Bluest Battle Since D-Day
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Man Spricht Deutsch Id On Parle Frangais Ich halt's eilig. THE Silt TRIPES Y'a-t-il des droits de douane? Ish hahb's ailig. Yateel day drwah duh dwAN? I am in a hurry. >ally Newspaper of U-S.Armed forces m tfc European Theater of Operations Does it pay duty? Vol. No. 147 lFr. New York — PARIS — London lFr. Thursday, Dec. 21, 1944 Bluest Battle Since D-Day ReichHurls Nazis Try Comeback Trail Germans' Assault lis Best Men Into Attack On 60-Mile Front By Dan Began Star* snd Stripes- Staff Writer WITH FIRST U.S. ARMY, Is Halted in North Dec. 20.—It is apparent to observers at the front that The security veil over the German counter-offensive the war might be won if the was lifted partially yesterday to reveal the bloodiest battles Allies can smash the current since D-Day raging through eastern Belgium and Luxem- German counter-offensive— bourg where masses of men and armor were locked in one an assault designed to snatch of the war's decisive struggles. victory or at least a favorable German armor smashed more than 20 miles into peace from what the Ger- Belgium in the first 48 hours of the Nazi blitz, the like of mans felt was an Allied which has not been seen in Europe since 1940. Exploding steamroller. The Nazis are using the best Saturday on a 60-mile front from the Monschau Forest to troops they have on the Western the German-Luxembourg frontier, the offensive penetrated Front. U.S. First Army positions at four points by noon Monday. • German officers are promising One thrust in toe German counter-offensive has been halted at their men that they will spend New Monschau, but in Belgium and Luxembourg Panzer Divisions spear Nazi armored strength in the drive was estimated at Year's Eve in Paris; that they will in the areas of Malmedy. StaveloT, St. Vith and Consdorf. between five and six Panzer divisions, including an unstated have Antwerp in five days; that number of SS Panzer divisions. Eight or nine infantry Aachen will be given to Hitler for divisions were thrown .into the assault, which obviously a Christmas present, and other Headlines Grim Reminder such promises to hypo the Nazi sol- was planned to kick-off when murky weather would handi- diers into fanatical action. cap superior Allied air power. The military consensus is that To U.S. War Far from Over this offensive was planned and is Panzer divisions encountered by Lt. Gen. Courtney H. being directed by "a s o 1 d i e r"— Hodges' battling First Army men included units met and which means that apparently Von By Carl Larsen smashed at Caen. These had been re-fitted for battle. Rundstedt, and not Hitler's intui- Stars and Stripes U.S. Bureau tion, is at the helm. NEW YORK, Dec., 20. — Germany's sudden shift to the offensive It was predicted the Germans probably will continue Aim for Supply Dumps in Belgium, mounting American casualties on the Western Front and to make progress. Counter-measures, it was said, cannot One present aim of the Nazi stepped-up draft requirements brought the nation a grim reminder be prepared in a day and it was warned that immediate spearhead will be to grab Amer- today that the war in Europe is far from over. results cannot be expected. ican supply dumps for the hoped- The nation's newspapers used Only in the north, in the Monschau Forest, has the for German drive through Belgium their boldest headline type to drive been reported as brought to , : : —. and Prance. BritishArmads report the German threat. Edito- a halt. There, First Army men These present German drives are rial writers checked history books smashed enemy forces which salients composed of armored entered the town of Monschau. FoeEmploying columns, tanks, trucks and armored IsUnderNimitz to draw parallels between the Americans also managed to regain infantry. The Germans are using current Nazi drive and the Ger- a portion of their old line east of the same technique we used in our PEARL HARBOR, Dec. 20 mans' final 1918 offensives under the town where there were still Tricks Aplenty recent armored spearheads across (ANS).—Conferences between Adm. Ludendorff. However, no attempt enemy elements to be mopped up. France with armored units dashing Chester W. Nimitz and the British was made to dismiss the threat Feverish German activity wis WITH THE FIRST U.S. ARMY, in several directions. „ spotted behing the U.S. Ninth and Pacific fleet commander, Adm. lightly, although Washington offi- Dec. 20. — The counter-attacking The aim of these spearheads ap- Bruce Fraser, who arrived here cials said they were confident it Third Army lines, according to Nazis were pulling every rabbit pears to be to cut off our commu- with his staff yesterday from Aus- ultimately would be checked.. front reports. nications and harass our troops. tralia, were begun today and their Meanwhile, the War Department Stars and Stripes Correspondent they had out of their helmets yes- First Army forces are holding first act was to give Adm. Nimitz announced that the ground forces Jules Grad with Ninth Army terday, using old and new ruses strongly along neighboring sectors command of Fraser's British ar- in western Europe suffered 57,775 reported that Ninth Air Force tac- in an attempt to bewilder U.S. of the drive, but the center still is mada. casualties during November, includ- tical commands Monday blasted the troops and infiltrate into American fluid. It is difficult to spot the As the naval experts conferred, ing 8,259 dead, 43,330 wounded and greastest concentration of German positions. columns exactly since they are in possibly on plans to increase Brit-' 6,18(3 missing. The Western Front military transport seen since the German vehicles were painted to (Continued on Page 2) ish co-operation in the war against toll since D-Day is 258,124. Falaise Gap. He said trucks look like those of U.S. units, and Japan, B29s, based on Saipan, The War Department also dis- camouflaged with brown and green some were even emblazoned with Zizzi Finds Zizzi, were bombing Tokyo. It was the (Continued on Page 2) (Continued on Page 2) white and yellow stars similar to third superfort raid in the last those which distinguish Allied com- Seeks Other Zizzis three days on the Jap mainland. bat vehicles. In the Philippines, Yanks on B17s Bomb Nantes Again— Captured U.S. tanks and equip- Cosmo Zizzi, a sergeant in a Leyte seized a Jap airfield prac- ment were being used by the tically intact and captured Valen- FA battalion, got a Christmas Nazis. In one instance, Germans package addressed to Cosmo cia, Jap headquarters on the is- This Time With Toys, Gifts land, then drove northward in an in an American tank pulled close Zizzi. "Well," said Cosmo, "I ate to US. infantrymen and yelled contents of same." effort to engage the Japs fleeing LONDON, Dec. 20.—Some 3,000 from home. In addition, officers in English: rt into the dense mountains. children will be guests of the 384th and EM contributed £460 to pur- "Later I look at the address, "Come on over here." he continued. "It's meant for Bombardment Group, veteran Fly- chase more gifts for orphanages in Cosmo Zizzi all right, but British Report Gains ing Fortress unit of the England- Nantes. When the GIs came over, they another one." based Eighth AF, at a Christmas Lt. Oscar Picard, of Linwood, were mowed down by the Nazis. Cosmo wrote Cosmo explain- Along Faenza Front party in the war-blighted French Mass., said a party will be held for Germans in civilian clothes, or ing what had happened, and city of Nantes. 300 children in one of Nantes' few wearing civilian garments over now, he says, "all is forgiven." ROME, Dec. 20 (UP).—British Several BI7s will take off with a undamaged orphanages, and an- Wehrmacht uniforms were cap- The two Co; aio Zizzis are a troops of the Eighth Army made cargo of presents for the children. other celebration will be held in tured filtering into the U.S. lines couple of pals, happy to share limited gains today north and north- The party will be held on New the city's windowless market hall on missions of sabotage and es- the name of Zizz . east of Faenza against strong resis- Year's Eve, France's traditional day for 2,800 schoolchildren. pionage. But what they want to know tance. Polish and Indian troops of for exchanging gifts, and the pre- The 384th, commanded by Lt. Some Jerries were dressing in now is, are there any more the same army virtually cleared sents include candy, toys, toilet Col. Theodore R. Milton, of Wash- GI clothes, complete to U.S. dog- Cosmo Zizzis in the ETO? If so, all organized enemy resistance articles and clothing. ington, D.C., in carrying- out 240 tags, in an effort to work their maybe they could start a Cosmo south of the Senio River and west The gifts have come from the operations over Europe, has hit way back through the lines, using Zlsi Club. of the main Bologna-Rimini high- group's rations, from PX pur- targets at Nantes on several occa- fifth-column tactics reminiscent way. chases, and from parcels requested sions. of 1940. Thursday, Dec. 21, 1944 Page 2 THE STARS AND STRIPES Atlantic Charter Exists Tracks Stilled, Guns Silenced CaptiveNurses, Patients Freed OnlyinNotes,FDRSays In Bold Coup WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (ANS).—A crossfire of questions By Wes Gallagher Associated Pre«» Staff Correspondent dealing chiefly with foreign affairs marked the first press SOUTH OF MONSCHAU, Bel- conference after President Roosevelt's return from Warm gium, Dec.