The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1943-12-27
German Battleship Sent Dolun in Sea Fight
Eisenhower Is 10 Be
Supreme Commander
To Open Second Front
tBy Associated Press

4
nounced the appointment OF Gen.
Dwight d. Eisenhower as Supreme
I Commander of the Anglo-American
Forces to open the second front
against Germany. He made no re-
ference as to the future OF Gen.
George G. Marshall, Chief of Staff
of the United States Army, who was
reported earlier as the choice for
the vital European command.
A British officer was announced
by British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill to take over Eisenhower
command in the Mediterranean.
Roosevelt in the address to his
fellow countrymen at home and the
armed forces overseas, made 1t clear
the selection of Gen. Eisenhower
was approved at the recent war con-
ference in the Middle East, and said
he, Churchill and Josef Stain in
the three days intense, consistent
ly and amicable discussions at Te-
heran agreed upon every point con-
corning the launching of the gigantic
attack on Germany"
ENFORCEMENT Movement
The President added. The Rus
sian army will continue stern Of
fensives against Germany's eastern
front and the Allied armies in Italy
and Africa will bring. a relentless
pressure on Germany from the south
and the enlightenment will be COM
plete as the great American and
British forces attack other points on
the compass.
The commander selected to lead
the combined attack on these and
other points is Gen. Eisenhower. His
performances in Africa. Sicily and
Italy have been brilliant He knows
by practical and successful exper-
fence the way to coordinate air, sea
and land power All these will be
under his command.
Lieut.. Gen. Carl Spaatz will COM
mand the entire American strategic
bombing force now operating against
Germany.
Gen. Eisenhower gives up his
command in the Mediterranean to q
British officer
I'VE now pledge that the new
commander of our powerful ground,
sea and air forces, vital to the Medi-
terranean, will stand by his side
until every objective in that bitter
theatre OF war is attained"
Japan Is Next
President Roosevelt did not neglect
the opportunity to note that Japan
too will feel the weight OF the tre-
mendous new blows. He said that
in the talks with Churchill and
Chang Kai-Shek in Cairo, all
manifold military plans for striking
Japan a decisive force from many
directions" were considered and Il
believe the Generalissimo has gone
back to the capital with positive
assurances of total victory over
our common enemy"
| The President referred to the visit
of Gen. Marshall. just completed, to
the headquarters of Gen. Douglas
Macarthur in Australia and Admiral
Chester w. Nimitz in Hawaii. He
said the conferences there spell
plenty of bad news for the Japs in
the not too distant future"
The address was carried over the
! largest international radio setup ever
arranged and it was so planned to
reach as many as possible OF the
1900 900 men overseas ON duty, the
number, the President said, which
will climb to more than 5000, 900 by
next July.
Warning Note
The speech carried a warning, q
foreboding note that heavy casualties
might be expected in the ranks OF
the American fighting men.
/ The President said the war is
now reaching the stage where We
shall have TO look forward TO large
casualty lists of dead and wounded
and missing. War entails just that
1t is no easy road to victory. The end
is not yet in sight"
The President sought TO under
mine any complacency that might
develop on the home front and he
thought he had detected tendency
on the part of some people to as
sumo quick ending OF the war and
that victory is already won. Per
haps this is the result OF false rea-
soning but surely our first and fore
most task nj all concerned Is winning