THE NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. 46—No. 73. NOME. ALASKA, FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 1944. PER COPY—15c.
■
Bomb Noemforh
Island, Japanese
Flank Position
ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS ON NEW GUI
NEA, June 23.—(AP)—Intensi
fied bombing of Noemfoorh Is
land. a Japanese position flank
ing the American invasion of
Soen. and Biak. off the Dutch
New Guinea coast, and a one
plane assault on a 15-ship con
voy near Palau, was announced
today by headquarters.
Liberators pounded Noemforh,
approximately 30 miles west of
Biak, Wednesday, in a stepped-up
assault against stores and person
nel areas near KamirikornaSoren
airfield, a base of possible coun
ter blows against Biak. where *he
Americans hold three airdromes.
600 miles to the northward, one
Liberator sank one merchan'man
near the end of the Palau group.
The direction of the convoy
was undetermined.
Palau is at the southern end of
the great naval battleground sur
" rounding the Marianas Islands.
In the Biak area the allies
were mopping up the stubbornly
resisting Japs, both on land and
in the waters off the bloody is
land, where they halted evident,
Nipponese at'empts at infiltration,
linking three barges heavily la
den with personnel and supplies.
* ' i *_ ; • -_
\Uied Forces in
Italy Making
Good Progress
ROME. June 23.— (AP>—Allied
* forces in Italy are making good
progress along both coastal sec
tors, but-, it is apparent that the
Germans are planning a deter
mined s’and along the positions
between Lake Trasimento and
Lake Chiusi, and north of Peru
gia, it was reported today.
—In the central sector the al
lied headquarters indicated that
the Eighth Army was encounter
ing “strong resistance" north of
Perugia and southwest of Lake
Trasimento, where German coun
terattacks were repulsed, the
communique said.
The Algiers radio news round
up said allied forces in the Ad
riatic sector, were 25 miles from
the important seaport of Ancona.
On the west coast the Fifth
Army, despite strong resistance,
pushed forward astride Highway
One, leading through Livorno to
Pisa, and is approaching Folon
ica, tome 50 miles below Pisa,
believed to be the anchor of the
next major German resistance
line.
AUTHOR RETURNS TO
NOME FOR BOOK DATA
Miss Jean Potter, author of
“Alaska Under Arms," has Re
turned to the '“north country”
for more information on the his
tory of Alaskan aviation.
Making personal contacts with
all the “bush pilots”, and atl who
have been connected in any way
with aviation. Miss Potter is also
writing for “Time'*, the weekly
magazine.
In the near future, Miss Potter
expects to go to College, Alaska,
where she will write her story on
aviation n Alaska.
Tell them you saw it advertised
in The Nome Nugget
RUSSIANS VISIT MOVIE SET_co!. A. i>amiin,
Lt. Col. V. Bachtin and Capt. I. Lebedev of the Red Armv air
force chat with Eve Arden, film actress, on the set at Burbank,
Calif., where she is portraying the role of a Russian girl sniper
in a movie about Washington life.
Appointment of
Williams As Alaska
-*■ • .
Secretary Okayed
Confirmation By
Senate in
WASHINGTON. D. C.. June
23.—(AP)—Within two and one
half hours after the President
had sent the nomination of Lew
Williams, publisher of The
Wrangell Sentinel, as Secretary
of Alaska, the Senate confirm
ed the appointment.
Mr. Williams, resident of Alas
ka for many years, formerly re
sided in Juneau, until his assump
tion of the ownership of The
Wrangell Sentinel.
Throughout the pourse of his
residence in Wrangell, Mr. Wil
liams has ac|ed in the capacity of
postmaster for the southeastern
city, and also as mayor.
Prior to that time, he was iden
tified with newspaper work in
Juneau and other par*s of the
Territory.
Mr. Williams has many friends
in the Territory who wish him
well in his new appointment, and
offer him hearty congratulations.
U. S. Forces Take
One of Three
Defense Peaks
SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
OF THE ALLIED EXPEDITION-!
ARY FORCES IN ENGLAND,)
Jund 23.—(AP)—American forces
captured one of the three defense
peaks dominating Cherbourg, al
lied headquarters said today.
The peak is four miles from
the sea southeast of Cheroourg,
and at Tourlaville, Americans are
now storming the remaining two
fortified peaks.
Headquarters said a prolonged
siege is unlikely.
Terrific Naval
And Air Attack
On Port Blair
I .
KANDY, Ceylon, June 23.—
| (AP)—The allied Southeast Area
Command reported today, a ter
I rific naval and air attack on Port
i Blair in the Andaman Islands,
J in the Indian ocean, to the west
ol the Malay coast.
The announcement of the al
j tack on the port said that con
I siderable damage was done to
shipping, harbor facilities, ware
! houses, supply dumps, hangars.
| and other military Installations.
I
j The attack was carried out by
: an allied naval task force which
I I
• included several aircraft carriers j
: and other warships.
l _______________
Dewey Criticizes
The National
Administration
CHICAGO, June 23.—(AP)—
Governor Dewey, of New York,
1 sent the Republican platform
drafters a message criticizing the
national administration a sj
“sprawling, overlapping, bureau-1
cracy,” calling the new regime in
! which the President will act with
I Congress to “raise federal ser
J vice to a high level of efficiency
1 and competence.”
The message from Dewey, who
i supporters contend will win the
Republican nomination on the
first cir second ballot in next
week’s convention, was read to
the platform committee after Sen
ator Vandenburg presented a pro
posed foreign plank calling for
the creation of “peace forces” to
pervent further wars. *
The people of Manipur, India,
do not eat meat.
j tied Armv Said
i To Have Launched
Summer Drive
„
LONDON, June £3.—(API—
, The Germans iodey announced
|thsl the Bed Army was slrik
13 mg o*o the third anniversary
of Kifler'r surprise evasion of
Russia.
| It has been reported that the
Soviets have launched their long
awaited summer offensive on the
■ eastern front.
While Moscow has not as yet
confirmed the opening of the
drive, the German command, in
official broadcasts, declared the
Red Army bad moved forward
yesterday on a broad front north
cl the Pr ipyal marshes, on the
took' direct road from Moscow to
: Berlin and Warsaw
The assault was coordinated
j with the attack and allied ad
; vanees in France and Italy.
The Germans said the large
scale offensive was set in motion
from south of Mogilev to north of
Vitebsk, with heavy tank and
plane support, while Moscow an
nounced that triple Russian spear
heads drove deeper against the
Finns north of Lake Onega, and
I up the Aunus Isthmus, as well
! as along the northern reaches of
i the Karelian Isthmus.
Berlin also said the initial
thrusts were parried, but "bitter
i fighting is still going on on either
side of Vitebsk.”
i
_
Carrier Planes
Mnk Japanese
Vireraft Carrier
—
] PEARL HARBOR, June 23.—
(AP)—U. S. carrier planes sank
, one Japanese aircraft carrier and
three tankers Monday in the third
j smashing blow against the Jap
anese fleet, following up Sunday’s
air battle off the Marianas, in
i which 353 Japanese planes were
destroyed.
In a combined attack, the third
hardest blow to the Japanese
' navy since Pearl Harbor, was ad
' ministered.
i
j A communique from Admiral
Nimitz said there was possibly a
fifth vessel destroyed or sunk in
Monday’s battle between the Mar
ianas and the Philippines.
Nine or 10 additional enemy
vessels were damaged.
, Stunned by surprise, the enemy
! flee* offered no counter-attack,
and fled with no sign that the
two fleets would join a big sur
face battle.
The Fifth U. S. Fleet suffered
no ship losses and only 49 of its
planes were lost.
Sunday’s air battle represented
an attempt by Japanese carrier
based planes to break up the Sai
pan campaign. .
Saipan is the principal enemy
stronghold in the Marianas and
lies 1,500 miles from Japan and
the Philippines.
Some of the American pilots
downed were rescued, Admiral
Nimitz stated in his communique.
MRS. SWANTON ON
BUSINESS TRIP HERE -
Mrs. Harry Swanton is spend
ing a few days in Nome on busi
ness for the Ferguson Airways of
Kotzebue. Mrs. Swanton is the
bookkeeper for the company.
Harry Swanton, her husband, is
pilot for the same firm.
Expect Large
Take of Skins
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 23.
—(API—“Between 60,000 and 70.
000 Alaska seal skins will be ta
i ken this summer in the Pribil
ofs,” Secretary of the Interior
: Ickes said today.
'
“Last year a record number of
117,000 skins wer etaken, to make
up for the 1942 season, when no
skins were obtained because of
militaiy operations in Earing
Sea.
\ewest Aircraft
Carriers Assigned
To Pacific Force
WASHINGTON. D C„ June 23
—fAP—From navy headquarters;
comes the report that the newest,
and biggest American aircraft
carriers have beafn assigned to
4ask force “58”, and was revealed
as history's “most powerful and
destructive naval unit.”
It was disclosed Thursday
night by Rear Adnliral Arthur
W .Radford, acting deputy chief
f of naval operations in the air, tn,
^describing the gh*. force which
routed the Japanese fleet east 6f
the Philippines Monday.
■ “We may safely assume that
most of the 22 big carriers com
missioned since Pearl Harbor,1
have been operating as part of
the big task force ‘58’," The
Bradford broadcast of the navy
communique said. “In addition to
the crariers, the force was made
up of battleships, cruisers and
destroyers.
He added: “It has been given!
the entire Pacific ocean, even, to
the gates of Japan.”
The navy gave no definite fig
ures on the big force, but said
that in the six months since its
j secret organization, it has “re
j versed the direction of traffic in
i the Pacific ocean."
j An indication of the size of-;
i "Task Force 58" was given in the
1 navy statement of a Japanese pi
! lot who saw the “force” “scatter
! ed as far as his eyes could peer,”
and who was captured later and;
reported, “One look at the Amer
ican task force “58” convinced
him that “Japan had lost the
; war."
_ i
Mrs. Will Rogers
Dead in California
SANTA MONICA, June 23.— *
(AP)—Will Roger's widow, whom
he courted on a bicycle, is dead.!
Mrs. Betty Blake Rogers, 65,1
died at the Roger's ranch home!
in Santa Monica canyon last
night.
Relatives said she had been ill
several weeks after suffering a,
severe attack of influnza in Wash
ington, D. C., during the winter.*
Three children survive, Will
Rogers, Jr., former congressman,
now an army lieutenant; James,
. Rogers, acting publisher of the
Beverly Hills Citizen, end Mary*
Rogers who resided with her mo-j
ther.
,
---
NOTICE!
The commit1 »e for the Fourth !
of July celebration, will hold a
jmeeting in the Court Roo f
the Fede- I I 'ilding. Su1 7
afternoon at 2:0C o'clock.
{Infantrymen
Rock German
Defenses in City
SUPREME HEADQUAR
TERS OF THE ALLIED EX
PEDITIONARY FORCES IN
ENGLAND, June 23,—(API—
American infantrymen rocked
the German defenses of Cher
buorg today, and continued the
powreful attacks on the porf,
an official announcement re
ported.
According to the communique,
“There were strong indications
that German forces had with
drawn from the eastern tip of
the peninsula to the city, for a
house-to-house stand.’’
Gen. Bradley’s all-out offen
sive is now in its second day, and
is striking against G-ermgin re
sistance at every point.
A particularly heavy battle
raged for control of the big air
field at Maupertus, five miles east
of Cherbourg.
Inside the besieged port the
German garrison stood up stub
bornly under yesterday’s 1,000
plane assault on the forts and
pillboxes comprising the city’s
defense.
The United States ground for
ces were forced to fight for every
inch of the advance.
Small gains were reported
around the port itself, but good
progress was made on both the
eastern and western sides of the
peninsula.
Recognize Nation
Of Bolivia
WASHINGTON. D. C.. June 23.
_(APl—The United States and 17
other American republics today
recognized the government of Bo
livia. thus ending six months of
diplomatic isolation of the South
American nation.
The recognition followed the
decision of the Bolivian govern
ment regime to definitely favor
the United Nations’ cause.
Nipponese Tell
Of Loss of Naval
Aircraft Carrier
NEW YORK, June 23.—(AP)—
Japanese headquarters today an
nounced in a report, acknowledg
ing the loss of one aircraft car
rier, two oil tankers and 50 planes
in an engagement with an Amer
ican task force west of the Mar
ianas. >
The communique admitted the
Japanese “were unable to inflict
a decisive blow to the enemy."
A broadcast recorded by the
Federal Communications Commis
sion said, “Only a part of the
combined fleet participated in
the action which began Tune
19th, Japanese time, and contin
ued unfil the following day."
The Tokyo communique assert
ed the Japs sunk or damaged five
allied aircraft carriers, and one
or more battleships, and 100 al
lied planes destroyed.
NOTICE)
The Chamber of Commerce
will meet in the office of Sec
retary L. Leach, at 8:00 o'clock
Mouday evening.
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