Marianas Blasted (Horne) – 2-3
Chennault Eager to Bomb Japanese – 3
7,000 of Foe Slain in Victory of U.S. in West New Britain (Kluckhohn) – 4
Burma Japanese Lose on 2 Fronts – 5
Japanese Picked Up Trying to Escape from Marshalls (photo) – 5
House Votes Down Bill on Citizenship – 5
Our Airmen Leaving a Trail of Destruction behind Them at Wewak (photo) – 6
Brazil Makes Bid for Soviet Accord – 6
Russians Near Dno – 7
Germans Regroup in Beachhead Area (Bracker) – 8
War News Summarized – 8
Sweden Plans Moscow Protest Charging Bombing of Stockholm – 9
Stockholm after it Received a Mystery Bombing (photo) – 9
Hitler Said to Order Losing Officers Shot – 9
Boats off Anzio under Steady Fire – 10
Latest War Casualties – 12
Generous Idealism is Urged by Mayor – 13
Planning Wins Battles (Baldwin) – 13
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the Fighting in Various War Zones – 14-15
London is Bombed 4th Straight Night (Graham) – 15
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1944/feb44/f23feb44.htm
Americans overrun Eniwetok
Wednesday, February 23, 1944 www.onwar.com
In the Marshall Islands... Japanese resistance on Parry Island ends. American forces complete the occupation of Eniwetok Atoll. US losses are 300 killed and 750 wounded. The Japanese garrison has been wiped out. Out of 3400 troops, there are 66 prisoners.
On the Eastern Front... In the north, Red Army forces take Strugi Krasnyye, midway between Luga and Pskov. Attacks begin toward Dno as well.
In the Mariana Islands... American aircraft raid Rota, Tinian and Saipan. The US forces are from Task Group 58.3 (Sherman) and Task Group 58.2 (Montgomery). The attack sinks 20,000 tons of Japanese shipping.
In Italy... At Anzio, General Truscott replaces General Lucas as commander of the US 6th Corps.
Rumors of the death of German Col. Gen. Georg Lindemann are greatly exaggerated. He will continue in command of 18th Army, and in a few weeks will be promoted to command of Army Group North. During the crushing Soviet summer offensive in a few months, Lindemann will be relieved and spend the rest of the war as a garrison commander in Denmark. After the war, Lindemann will live quietly in retirement until his death in 1963.
As for the execution orders for losing officers, that was really more of a Soviet deal. Hitler will sack officers who lose and/or don’t follow orders, but he doesn’t have them shot. Now, if there is a hint of disloyalty after July 20, 1944, that’s another matter.