Ukraine, the Russians said today, and in a smash along the Black sea coast have closed the harbor of Nikolaev, leaving Odessa as the only large port in Southern Russia still available to the Germans.

Ten thousand Germans have been killed and 4,000 captured already, a Soviet communique said, while trying to break out of the trap sprung by the Third Ukranian Army about 40 miles northeast of  Nikolaev. Columns driving it from the north and south forget a ring of steel around the Nazis

Other Red army troops pushed 18 miles beyond captured Kherson to cut the German line of escape through Nikolaev harbor into the Black sea, They captured Shirokaya Bala 28 miles southeast of Nikcolaev and less than 10 miles from the mouth of the southern Bug river, mid Soviet guns now control the exit from Nikolaev.

Japs Fail To

Challenge

Taskforce

Part of U. S. Fleet

Sails Far West of

Nip Island Empire

By The  Associated Press

A daring sweep of South Pacific seas failed to stir up a single Japanese ship or combat plane, an American cruiser-destroyer task force reported today, but Allied fliers found good hunting at Wewak New Guinea, where they bagged possibly 65 enemy planes during a three-day assault.

The task force ventured unchallenged the farthest west in Japan's South Pacific island empire of any American naval unit in the war. It failed to find a single Japanese ship or to draw the attack of a single Japanese plane.

Suicidal lunges against Americans on Bougainville by trapped Japanese continued, but latest

reports indicated the high point in the assault came Saturday and since then all Japanese have been repulsed and all lines held firmly.

Rabaul Bombed

Marines fighting on New Britain's Willamcz peninsula sent a small detachment to land on the

coast to the west and pinch off Japanese stragglers from the Talasea battle  f r o n t . Sixth Army

troops rolled up their big gun. to blast Manus island, largest in the Admiralty group, after completing their conquest of two small islands 1,000 yards offshore.

Rabaulil, New Britain. 170 airline miles from the Talasea battle

i e f i o n t , took a 121-ton aerial pounding Sunday, and Catalina f l y i n g  boat pilots destroyed a three ship convoy off the New Guinea coast.

ejt