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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1945)
er Falls 46. U S Mlnkh As-nm ruaoiniov . , ..: , , V Weather Data for 24 hours ending 7 a.m. Temperatures: Maximum 45 Minimum 29 Precipitation 02 Forecast: Unsettled, probable showers or snow flurries tonight and Wednesday. ESTABLISHED 1896 A mencans Record Artillery Duel of Pacific Is On for Okinawa Action flared along both coasts of southern Okinawa to day with a new American landing reported off the east side and the greatest artillery duel of the Pacific war thunder ing on the west. Tokyo said American troops had landed on tiny Tsukata island lying eight miles off the southeast coast aiid control ling the entrance to the newly-conquered Nakagusuku Bay naval anchorage. Other troops driving along the bay shore on Okinawa ad vanced more than a mile and a half to Onaha on the edge of the Yonabaru airfield and only a mile and a half north of the port of Tonabaru, an enemy broadcast said. i American destroyers and other Reconstruction Is Jap Aim, Asserts Foreign Minister By United Press Japan's new foreign minister, Shigenori Togo, told the people today that Japan's wartime diplomacy should be "boldly and vigorously" carried out in con junction with her military af fairs. Her aim is to "abandon the forces of destruction for the forces of reconstruction" he said in a Domei agency dispatch to occupied Asia, recorded . by tho . federal communications commis sion. Togo said Japan entered the war in "self-defense" and that her ultimate aim was a "uni versal alliance based on recipro city and equality." "The fate of her empire and the destiny of east Asia depend on the outcome of this one war," he said. "This is tha reason we are fighting 100,000,000 strong." Lend-Lease Given Year's Extension WASHINGTON, April 10 (UP) The senate today passed and sent to the Wlhite House an act to extend lend-lease until June 30, 1046. The action came by unanimous voice vote after the senate beat down two attempts to amend the act. , The first amendment, offered by Sen. Robert A. Toft, R., O., would have strengthened a house amendment to prevent use of lend-lease for postwar relief and rehabilitation. It was defeated by a vote of 40 to 39, with vice- president Harry S. Truman cast ing the deciding vote. The second amendment, of fered by Sen. William Langer, R., N. D., would have banned further shipment of farm machinery un der lend-lease. It was defeated by a vote of 40 to 28. Thrice Wounded Infantryman Returns S s s ' t Soldier Anxious To Get To La Grande Wounded three times and wearing the Order of the Purple Ileal t v-'th two oak leaf clusters is Lt. Eugene S. Becker, infantryman of La Grande, a patient at McCaw general hospital in Walla Walla. Lt. Becker, who has served in the army since July 1!37. spent lour years in Panama with an air .borne infantry unit. In Jtilv 1943 he was selected for officers candidate school and went to rt' Bennirjg, G. Shortly following his commission as- an infantry officer he was !it to England with the 20th Division where he underwent further Preparation and training for the invasion. . Took Part In Invasion t-- Becker landed with the jrst wavtp on the beachhead in Normandy last June 6. On June 12ho0was struck by fragments of shell while erasing l'e Vire r,ver in an assault boat. He was 'en to an aid station then wough the channels of army r,osPitals and b;(cj: tcarhospital "England for treating! Oi -'Pteniber 1 lie was able trOc, his unit in Riest, Fince.O,t ' near Brest, atew dajs iTtew dn(5 Later Iwh.'n ?n w-ffl my.,inti'f(f)-(y nc'rS) attaQlingO srr-'ipnr and his me; -open grotinc atiacyingu rry or tort whiclUliaci jusj "Jfn partially 'strovc8) by .- Jr' fire. Through a A -. ... ,IM. ((tii uit'v g.initu en- i.'ico. Of the approximate 400 after 15 miruilr.; of h.'iliH la I wareraft already were reported to have entered Nakagusuku Bay Tokyo claimed that during the landing operation on Tsukata 'Sunday alteinoon, Japanese for ces, presumably artillery, sank an American destroyer and a small craft which entered the bay. There was no Ameriei r. con firmation cf tho east coast or.-et-ations. On the west coast. American troops battled from cave to cave and from pillbox to pill box egainst savage resistance. Advances were limited to yards as they fought to enlarge their wedge in the Japanese main defense line four miles north of Nana, the burning cap ital. Japanese guns laid down a heavy barrage. Brig. Gen. O. P. Smith, deputy chief of staff for the 10th army, said the Ameri cans wore being supported by more battalions of artillery than ever used before in the Pacific. Planes Baiter Defenders Hundreds of American carrier planes and big guns of the fleet off Okinawa joined in hammer ing the Japanese positions. Nana gradually was being flattened by Sco AMERICANS . . . Page 5 Yank Airmen Take Record Nazi Bag LONDON, April 10 (UP) American airmen reported that they shot down 18 German planes and destroyed 227 on the ground today in a raid by 2,150 U. S. bombers and fighters on seven air fields in the outlying re gions around Berlin. The Germans sent a record force of jut planes against the eighth air force raiders and paid a record price. The bag aloft and aground was the greatest ever scored y Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittlo's men in one day. Violent air battles raged over the general area of Berlin as formations of up to 50 jelteis at tacked the heavies which wera plastering thoir home fields. maining 130 were taken pr: ers Wounded Second Time As Lt. Becke: was returning to his statiun hc.tvy enemy artnicr firint! commenced and he took j cavitr, in a bomb crater. A shell ; hit the inntr top of ;hc crater di-: ..-i.. Mrn nnH nieces'Ol .u '.J, i tc hark. He- a:W ! ;.,nt.rf .1 u.sl ear ..drum. He ' :C. .h,. fl...n-fete to Enslrmd ...i;' i,.. ,.MinMl ii a h.islit:il' kUrln Vni mar line Clin Flat -JY.fylo he aga,n"r.e- K! ttif.i of luo-ario.emj. io?5; IVIS-TJIU. i...ai.n.W. -yj,ry .....V.a,UiiV. amffS (JL-hbor ( NOTSH HEADACHE TO NIPS Hl-ckcrHl 2 rTaQtnS X) '7t V r.dM.roen. the the push nl&M-""r..yc ri-lCUm xOffU- afb Dickson V pictured steaming into N on February U I - v"- - &y')lt the l-,cmpleted et U. S. Steel'. Fcd:ral again! As we weie im-i i,. - W, i,inri,,. will fater and more heavily armed than tmtwt r II-'. I u 1 1 r i UhMlB LA GRANDE, Invade New Jap RECONVERTEH Henry P. Nelson, above, of Detroit. WPB aircraft division director, will also serve as coordinator of re conversion for the automobile industry. No "czar." the former International Harvester com pany executive will head a WPB staff to guide the auto industry on the road lo civilian production. Extension Unit Members To Hear Talk On Peace Women of Union county will assemble in the IOOF hall here Saturday for a "homemakors' festival", a part of the extension service program designed to keep members of the extension units abreast of current events and give them a part in the work ac complished during the year in the extension program. The principal speaker will be Dr. James Millar, field represent ative of the Oregon council of churches who will talk on "Ships of Freedom" a lecture designed to interpret the homomaker's re lationship to the development and maintainance of world peace. At a noon luncheon a talk will be given by Miss Frances Clin ton, assistant state home demon stration leader. Dr. Roben J. Maaske will be song leader. The afternoon program will be furnished by the various exten sion units. Members of the county com mittee are planning the affair. Mrs. Loren Tucker, committee chairman will preside at the morning session, Mrs. D e n a Towle, former chairman, at the luncheon, and Mrs. Walter Vogel, vice chairman, in the afternoon. Other committee members are Mrs. J. E. Wilherspoon, Elgin; Mrs. Guild Lay, Union: Mrs. C. C. Burns, and Mrs. Hugh Hulse, La Grande. Three Are Injured In Auto Accident Mrs. David Magill of Lostine suffered a compound fracture of the right leg and bruises and abrasions to her body, face and head, when the car in which she was a passenger went off the road about five miles south of Wallowa early Saturday. evening. David Magill driver of the auto, and Mrs. Yaunchy Chap man, passenger, both of Lostine, incurred . bruises, abrasion and rhock. They were brought to' La Grande for treatment at St. Joseph's hospital. Reservations Urged For Peace Meeting Rrservatnns for the c i v i c i luncheon n; xt Monday (loon at which JfeT.es Millar, tie.a reprc- senlative of trie urcgon council of churches will s;aic on wnriu peace plans, will clcse tomorrow night. I Horace J. N- li on. president o I rhe I. ions tlub. suonsois of the I miW - tiBg, tirgert that member! of M.hcr c.vic. jjTiuH wh.i plan ahen rr.f"ing nsorvyl'.rm . be 73- eenls. (iC.:a) fiu Union and Wallowa Covni'ti OREGON TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 10, I'M:. New Offense Cracks Nazi Italian Line ROME, April 10 (UP) A new British eighth army offensive crumpled the Adriatic wing of the German defenses in Italy, carried over the Scnio river on a broad front, and today spilled out over the eastern Po plain be tween Bologna and Ravenna. Gen. Mark W. Clark, com mander of allied forces in Italy, announced that the eighth army attacked yesterday evening after a pulverizing air assault in tho Scnio sector by almost all of the air forces in this theater. Clark Watches from Trench Clark himself was in a slit trench in tho first hours of the offensive. Looking g r i m but confident, he watched tho show from that vantage point for 15 minuts. Then he and a few staff officers accompanying him tram ped back from the trenches. The first onrush of Lt. Gen. Sir Richard McCrccry's forces broke tho Scnio river line. His assault lorres swept across the stream on a broad front around Lugo. 27 miles east of Bologna and 18 miles west of Ravenna. Bombers Aid Troops Allied bombers attacking ahead of the eighth dropped some bombs short, causing a number of casualties in the allied ranks. American and British bombers were out in strong force to sup port the offensive. Heavy and medium bombers gave the ground forces close support. -The eruption in the eastern coastal sector of Italy set both ends of the long dormant front in motion. The U. S. fifth army was p 1 u g g ing northwestward along the Ligurian const in a close-in against Massa, big out post of the La Spczia naval base. Clark's armies now were press ing in against ono of the last industrial areas left to the nazi after the overrunning of the Ruhr and Silesia. This is the onco rich production zone of northern Italy, centered around Milan. The rjghth army offensive closely followed an amphibious operation w h i c h secured the landspit between Lake Comac chio and the Adriatic. It was aimed across tho Scnio river west of Lake Comacchio along the traffic arteries to Bologna and Fcrrara. The preparatory air activity was described by witnesses as the most intensive ever carrj -d out on the Italian front. Fighting Rages On Bougainville MELBOURNE, April 10 (UP) Heavy fighting continued be tween Australian and Japanese forces on southern Bougainville, in the Solomons, Monday am! Tuesday, Melbourne radio re ported today. A Japanese bayonet attack wa:; repulsed in the Honnu aioa while in the north, Japanese artillery shelled Australian posi tions on the Soraken peninsula. East of. the Pin lata river small parties of Japanese attempted to infiltrate Australian lines. to E irr head for lh Pacilic theater. X i W'-M ..-J MAY GET FLA POST Al though no official confirma tion has been made. Democratic Governor Ellis Arnall, 38. above, of Georgia, may be named by President Roosevelt lo fill the post of federal loan administrator. i Five Children Are Burned To Death In Trailer House PORTLAND, Ore., April 10, (UP) Five children are dead as result of fire caused by explosion of a gasoline can in a trailer house here yesterday. Three were burned to death and two died in hospitals today. The dead are: Donald Cump ston, 3, Lois Cumpston, 5, nnd Barbara Cumpston, 9 all chil dren of Bert Cumpston, widower, in whose home the fire occurred; Victor Jaeger, 4, and Shirley Jaeger, 6, children of Mr. and Mrs. Victor L. Jaeger, trailer camp residents. Eugene, 11, nnd Charles, 7, children of Cumpston, escaped. The fire started when Eugene Cumpston used a ran of gasoline to start a fire in the wood heater. He dropped the can when it caught file, and the explosion followed. Legion To Discuss Fish, Game Affairs CiforKf Ti.-s, commander of tho La CI ranch: American Lcam post today announced the Legion will (ievoto it.; attention to sports legislation and matters pertain ing to the slalo game commis sion at a meeting at 8 p.m. lo moirow in the Sacajawea hotel. He said the leion is particu larly interested in the conserva tion of game for service men's hunting wlvn the war termin ates. Support of the Kaslern Oregon sportsmen's council also will he discussrd. Chamber To Have Forum Meeting Trie ciiaiiiU i of coninnvcc will hfrl a loiuni meeting Thurs day noon in tin Stein Coffe shop bfliifjuet i mini, at which time committee chairmen will give re pents on tl'-' past year's work. Ri si rvat ions tor the luncheon must Ik made by Wednesday noon. tfJne of Tho newest of the 22OOU0.1 U. S. S. (Parian R. ew York harbor. Recently Shipyard, Kearny, N. J., it is previous typos and will soon f MXftr , I 1 FIVE CENTS Island Vienna Nazis Hold Reds at Danube River LONDON, April 10 (UP) Red army forces cleared two-thirds of Vienna today and battled for crossings of the Danube river and canal to complete the libera tion of tho Austrian capital. Virtually all that portion of Vienna west of the river and canal, including the center of the city, was liberated by Marshal Feodor I. Tolbukhin's Third Ukrainian army yesterday. Still in German hands was a lO-square mile pocket east of the Danube river and canal, mostly factories and the big Prater park. The Germans were resisting stubbornly a soviet communique announced, but Tolbukhin's troops cleared block after block in rapid succession. One Soviet column was fighting in the mint district, the enemy's last foothold west of the Danube canal. The Third army also broadened its spearhead striking west across Austria with the capture of Berndorf, 21 miles southwest of Viennt. The second Ukrainian ortriy under Marshal Rodion Y. Mali novsky pushed a two-pronged of fensive east and northeast of Vienna. Far to the north, Marshal Alex ander M. Vassilevsky's Third White Russian army beat at a 100-square-mile German pocket on the Samland Peninsula of East Prussia after capturing Koenigs berg, capital of the Junkers province. Koonigsbcrg, last German stronghold in east Prussia, fell after a 70-day siege. The victory was expected to release as many as 1,00,000 Soviet troops for action against Berlin or for service in the far east lo guard the Soviets' frontiers with Japanese-occupied Manchuria. Coal Mine Wage Pact Expected WASHINGTON, April 10 (UP) Soft coal operators and the United Mine Workers were re ported near agreement on a new contract today as the government contemplated seizure of some 200 strike-ridden captive coal mines. The war labor board was un derstood to have referred the strikes in the captive mines those owned by steel companies to Stabilization Director Wil liam II. Davis because of the UMW's inability to get the min ers back on the job. Some quar ters believe seizure of the mines to be imminent. Production in the vital Penn sylvania fields was estimated at only 00 per cent of normal yes terday despite reports of a strong hack to work movement. The wildcat strikes cul deeply into output of steel. Americann Retake Big Rubber Source IIKADQUARTERS, 41st DIV ISION, Zamboanga. April 10 (UP) Veteran infantrymen of the famed 41st division, who cap tured the island of Busllan off stern Mindanao, have seized the first extensive rubhfT source to be recovered ftom the Jap anese, It was announced today. Tlx; hJund contains .150,000 rubber tries, all in good condlr I lion, which formerly supptw the entire requirements of the Philippine is la mis and provided I. !.,.., f I 11 11',.., o-.iu. .... (y. ;.J turers. The holdin are oWnctr l,OtlK 'AmiTicanOHuuber com "D pWiy, 9,1.8 Fn.'Seiico. 'iSL' Japanese burned the pro rinsing mill and waieh.sesQ.e We fleeing theQdand, but ap part ntly had not extracted any Qbhrr from the troe during tneir three year occupation. Race For Berlin Is Given Momentum by Crumbling Defenses; LONDON, April 10 (UP) Gen. Dwlght D. Elsen- ,! hower told the people of north Germany's maritime cities "" today that resistance in the west has collapsed and the power or the men behind the nazi fanatics is crumbling. ',! PARIS April 10 (UP) American troops captured Hann over today in an armored sweep that caved in Germany' northern and central defenses and rolled forward at a milfr-an-hour clip 115 and 120 miles from the nazi capital.' Two douffliboy regiments of the U. S. ninth army's 84UV infantry division stormed into Hannover from the northwest and southwest early this morning. By ntid-day they had reached the center of the flaming stronghold that once was the 12th city of Germany. lt A few isolated pockets of German resistance still held out late this afternoon, but American riflemen were combing, them out one by one. Crowds of curious German civilians thronged into the streets, ignoring the bullets, the mm garrison. Other ninth nrmy forces stabbed 23 miles beyond the city! toward Brunswick, 10'l miles west of Berlin, nnd at last re ports were only 16 miles from that town. Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's third army advanced eastward as much as 15 miles in some sec tors along a 56-milc front. Field dispatches said resistance gen erally was light. Three Towns Entered A column of the 11th armored division advanced seven miles southeastward and entered Rod ach, nine miles northeast of Co- burg and 25 southeast of Suhl. Another column of the same division pushed 15 miles south- LONDON. April 10 (UP) Six American airmen look a low-level joy ride over Berlin today in perfect weather and reported that they drew not a single burst of fire from what appeared to be a "dead city." They looked down into streets where no person or vehicle could be seen moving and no vehiclos vvrro on the roads and no trains moving In the areas between the western al lies and Berlin. eastward. siuto Wohlsbach. three miles northeast of Coburg. Twenty-sixth division on a four-mile forward two miles on a four-mile front which carried into Unler neubarunn, 10 miles southeast of Suhl. Far lo the south, American first army tanks broke into the Harz mountains covering the southwestern approaches to Ber lin after a 2(l-mile advance that met only scattered and disorgan ized resistance. Both attacks were rolling swiftly forward behind a blaz ing allied aerial bombardment Unit reached back almost lo the gates of Berlin. Drive on Brunswick The Americans broke loose on the main Hannover - Brunswick Berlin superhighway less than 18 miles from Brunswick and 55 miles from the Elbe river line that forms th-3 enemy's last big defensive barrier in the west. Doughboys swarmed through See C.EKMAN . . . Page 5 Local CAP Leader Launches New Unit The Civil Air Patrol flight of Heppner last night was activated when Lt. William M. Peare, com mander of a CAP flight from La Grande, inspected the 20 cadets in Heppner, Leo Heady is the commanding officer of the new unit. In the La Grande flight were Lt. Peare and his navigator, Dick Fuller, and Keith Province, Frank .Sehiro, Orvillc Pellelt and Betty Strand, navigator. "Flying Minute Men of the Air," a film made by thf Spokane CAP squadron showing the woi t of that flight was sent from Spokane for the opening of the Heppner civil air patrol. Sweden Refuses Haven to Axis War Criminal Refugees LONDON, April 10 (UH) Sweden shut her doors to flee ing Germans today in a move olivi'iusly designed to prevent nazi war criminals from slip ping into the countryoif the guise of ri-fugees. German 'Mygeys who hi' aiKved in the past few days will b, deported uRldis they 'lire fouo1 to be genuine desert ers from (jhe German armed y?iotcus(pr in poor healtn, tho Swcitjfth (j'juernment's decree said. The Qetinu left Switzerland IhfQinly neutral haven adjoin ing VM-ijuiuiiy ui -tei Mlilll-UL- cupied pnuntrics for Gorman refugees. A Bern broadcast last night said Switzerland will continue to welcome "the un fortunate and innocent victims lo watch the death struggle of Record Crop Of Winter Wheat Is Indicated In U. S. WASHINGTON, April 10 (UP) Tho agriculture department to day forecast the biggest winter crop in history for 1945. The crop reporting service said production of winter wheat would reach 862,515,000 bushels, 37,000,000 more than the previ ous record crop of 1931 and al most 100,000,000 bushels more than 1044 production. ' e- On Dec. 1 the winter wheat crop was estimated at 761,591,000 bushels. The crop reporting board sai4 the April 1 condition of wheat is the highest for that date since 1919. . The wheat crop apparently escaped injury in the recent cold wave which brought zero tem peratures to many parts ot ttie noithern plain, the board .said. " A 1345 wheat crop of 862,515, 000 bushels would be 37,000,000 bushels larger than the previous record crop in 1931. ' ;. The (orecast for wheat produc tion for 14 states shows Kansas first with 231,557,000 bushels, and Oregon last on the list with 17,031,000 bushels. - Roy Pyle Named To Head City's Cub Scout Groups Roy Pyle was elected to suc ceed Lee Powell as chairman of the city Cubhers' organization at the meeting of cubbers, cub mas ters and den mothers last night in La Grande high school at which Powell presided at the meeting. Planes wore made for the cub jamboree April 28 at the fair grounds. Tho activities will open with a parade at 2 p.m. and will include foot races, kite flying contests und a soap-box derby. The displays and events will be based on the theme of the cub program for March and April, which is weather and transporta tion. In addition to the jamboree there will be a downtown win dow display showing articles made by the cubs during Mtareh and April, and awards will be made on the entries. In charge of the events at the jamboree are: parade, Rev. I. S. Mot.; soap-box derby, Powell; foot races, Lee Reynolds; kite flying contests, Pyle; judging and awards on display, Forrest r. Zirkle. The cub packs arc duo to re- , register May '31, and pack meet ings in May will feature the re registration of the packs, and probable organization of a new pack in the Riveria district. a of this war," but added blunt- f,' "She is firmly determined u not to accopt on her territory any foreigners who have tres paiiit.d the elementary laws of human rights." Should war criminals Or other undesirables be found to hav taken refuge in Switzer land, the broadcast said, "noth ing can stop us from expelling those whom we do not wish to shelter." Stockholm dispatches said the Swedish ban on German refugees was iron-clad. Justice Minister Thorwald Bergquist said Germans would be turned back even if they claimed to be political refugees entitled to customary asylum rights. "and combat fighting, a re See WOL'NDKD . . . Page 5 - - " -
