Show U. U S. S Troops Overcome Early Reverses To Advance on All Fronts During 1943 Italy's Surrender 7 Cracks Axis T Bloc Japs JaP s Pu Pushed From Pacific Outposts After fter Jungle Fighting Aleutian Victory Removes Threat to West Coast By AL JEDLICKA On July 25 1943 the world was electrified by the news that Benito Mussolini had resigned as premier of Italy Although details of the Duce Duces Duce's s 's downfall were meager there was a feeling that the he Rome Berlin o Axis had cracked and this was confirmed September 8 when Gen Dwight Eisenhower announced Italy's surrender i e eThus calculations Thus did events shape in accordance with Prime Minister Winston Churchill's Churchill s 14 to 24 Churchill and President President f resi resident of Italy being the soft underbelly of Europe From January dent Roosevelt had conferred with ith their war chiefs at C Casablanca North Africa where mili- mili I tary ary as well as political plans forthe for the year were laid and the general principle of unconditional surrender surrender surrender der was established There was further urther development of these plans when the Allied leaders met again at Quebec August 17 The year 1943 saw a new phase in World War Var II with the Allies swinging into the offensive and the Axis resorting to rearguard action to o slow the drive on their main Bastions Not only was this phase exemplified fied in Europe but it also was brought to the fore in the South Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- where dynamic imaginative Gen Douglas MacArthur began the push to oust the enemy from their outposts in the Solomons and New Guinea and clear the path for the of the Philippines and the he defeat of the Japs Even as Churchill and Roosevelt conferred in Casablanca Gen Bernard Bernard Bernard Ber Ber- nard Montgomery's British Eighth army was pursuing Nazi Marshal Erwin Rommel across the North African desert To the west along the he Tunisian border U. U S. S forces were vere moving into position to pinch off the enemy as they fought back toward oward and Tunis On May 7 these two seaports fell and five days later organized Axis resistance in n North Africa ceased with the Allies Alies Allies Al- Al lies ies taking prisoners General Montgomery had begun his lis drive at El EI in Egypt where Rommel famed fox of the desert had holed up just 67 miles away from the great British naval base jase of Alexandria U. U S. S troops o k M n q The wreckage-strewn wreckage naval air station at Pearl Harbor following the Jap sneak attack on the morning of December 7 1941 An explosion sends a mass of flames and add smoke into the sky moved into position along the Tunisian Tunisian Tunisian Tuni Tuni- sian border from Morocco to the west and Algeria where they had first set foot during the invasion of North Africa On February 11 Gen Dwight Eisenhower had been made supreme commander of Allied forces in North Africa and it was under his leadership leadership leader leader- ship that the North African campaign was concluded and the first attack launched directly against Italy on July 10 when Sicily was invaded Over ships of all types bore boreI I the British Canadian and American troops which cleaned out the island oy Jy August 18 Bloody Battle at Salerno Although Italy's surrender was negotiated by General Genera Eisenhower and ind Marshal Pietro Badoglio on September 3 announcement was delayed delayed delayed de de- de- de for five days to give the British Brit Brit- sh ish a chance to land on the toe of the Italian boot and draw German forces southward while Americans were to land farther to the north and trap the Nazis from the rear But the ruse failed German Marshal Marshal Marshal Mar Mar- Albert Kesselring refusing to fall fail for the bait Kesselring kept his troops concentrated ted around Naples so when Gen Mark Clarks Clark's Fifth U U. S. S army landed at Salerno the Nazi commander rushed heavy artillery and tanks to the region region region re re- re- re gion and a bloody battle ensued before before before be be- fore the Americans established their beachhead With the Allies firmly established establish cd in Italy the Germans strived to fight a delaying action in m the mountainous mountainous mountainous moun moun- country below Rome to give them time to fortify the Po valley and Benito Mussolini opportunity to establish a Fascist republican government in the north following I h y F I jJ j L Leaders of U. U S S. S armies on worlds world's flung far-flung fronts Gen Douglas I MacArthur who pushed Japs from Pacific outposts Gen George C. C I Marshall chief of staff Gen Dwight Eisenhower invader of North Alrica Africa Ai- Ai AlI rica Sicil Sicily and Ital Italy his release from captivity by Nazi I parachutists September 12 On September September Sep Sep- 20 the Italian government of King Victor Emmanuel declared war on Germany On the Russian front February 2 saw the end of the great battle of Stalingrad with the repulse of Nazis but only after the big industrial city had been pounded into ruins The Reds claimed virtual destruction of the German Sixth army and Fourth tank army and capture of ofField ofField ofField Field Marshal Frederick von van Paulus Paul- Paul us and 14 other generals June 26 the Nazis launched heavy attacks at Orel and Belgorod at the two ends of the big bulge in the rich agricultural and industrial province of Ukraine But the Reds broke through their lines and they slowly fell back to the banks of the river Below Kiev the swings due east before curving southward for some length and then cutting back toward the west again forming forming forming form form- ing a huge bulge To trap the German German German Ger Ger- man army in this bulge the Russians Russians Russians Rus Rus- spilled over the below Kiev but strong German rearguard action at Rog gave their forces time to escape encirclement During the height of the Russian advance in the south U. U S. S Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary of State Cordell Hull met with British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden and Russian Foreign Commissar Commis Commis- sar Molotov in Moscow where with China the representatives tives of the three great powers signed a historical pact agreeing to fight Germany and Japan until they surrender surrender surrender sur sur- render unconditionally and determining determining determining deter deter- mining to establish an international organization based along the lines of the old League of Nations to assure collective security While battles raged on land in Europe they raged in the air too with U. U S. S and British bombers battering battering battering bat bat- Germanys Germany's great industrial cities of Hamburg Cologne Dusseldorf Dusseldorf Dusseldorf Dussel Dussel- dorf Essen and Berlin and dwarfing dwarfing dwarfing dwarf dwarf- ing the early attacks on London Port and manufacturing center Hamburg was virtually wiped off the map and in all it was reported Germans were killed as a result of Allied air raids In the distant Southwest Pacific with the memory of heroic resistance on Bataan and Corregidor still impressed impressed impressed im im- im- im pressed in his mind and with them his vow to return to the Philippines to avenge the U. U S S. S setback Gen Douglas MacArthur struck out against the Japanese in the Solomons and New Guinea Following their rapid conquests after the paralysis of Allied forces at Pearl Harbor December 7 1941 the Japs had surged within striking distance of Australia before they were stopped short in the historic battle of the Coral sea in May 1942 Ousting of the Japs from southeastern southeastern southeastern south south- eastern New Guinea January 24 and the smashing of all organized resistance on Guadalcanal February February February ary 10 giving U. U S S. S control of the southern Solomon islands set the stage for General MacArthurs MacArthur's big push to drive the enemy from his remaining advance posts in the two areas The first gun was fired June 30 with U. U S. S forces landing on Bendova Ben Ren- Ren-I Ren dova island in the central Solomons On the following day U. U S. S troops set foot on Nassau bay New Guinea to fight inland for a junction with I moving northward through the jungles Jungle Cover Slows Fighting J Jap ap troops made use of the dense tropical foliage and rocky mountainous country for cover to slow the advances But especially especially especially espe espe- in New Guinea General MacArthur MacArthur MacArthur Mac- Mac Arthur adopted the policy of concentrating concentrating concen concen- against enemy bases only and cutting off Jap supply sources for cross-country cross fighting fell September 15 Lae three days later and October 3 Meanwhile in the Solomons U. U S. S forces hacked their way to Munda airfield on New Georgia island August 6 after 38 days of bitter fighting On October 9 it was reported reported reported re re- re- re ported that the Japs abandoned their last big base of in inthe inthe inthe the central Solomons During the Solomons fighting U. U S S. S naval and air forces took a high toll of Jap ships an and barges used to supply or evacuate troops especially at night As a result of the New Guinea and Solomons campaigns campaigns campaigns cam cam- U. U S. S and Aussie forces stood squarely between on New Britain island the enemy's nerve nerve- center for resistance in their advance advance advance ad ad- vance positions in the Southwest Pa Pa- Even as the Japs rushed naval and air reinforcements to to hold it as a supply center and strategic strategic strategic strate strate- gic fortress to threaten the flank of any Allied movement to the north toward the Philippines or Tokyo xa a 44 F Soar 4 One Russian soldier aims and fires the heavy tank anti-tank rifle while another another an an- other hands him the ammunition to blast at an oncoming German tank on the Soviet battlefield U. U S S. S airmen dumped hundreds of tons of bombs on the big base On October 11 doughboys swarmed ashore on Bougainville in a fight to throw the J Japs aps from their last northern holding in the Solomons The Japs' Japs direct threat to the American mainland posed with their occupation of the Aleutian islands June 12 1942 was ended August 15 1943 with announcement of U. U s occupation of Kiska Doughboys setting setting set set- ting foot on Kiska found no trace of Japanese with evidence their evacuation had taken place within the two weeks prior to the islands island's fall The enemy had quit their Aleutian an holdings of Attu and October 7 1942 |