Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of The Dav In Pictures'* Mem her Of Fhe Associated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 43. No. 125. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1941 Pe‘ Copy 134
Invaders Sharply Threaten Manila
Pope Pius Broadcasts Christmas Message to World
New Reverses Jar Hitler’s Armies
And Stir Speculation Possibility
Of A New Berserk Nazi Thrust
UNDATED, Dec. 23 </P) —
Sharp new reverses jarred Hit
ler’s invasion armies on two
fronts in Russia and North Af
rica, as the world speculated on
the possibility of a sudden ber
serk thrust by the fuehrer in an
attempt to retrieve his tattered
military fortunes. European ob
servers predicted that Hitler, in
his new role,of supreme war lord
of the German armies will soon
try to open a new front in re
gions less hostile to blitzkieg cam
paigning than winter-frozen Rus
sia. Turkey, the Middle East,
Spain. Gibraltar, French Africa,
and the British Isles appeared
the likliest targets for attack.
^ ar Preparations
In Bulgaria
A Soviet broadcast said Ger
man-dominated Bulgaria is speed
ing war preparations along the
Turkish frontier and the an
nouncement of Bulgarian mobil
ization is expected shortly. The
broadcast said the Bulgarian port
of Varna and the Rumanian port
of Constanta on the Black Sea,
are in complete German control,
evidently ready to serve as bas
es for same new German thrust.
- i
German Forces
Reported Massing
Powerful German forces have
repeatedly been reported mass
ing in Bulgarian in recent
months. Berlin and Rome both
hinted that important military
developments are imminent.
Nazi and Fascist commentators
using the word “decisive,” while
Stockholm observers predicted
that Axis operations have moved
from “east to west."
|L ~~aaTH
Armies in Africa
On the North African front,
Cairo headquarters said that Brit
ish mobi'e troops have reached
the coastal plain and the Gulf of
Sirte, south of Bengasi, in what
appeared to be a maneuver to
cut off the main Axis armies
fleeing south ward from Derna
and westward from Mekili to
ward Bengasi.
Guerillas Harrass
Retreating Nazis
On the Russian front, counter
marching Soviet armies are re
ported to have driven the shiver
ing ill-clad German invaders
from 75 mere vi'lrges. Fierce
Russian guerilla bands are now
said to be blocking the Nazi re
treat abandoning hit and run
tactics for stand and fight blows.
you can ave -2.00 by paying si
months ii idvance fe*- vour su!
icription ; The Nome Nugget
WAR SPREADS TO SINGAPORE
Japanese planes raided Singapore (1) while fighting between Brit
Lsh trdops and Japanese landing parties was reported near Kota
Bhafti (2). Japanese were reported to have landed at Sabakt In
Malaya, and at Patani, Singora and at Prachuapgirkhand (3), all
in Thailand. Japanese also crossed into Thailand from their Indo
china base of Siemreap (4). Jap bombers raided Hongkong (5).
Defenders of Manila Battling Jap
Invaders 125 Miles From City.
New Threat Develops 7a Miles Off
MANILA. .Dec. 24 (TP) — The
defenders of Manila are battling
a Japanese invasion army 125
miles north of the capital, and
faced a grave threat from a new
direction as the enemy succeeded
in landing heavy forces 75 miles
southeast of the city Forty trans
ports crept up during the night.
The new landings were effected
at Atimonan, a small fishing port
on the Luzon east coast.
"Resisting Stubbornly”
A communique issued by the
U. S. Army headquarters at 4
p.m. said American and Fi ipino
troops are “resisting stubbornly”1
on both fronts but added omin
ously that “the enemy continued,
to land reinforcements.”
An official bulletin described
the fighting in both sectors as
"very heavy,” but failed to say
whether the invaders are making
any progress toward Manila.
Japs Try Divide
Defending Forces
WASHINGTON. Dec 24 (d‘i -
The War Department announced
the appearance of enemy troop
-hips off Batangas, on the south
ern tip of Luzon Island, about
(15 mi es from Manila and indicat
ed the possibility of another
tiiru ;t in htat region. The enemy
1 tndcd heavy forces in the vic
inity of Antinoman and the new
i treat gives the Japanese two
points, apparently trying to de
■ >y General McArthur into split
ting his defending forces.
Good News Comes From Three
Main Theaters Of The War As
Roosevelt and Churchill Confer
UNDATED, Dec. 23 f/Pi
Good news came from three
main theaters of battle in the
Pacific as President Roosevelt
and Prime Minister Churchill con
fcrred in Washington on mas
ter “victory program," for the
destruction of the Axis powers.
Fight Japs To Standstill
In the Philippines, a U. S.
Army bulletin indicated that
American and Filipino defense
fighters fought to a standstill, the
vanguard of the powerful sea
borne Japanese forces landed at
Santo Tomas, 125 miles north of
Manila. A War Department com
munique said the Japanese in
vaders are still pouring in
troops at the Lingayen Gulf
coast were the main struggle is
raging. The fighting is marked
by ‘increasing intensity.”
The communique said the hos
tile landing operations “are be
ing supoprted by increasing num
bers of bombing and attack plan
es.”
American and native Filipino
troops, hidden in the green jung
les are reported taking a heavy
toll of the Japanese on the land,
while U. S. aviators hacked
away at them in the skies.
For the first time, Dutch na
val planes were officially report
ed in action in the Philippines,
attacking Japanese troop trans
ports and other hostile ships in
the harbor of Davao. A commun
que said a 10,000-ton Japanese
oil tanker received a direct hit
by a 440 pound bomb and instant
ly burst into flames.
Hongkong Counter-Attacks
In the siege of Hongkong, dis
patches from Singapore said
Hongkong’s defenders are far
from surrendering and actually
counter-attacked and netted a
slight gain.
Chinese forces on the main
land. attacking the rear of the
Japanese seige armies, are report
ed to have advanced to within
14 miles of the beleaguered is
land, while other Chinese troops
are reported 27 and 40 miles
away on the Malaya front, where
the Japanese invaders are slash
ing through th<> jungles in a
drive against Singapore. The
British reported “no change" in
the situation.
Heavy Damage to Japs in Malaya
British and Malayan troops are
credited with inflicting heavy
damage on the Japanese in sharp
fighting 330 miles north of Singa
pore. Nine Japanese planes were
reported shot down by the RAF
yesterday.
Imperial Tokyo headquarters
was silent on the bitter fighting
north of Manila but asserted that
Japanese expeditionary forces
have completely occupied "Little
Japan," a city in the Province of
Davao on Mindanao Isand. 600
mies by airline south of Manila.
Churchill Arrives
In United States
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (A1!—
Prime Minister Churchill arriv
ed in the United States today,
the White House announced, to
“discuss with President Roose
velt, all questions relevant to a
concerted war effort.” He arriv
ed by air, accompanied by Lord
Beaverbrook and a technical
staff.
I
Christmas Carols
Are to be Sun” by
Dutch Harbor Men
SEATTLE, Dec. — On Christ
mas Eve a chorus of 100 voices
belonging to Army, Navy and
civilian defense workers will
echo against the snow-clad hills
protecting Dutch Harbor, the
Navy’s base near the tip of the
Aleutian chain.
Word has been received at 13th
Naval District Headquarters here
that the chorus has been formed
and is holding regular practice.
POPE PIUS XII
4 ope Pius Laments ‘Harsh \ iolenee
Which Rages AH Over the World*
In Christmas Message Prom \ atiea"
r
UNDATED, Dec. 24 (A>\ High
British quarters declared that
Hitler and his battered armies,
retreating in Ru-sia and North
Africa, are instigating new "war
nerves" by floating rumors of an
mminent German invasion of
Spain or Turkey, while Pope
Pius, in a Christmas Eve broad
cast. lamented ‘on the harsh vio
lence that rages all over the
world like a storm.”
~
War Nerves
The London foreign office
p kesman said the Germans
hern selves are festering fears of
ct ano'her outbur-t of violenc*'
by the Nazi war machine. The
spokesman said there is nothing
to confirm either rumors of an
impending Clt t man thrust into
Spain or Turkey, or ether re
ports circulated by Reuters and
subsequently denied by the
French Vichy news agency, that
o’d Marshall Petain had resigned
as France's chief of state.
Rush To Idea
Mi«hl Is Ri^hl
The Pope declared sorrowful
ly "There is an unbridled im
pulse toward expansion of the
idea tht force creates right.” En
visioning a new era. arising
from the ashes of this w rid
struggle, the PontiIT declared
there must be no place in it for
mi itary force to threaten hu
manity, and proposed the pregros
sive limitation of armaments
when the struggle is ended
British Take
Two key Axis
f
Positions in Afriea
UNDATED, Doc. 24 iJP) — In
North Africa, Britain’s desert
armies are “rapidly completing
their occupation of Cirenaica" it
was officially reported, with the
capture of two key Axis points
as the pursuit of the broken Ger
man and Italian forces contin
ued. The British said their troops
seized the Axis air base at Ben
ina, 12 miles east of Bengasi,
the stronghold of Barge, 52 miles
northwest for Bengasi.
Buy Defense Bonds and Stamps
Russians Drive
Least 50 Miles
In Moscow Area
UNDATED, Dec. 24 <7P> — So
viet dispatches said that the Red
armies are riding out miles in a
sustained offensive and recaptur
ed 94 populated places on the
southern Moscow front and that
the Germans were driven back
at least 50 mile in the Leningrad
sector. Russians said the tattered
; winter-pinched remnants of Col.
i Gen. Guderian's once proud Ger
! man tank army are now retreat
I ing toward Orel, 100 miles south
| west of Tula.