Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 26, 1994 TAG: 9401260042
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Greg Edwards
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In recognition of the sacrifice of the region's veterans, we look at the following selection of World War II headlines from the South Pacific, Europe and the home front for the week of Sunday, Jan. 23, through Saturday, Jan. 29, 1944:
American and British troops by the thousands landed on the beaches south of Rome in an attempt to outflank defenders of the Italian capital city. The Germans, who initially appeared to have been caught by complete surprise, responded with a savage counterattack both at the Anzio beachhead at all along the allied line at the Cassino front.
Adolf Hitler named Marshal Erwin Rommel, the former "Desert Fox," as inspector general for defense of Europe, making Rommel Germany's supreme anti-invasion chief. Actually, Field Marshal Karl von Rundstedt, who had once referred to Hitler as "an inflated lance corporal" and who had shown his open scorn for Naziism, was expected to remain as the real leader of anti-invasion forces.
Col. Neele E. Kearby of San Antonio, Texas, was awarded the Congressional Medal of honor for shooting down six Japanese planes in one air battle. Kearby was the reigning South Pacific ace with 21 confirmed kills.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt set up a war refugee board to assist in the immediate rescue from the Nazis as many as possible of the persecuted minorities of Europe - "racial, religious or political." Roosevelt stressed it was urgent that action be taken at once to forestall the plan of the Nazis to exterminate all the Jews and other persecuted minorities in Europe.
Roy Acuff, star of the Grand Ole Opry, and his Smoky Mountain Boys were coming to the Roanoke auditorium for a one-night show. Others on the bill were Uncle Dave Macon and the Dixie Dewdrops, and Ford Rush, the singing high sheriff.
Bill Dickey, a catcher for the New York Yankees for 15 years, was named the baseball player of the year by the Baseball Writers' Association.
Dr. Willis J. King, president of Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, the largest Negro theological seminary in the United States, was to be the speaker at the 22nd observance of Race Relations Sunday at Greene Memorial Methodist Church in Roanoke.
Two famous flying fortresses, Tinker Toy and Whale Tail II, were missing in action over the German industrial city of Bremen. Both planes, which had been featured in the movie "Hers to Hold," were hit but struggled on to their target. Lt. Jesse L. Boston Jr. of Luck Avenue Southwest in Roanoke was navigator on Whale Tail.
More than 30,000 Virginia registrants called for induction into the armed services failed to meet the minimum education standards. The failures represented roughly 10 percent of all the registrants examined.
The Red Army cut off the escape route for 250,000 German troops caught in a pocket southeast of Leningrad.
A large number of counterfeit and unendorsed gasoline ration coupons that had been found throughout the 62 counties of the Roanoke District Office of Price Administration indicated a widespread black market in gasoline was at work.
Argentina broke relations with Germany and Japan after discovering an extensive spying network among Axis diplomats.
The Army and Navy released reports - from officers who had escaped prison camps - of how the Japanese had starved, tortured and wantonly murdered the defenders of Bataan. The country pledged revenge.
by CNB