Description

Spearhead

Issue No. 177 — 2nd Infantry Division, Belgium — Thursday, January 11, 1945

2 pages scanned

The division is now in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.

Names

• Caverly, Ernie (referenced — leading scorer in basketball with a 28 point average; Sports column)
• Easten (Drake relay mentor — says annual relay carnival will go on as scheduled this year unless orders from Washington come through asking them to be cancelled)
• Jacques, Lt (1st Lt — still pinches himself to make sure he is still among us; while taking a little stroll exploded a booby trap made from a grenade and buried in the mud; survived with broken tooth and face full of mud; First-Hand News About the Second)
• MacArthur, Douglas (Gen — described damage done by Jap shore defenses as immeasurable; knocked out bottleneck bridge 26 miles north of Manila; strategy for reconquest of Luzon being kept bare; had units steam past mouth of Lingayen Gulf to appear Formosa were being attacked; crafty general)
• Nimitz, Chester W. (Adm — had units of the invasion fleet steam right past mouth of Lingayen Gulf to appear Formosa were being attacked)
• Patton (Gen — 3rd Army; men beat back heavy Boche attacks at Longchamps 3.5 miles NE of Bastogne; gained ground on both flanks)
• Rosenfield, Leo (1st Lt — ordered to meet a colonel at certain crossroads; found a Jerry tank instead of the officer; crawled up to discover whether tank was deserted; two Germans opened up on him with machine pistols; reached for his own, only to find it and his belt missing; picked up a rock and threw it at his opponents; scrambled back to radio to call for artillery fire which destroyed the tank; later found his pistol; First-Hand News About the Second)
• Rundstedt (Field Marshal’s forces — men and armor streaming east through the salient for past 5 days; British units gained over 3 miles on a 10-mile front)
• Vincent, Joseph L. (Capt — Asst. Regimental Supply Officer; since winter struck the Belgium countryside has issued some 6,000 wool knit caps; his Christmas mail arrived and contained a new wool cap; First-Hand News About the Second)
• Weissman (cartoonist — signed illustration of two soldiers in snow on back page)

Locations

• Bastogne, Belgium — Gen. Patton’s men beat back heavy Boche attacks at Longchamps 3.5 miles NE of Bastogne; gained ground on both flanks; 101st AB Div. got closer to Houffalize
• Belgium — publication location; 2nd Infantry Division in Belgium; country side struck by winter
• Budapest, Hungary — Soviets took 1000 blocks, 5000 prisoners; now hold 6 districts over 3/4 of city; Nazis lost 40 tanks trying to gain Budapest totaling 500 tanks in past 6 days on East Front
• Cologne, Germany — 1100 Forts hit 4 airfields, road and railroad bridges at Cologne
• Dagupan, Philippines — town fell the first day of Luzon landing
• Eupen, Belgium — shown on Belgium/Germany map of Ardennes area
• Formosa — MacArthur and Nimitz had units steam past mouth of Lingayen Gulf to appear Formosa were being attacked; already coming from Mindoro and Leyte attacks
• Houffalize, Belgium — U.S. cut last main supply road west of Houffalize (1500 Extra bulletin); 101st AB Div. got closer to Houffalize; shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Karlsruhe, Germany — 1100 Forts hit rail yards and bridges at Karlsruhe
• Koblenz, Germany — shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Komarom, Hungary — Soviets only 1.5 miles from Komarom, Nazi railroad head feeding their breakthru attempts
• Korea — shown on Pacific operations map
• La Roche, Belgium — 2 U.S. tank columns with infantry that had plowed south of La Roche battered into town from the rear; last fighting in center of this hub of 5 roads; shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Leyte, Philippines — attacks already coming from Mindoro and Leyte
• Liege, Belgium — shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Lingayen, Philippines — U.S. troops landed on Luzon’s Lingayen Gulf shores at 0930; already average 4 miles inland; motorized units 18-20 miles from beach; 15-mile front from Lingayen on right to San Fabian on left
• Longchamps, Belgium — Gen. Patton’s men beat back heavy Boche attacks at Longchamps 3.5 miles NE of Bastogne
• Luzon, Philippines — U.S. troops landed on Lingayen Gulf shores; linked up 4 bridgeheads into 15-mile front; town of Dagupan and other villages fell first day; once Lingayen airfield in shape MacArthur’s fighters and bombers able to set off 2-way attacks on Manila
• Malaya — India B-29s hit Malaya, Japs say Singapore (1500 Extra bulletin)
• Manila, Philippines — MacArthur described damage as immeasurable; knocked out bottleneck bridge 26 miles north; once Lingayen airfield in shape fighters/bombers can attack Manila 2-way
• Marinduke, Philippines — attacks already coming from Marinduke (Marinduque)
• Mindoro, Philippines — attacks already coming from Mindoro and Leyte
• Nagasaki, Japan — shown on Pacific operations map
• Namur, Belgium — shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Osaka, Japan — shown on Pacific operations map
• Prum, Germany — shown on Belgium/Germany map; 3rd Army area
• Ryukyu Islands, Japan — shown on Pacific operations map
• Samar, Philippines — estimated 100,000-200,000 Jap troops in lower reaches of sprawling island expecting attack from Mindoro, Marinduke, or Samar
• Samree, Belgium — 2nd Armd. took Samree high ground to south
• San Fabian, Philippines — 15-mile front from Lingayen on right to San Fabian on left
• Seige (Budapest), Hungary — Soviets on 14th day of Seige, taking 1000 blocks
• Shanghai, China — shown on Pacific operations map
• Singapore — India B-29s hit Malaya, Japs say Singapore (1500 Extra bulletin)
• Hubert, Belgium — Germans admit evacuating St. Hubert; Allied sources are mum
• Vith, Belgium — 82nd AB Div. swung east into heart of Vielsalm astride road to shattered St. Vith; shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Stavelot, Belgium — shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Trier, Germany — shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Verviers, Belgium — shown on Belgium/Germany map
• Vielsalm, Belgium — 82nd AB Div. swung east into heart of Vielsalm astride road to shattered St. Vith
• Yellow Sea — shown on Pacific operations map

Units

• 101st Airborne Division — got closer to Houffalize in center of Bastogne salient
• 2nd Infantry Division (U.S.) — publishing unit; operating in Belgium during Battle of the Bulge
• 3rd Army (U.S.) — Gen. Patton’s men beat back heavy Boche attacks at Longchamps; gained ground on both flanks
• 7th Army (U.S.) — Thunderbolts knocked out 29 tanks in 7th Army sector
• 82nd Airborne Division — units swung east into heart of Vielsalm astride road to shattered St. Vith; 10 miles east of Samree units of 82nd AB Div.