THE NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. 46—No. 71. NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1944. PER COPY—15c.
Mitchell Bombers
Sink Five Jap
Merchantmen
By MURLIN SPENCER
ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS IN NEW GUINEA.
June 19.—(AP)—Mitchell med
ium bombers sank five Japanese
merchantmen in a follow-up
raid upon Sorong, on Dutch
Guinea, headquarters announc
ed today.
Friday, more than 50 Mitchells,
with Lightning escorts, hit the
Sorong airdrome and destroyed
more than 50 enemy planes on
the ground and in the air, and
sank two 3.000 ton ships, three
small freighters and damaged
two 1,500-ton vessels. In the sec
ond attack Saturday, six vessels
were also wrecked.
The Americans on Biak Island
are closing in on the Jap forces
atop the ridge north of Mokmer
airdrome, with the counting of
122 more Japanese dead in the
advance.
Liberators meanwhile, dropped
ahother 89 tons of bombs on
Truk, and 56 tons on Rabaul air
drome, while 20 Japanese fighters,
employing aerial bombs unsuc
cessfully, attempted to prevent
the attack on the once-powerful
Dublon base in the Truk atoll,
in the Carolinas.
The enemy formation accident
ally destroyed one of its own
planes.
The Rabaul raid cost the allies
one Corsair and one Dauntless
bomber downed by Japanese an
ti-aircraft gunners grown expert
during the many months of the
New Britain attacks.
The American Biak line extends
from a half mile west of Mokmer
airstrip on the beach du<F north
into the hills. The principal fight
ing is on the right flank, north
of the airdrome, where the Yanks
are enveloping the left flank of
the enemy’s lines.
Red Army Nears
Finnish Threshold
Of Viipuri
MOSCOW, June 19.—t API
Soviet field dispatches declared
the Red Army smashed forward
to the threshold of Viipuri, the
key city of southern Finland, after
breaking through the Manner
heim line, and capturing the fort
ress of Koiviso, at the mouth of
Viipuri Bay.
Farther inland, on the Karelian
Isthmus, the Russians are report
ed to have driven three miles
past the Mannerheim line in the
Murila sector, while the Red
Army’s left flank made progress
along the Gulf of Finland.
Dispatches said the right wing
on the opposite end of the isth
mus, is flow advancing along Lake
Ladoga, capturing numerous
points.
General Govorov’s Leningrad]
forces, which launched the offen
sive nine days ago, appeared to
have now broken the back of the'
Finnish army, after piercing the
enemy’s three lines, in defense of
Karelia.
The Russians’ quick success
was attributed largely to the tre
mendous artillery barrages which
pulverized the Finnish positions.
Front line dispatches disclosed
Katiusha, the Red Army’s setret
gun, was used for the’ first time’
lit Finland, in the present dHV®:
.,1 Y THE DAWN’S EARLY LICH T—An LST manned by U. S. Coast Guardsmen and
packed with equipment heads into Tanahraerah Bay during invasion of Hollandia. Dutch New Guinea.**
)
American Forces
W iden Cherbourg
r
Peninsula Line
AT TWENTY-FIRST ARMY
CROUP HEADQUARTERS.
Juno 19. — (AP) — American
forces, which cut through the
Cherbourg peninsula, are widen
ing their corridor nearly to
twice the site, it was reported
last night, and are steadily
strengthening the lines along
the whole length, and are hit
ting out strongly both in the
northward and southward di
rections.
Unofficially, it is estimated that
the number of Germans cut off
in the peninsula area may be
around 50,000.
Amer can forces are within
eight miles of Cherbourg tonight
and American artillery is shelling
the port.
The Yanks have captured Brie
Quebec, 11 miles south of Cher
bourg.
—
Appropriations
Bill Passed By
House Thursday
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 19.'
—CAP*—The 49 billion dollar War
Appropriations Bill was passed
unanimously by the House Thurs-;
day, and won swift approval ini
the Senate Appropriations Com
mittee hearing.
The senate group however
amended the bill to delete the
section pertaining to the $1,217,-!
000, which the House had allow- j
ed for further explorations for
oil in Alaska.
Court of Apeals
Upholds Sentence
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June;
19:—(AP)—The Circuit Court of
Appeals upheld the conviction of
a “death sentence” for William
James Paddy, who was charged
with murder, In the shooting of
Toni Siiftfn,: in Douglsfe, Alaska,
August 30, 1942.
I ;_
[ Brazil’s recently discovered
iron deposit has beep- estimated
a? t’IS billion tons.
f I
French Colonial
Troops Take Port
Of Portoferraio
I _
ROME. Jun» 1«. — (AP) —
French Colonial battalions cap
tured Portoferraio and now hold
"the greater part of the island
of Elba." headquarters said to
day. On the Italian peninsula,
mud - spattered allied troops
made gains on both flanks in
the center of the line, taking
Assisi, the birthplace of St.
Francis, beating down the Ger
man resistance.
On Elba, the French have
rounded up several hundred pris
oners, including several high
ranking officers, the communique
said.
Before taking the island’s nor
thern port and capital, Portofer
raio, the French troops captured
Napoleon’s villa
Invading forces brought artillery
against the Germans, who were
, bitterly contesting for the control
of Porto Longone, on the east
coast.
The Fifth and Eighth Armies
in Italy are meeting with increas
ing resistance as they drive the
Germans back toward the Pisa
Rimini line, but more villages are
i being taken and strong pressure
I is being exerted by the stubborn
German garrison in the central
sector road hub of Perugia, 85
miles north of Rome, and 72 miles
southeast of Florence.
| The Eighth Army troops cap
tured Assisi, 12 miles southeast
| of Perugia, and Deruta, south of
the bitterly contested road junc
tion town.
The communique said heavy
! fighting also occurred at Citta
Della Pieve, 22 miles southwest
! of Perugia.
Japanese Troops
In Retreat In
Northern India
KANDY, Ceylon. June 11 —
—(AP)—The Last Japaneses
troops have been thrown out of
Assam in northern India, and
operations are proceeding satis
factorily in driving the rest of
the Japs off the Kohima-Im
phal road in Manipur state, and
large scale withdrawals of Jap
anese forces south and east to
ward Ukhrul.
Twen’y-four miles northeast of
Imphal, congested columns of re
treating Japs were strafed by the
RAF.
Allied headquarters said the
monsoon was slowing up allied
operations, however rubber boats
were used to maintain some posi
tions and to evacuate casualties.
Allied troops compressed fur
ther the Japanese defensive arch
in Mogaung and Myitkvina in
northern Burma.
Chinese troops reached the
north bank of the Mogaung river
opposite the town of Mogaung,
while Chindits were holding the
village, bordering it on the east.
For the first time, the Chinese
were using flame throwers and
bazookas in the attack on Myit
kyina.
An allied setback was reported
in the Lungling sector, 100 miles
southeast of Myitkyina.
Chungking headquarters, how
ever, said the Chinese troops were
forced to give up that Burmese
Road town. The Chinese announc
ed its capture June 11th, and de
clared it was their biggest suc
cess west of the Salween river.
LOS ANGELES REPORTS QUAKES
SUNDAY EVENING; NO DAMAGE
LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 19.
— (AP> — Downtown buildings
swayed, residences trembled, bur
glar alarms were set off and many
persons fled from the streets as
two quakes were felt early this
evChing, With two lighter shocks
being' reported today.
Communities just south of here
felt shocks yesterday, which were
the strongest since Mkrfch 10,
1933, when 121 persons-were kill
>
ed, and property damage in the
amount of 75 million dollars in
compton, Long Beach and Los
Angeles, was estimated.
No material damage was re
ported from the shocks, the first
of which was recorded at 5:03 p.
m„ and the second at 8:05 p. m.
Three women watching a bac
calaureate service at the South
gate high school fainted with the
first shock.
Japanese Are
Repulsed On
Saipan Island
By CHARLES McMURTY
U S. PACIFIC HEADQUAR
TER 3 IH PEARL HARBOR,
June 19.—(AP>—The Japanese
attempting to counter-attack
the Yanks fighting on south
western Saipan Island were re
pulsed today, with the destruc
tion of 13 Japanese troop bar
ges, Admiral Nimitis announc
ed in a communique.
Armed American landing craft
Saturday smashed the movement
of land troops south of Garapan,
to cut off the Americans who
had already captured 10 square
miles of the island,
j. The capacity of the Japanese
barges varies between 29 and 100
men.
The brief communique did not
say whether any enemy soldiers
j landed, or hint of the number of
craft involved.
Churchill Says
Summer May
Bring Full Success
C7
_
LONDON', June 19.—f.Ap)—
, Prime Minis'er Winston Church
‘ ill, in a speech delivered in the
. Mexican embassy four days ago,
and permitted to be published
only today, said that a month of
this summer may “Bring full
success to the cause of freedom."
j The prime minister said, "The
invasion of Normandy was a
great tactical surprise, and the
Germans didn’t know it was com
ing till they saw' our ships."
"It may be that the events
which occur within the next few
months will show us whether
we w'ill soon be released from the
curse which wras laid upon us by
the Germans," Churchill said.
"The invasion," he added, “was
launched in full accord with the
Russians, and decisions made and
reached at Teheran.”
Touching on the political as
pects of the war, he said:
“Efforts are being made to
achieve permanent cooperation
and to build up an organization
w’hich, after this war, will
, strengthen the bands between all
our nations and succeed in pre
serving peace.”
House Approves
Dimond Bill
WASHINGTON, D. C„ June 19.
—The House today approved the
Dimond amendment to the De
ficiency Appropriations Bill, au
| thorizing the army to transfer the
Skagway hospital to the Interior
Department for tubercular pa
tients.
Also included was an appropria
tion of $200,000 for conversion of
; the project and operation expen
^ ses for the year.
Marshal Arnold
[ in Rome
ROME, June 19.—(API—Mar
shal Arnold visited Rome and the
Italian front today, conferring
Wffth allied military chiefs here.
7 _
Escape For Nazis
Seems Impossible
At Present Time
SUPREME HEADQUARTEH
TERS OF HE ALLIED EXPE
DITIONARY FORCES IN ENG
LAND, June 19.—(AP)—Amer
ican troops laid down a siegn
on the port of Cherbourg, tha
third greatest naval port in
France, after reinforcing and
broadening the assault corridor
which has isolated nearly 50.009
German troops in the Cher
bourg area.
Escape for the Germans appears
impossible, leaving them only two
choices — to fight to the death,
or the complete surrender of the
stronghold.
The spearhead of Gen. Brad
ley's spectacular drive *o capture
Cherbourg, was developed by Na
poleon. and the U. S. Ninth Divi
sion capture of the French naval
base will be an old story for this
division, for the Ninth broke
through the German defenses to
take Bizer‘e 13 months ago, un
der Maj. Gen. Manton Eddy
The U. S forces who have sev
ered the peninsula, are busy wid
| ening the break-through path to
the Atlantic coast, which even
last night was more than seven
miles wide.
The Germans are fleeing down
toward La Haye du Puits, a big
road junction seven miles south
of St. Sauveur le Vinconte, into
what appeared to be another trap,
as one American spearhead has
been wi'hin four miles of La
Haye for several days, and is this
spearhead takes the town of La
Haye. the Germans in that area
will be in another pocket between
St. Lo. Dourville and the Atlan
tic coast.
A third American column un
der Gen. Bradley's command,
struck south of Lison to within
six miles of St. Lo, an important
rail and highway junction in the
Vire valley, 42 miles south of
Cherbourg.
The Ninth Division crushed a
German at’empt to burst the
American trap when the Germans
lashed out in the night, in heavy
close-order attacks near St. Jac
oue de Nehou but were thrown
back with heavy losses.
British forces battled their way
into the town of Tilly Sur Seulles
with the Germans still holding in
the southern part of the town.
American Forces
Beat Back Strong
Jap Opposition
- *■* . -*»
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 19.
—Beating back opposition, the
American forces were converging
on the Aslito airfield, in the
south central part of Saipan Is
land, today.
According to latest reports, the
marines and the army infantry
units improved their positions.
One hundred and twenty miles
to the south, warships bombarded
Guam, but the report gave out no
further details.
North Pacific American bomb
i ers roared out in three assaults
against Paramushiro, Matsuwa,
Simushiri and Shumushu.
Enemy fighters were beaten
off, with one probably shot down.
Several American planes sustain
ed minor damage.
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