Man Spricht Deutsch lei On Parle Francois Warten Sic einen Augenblick. TRIPES Je suis aviateur. Varten Zee alnen OwgenMick. THE sm Juh SWEE Ah-viah-TYCH. Wait s moment. Sally Newspaper of U-S.ArmedforttJ the European Theater sf OpmtbM I am a flier. Vol. 1—No. 122 lFr. New York—PARIS—London lFr. Thursday, Nov. 23, 1944 7th Army Sights Rhin No Holiday Thanksgiving, 1944 French Advance ButTurkey In the town of Eschweiler, which is in Germany, mortars burst about the battered house and plaster dust sifted down from the ceiling. Frank Iuluno, a T/5 radio operator from New York City, looked up. 15Mi. North war- Is Plentiful "I'm thankful that roof is strong," he said. "I'm thankful I'm still kicking around." Americans on the Continent to- Ail day they'd fought in the rubble which had been houses along day observe their third Thanksgiv- the streets of the German town. Some of them had died, and some of ing of World War II, their first on All Metz Captured the other people, and there was all the smell there that had been in the Western Front. For almost all all the other towns since Normandy long ago. Pfc Mike Arviso, a C Co. of them—as Armistice Day—it is medic from Lordsburg, NM., was bandaging a fellow's hand in a door- a day of war. way sheltered a little bit from the mortar fire. U.S. Seventh Army troops pushed through the outer ring For the U.S. Army Quartermaster "I'm thankful I'm alive," Arviso said. "I'd like a big turkey of German Vosges Mountain defenses to within sight of the Corps it is a day of reckoning. dinner, but I'm thankful for C rations." He went on with his Rhine River yesterday, while below them the French pushed Exactly six weeks ago, Maj. Gen. bandaging. Robert M. Littlejohn, ETO QM 15 miles northward along the west bank of the Rhine from chief, promised that there would be From the company CP, Jerry Hooker, a first lieutenant from Eugene, captured Mulhouse to Colmar, pulling an Allied loop around turkey for every man here. Ore., stared out into the November weather. the southern flank of the Nazi West Wall in Alsace. Yesterday's news that 1,604 tons "I'm thankful," he said slowly, "that we're getting into Ger- Northward, spearheads of three more American armies of plump bird had been distributed many and getting it over. Fd%e more thankful for clean clothes on the Continent indicated that he and dry shoes and for a shower." —the First, Third and Ninth—thrust deeper into the pine wasn't taking any chances. The lieutenant looked down at the wetness of his clothes, and the forests and dingy towns of the Reich and the capture of Keynote to the solemn aspect of mud on his feet, and stared again at the November weather. Metz, Europe's mightiest fortress, was announced officially. this year's Thanksgiving Day was Now and then a 60mm. mortar coughed at the Germans and the Gen. Eisenhower sent aa congra- a message to the men of the U.S. muddy men around it twisted their heads a little as they waited for the tulatory message to the XX Corps First Army by Lt. Gen. Courtney noiso of the explosions. S/Sgt. C. A. Little, the Elizabeth, N.J., weapons which took it. H. Hodges. He said: platoon sergeant, said: Mop-up Troops The Seventh Army advance across Message from Hodges "I'm thankful we're fighting in their fatherland instead of the Vosges Mountains brought ele- "Let us join together in giving our home or in some other country." He told a man to move In Eschweiler ments to 25 miles west of Stras- thanks to God that our efforts in over a little bit in the mud. bourg, toward which the French this struggle with evil and oppres- were pointed from the south, and sion have been blessed with suc- The fellow went up to S/Sgt. Len Lindberg, from Beverly, Mass., Find Only Ruin threatened to encircle thousands of cess. I know of no words that could and asked him what he was thankful for this day in the town of Esch- enemy troops in Alsace. The ad- weiler, and the sergeant said: express to you the gratitude I feel By G. K. Hodenfield - vance to Colmar, south of Stras- so deeply in my heart. It is enough "I'm thankful all the frontline troops are getting turkey: and Russell Jones bourg,' was announced by Gen. to know that because of you the I've seen them." Stars and Stripes Staff Writers. Charles de Gaulle, according to free peoples of the world are today "I'm thankful the mail is good," said M/Sgt. Henry Traman- WITH FIRST ARMY INF. AT Paris Radio. giving thanks to God Almighty who tano, of Brooklyn. "The AFOs kept their word and delivered the ESCHWEILER, GERMANY. - Nazis Cut French Corridor has made possible your vast achie- Christmas packages." Eschweiler is like Aachen—the same Stars and Stripes Correspondent vement. Let us call upon Him to The mortars pickei up their beat again; plaster was slammed from sort of fighting, the same sort ot Dan Regan, With the Sixth Army strengthen our hearts against the civilians, the same sort of Joes, the Group, reported that German heavy ordeals that lie ahead, that we may the houses of the town, and the mud and stone mushroomed now and then around the men who were spending Thanksgiving eve in Germany. same sort of prisoners. panzers counter-attacked French assure the final success of our arms. The artillery and Air Force had forces near Dannemarie, west oi Let us, in remembrance of our com- a go at Eschweiler before the troons Mulhouse and Altkirch, and cut a rades who have passed on, give moved in and the town is now lust section of the corridor the French thanks to Him that we live to as- 10th Armored 'Tigers' Prowl another big pile of rubble and hold to the Rhine. sure that lasting peace for which debris, stacked around walls i,hat Armored elements of the First they died." hide only movie-set versions of French Army which took Mulhouse, Services will be held in some of Reich Despite Traps, Mines what once were the homes and Alsatian industrial city, captured Europe's most famous cathedrals,' shops of 34,000 persons. There is more than 1,000 prisoners, including Including Notre Dame in Paris, plenty of mortar activity on both part of the 19th German Army cathedral at Rheims, and Westmin- By Earl Mazo sides these days and little by Uttlf staff, Regan said. ster Abbey in London. Stars and Stripes Staff Writer. the town is being beaten down to Regan reported that French WITH TENTH ARMORED DIV. IN GERMANY, Nov. 22. village size. armored forces with the Seventh —This division has smashed through to Germany at several Civilians Stay Behind rolled well beyond the Saverne Gap defenses eight miles east of Sarre- 350 U.S. Fliers points, and a column this morning was tackling one of the Nearly all of Eschweiler now ;r in our hands and the fighting is bourg which fell Tuesday. outer defenses of the Siegfried Line west of the Saar between Just a matter of looking for Jerries, The breakthrough brought some Mi ssmgin that river and Luxembourg. The Tenth Armored "Tigers" finding them, and then either kill- Seventh Army elements to 18 miles were the first division of Pattern's ing or capturing them. Many are of the Rhine, which constitute the More than 350 American airmen Third Army to reach Germany. taking refuge in cellars and 'lave (Continued on Page 4) —the crews of 35 bombers and 13 While there has been opposition French-Built Plane to be pried out one at a • time. fighter pilots—are reported missing aplenty from German troops and Resistance in some places is very from Tuesday's 1,250 Eighth AF. artillery, tankers and armored Given to Eisenhower stiff, indeed. U.S. Fly Bomb Fortress and Liberator attacks on doughboys of this outfit figure S/Sgt. Raymond Paquin, of Sacra- mento, Cal., and Pvt. Athul Stogner, oil plants in western Germany, dur- their biggest obstacles so far have The next time Gen. Eisen- ing which 1,100 escorting Eighth been of an engineering nature. of Henriette, Okla., brought in nine hower visits uni-3 of the French Tops VI in Test Mines of every description, in- and Ninth AF fighters shot down Army under his command he (Continued on Page 4) 73 enemy fighters. cluding concrete "plastic," bounding, WRIGHT FIELD, Ohio, NOv. 22. and boxwood, enclosed Reigel may fly in an airplane bearing Following up the day attack, more the tricolored circle of the Phone Tieup Continues —The Army Air Forces have de- than 1,300 RAF Lancasters and Hali- mines, tank ditches and traps at WASHINGTON, Nov. 22.—A strike veloped a robot bomb which has every turn and advantageous spot, French Air Corps. faxes heaped bombs on the syn- The monoplane, of the design of Ohio telephone workers continued been making test flights since Oct. blown bridges and craters are thetic oil factories at Sterkrade the French built for the Ger- today despite a threat by the War It, it was officially disclosed today. and Castrop-Rauxel in the Ruhr everywhere in the path of the ad- mahs during the occupation, was Labor Board that the government It is considered better than the and on the railway yards at Aschaf- vancing Tenth.