m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. 46.—No. 95. NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY,”AUGUST 16, 1944. _PER COPY—15c.
KLUGE STEPS UP
TEMPO IN RUSH
THROUGH GAP
|
t
SHAEF, France, Aug. 16.—
(AP)—Marshal Von Kluge pulled
most of his armor from the
^ dwindling Normandy front, to
today’s dispatches disclosed, step
ping up his tempo in the rush un
der the gauntlet of fire through
his Falaise escape gap, which has
narrowed to eight miles.
A German communique declar
ed the Americans had struck
eastward within 40 miles of Pa
ris .advancing 60 miles from the
Alencon area to the Chartres
Dreux sector, where bitter fight
ing is reported along the 20 miles
g between those turn ci*ies.
There has been no news of
such an eastward drive by Gen.
Patton s army, which seized Alen
con in its advance up from Le
Mans into Argentan, forming the
lower jaw of the pincers closing
in on Falaise.
A British staff officer, in the
field, acknowledged that Von
Kluge had extricated most of his
armored force from the Nor
mandy pocket, but hundreds of
vehicles were darting eastward
under heavy air and artillery
bombardment.
Resistance inside the pocket
was crumbling into a suicide
stand as at the approach of the
clean-up here, gave the allies a
firm hold on the western half of
the Seine and Loire quadrangle,
which extends inland to Paris.
It is believed that there are yet
50,000 or more Germans in the
trap 20 miles long and about eight
miles wide.
An explanation contained in a
front-line dispatch about the fail
ure of the allies to close the gap,
was that the two armies had to
exercise great care to avoid com
ing under each other’s artillery
fire.
The situation in the ancient
Breton north coast port of St.
Malo is obscure, but the German
Utommunique said Americans held
the city.
SURVEY PARTY
IN JUNEAU
JUNEAU, Aug. 16.—CAP)—The
Congressional party, headed by
representative A. L. Bulwinkle,
of the sub-committee on
Interstate Commerce and Avia
tion, arrived here today after
* completing a flying inspection of
Alfcian airport* and airways fa
cflitiee.
WRECKACE OF WAR —On the beach at San Stefano, Italy, wrecked ships bear mute testi>
v mony to the effectiveness of attacks by the Mediterranean Allied air forces.
KURILE ISLANDS
AGAIN HIT BY
U S. BOMBERS
_ i
WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 16.
—fAP)—Pounding the north Pa
cific Kurile Islands for two con
secutive days, American bombers
blasted shipping, airfield installa
tions and defense positions on
Paramushiro, Shumushu and
Araido Islands, it was disclosed
today.
The Navy reported shipping was
struck near Paramushiro and
Araido ,north of Paramushiro, on
both days.
A patrol vessel was sunk by
strafing near Araido.
About 20 enemy fighter planes,
attempted to halt the 11th Army
Air Force Liberators from carry
ing out their raids, but succeeded
in inflicting only minor damage
to the big bombers.
INCREASE SEEN
IN RESOURCES
—
JUNEAU, Aug. 16.—(AP)—An
increase of more than 300 percent
in Alaskan bank resources in the
past decade, was reported by Ter- i
ritorial Treasurer Oscar Olson I
today.
The statement showed the re
sources from 14 TerritorJ^. fe^nks,
and four National banks had in-j
creased more than $46,000,000, to:
'.&&& of- nearly $6O,OO(>,0Op.: r I
FDR VISITS
KODIAK BASE
WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 36.
— <AP) —President Roosevelt in
cluded a visit to Kodiak Island in
his tour of the Pacific, official
navy photographs disclosed.
Three of the pictures released
showed the President inspecting
the troops on the parade grounds
at Kodiak, and f.shmg in a little
stream on the island.
EIGHTH ARMY
MOPS UP IN
ITALIAN CITY
ROME. Aug. 16.—< API—The
Eighth Army mopped up German
resistance in Tempoli, on the south
bank of the Arno river, 25 miles
west of Florence, headquarters re- j
ported today.
The Dalian front however,
remained generally unchanged
The shelling of Florence by
German big guns gradually ta
pered off.
_I
AMBASSADOR
VISITS ALASKA
— -*•
JUNEAU, Aug. 16.—<AP>—Ray
Atherton, United States ambassa
dor to Canada, arrived here at
noon yesterday on a flour of Alas
ka Governor Brnest Grouping's
SEVEN SOLDIERS
BELIEVED DEAD
IN SKIFF MISHAP
HEADQUARTERS, ALASKAN
DEPARTMENT — Seven sol
diers, whose skiff apparently
overturned in the Bay area of
Valdez Arm while they were at
tempting to salvage signal equip
ment from the waters a week ago,
are still missing and must be pre
sumed lost), it was announced
July 20th at Alaskan Department
headquarters. !
Extensive searches have been
under way since the detail of
enlisted men failed to return to
their station at Valdez on July
11th Thus far only the overturn
ed boat, floating oars and one ar
ticle of equipment, which had
been caught in the tow rope of
the skiff, have been found.
Beaches in the area were comb
ed at) low tide by search parties
in skiffs and by other parties
landed from an Air Force crash.
boat, which was dispatched to the
scene. Watters of the Bay area
wereg dragged with grapplin
hooks for Four days in an unsuc
cessful attempt to recover the
bodies.
Military authorities said they
held little hope of recovering the
bodies because of glacial silt, un
dercurrents and the depth of the
bay.
• — - -
A Spanish synthetic motor fuel
i» a mixture of gasoline and a*,
vegetable product.
INVASION NOW
EIGHT MILES IN
SOUTH FRANCE
ROME, Aug. 16.—(AP)—Allied
invasion troops struck eight miles
inland after taking all initial ob
jectives and firmling establish
ing beachheads, it was disclosed
today.
Allied paratroops were drop
ping behind the lines, and were
credited with blocking enemy re
inforcements.
German resisfance continued
relatively weak, as the assault
forces fought on after the first
landings, but heavy German fire
blocked off the sea landing craft
at one point, it was learned, pre
ven4ing debarkation, it was re
ported by Tech. Sgt. Richard
Wright, of Arlington, Va., combat
correspondent.
Allied headquarters said oper
ations were proceeding according
to plan at both Nice and Cannes,
the two major seaside ci4ies in
the foothills of the Maritime Alps.
Reports by La Suisse, newspa
per of Geneva, stated the two cit
es have been captured.
Allied dispa4ches report that
Marseilles is imminently endan
gered by a force of French pa
triots and thousands of allied
paratroops. It Is also known that
allied troops have landed at Cap
Negre and the Freju area, 35
miles apart, on the coast between
Toulon and Nice.
German reports said other at
tacks were made in the St. Ro
pez. gulf region.
T*he Mediterranean air force
sent For resses against the vital
rail bridges in southern France in
support attacks.
OBJECTIVES
ARE REACHED
WITHIN HOUR
ROME, Aug. 16.—CAP)—Yester
day morning, American, British
and French troops storm ashore
in southern France, it has been
disclosed.
Initial dispatches from corres
pondents said the first objectives
were reached in less than an
hour, ,with a minimum of resist
ance. In less than two hours,
seven waves of infantry went
ashore at several points with
strong aerial and naval support.
Paratroops landed a few miles
inshore and before dawn had es
tablished themselves firmly on
the beachhead.