September 28, 1944 – NBC News of The World – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
September 28, 1944 – Despite upbeat assessments and advances along some fronts, the expected crossing of the Siegfried Line into Germany hadn’t been accomplished yet. There was still plenty of resistance and it prompted Prime Minister Churchill, in reporting to the House of Commons, to indicate that the war may not, in fact, be over by Christmas – there was still a long way to go and many more battles to fight. And even though German casualties were close to a million, and prisoner numbers were increasing daily, it didn’t mean the end was near, and that it may very well extend into 1945.
That said, there were reports of strong, probing attacks into the Siegfried system, and that the allies were holding tenaciously to the bridgehead over the main Rhine River at Nijmegen in Holland, despite heavy resistance from the Germans.
The issue of Post-war aims of the Allies was starting to see the light. Russia’s Stalin was quoted as saying he was not in favor of splitting up Germany and not in favor of de-militarizing it. But he was adamant about prosecution and punishment for Hitler, which was not the case in the previous war over the Kaiser. It gave the impression to Allied officials that the Soviets were clearly intent on cleaning up Germany after the war, once they got inside. As for American post-war aims, Secretary of State Cordell Hull disclosed that neutral nations had been warned that they would lose friendship for years to come, should they give sanctuary to Hitler or any other Axis leaders after the war. It was all an indication that thinking and planning for a Post-War world was very much on the minds of the allies. Prime Minister Churchill asked for another meeting shortly with Russia and the U.S. to discuss those post-war plans in more detail.
And that’s a small portion of what went on in this world, this September 28, 1944 as reported by NBC’s News Of The World.
