Description

Spearhead

Vol. 1, No. 6 — 2nd Infantry Division, France — Sunday, July 9, 1944

2 pages scanned

Issue 6 leads with the push on Caen — “Allies Storm Key Nazi Defenses.”

Names

• Anderson, Arne (referenced — held 1500 meter run world record of 3 minutes 45 seconds before Hagg broke it; came second in 3 minutes 44 seconds)
• Barker, Richard A. (Pvt — from Salina, Pa.; educated at Salina Hi School; works in field of construction; Silver Star award)
• Bond, Ward (actor — played part of John L. Sullivan in movie Gentleman Jim; sued for divorce by wife who charged cruelty; Back Home item)
• Doy, Edward M. (Capt — hails from Sedalia, Missouri; office management in civilian life; Silver Star award)
• Farci, Julius (barber — Los Angeles, California; solved problem of five unmanned chairs in his barber shop; allows customers to shave themselves for 20 cents; furnishes razors, shaving cream, lotion, powder and hair oil; Back Home item)
• Flayer, George W. (2nd Lt — from Lima, Ohio; graduate of Ohio State University; traveling salesman; Silver Star award)
• Fortune, Charles B. (Pvt — hometown Spur, Texas; grocer; Silver Star award)
• Garswell, James A. (Pfc — hails from Burke County, North Carolina; teamster whose favorite hobby is hunting; Silver Star award)
• Hagg, Gundar (Sgt — the Flying Swede; set new world record in 1500 meter run lowering Arne Anderson’s record of 3 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 43 seconds; Track item Sports column)
• Joyce, Willie (boxer — lost to Willie Pep in 15-round featherweight title bout in Chicago; Sports item)
• Kesselring (Field Marshal — making a big effort to hold Leghorn; turning every village into a strong-point and every house into a pillbox; Bitter Fight for Port)
• Page, James L. (1st Lt — from Houston, Texas; employed by the Humble Oil Co.; Silver Star award)
• Pep, Willie (featherweight title holder — decisioned Willie Joyce in 15-round title bout in Chicago; 74th win in his first 75 fights; Sports item)
• Quinn, John P. (2nd Lt — comes from California; his home being Los Angeles; from school to army; Silver Star award)
• Richards, Kenneth L. (Capt — native of Durant, Oklahoma; high school teacher in the good old days; Silver Star award)
• Rommel (Field Marshal — supply roads east of Caen taking a pounding; may not have a bridge left in this sector strong enough to carry heavy reinforcements; referenced in French Fronts Afire article)
• Sorensen, Sam Jr. (Pvt — born in Taylor, Texas; attended Taylor Hi; was captain and star on the football team; Silver Star award)
• Tompkins, Otis L. (Sgt — hometown Cleveland, Oklahoma; schooled at Port, Okla.; trucker and semi-pro wrestler; Silver Star award)
• Weissman, Cpl (cartoonist — illustrated French Kid’s View of the 2nd Division GI cartoon)

Locations

• Adriatic Sea — shown on Italian front map
• Ancona, Italy — shown on Italian front map
• Baranowicze, Belarus — with capture of Baranowicze, strategic Dvinsk-Brest-Litovsk railroad one rail link cut for Nazi supplies north as far as Narva on the Baltic
• Budapest, Hungary — airdromes near Budapest hit by 500 Mediterranean-based bombers
• Burma, Northeast Front — Chinese within 12 miles of Mogaung village in Mogaung Valley
• Caen, France — at 0430 Saturday Canadian and British 2nd Army Troops launched new drive for Caen; crashed to one-half mile of Caen’s center; attacked with bayonet and flame throwers on a 6-mile front; took objectives in an hour; no big tank clashes
• Carolines (Islands) — Yap Island base bombed for 3rd day running
• Florence, Italy — shown on Italian front map
• Genoa, Italy — shown on Italian front map
• Imphal, India — Japanese across railroad connecting Imphal and Kohima cut off
• Kohima, India — Japanese across railroad connecting Imphal and Kohima cut off
• Kowel (Kovel), Ukraine — following Moscow’s confirmation of Kowel’s fall; Germans report new Russian attacks on Kowel-Lwow road
• La Haye du Puits, France — Yanks gained more ground; pushing down the few dry corridors in the area
• Leghorn (Livorno), Italy — Yanks on west coast captured 3 more towns 11 miles from Leghorn; Nazi western delay line anchor; Kesselring making big effort to hold
• Minsk, Belarus — Moscow reports over 28,000 killed and 16,000 captured in fighting behind Minsk including 14 Nazi generals
• Mogaung, Burma — Chinese within 12 miles of Mogaung village on Northeast Burma Front
• Narva, Estonia — with Baranowicze capture, rail link cut for Nazi supplies north as far as Narva on the Baltic
• Normandy, France — French forces of the interior now fighting Germans within 20 miles of the raging Normandy fronts
• Oriel, France — limestone caves serving as supply depots for flying bombs pasted at Oriel, 45 miles north of Paris
• Orne River, France — Rommel’s supply roads move over River Orne east of Caen; river shipping 190 miles around Paris attacked
• Paris, France — RAF Lancasters and Halifaxes ranged as far as Paris; rail junctions vital to rush Nazi reserves to Normandy targeted; river shipping 190 miles around Paris attacked
• Rome, Italy — shown on Italian front map
• Saipan Island, Pacific — American troops have beaten off determined Japanese counter-attack on Central Pacific
• Jean de Daye, France — taking of St. Jean de Daye was speeded by heroic work of engineers manning bulldozers under fire pushing rubble and sides of Vire Canal in to build bridges
• Tyrrhenian Sea — shown on Italian front map
• Ukhrul, Burma — Japs on northern outskirts of Ukhrul village being mopped up by 14th Army troops
• Vienna, Austria — shown on map of synthetic oil plant targets (implied from Mediterranean bombers story context)
• Vilna (Vilnius), Lithuania — Soviet push continues with fighting in Vilna, key rail city; strong Russian reinforcements brought up for assault
• Vire Canal, France — engineers manning bulldozers under fire pushing rubble and sides of Vire Canal to build bridges
• Wiener Neustadt, Austria — synthetic oil plants near Vienna hit by 500 Mediterranean-based bombers
• Yap Island, Carolines — Jap base bombed for 3rd day running by American troops on Saipan Island area

Units

• 14th Army (British) — troops mopping up Japs on northern outskirts of Ukhrul village; troops across railroad connecting Imphal and Kohima cut off
• 2nd Army (British/Canadian) — launching new drive for Caen at 0430 Saturday; crashed to one-half mile of Caen’s center
• 2nd Infantry Division (U.S.) — publishing unit; operating in Normandy, France
• Mediterranean Air Forces (Allied) — force of 500 bombers hit airdromes near Budapest and synthetic oil plants near Vienna/Wiener Neustadt
• A.F. — Lancasters and Halifaxes pounded troops and key defense positions; ranged as far as Paris; attacked rail junctions and river shipping
• Vultee Aircraft Corporation — given permission by Army to remove camouflage from outside of San Diego, Cal. plant to increase production of four motor bombers