NOVEMBER 13, 1944
FABL CLUBS DEVASTATED BY LATEST ROUND OF WAR LOSSES
That collective gasp you likely heard this morning, no matter where you might reside, was the sound of shock and despair coming from your nearest big league ballclub's front office. To say FABL teams were devastated by the list of 87 players that either enlisted or were drafted in the past two weeks might just be an understatement. Jesse Alvardo, Hank Barnett, Marion Boismenu, Luke Berry, Mel Carrol, Vic Carroll, George Darnell, Jimmy Gibbs, Bob Griffith, Billy Hunter, Jim Kenny, Gil London, Buddy Long and Pepper Tuttle. Those are just a few of the names who leave this week for various bases across the country to begin training for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, US Army Air Corps and even a couple to the Canadian Armed Forces.
Below is a list of the players that have joined the war effort over the past two weeks. Those highlighted in grey have already reported for duty. The remainder will report in the coming days.
MARTINEZ NAMED TOP ROOKIE BY CHICAGO WRITERS
For the first time in the history of the award the Chicago Sportswriters Guild has selected a player from the Continental Association as FABL's top rookie. Orie Martinez, a 24 year old outfielder with the Brooklyn Kings, was named this year's recipient with New York Gothams pitcher Jim Baggett finishing a distant second. The selection of Martinez ends a 6-year streak of Federal Association newcomers claiming the top honour. The award, with the expcetion of 1938 & 1939, has been presented annual following a poll of select columnists by the Chicago Sportswriters Guild.
Martinez, a native of Puerto Rico, was select 5th overall by the Kings in the 1941 FABL draft after an All-American junior season at Miami State. He worked his way quickly through the Kings minor league system, splitting 1943 between AA and AAA. He homered off Montreal's Bill Ross in his big league debut on Opening Day this season and never looked back, batting .285 with 13 homeruns and 74 rbi's. His rookie debut season in Brooklyn was the most impressive that team has seen since Doug Lightbody's 1926 campaign.
Code:
1944 Ballot Results 1 2 3 TOTAL
Orie Martinez 7 2 1 26
Jim Baggett 3 2 0 13
Willie Vega 0 3 3 9
Ducky Davis 0 0 1 1
Jim Laurita 0 3 3 9
Eli Panneton 0 0 1 1
Pershing Christian 0 0 1 1
George Darnell 0 0 0 0
PIONEERS SEND CORNETT TO STARS
The St Louis Pioneers and New York Stars connected on a two-player deal that sees the two clubs swap pitchers. St Louis sends 28 year old Ed Cornett along with $500 cash to the Stars in exchange for 21 year old Larry Gregory. Cornett, a 1934 3rd round pick, spent a few years in the Pioneers rotation but has been strictly a bullpen piece the last two seasons including 1944 in which he was 1-1 with a 5.25 era in 25 relief appearances. For his career, the righthander is 30-41, 4.71 as a big leaguer.
Gregory is a 1941 first round pick who made his big league debut this past season. He is a dual threat, going 5-6 with a 4.12 era on the mound but perhaps the Pioneers will see more value in using him as a corner outfielder. He hit .333 in limited big league at bats last season and might be the replacement for rookie Pershing Christian, who was just drafted into the Army, in the St Louis outfield.
JIGGS McGEE's TAKE : Cornett is a leader and perhaps will be back in the rotation with the Stars war-depleted staff but I can't help but feel the New Yorkers gave up on Gregory far too early. Although St Louis has some pitching depth, Gregory has value both as a starting pitcher and as a corner outfielder with OSA projecting him to be a 'mid-rotation starter.' I am not sure the ceiling is quite that high but I do see him as a good fifth starter and if he can contribute with his bat as an outfielder when he is not pitching that is an added bonus. Gregory was inconsistent last year, but did have some very good starts that seemed to hint of him being on the verge of putting it all together on the mound. He has not had a lot of experience in the batters box as a pro but has been very impressive as a hitter at each of his stops through the Stars system.
Cornett posted some good numbers in 1943 but in an extremely small sample size. Maybe he finds his groove in New York but nothing in Cornett's past results suggest he will be successful as a starter. As a result my thinking is Cornett is where Gregory is now - minus the offensive contribution- only 7 years older. The move might pay off this season for the Stars, if Cornett can have a big year, but as soon as all the big bats come back from the war effort the feeling is Cornett will be overmatched, and he certainly was his first few seasons in the league. Gregory may not reach his potential, but the feeling in this corner is he is already Cornett's equal or very close to it.
*** DAN BARRELL SEES IT DIFFERENTLY ****
Despite the consensus from OSA that Gregory can be a mid-rotation starter, the head of the scouting service sees a much different path for the 21 year old. OSA boss Dan Barrell asserts that "Gregory's never going to make it as a pitcher. He needs to be a full-time outfielder, might even be an all-star there one day. And Cornett is actually pretty talented. Gregory was a first round pick (deservedly, though not for his pitching) and Cornett probably needs to just be given a rotation slot and left alone."
Barrell sees this as a situation where Cornett might just find his way with a change of scenery and if he is left alone and just given a "real shot in the rotation instead of the bullpen."
CANNONS HIT HARD BY SELECTIVE SERVICE
A lot of teams woke up to some very bad news this morning after Selective Service ripped through baseball and carved out a lot of talent but it is hard to imagine a team hit much harder than the Cincinnati Cannons. A little over a week ago the Cannons learned that veteran pitcher Chris Clarke was joining the Navy, and not just in some cushy job teaching physical education to recruits. No, Clarke wanted to be a part of the action and will serve on a destroyer in the Atlantic. A destroyer who's role is protecting merchant ships and others from the danger of Nazi U-boat attacks. We wish Clarke, like all of the men overseas, very safe travels.
The news got much worse this morning when it was announced that 4 more members of the Cannons World Championship squad were also joining the war effort. All four received draft notices from Selective Service during the season to take their physicals. All passed and each was told yesterday that they will be joining the Army this week. They include all-star centerfielder Bob Griffith, talented young starting pitcher Vic Carroll, infielder Tony White -who shared the second base duties with Jack Cleaves last season- and young reserve infielder Clifton Smtih. Unlike Clarke, each of the four are expected to be stationed in the United States but none will be available for the Cannons bid to become just the second team ever to win 3 straight World Championship Series.
*** RIVALS ALSO HIT ***
The only good news as the Cannons scramble to find replacements for their departed regulars is that their three big rivals in the Continental Association also lost key pieces. The Chicago Cougars will have to carry on without a big part of their offense as league batting champ Leo Mitchell, veteran third baseman Hank Barnett and the often-injured Billy Hunter are all leaving. The Toronto Wolves will be without pitchers Bernie Johnson and Jimmy Gibbs as well as infielder Hal Wood while the Philadelphia Sailors -like the Cannons a year ago when Adam Mullins got the call- will be without the reigning CA Whitney Award winner following news that Quebec native Marion Boismenu has been called to duty by the Canadian Forces.
*** CENTERFIELD IS BIG QUESTION ***
All of the losses clearly hurt the Cannons. Losing Clarke and Carroll is a big blow to the pitching staff and is compounded by Rabbit Day's recent retirement announcement. Cincinnati will still be okay on the mound as long as Deuce Barrell can make a full recovery from the elbow injury that cost him all of the 1944 campaign. With a healthy Barrell, along with 1944 Allen Award winner Butch Smith the Cannons still possess arguably the best 1-2 starters in the loop. They will need Tom Barrell, Deuce's uncle, to have another big season and if some combination of Jim Crawford, George DeForest, Jake Smith and Dan Adams get the job done they should be just fine.
The infield should be okay as well with Jim Hensley returning at shortstop and vets Jack Cleaves and Charlie Ross an acceptable duo to battle for the second base job. But it is centerfield where there is now a glaring hole. The Cannons have been here before as there were big concerns when Fred Galloway was lost following the 1943 title but Bob Griffith stepped up nicely. Now with Griffith gone, there does not appear to be a solid solution and a trade will likely be sought. The concern is there may not be a lot available and if the Cannons are unsuccessful in making a move to upgrade the position it will come down to three players- each with question marks.
1- 31 year old Rufus Daniels was a starter for a period last season in his first full pro campaign but after a solid start he ended up hitting just .228 and needed a spell in AAA to try and get untracked following an awful July.
2- 31 year old Mel Alvarez was claimed on waivers a year ago to provide organization depth. He is a .267 career hitter in 432 big league games but hit just .211 in a brief stint with the Cannons last season and was not a lot better in AAA Indianapolis. Like Daniels, he should not have a problem handing the defensive chores in centerfield but the bat is a big concern, just as it is with Daniels.
3- 22 year old Karl Berggren. It will be a desperation move if the Cannons need to bring up the 1944 2nd round pick of Boston who came over from the Minutemen in the big Billy Dalton trade. Berggren was a second team All-American at Huntington State last season and hit .270 in a 61 game stint at Class B after signing in July. His defense is sound and the Cannons seem him being a big part of their future but they certainly hope to not have to fast-track him to the big leagues before he at least gets a chance to prove himself at the AA level.
Selective Service may not be done either, but the Cannons certainly can't afford to lose much more talent if they want to keep the hope of that third straight World Championship win alive.
- Much the same comments come from all around the league today as club after club sees it's 1945 plans severely altered by the latest work of the Selective Service. A sample of those comments:
- Well, well, well things change yet again pitching is being devastated in Toronto.
- In St Louis it is "Three guys off our ML roster including Buddy Long. The good news is if the war salaries do not count them we are no longer over budget."
- With the Chicago Chiefs it was very straight and to the point "Another CF gone."
- Cincinnati is also scrambling to see if there is a centerfielder available in trade as the Cannons don't relish the idea of using Rufus Daniels or Mel Alvarez full-time there. "Well that hurts," admitted Cannons assistant GM Red Franklin "although I assume most of us are saying the same thing today. Cannons loss all-star CF Bob Griffith, 2B Tony White, young infielder Clifton Smith and another key arm as Vic Carroll follows Chris Clarke into service."
- From the Detroit World: "Well that news wasn’t what I was hoping for. 2B Gil London is headed off to war. Along with SP Pug Bryan, backup C Hartman and hot shot #4 overall prospect Stan Kleminski. Fred Farhat was about to pen a column on RP Willie Montgomery who after collecting a league high 15 saves (along with being in a league high 69 games), would have likely became the Dynamos career save leader needing just 8 to reach 45. That likely will not happen now. He was a player plucked off the scrap heap who has pitched very well as the Dynamo stopper. The Dynamos were planning on last season Rule 5 pitchers Clark and Volpe starting at AAA Newark and starting every 5th day but those plans might be changing.
FRIGATES ONE STEP CLOSER TO EASTERN CROWN
Bob Allen's 10 yard field goal with less than five minutes remaining in the game proved to be the difference as the Philadelphia Frigates remained the American Football Association's only unbeaten team with a hard-fought 16-14 victory over the visiting New York Football Stars. The victory, keyed by a 78-yard rushing day from Greg LePage, improved the Frigates mark to 5-0-1 and increases their lead on the second place Stars (4-2) atop the Eastern Division. Philadelphia has never made it to the AFA championship game since the title contest was introduced in 1933.
Hard-fought was also the story at Kings County Stadium in Brooklyn where the visiting Boston Americans kept their faint hopes of a third straight trip to the title tilt alive with a 9-7 win over the Brooklyn Kings. Johnny Littlejohn atoned for missing a third quarter extra point that would have tied the game at 7 by booting the winning field goal - a 24 yarder- with just 1:22 left on the clock. At 3-3 the Americans have a crucial meeting with Philadelphia on the slate for next Sunday.
In other action the Western Division leading Detroit Maroons survived a scare in Cincinnati, holding off the expansion Tigers 21-20. Pittsburgh kept pace with another big game from Billy Bockhorst in a 40-0 blanking of the combined Cleveland-St Louis entry. The Paladins quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others to key the Pittsburgh attack. Bockhorst now leads all quarterbacks in passing yardage and his 493 yards on the ground is forth in the league in rushing. In the other game Sunday, the Chicago Wildcats scored three third-quarter touchdowns to knock off Washington 30-7.
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
EAST DIVISION W L T PCT
Philadelphia 5 0 1 1.000
New York 4 2 0 .667
Boston 3 3 0 .500
Washington 1 5 1 .167
Brooklyn 1 6 0 .143
WEST DIVISION W L T PCT
Detroit 6 2 0 .750
Pittsburgh 5 2 0 .714
Chicago 4 3 0 .571
Cincinnati 3 4 0 .429
Clev/StLouis 1 6 0 .143
SUNDAY'S RESULT
Philadelphia 16 New York 14
Boston 9 Brooklyn 7
Pittsburgh 40 Clev/StL 0
Chicago 30 Washington 7
Detroit 21 Cincinnati 20
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 19
Philadelphia at Boston
Chicago at Pittsburgh
Cincinnati at Clev/StL
Brooklyn at Washington
Detroit at New York
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Vaught, Det 71
Bockhorst, Pit 44
Littlejohn, Bos 43
McElheny, NY 42
LaPage, Phi 42
Allen, Phi 37
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Bockhorst, Pit 43-120 822 6 11
Coleman, Det 54-141 773 7 16
Griggs, Bos 56-104 736 8 6
D Thomas, Bos 65-121 722 3 9
G Brown, Chi 48-104 567 4 12
RUSHING YDS TD
McElheny, NY 589 7
Faulkner, Bkn 511 1
Schepis, ClSL 496 1
Bockhorst, Pit 493 4
LePage, Phi 371 6
RECEIVING CAT TD
Vaught, Det 47 8
Martins, Bos 34 2
Douglas, Was 28 4
Hooper, Bkn 25 3
M McLean, Cin 25 1
Littlejohn, Bos 24 5
INERCEPTIONS #
Sutcliffe, ClSL 7
Benjamin, Phi 6
Norden, ClSL 6
Renton, Det 5
Allen, Phi 5
Shoemaker, Phi 5
Sullivan, Pit 5
ROME STATE CONQUERS ST BLANE
If there was any debate whether Rome State or St Blane was the better team entering the weekend it was clearly removed Saturday when the Centurions handed the Fighting Saints one of their worst losses in school history. St Blane simply could not stop the Rome State backfield sophomore duo of Gist Thompson and Chet Donelson as the Centurions won by a landslide 54-7 count. The victory improves the army training school to 7-0 on the season with only dates with Pierpont and their annual showdown with Annapolis Maritime standing in the way of what could be a first-ever National Championship for Rome State. The Centurions have outscored their opponents by a 370-33 margin so far this season.
Annapolis Maritime, which lost to Pierpont two weeks ago and barely slipped past St Blane last week, had an easier time of things on Saturday in blanking Brunswick 27-0. Central Ohio and Iowa A&M both remained perfect as the Aviators improved to 7-0 with a 52-7 thrashing of Pittsburgh State while the Bulls blanked College of Omaha 31-0 to also raise their mark to 7-0.
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TWIFB COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP TEN RANKINGS
# LW SCHOOL REC WEEKEND RESULT
1 1 Rome State (7-0) Win 54-7 over St Blane
2 2 Annapolis Maritime (6-1) Win 24-0 over Brunswick
3 3 Central Ohio (7-0) Win 52-7 over Pittsburgh State
4 5 Alabama Baptist (6-0-1) Win 69-7 over Mississippi A&M
5 6 Iowa A&M (7-0) Win 31-0 over College of Omaha
6 7 Noble Jones Coll. (6-1) Win 36-7 over Western Florida
7 8 Charleston Tech (7-1) Win 44-7 over Miami State
8 10 Georgia Baptist (6-1) Win 29-0 over Baton Rogue State
9 NR Payne State (6-1) Win 69-0 over Kileen State
10 4 St Blane (5-2) Loss 54-7 to Rome State
WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS
Rome State 54 St. Blane 7
Annapolis Maritime 27 Brunswick 0
Central Ohio 52 Pittsburgh State 7
Carolina Poly 38 Cowpens State 3
Noble Jones College 36 Western Florida 7
Georgia Baptist 29 Baton Rouge State 0
Alabama Baptist 69 Mississippi A&M 7
Iowa A&M 31 College of Omaha 0
Travis College 10 Eastern Oklahoma 7
Charleston Tech 44 Miami State 7
March Field 27 Rainier College 14
Detroit City College 34 Lincoln 21
St. Ignatius 17 Maryland State 0
Indiana A&M 46 Minnesota Tech 7
Northern Mississippi 24 Opelika State 23
Payne State 69 Killeen State 0
Oklahoma City State 30 Daniel Boone College 14
Great Lakes Navy 47 Morris Field 0
St. Patrick's 33 Empire State 0
Lawrence State 25 Eastern Kansas 3
Richmond State 3 North Carolina Tech 0
Wisconsin State 20 Western Iowa 13
George Fox 13 Ellery 10
Arkansas A&T 10 Red River State 0
Conwell College 21 Liberty College 3
Pierpont 48 Henry Hudson 0
Whitney College 20 St. Magnus 14
CC Los Angeles 10 Northern California 0
Frankford State 34 Elmhurst College 3
Coastal State 21 Alexandria 0
Grafton 10 Coast Guard 10
Boulder State 40 Southern Nebraska 0
Mile High State 40 South Valley State 6
Lambert College 23 Marshall State (MO) 6
Iowa Pre-Flight 33 Bunker Hill Navy 0
Norman Naval Air Station 30 Lubbock Field 0
Randolph Field 33 Maxwell Field 0
Columbia Military Academy 23 Charleston (IL) 0
Meade 13 Bigsby College 10
Darnell State 29 Texas Gulf Coast 14
Amarillo Methodist 14 College of Waco 3
Mountainview State 23 Provo Tech 17
Cache Valley 20 Snake River State 0
Eastern State 23 Petersburg 0
Canyon A&M 24 Abilene Methodist 24
Huntington State 19 Bethlehem College 7
Atlantic City NAS 14 Penn Catholic 9
Manhattan Tech 27 Commonwealth Catholic 24
Alameda Coast Guard 28 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 10
EPIC GRID CONTEST DUE WHEN SERVICE TEAMS PLAY DEC 2
That Rome State-Annapolis Maritime battle can't come too soon. After what the Centurions did to St Blane in the Bigsby Oval on Saturday the sports world is plainly going to itch until these two juggernauts get together on December 2.
The 'itch' doubtless will be most aggravating of all at Rome, GA., where the Centurions have before them the comparative records of both teams that show Rome State smacked St Blane 54-7 whereas the best Annapolis Maritime could do was 24-17 and the Rome State mule kicked the stuffing out of Carolina Poly 50-7 while the best the Navigators could do was a 23-13 margin of victory over the Cardinals. These figures add up in a way that promises to take a lot of the sting out of the fact that for three straight years Annapolis Maritime has battered Rome State hip and thigh -and in other places, too.
Rome State looked mighty against St Blane on Saturday. Better, in so many ways, than Annapolis Maritime had. Unlike the Navigators, which opened up against the Saints with a fumble, the Centurions made no slips. It played one of those rare things, an errorless football game. It showed a better pass defense than the Sailors had and a better pass attack -along with much better downfeld blocking. But there is one thing woefully wrong with such a comparsion of the teams. The game was completely different.
Annapolis Maritime went up against a St Blane team that hadn't been beaten. Rome State met a Saints club that had been knocked out of the ranks of the undefeated and it's national title dreams were all but dead. Annapolis Maritime played an outfit that reckoned shrewdly and played to win. Rome State met a team that was out to score -with mighty little hope of winning. So the Rome State picture Saturday was nearly too pretty to be true. Annapolis Maritime will enter the early December showdown with at least one loss- having fallen in an upset loss to Pierpont two weeks ago -and the Purple have visions of pulling off another huge surprise win when they face Rome State next Saturday in the Centurions final tune-up before the game that means more than any other to them. They must not take the Navigators lightly, despite what the scores might indicate, as Annapolis Maritime will be playing like this is the most important game of the year just as Rome State will. Both schools have plenty to play for as bragging rights trump even a chance at being the number one team in the nation, and for Rome State there is the added incentive of trying to end three years of futility.
EARLY TOURNAMENTS TIP-OFF COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON
A few of the early tournaments were completed over the previous two weeks but the college basketball season picked up into high gear with five other early-bird events and the start of the regular season. Carolina Poly and St Patrick's -winners of two of the biggest tournaments in the Tournament of Champions and the Preseason AIAA showcase- hold the top two spots in the polls after the opening week.
Tournament winners included Alabama Poly in the Bigsby Festival in New York City, North Carolina Tech in Boston's annual Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic, Mississippi A&M in the Windy City Festival, Coastal State in the West Coast Classic and Lexington State in the Heart of Texas Invitational.
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AIAA TOP TWENTY FIVE RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Carolina Poly (68) 2-0 1796 1 South Atlantic Conference
2. St. Patrick's (3) 2-0 1720 5 Indy
3. Brooklyn State 1-0 1635 3 Liberty Conference
4. Mobile Maritime 0-0 1462 9 South Atlantic Conference
5. Coastal State 3-0 1389 24 South Atlantic Conference
6. Annapolis Maritime 0-0 1319 11 Indy
7. Mississippi A&M 2-0 1299 18 Deep South Conference
8. Liberty College 3-0 1262 22 Indy
9. Western Florida 0-0 1224 14 Deep South Conference
10. Lane State 0-0 1124 16 West Coast Athletic Association
11. Chesapeake State 0-0 1117 15 South Atlantic Conference
12. Ohio Poly (1) 0-0 1044 17 Indy
13. Chicago Poly 0-0 962 19 Indy
14. Lincoln 0-0 890 20 Great Lakes Alliance
15. Jersey City Tech 0-0 798 23 Liberty Conference
16. Bayou State 0-0 630 25 Deep South Conference
17. Central Ohio 0-0 496 NR Great Lakes Alliance
18. North Carolina Tech 3-1 382 4 South Atlantic Conference
19. Lexington State 3-0 357 NR South Atlantic Conference
20. Alabama Baptist 3-0 329 NR Deep South Conference
21. Central Carolina 0-0 306 NR South Atlantic Conference
22. Travis College 0-0 242 NR Southwestern Alliance
23. Frankford State 1-0 136 NR Indy
24. Eastern State 1-0 120 NR Indy
25. Maryland State 0-0 118 NR South Atlantic Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Northern California 0-1 100 West Coast Athletic Association
West Corners (NY) 1-0 74 Indy
Dickson 0-0 69 Academia Alliance
Noble Jones College 1-0 60 Deep South Conference
Red River State 1-0 59 Southwestern Alliance
Darnell State 1-0 54 Southwestern Alliance
St. Blane 1-1 52 Indy
CC Los Angeles 1-1 51 West Coast Athletic Association
Brunswick 0-0 48 Academia Alliance
Middlesex 1-0 47 Indy
Redwood 0-0 41 West Coast Athletic Association
Brooklyn Catholic 0-0 38 Liberty Conference
BOXING RESULTS
A pair of fights on a New York City card over the weekend. Utica, NY born welterweight Alex Shaffer improved to 8-3 as the 26 year old won an easy decision over Mike Dean while heavyweight Jeff Love (9-16-2) knocked out veteran Paul Copeland in the 7th round of their bout.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 11/12/1944
- Early reports confirmed President Roosevelt won his fight for a fourth-term, winning 34 states and 407 electoral votes. By the end of the week Michigan had swung to FDR and the final tally was 432-99 for Roosevelt over Thomas Dewey.
- The Democrats retained control of the Senate and increased their control of the House by posting a net gain of 22 seats.
- FDR, holding an electoral vote majority of better than 3 to 1 under the election verdict appeared assured of adequate support in Congress to carry out his postwar peace plans.
- Prime Minister Churchill indicated that he, President Roosevelt and Premier Stalin will likely meet again soon and sad the Allied armies on the northwestern front "will presently move into Germany for the final struggle."
- Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd Army opened a new offensive on a 27-mile front in the Moselle Valley which outflanked Metz, most powerful Nazi stronghold in northeastern France.
- The Nazi propaganda machine pulled out all the stops in describing the destruction allegedly inflicted on London by their new V-2 rocket bombs. The British confirmed the Germans had been bombing England with giant, comet-like V-2s that plummet down faster than sound from 60 to 70 miles in the stratosphere, but said casualties and damage so far have not been heavy.
- American planes continue to destroy Japanese ships and aircraft in the ongoing battle around the Philippines. B-29 bombers also hit the Japanese home island of Kyushu as well as Shanghai and Nanking in Japanese-occupied China.