Description

Spearhead

Issue No. 188 — 2nd Infantry Division, Belgium — Monday, January 22, 1945

2 pages scanned

“Koniev Deep in Germany” — the noon edition.

Names

• Akre, Lawrence (Pfc — found German dressmaking pattern, rushed it to IFW as spy document)
• Cherniakovsky (Marshal — 3rd White Russian Army shelling Insterburg at 10-mile range)
• Granville, John C. (Lt — directed artillery fire from pillbox for over an hour; knocked out three tanks)
• Koniev (Marshal — 1st Ukrainian Army now in Silesia; took Kreuzburg, Stalin’s biggest German city yet captured)
• Malinowsky (Marshal — 2nd Ukrainian Army destroying remnants in Budapest; stands 80 miles from Vienna)
• Petrov (Marshal — 4th Ukrainian Army pressing hard on Nazis being yanked out of east Slovakia)
• Rokossovsky (Marshal — 2nd White Russian Army established in Prussia; captured Neidenburg and Tannenburg)
• Stalin (Marshal — named scores of powerful German fortresses already captured by Soviet troops in 3 communiques)
• Tolbukhin (Marshal — 3rd Ukrainian Army at Szekesfehervar, 50 miles SW of Budapest)
• Weissman (cartoonist — signed dog-and-soldier illustration)
• Young, Carl L. (S/Sgt — pulled Beau Geste on enemy during counterattack; 14 men left; held off Jerries for an hour; 39 Germans counted dead next morning, platoon lost no men)
• Zhukov (Marshal — 1st White Russian Army less than 70 miles from Poznan)

Locations

• Akyab, Burma — British commando units invaded Ramsee Island 60 miles south of Akyab
• Allenstein, East Prussia — Rokossovsky’s forces 14 miles from road linking Allenstein to Poznan
• Aschaffenburg, Germany — 1,000 British-based 8th USAAF Forts blasted rail hubs including Aschaffenburg
• Baltic Sea — shown on Eastern Front map; Danzig Free State 100 miles from Rokossovsky’s forces
• Berlin, Germany — Zhukov’s forces 225 miles from Berlin; shown on Eastern Front map
• Brenner Pass, Italy/Austria — medium bombers cut Brenner Pass rail line in 4 places
• Breslau, Germany — Koniev’s forces from Krakow: Pitschen 45 miles from Breslau; shown on map
• Brno, Czechoslovakia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Budapest, Hungary — Malinowsky destroying remnants; stands 80 miles from Vienna
• Danzig, Poland — Rokossovsky 100 miles from big Baltic Sea port; Danzig Free State 75 miles from Allenstein-Poznan road
• Dresden, Germany — shown on Eastern Front map
• Frankfort, Germany — shown on Eastern Front map
• Guttenburg, Germany — among heavily fortified cities bagged by Koniev
• Heilbronn, Germany — 8th USAAF Forts blasted rail hub
• Holland — British 2nd Army advanced 2 miles; cleared 30 sq. miles of German salient
• Houffalize, Belgium — 3rd Army advanced 4 miles thru 10 villages east of Houffalize in wake of Boche withdrawal on 20-mile line into the Seigfreid
• Insterburg, East Prussia — Cherniakovsky’s army shelling at 10-mile range
• Koenigsburg, East Prussia — shown on Eastern Front map; Tilsit driven SW within 45 miles
• Kolo, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Kosice, Czechoslovakia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Krakow, Poland — Koniev’s men bowled thru 60 more places southwest of Krakow
• Kreuzburg, Germany — Koniev took Kreuzburg, Stalin’s biggest German city yet captured
• Kyaukpyu, Burma — chief city of Ramsee Island 60 miles south of Akyab
• Lodz, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Luzon, Philippines — 6th Army took Tarlac 65 miles NW of Manila; Yanks get 5th Luzon airbase
• Manila, Philippines — Tarlac 65 miles NW of Manila; boxing matches planned there July 4th
• Mannheim, Germany — 8th USAAF Forts blasted rail hub
• Neidenburg, East Prussia — Rokossovsky captured great stronghold; where Hun defeated Russian Czar in 1914
• Oder River, Germany — less than 20 miles from Koniev’s leading elements; next natural barrier
• Pilsen, Czechoslovakia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Pitschen, Germany — among heavily fortified cities bagged by Koniev; 45 miles from Breslau and 230 from Berlin
• Plonsk, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Poznan, Poland — Zhukov less than 70 miles from Poznan, last big Polish city; shown on map
• Prague, Czechoslovakia — shown on Eastern Front map
• Radom, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map
• Ramsee Island, Burma — British commando units invaded 45-mile-long, 20-mile-wide island; 60 miles south of Akyab; Ramsee was key Jap base for shuttling supplies to west Burma
• Rosenburg, Germany — among heavily fortified cities bagged by Koniev
• Silesia, Germany — Koniev’s 1st Ukrainian Army now conducting operations in Silesia
• Slovakia — Petrov’s forces pressing hard on Nazis being yanked out of east Slovakia
• Vith, Belgium — 1st Army troops 3 miles away; early capture expected
• Szekesfehervar, Hungary — Tolbukhin’s 3rd Ukrainian Army at Szekesfehervar, 50 miles SW of Budapest
• Tannenburg, East Prussia — Rokossovsky captured great stronghold; where Soviets are just 14 miles from Allenstein-Poznan road
• Tarlac, Philippines — 6th Army took Tarlac 65 miles NW of Manila
• Tilsit, East Prussia — Cherniakovsky driven SW of Tilsit to within 45 miles of Koenigsburg
• Vienna, Austria — 15th USAAF heavies hammered oil plants and depots around Vienna; Malinowsky 80 miles away
• Warsaw, Poland — shown on Eastern Front map

Units

• 15th USAAF (U.S.) — heavies hammered oil plants and depots around Vienna
• 1st Army (U.S.) — troops 3 miles from St. Vith; early capture expected
• 1st Ukrainian Army (Soviet) — Marshal Koniev; now in Silesia; took Kreuzburg
• 1st White Russian Army (Soviet) — Marshal Zhukov; less than 70 miles from Poznan
• 2nd Infantry Division (U.S.) — publishing unit; operating in Belgium; earned title ‘der Barbaros’ among crack Hun units
• 2nd Ukrainian Army (Soviet) — Marshal Malinowsky; destroying remnants in Budapest; 80 miles from Vienna
• 2nd White Russian Army (Soviet) — Marshal Rokossovsky; established in Prussia; captured Neidenburg and Tannenburg
• 3rd Army (U.S.) — advanced 4 miles thru 10 villages east of Houffalize
• 3rd Ukrainian Army (Soviet) — Marshal Tolbukhin; at Szekesfehervar awaiting orders for coordinated attack on Austria
• 3rd White Russian Army (Soviet) — Marshal Cherniakovsky; shelling Insterburg at 10-mile range
• 4th Ukrainian Army (Soviet) — Marshal Petrov; pressing hard in east Slovakia
• 6th Army (U.S.) — took Tarlac; vain Jap attacks bloodily repulsed
• 8th USAAF (U.S.) — 1,000 British-based Forts blasted rail hubs at Aschaffenburg, Heilbronn, and Mannheim
• British 2nd Army — advanced 2 miles; cleared 30 sq. miles of German salient in Holland
• British commando units — followed heaviest US-RAF airblow in Burma; invaded Ramsee Island 45 miles long 20 miles wide