The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN KRINKELTER FITTING TRIBUTE to ^}^'>'''^^Mf^ »aiAon far-off fronts thia up over the snowy wastes of no-iU«'J-land. Jiibin^Thraiher'a editorial men. " ''^ BY JAMES THRASHER, , ' NE.V Staff Writer They had plenty of snow for » Y^*' Chmtnui in Krinkelter - snow that stung your face at the North Sea iwept it across the Belgian lowlands; snow that made waHong aloW and heavy; snow in gray clouds that pinned f^^ ""PP"^*^? ^Jj" K'5'»«'<1 and left thing, pretty much up to the mfantry; «"°^ /^"."fde you a sitting-duck target in your OD uniform; snow t!hat melted and soaked and froze if you fell in it. ^^ Christmas is this striking photograph of Allied infantrymen moving •xpresies our deep appreciatfon tor the selfless service of our fighting A white Christmas, and back home some luckier guys were having a hot turkey dinner, and a cigar afterwards, and dry clothes and a fire. But up here the Krauts had forgotten to take time off for the holiday. They were hell-bent on going places and somebody had to stop them, Christmas or no Christmas. So thc-y walked across the fields outside of Krinkelter on Christ- mas, with guns slung over their shoulders and cold feet in their . boots. And some of them thought., "Well, maybe next year." DREGS OF GERMAN MA.NPOWER JOYOUS JAILBREAK While Germany apparently was massing its "crack" troops behind the lines for the current counter-offensive, the Volkssturm â€" Ger- man People's Army comprising old men and boys â€" was dispatched to defend the Siegfried Line, But the above members didn't stay in the fight for long â€" they were captured by AlUed Army Forces. 82 . . . AND STILL SWINGING m Pushing joyously from jail in the Alsatian border town of Hague- nau, where they had been imprisoned by the Nazis for political of- fenses, the French women above were some of 300 freed when the Nazis left town as the Allies moved in. Many had been in jail two years. CANADA'S 8TH. WINNER OF V.C. :^&i'\:: â- ' ^â- .ijâ- .;â- V.^ ^-i ^Ss-;' k.*y Canada's Eighth ^nd British Columbia's Fifth winner of the coveted Victoria Cross is Pte. Ernest Alvia (Smoky) Smith,j»0, the Seaforth Highlanders of Ca"?^^ "Smoksr", The one man Army as he is| known, showed outs*" ^g courage and determination in establishing! a bridgehead over ^avio River which led to the capture of the! Town of Cesena. i ..^oint black range, he destroyed two German j tanks, and shot it out with the tank borne iiuantxy. Eighth Canadian in this war to win the highest award for valour in (he British Empire, Pte. Smith is the' first Canadian V.C. of the pre- sent war below the rank of commis- sioned officer. He hails from the same town. New Westminster, B.C., as Major John Mahony, who was awarded the V.C. in July. Twice Wotinded Twice wounded before the bril- liatn action which won him the Victoria Cross, Smith had been m action with the Seaforth High- lander throughout their long and tough campaign in Sicily and Italy, with the exception of two month* spent in hospital in North Africa. He was first wounded in Sicily on August 4, 1943, and was shipped to North Africa for hospitalization. He was wounded again in February 1944, when the Seaforths crossed the shell-torn Moro river, blocking the road to Ortona. Pte. Smith was born at New Westminister on May 3, 1914, and lived there until he enlisted in the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada on March 5, 1910. He has been over- seas since July 18, 1940.' "Smoky" and his two brothers are serving in the Canadian Active Army, Jack, aged 25, is with the Canadian Scottish "somewhere in Europe," and Burton, father, of three children is with the Saint JkIiu B'usiliers. Text of Citation Following is tlie complete citation eovcring tlie award of the Victoria Cross to Pte. Smith: "In Italy on the night of 21-23 Octulicr, 1944, a Canadian infantry WHY REDS ARE SLOWED ON POUSH FRONT brigade was ordered toxstablis bridgehead across Ae Savio riv< The Seaforth Highllndeip- af ada were selected as thejspearli^ of the attack and in weather unfavorable to tlic operation crossed the river and captured'^ objective, in spite of strong opfil tion from the enemy. "Torrential rain had caused Savio river to rise six. feet in hours and as the, soft vertical ba made it impossible to bridge river no tanks or anti-tank gi could be taken across the ratfl stream to the support of the rifl^ companies. "."^s the right forward coiir,ianl was consolidating its objectiv< was suddenly counter-aJifrtKed a troop- of three Mark Five Pi th-er tanks supported by two si propelled guns and about thirty fantry. The situation appeared most hopeless. Inspiring Leadership "Under heavy fire from the proaching enemy tanks, Pte. Sua showing great initiative and iusj ing leadership led his Piat grouf two men across an open field t4 position from which the Piat cq best be employed. Leaving one on the weapon, Fte. Smith crod the road with a companion andj tained another Piat. Almost mediately an enemy tank c| down the road firing its ni.ichi guns aloifg the line of the ditcf Pte. Smith's comrade was wouiule At a range of :!0 feet and haviu to expose himself to the full vie of the enemy, Pte. Smiith fired t\ Piat and hit the tank, putting out of action. Ten German infar inuncdiately jumped off the U of the tank and cliarged him schmeissers and grenades. Withl hesitation Pte. Smith moved onto the road and at point l)!at range with his tommy gun kills four Germans and drove the r< uiajndcr back. .Mniost immediate another tank opened fire and moi enemy infantry closed in on Smilhl postlon. ObtainiuR some al)an- ITofectin;; I,; "'^ P nc- tl,. •"* 'â- "iirade "g the encniv uln, u- '"t'l thev f 1 ' •"' '°' "ithdrew n H- '"'V'-^ ^'^^ "P ' "O., aisordcr ^ ""e tank *^ tions %luit K"n until I''' S-s h:d\S J-'h self-propel """^ bin anoM, '' ''"Toyed by thii ,,, , swept the â- Â» a longer tank another area with fire fro Pte. SmiUi .ti„ ,1,,, -.'"â- '«" 'ange. tempt for encm,. â- '"« """ con- wounded comrade t'""* '''^'P*'' '•'» tamed medical aid fo?u^ ""' "b- » "carby building. He tS ''«'"â- "«» " '" ^'f P°*'tion beside the t''e possibility of a attack. ' "' â-  await eiieniv No f, ^;:*'^«f''ea<'*Held '"»w„ at,!' *-•""" the battal- bridgehead „^ .• *=«'•««<«•»« *^ n drive to Be.lin, the tou, lortened and, by tha Urals, have been lei â- iher corner st a inset p'l.u. ' the fion. • !â- '