VOL. 46.—No. 111. NOME, ALASKA, DECEMBER 29, 1943 PER COPY—15c
Vatutin’s |
Army Takes
Two Cities
LONDON, Dec. 29.—Six days
after his troops regained the of
fensive, Gen. Vatutin's forces
stormed the outer defenses of
Zhitomir and Korosten, strate
gic junction points on the Len
mgrad-Odessa railway, 80 miles
west of Kiev.
One spearhead of Vatutin's
first Ukraine army is within It)
miles of Zhitomir after sweeping
through Korostishev-Smolovka.
Heavy Soviet field guns were
planted less than 20 miles away,
and are softening the cityls de
fense works, while other advance
units smashed the weakening
enemy lines and captured the
town of Zlobichi, five miles south
east of Korosten, and Bekhi, an
equal distance northeast.
Thus, in the firs> week of his
new winter offensive, Vatutin
recaptured approximately half of
the territory Marshal von Mann
stein took during his abortive five
week tank drive in the Kiev
bulge.
Important town's, retaken in
clude Radimysel and Brusilov.
In northern White Russia. Gen.
Ivan Bagramian's Siberian shock
troops dissipated 16 German
counter-attacks in the approach'!
near Vitebsk and killed more
than 1200 Nazis.
Dispatches said the Russian
vanguard were within five miles
of Vitebsk.
South of the Kiev bulge, in the
Dnieper bend, the Germans were
^ also falling back.
In the drive on Kirovograd
the Russians destroyed 33 Nazi
tanks and killed more than 1,000
enemy troops.
SINK THREE
DESTROYERS
LONDON, Dec. 29.—(AP)—
A brilliant new victory of the
British navy’s campaign destroy
ed the latst effective strength of
the German fleet in sinking by
combined warship and air action,
of three German destroyers in
the Bay of Biscay and crippling
others, it was announced by a
communique which followed by
only a few hours, publication of
the full story of the sinking of
9 the Schamholtet.
Full details of the Bay of Biscay
action are yet to be told, but it
is plainly a large scale enterprise ;
and one which perhaps is still
continuing.
“Other details were awaited,”
according to the communique,
which said it had been alssumed
from the wording of the commun
ique the German naval vessels
may have been escorting an
enemy convoy through the Bay
of Biscay, which lies west of
JVance and due north of Spain.
mrs. McCarthy
VISITING IN NOME
Mrs. Ome McCarthy, who has
been teaching in Teller this year,
is in Nome over the holidays vis
iting with her husband, W. B.
McCarthy, who is working for
the Sommers Construction Co.,
and her two boys, Paul and Wal
ter, who are attending the Nome
Territorial High school.
Plane Accident
On Nome Beach
Taking off on his return trip
to Kotzebue in the Curtis-Robin
plane he was flying, Pilot Clar
ence Goza, flying for the Fergu
son Airways of that city, wrecked
his plane at 11:30 this morning
on the iced landing field on the
beach of this city.
Pilot Goza, after finding that
he was unable to take off from
the runway, tried vainly to right
his plane after it had struck a
hummock on the ice which had
ripped off the left ski of the
piane. m g ^
The vehicle swerved first one
way then another, resulting in
the wings tips being badly de
molished and the undeifctructure
torn from the plane.
ience without injury, as did also
Tommy Johnson, a passenger in
the plane.
—
ROBERT WELSH
SUCCUMBS
BELLINGHAM, Wash. Dec. 29.
—(AP)—Robert A. Welsh, prom
inent 39-year-old Puget Sound
and Alaska salmon packer, died
at his home of a heart attack to
day.
He was president of the Bel
lingham Canning Company which
operates a cannery at Klowack,
Alaiska, and was also vice presi
dent of the Icy Straits Salmon
Co. of Seattle, which has a can
nery at Hoonah, Alaska, and was
a partner in the Anacortes Can
ning Co.
FORECASTS
GERMANY’S
DESTRUCTION
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2S.—<AP)
Vice President Henry Wallace
forcasted destruction of Ger
many’ war might within a few
montl^s after crossing of the
English Channel in the invasion
of Europe.
He said: “Such a drive coordi
nates a full scale offensive with
the Russians’ offensive and our
own troops in Italy and will
quickly place the Germans in an
impossible position.”
Wallace, in a radio interview,
praised the nationls war effort in
1943, and asserted a greater civ
ilian sacrifice would be needed
next year.
Looking beyond the wrar. Wal
lace said the United States must
“keep the people fully employed”
to pay off the war debts and
‘'have a standard of living high
er than the decade of the thir
ties.”
SUFFERING
FROM COLD
WASHINGTON,, Dec. 29. —
(AP)—President Roosevelt has a
head cold and hils physician, Rear
Admiral McIntyre, suggested he
remain in his White House head
quarters, with no appointments
scheduled for the day.
TOJO TELLS OF
SERIOUSNESS
OF THE WAR
UNDATED—'Premier Tojo told
the upper house of the Japanese
Diet that the allied “counter of
fensive has become real and that
serious apd fierce fighting is rag
ing or. various fronts."
The Tokyo radio said in a
broadcast recorded by a United
States government monitor sta
tion. recorded the news today.
In another broadcast the Tok
yo radio told the Japanese peo
ple that recent allied operations
in the south Pacific has brought
the war to “a decisive stage
which will decide the rise or fall
of our nation.”
The premier, in the capacity of
ninister of war, reviewed the re
•ent military developments while
jscnbing great power to the al
ien drive. He insisted the Jap
nese army and navy were “re
mising the enemy’s counter-at
acks wherever confronted."
Emperor Hirohito formally
opened the 84th session of the
Diet yesterday, declaring, “the
var situation was most serious.”
He also stated Japan must
bring to bear a total effort to
defeat ‘‘inordinate ambitions of
the enemy.”
In an English language broad
cast recorded by the Associated
Press, Tojo was qnuted as saying
the Japanese army and navy were
“firmly maintaining and consoli
dating strategic offensive posi
tions throughout all the opera
tions area, although there had
been some minor changes in cer
tain sections.”
ATTENTION MASONS!
Installation of officers post
poned until further notice.
N STRAND. W. M.
Canadians
Capture
Vital Point
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
ALGIERS, Dec. 29.—(AP)—Can
adian troops who captured Or
tona in a most violent house-to
house battle in the Mediterranean ,
campaign, smashed north along j
the coast in snow and sleet to
ward Rome's Adriatic port of 1
Pescara, an allied communique .
said, after an eight day “bitter
struggle in Ortona.’’
Medium bombers bombed air- ’
fields “near Rome,” the commun
ique added, pounding buildings,
hangans and dispersal areas near
Ciampino. south of Rome, accur
ately blasting Centocelle, east of
Rome.
A German broadcast recorded
in London, said that Rome was
bombed at noon yesterday.
The Nazi controlled Paris ra
dio asserted “Allied bombs" fell
near St. Peter’s basilica. No al
lied confirmation was given that
Rome itself was attacked.
On the Fifth Army front the
Germans launched a full scale at
tack down the eastern coast near |
the town of Pont di Gargigliano
near the mouth of the Garigliano
rivere. where the battle was still
in progress. Farther inland.
Fench Moroccan troops captured
a 3,000-foot mountain in heavy
fighting, and the American troops j
closed in on San Vittore on the :
vital Rome road.
TELLS OF
ALASKA
NEW YORK. Dec. 29.—(AP)—
Hank Borowy, New York Yankee
pitcher, on a tour with baseball
dignitaries in Alaska, wrote a !
letter from Kodiak to Ed Barrow,
president of the Yanks, describ
ing fishing in the Territory.
According to the writer you
"don’t need fishing tackle here to
catch salmon.”
The star twirler of the Yanks
informed his boss, “They are so
thick you can get all you want
with a baseball bat.”
Borowy also wrote that service
men were eager for baseball
news and that he had “spent nine
days in Anchorage and had made
13 appearancqs, and must have
answered 500 questions at each
performance.
QUARANTINE
TO BE LIFTED
Nome comes into itls own again
tomorrow morning when the ban
of meetings of all kinds will be
lifted from the city, according to
an announcement made today by
Dr. Dr. Thomas Morcom, city
health officer.
At the time of going to press,
The Nugget had not been inform
ed of the schedule of events
which will follow the lifitng of
the ban, other than that the
Dream Theatre would re-open
tomorrow evening, offering to
the public “Mr. Bugs Goefe to
Town,” a feature length cartoon,
and ‘‘Unusual Occupations.”
Dr. Morcom advised further
that every precaution should be
tak^n to prevent any further con
tagion.
Marines
Near Vital
Airdrome
ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS IN NEW GUINEA,
Dec. 29.—(AP)—United States
marines invading Cape Glouces
ter, New Britain, are within a
mile and a half of the enemy air
drome. according to an announce
ment from Gen. MacArthur’fc
headquarters.
According to the announcement
37 Japanese planes were downed
in heavy enemy raids.
The Sixth army's positions at
Arawe, 60 miles southeast of Cape
Gloucester saw the enemy again
attacking the outposts, but found
them repulsed as Sunday attacks
of the enemy showed their fight
ing energy somewhat lower.
Marines, landing at Cape Glou
cester wen. responsible for four
stiff counter attacks which were
beaten back.
The airdrome at Cape Glouces
ter is the prime objective of the
leathernecks.
Target Hill, an elevation of
450 feet, fell to the marines. This
position, which used artillery to
pound enemy positions on the
airdrome nearby, fell alter tanks
and bombing planes aidded the
marines.
The marines made a two mile
advance from their original
beachheads toward the airdrome.
The Australians have been
progressing in their ground ac
tion on the Huon Peninsula in
New' Guinea.
A communique said they had
captured a key point in Ramu
Valley, while another Aussie
force had captured a Japanese
barge from the supply base of
Walingai, gathering quantities of
supplies and equipment which in
cluded artillery.
The marines which stormed
Cape Gloucester and succeeded in
taking Target Hill, were under
command of Lt. Col. John E.
Weber, of Seattle. The command
ing officer, whose men met the
first opposition on the landing, is
33 years old and was born in Val
dez, Alaska.
BOMBERS IN
RAID ON WATJE
PEARL HARBOR, Dec. 29.—
(AP)—Heavy bombers of the
Ameican Seventh Army air for
ces, dropped more than 50 tons
of bombs on Watje Island in the
Marshall group, according to
Admiral Chester Nimitiz.
The announcement said this waa
one of the heaviest raids yet
made on the Japanese bases on
the Marshall islands.
Wotje, one of the enemy’s six
strongest points on the islands,
has an air base as good as An
chorage’s.
Six Zeros rose to intercept the
raiding party, and two of our
bombers were lost.
It was also announced that a
low altitude attack had been
made on Jaluit and Atoll shipping
on December 26 by a raiding par
ty made up of Ventura bombers
and Rellcat fighters of Fleet Air
Wing No. 2. All the planefe re
turned to their base.