Description

Spearhead

Issue No. 185 — 2nd Infantry Division, Belgium — Friday, January 19, 1945

2 pages scanned

“Soviets Grab Key Cities” — Lodz falls and Krakow fighting reported.

Names

• Bell, Tommy (boxer — dropped to canvas in the 10th round; barely able to get up; lost unanimous decision to Sugar Ray Robinson with 11,000 fans watching.)
• Churchill (referenced — praised U.S. breaking of German Ardennes offensive in 2-hour London debate on foreign policy, calling it one of the greatest American battles in Europe.)
• Dobbs, Gil (veteran distance runner — announced he would tie on his running shoes for the last time to compete in the 2-mile run at the Boston YMCA meet.)
• Doerr, Bobby (referenced — grabbed American League slugging honors with .5277 despite Army taking him before the season was over; teammate Johnson 2nd with .5276.)
• Green, Bob (referenced — the person to ask if you want to know how it feels to be handed a live grenade.)
• Holata, Bob (Pvt — wireman on duty when barrage knocked out communication lines; found the break but had neither knife nor pliers so he skinned the wire with his teeth; later requisitioned a set of tools or a set of teeth.)
• Johnson (referenced — teammate of Bobby Doerr; 2nd in American League slugging with .5276.)
• Jones, Russell L. (S/Sgt — digging in for the night heard someone digging on the other side of the hedge; after one-way conversation the First Sergeant came up; deciding no friendly troops were in vicinity they investigated and bagged three Jerry prisoners.)
• Koniev (Marshal — troops bagged Piotrow and plunged on Lodz; Germans admit house-to-house fighting with Koniev’s forces inside Krakow.)
• Kreuger (Gen — 6th Army; two columns converging on Tarlac 70 miles north of Manila.)
• LaMotte, Jake (boxer — whipped Sugar Ray Robinson twice in later bouts; Robinson lost one over-weight bout to LaMotte.)
• Malinowsky (Marshal — in Hungary all of Pest east of the Danube is clear; nearly all of Buda on west side as 3,000 more prisoners taken raising 3-week total to 60,000.)
• Parker, Theodore (S/Sgt — had his tank shot out from under him; watched Tiger Tank lumber in and disgorge its crew for a smoke break; opened up with his tommy gun wounding one, killing one, forcing three to their heels; calmly took charge of tank until infantry came up.)
• Robinson, Sugar Ray (boxer — disposed of another contender by taking unanimous decision over Tommy Bell; now won 52 out of 53 fights losing only over-weight bout to Jake LaMotte.)
• Rokossovsky (Marshal — forces captured great fortress city of Modlin at juncture of Bug and Vistula Rivers among 1,000 other places NW of Warsaw.)
• Weissman (cartoonist — signed illustration on back page together with H.M.J.)
• Zhukov (Marshal — tanks flanked by hard-hitting cavalry units slashing forward on a 70-mile front; got 50 miles west of Warsaw to take Lowicz; swept on and crashed into Lodz, 2nd city of Poland.)

Locations

• Baltic Sea — shown on Eastern Front map
• Berlin, Germany — Lodz is 80 miles from nearest German border and only 260 miles from Berlin; shown on map
• Buda, Hungary — nearly all of Buda on west side of Danube; 3,000 more prisoners taken
• Bug River, Poland — Rokossovsky’s forces captured Modlin at juncture of Bug and Vistula Rivers
• Bydgoszcz, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Danube River, Hungary — all of Pest east of Danube is clear
• Dietkirch, Luxembourg — 3rd Army men forced 2 crossings of Sure River north of Luxembourg city and fought east into Dietkirch across the river
• Dnzig (Danzig), Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Faniki, Philippines — 6th Army columns captured Faniki, 12 miles further north of Tarlac
• Formosa — B-29s from Saipan and other bombers hit Formosa
• Frankfort, Germany — shown on Eastern Front map
• Hagenau Forest, France — Boches slackened attacks in Hagenau Forest but still fight bitterly from bridgehead north of Strasbourg
• Hamamatsu, Japan — B-29s from Saipan bombed Hamamatsu, key port SW of Tokyo
• Interburg, East Prussia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Kaiserslautern, Germany — 8th AF bombers hit Kaiserslautern; no German fighters sighted
• Kenigsburg (Konigsberg), East Prussia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Krakow, Poland — Germans admit house-to-house fighting with Koniev’s forces inside Krakow, one-time Polish capital
• Lingayen Beach, Philippines — B-29s from Saipan bombed Hamamatsu and Korba; 37 miles south is Lingayen Beach
• Lodz, Poland — Zhukov’s forces crashed into Lodz, 2nd city of Poland; 80 miles from nearest German border; 260 miles from Berlin; shown on map
• Lowicz, Poland — Zhukov’s forces got 50 miles west of Warsaw to take Lowicz; shown on map
• Lublin, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Luxembourg — 3rd Army crossings of Sure River north of Luxembourg city
• Manila, Philippines — 6th Army converging on Tarlac 70 miles north of Manila
• Modlin, Poland — Rokossovsky’s forces captured great fortress city at juncture of Bug and Vistula Rivers
• Obra River, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Pest, Hungary — all of Pest east of the Danube is clear
• Pilsen, Czechoslovakia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Piotrkow, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map; Koniev’s troops bagged Piotrow
• Poznan, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Prague, Czechoslovakia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Prussia — all along north shoulder of salient top SS and parachute units with tank support continue sharp attacks; Rokossovsky’s troops on right sighted Prussian border
• Radom, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Saipan — B-29s from Saipan bombed Hamamatsu and Korba
• Silesia, Germany — Moscow and Berlin cautious on mentioning whether Koniev’s forces crossed into Silesia
• Vith, Belgium — U.S. infantry and armor just 4 miles away; valuable as outpost protecting approaches to the Reich; 1st Army troops who took Vielsalm slogged 2 miles east thru Burtonville and pushed on
• Strasbourg, France — Boches fight bitterly from bridgehead north of Strasbourg
• Sure River, Luxembourg — 3rd Army men forced 2 crossings north of Luxembourg city
• Tarlac, Philippines — two columns of Gen. Kreuger’s 6th Army converging on Tarlac, 70 miles north of Manila
• Tokyo, Japan — Hamamatsu is key port SW of Tokyo; Korba referenced as near Tokyo
• Vielsalm, Belgium — 1st Army troops who took Vielsalm slogged 2 miles east thru Burtonville
• Vistula River, Poland — Modlin at juncture of Bug and Vistula Rivers; shown on map
• Warsaw, Poland — Zhukov’s forces 50 miles west of Warsaw; Rokossovsky’s forces NW of Warsaw; troops fanning out on right flank driving to flank Warsaw

Units

• 1st Army (U.S.) — troops who took Vielsalm slogged 2 miles east thru Burtonville; 4 miles from St. Vith
• 2nd Infantry Division (U.S.) — publishing unit; operating in Belgium
• 3rd Army (U.S.) — men forced 2 crossings of Sure River north of Luxembourg city and fought east into Dietkirch
• 6th Army (U.S.) — two columns under Gen. Kreuger converging on Tarlac; captured Faniki
• 7th Army (U.S.) — Boches slackened attacks in Hagenau Forest but still fight from bridgehead north of Strasbourg
• 8th Air Force (U.S.) — bombers hit Kaiserslautern; no German fighters sighted
• British 2nd Army — took Echt and Susteren east of the Meuse in Holland between Sittard and Roermond
• Volkssturm (German People’s Home Army) — state battalions thrown in at border to hold line until regular reinforcements could be rushed up along Silesia border