The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-12-28
Eneny Retreats on New Britain
Germans Hard
Pressed in
Europe

(By Intei national News Service)
American Marines who stormed
ashore in the second invasion OF
New Britain in less than two weeks
strengthened their hold on the Cape
Gloucester area OF that island to-
day and pressed steadily inland
after retreating enemy forces.
The Leathernecks, tested and
proven in the Guadalcanal cam
paign OF last year, were revealed
to have consolidated their beach
heads quickly after surging ashore
under perfect naval and aerial COW
er. They we're driving toward i'm
portant Japanese air strips around
Cape Gloucester, as well as to-
ward other vital enemy military in
stallations in the Bergen Bay area.
Enemy opposition was encount-
cred at Target HILL" said an Off
cial communique from Gen. Dou-
glas MacArthur's headquarters.
THE air strips and Bergen Bay
targets are under artillery fire."
Support Advance
Supporting the advance into the
underbrush by willy Marine jungle
fighters were both light and heavy
tanks. They were brought ashore
hard on the heels Of the initial in
vaders. who stormed the beaches
Sunday at two points without los
ing single man.
On the islands southern shore.
other American forces encountered
stiffening enemy opposition. Three
attacks on the right flank OF the
Sixth Army positions were success
fully repulsed.
The japanese radio acknowledg
ed that the Cape Gloucester bridge
heads had been established and
added that fierce fighting" con-
tinued. The enemy broadcast
claimed sinking of four Allied air
ships and damage to three others
as a result of air action. But Of
fetal United Nations reports plac-
ed the cost at but one small craft
sunk and three others damaged.
Other Heavy Blows
Meanwhile, there. were indies
ions tnaf osner heavy blows would
Re turned against the Japs. A
strong ssa-air fighting team, spear
headed by American aircraft car
rier task forces, was believed prowl-
ing the Pacific.
The Navy indicated its readi-
ness for grand new assaults against
the enemy when 1t disclosed that
the Cutiss "Helldiver" divebomb-
er, the last OF four new type COM
bat airplanes put into action in
the Pacific, had proved its worth
in assaults upon Rabaul
While the New Britain invaders
teamed with Allied forces moving
forward on Bougainville to form
the arms Of a developing pincers
converging on the Jap stronghold
Of Rabaul and pointed toward Truk,
other United Nations armies bat
tered the other Axis partner on
two different fronts.
Hard Pressed
DUN III Nuosld anu ildlgg INC
Germans we're hard-pressed.
Two powerful Russian armies ran
roughshod over battered NaZi
forces in their drives upon the i'm
portant enemy communications
centers OF Vitebsk and Zhitomir.
Gen. Ivan Bagramian's first Baltic
army captured more than 80 ad-
ditional towns and villages and
severed the vitebsk-Polotsk rail
road in their advance which threat
ened to trap huge German forces
within the former White Russian
junction.
To the South, Gen. Nikolai Va
tutin's first Ukrainian army over
ran more than 100 other inhabited
localities. including two important
district centers and several rail
stations. In their surge toward
Zhito-Mir. Unofficial estimates said
the Russians were hurting as many
as 100000 men against the retreat
ing enemy. and one unconfrmed
report said a spearhead OF the
Soviet columns had driven to within
See WAR--Page 2