World War II Chronicle: February 2, 1944
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After several days of softening-up by aircraft and artillery strikes, American soldiers and Marines have assaulted the Kwajalein Atoll. Maj. Gen. Charles H. Corlett’s 7th Division, consistning of veterans of the Aleutian Islands campaign, is hitting the main island and the 4th Marine Division (Maj. Gen. Harry Schmidt) is hitting the nearby Roi and Namur islands. Corlett graduated West Point in 1913 and Schmidt earned the Navy Cross at Nicaragua. The officers are pictured along with a map on page seven…
Next to the picture of Tom Harmon and his girlfriend, actress Elyse Knox, on page four is an announcement that Eastern Air Lines pilot Weldon E. Rhoades is now an Army Air Force captain and will serve as Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s pilot. Rhoades writes a book about his time flying Macarthur around the Pacific Theater…
1st Lt. Robert M. “Butcher Bob” Hanson shot down four Japanese warplanes on Sunday, bringing his total victories to 25 (page six). This puts the Corsair pilot just behind fellow Marines Maj. Joe Foss and Maj. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, who are tied with all-time American ace Eddie Rickenbacker at 26 kills. Boyington has been missing since Jan. 4 and Foss returns to the Pacific Theater this month after a war bond tour in the States as skipper of VMF-215. Stay tuned for more on Lt. Hanson…
George Fielding Eliot discusses the Kwajalein operation on page 10… Sports is on page 17, which announces Sid Luckman of the Chicago Bears is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Also, the Cleveland Indians may shut down this year if their president thinks the quality of play is poor… The Phillies, who are conducting a month-long contest to potentially find a nickname for their club, will get their center fielder back, as the draft board rejected Buster Adams. The Phils signed former Brooklyn pitcher Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons to manage the club this year…
Newport News Shipbuilding will launch USS Ticonderoga, the sixth Essex-class carrier, on Monday (see page 32).
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 2 February 1944. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-02-02/ed-1/