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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1945)
Ms, U ire F J Inner Defenses of Berlin Penetrated By Russian Armies A LONDON, April 23 (UP) Marshall Stalin announced to night that two great Russian armies were driving deep into . ; lierlin from the east and south. Other Soviet forces have ;i reached the Elbe northwest of Dresden, he said, and appar ently a juncture with American troops is imminent. ', Stalin,, in two orders of the day, revealed that Marshall '. Gregory K. Zhukov's army had shattered Cerlin'3 eastern ,' defenses and plunged within four miles of the heart of the ;i city, and that Marshal Ivan S. Konev's forces had swept up i from the south and broken into the German capital. I There was no immediate clarification of the distance be tween the Russians and Americans after the Red army push to the Elbe. But earlier field dispatches had indicated that a juncture of the allied forces overrunning Germany from the east and west might be expected when the Soviets reached the river. Elgin High School Is Destroyed by Saturday Fire Fire of' undcltermined origin Saturday night destroyed the Elgin high school. The building and equipment were a total loss. When the flames were discov ered about 8 o'clock, the fire had gained considerable headway and the Elgin department, finding the fire out of control, called lor aid from La Granile, und one piece of apparatus was sent to the city's aid. ; When the La Grande apparatus arrived the building had been burning for more than half an hour and the combined efforts of both groups of fire fighters were insufficient to save the structure. The gymnasium building, near by, was saved. The two story structure, erec ted shortly after the turn of the century, housed both the ele mentary und secondary grades ol the Elgin school system. School authorities today said they estimated the loss at ap proximately $60,000. They also announced that ar rangements are being made to house the various school classes in the American Legion hall, Fji-sk Chr.is.tiun .chui:ch..und other similar "places of assembly in the community beginning Wednes day. ,, - Americans Reach Po River Line ROME,' April 23 (UP) U. S. fifth army troops reached the Po river at several points today. Units of the British eighth army also reached the Po at other points. The Germans were offering stiff resistance in the Fer.ara area, which has been under at tack by the British. Senate Ponders Fate Of 18-Year-Olds WASHINGTON, April 23 (UP) The senate refused today to . stipulate that 18 and 19-year-old inductees be given at least a year's training before being sent into combat. Senators turned down the pro posal by! a vote of 66 to 9 and then began considering whether to ban front-line service for 18-ycar-old inductees who have not been in training for six months. Both proposals were offered as cmondments to the selective The car was found binned out service act. I or the Bremen-Hamburg road. Former Prisoner of Nazis Back For Long Rest With Family Here First Lt. Donald M. Hunker, liberated from a German prison camp by advancing Russian ar mies, arrived in La Grande Fri day night for a 60-day leave with his wife, Marion, and their small son, Billy. Lt. Hunker, overseas a year, wcare a presidential citation rib bon, the silver star for gallantry in action, the bronze star for meritorious service, the Purple Heart with two clusters, a ribbon far the European theater of oper ations with three campaign stars and the combat infantryman's badge. The Silver Star was awarded after he and his platoon closed the gap at Chambois. They were the first to shake hands with the Pules. He was captured in the first drive across the Moselle rivr.r, and was held captive for two and ioc-lialf montns. n In speaking of IhV m.st imp-cs-1 sive thinjj about tW prison tiimp, Lt Jluokpr "TOiHmoralc'; Joschclolt sdiinvAna aWed ibn. the Ajjerictii i$cro.-e tyd thtij' they, were deykiiwjly more rtith i;i(nYil,bncrin the allies sUce(a-'!e5i--Vh(er, CJ heir proswlilion t) , fui conciurinn lus war ) impWrtl upqnOthomOyss ft?,?- Q 0-acfc.ig. rfO IS(2),,C Pris" uners AcpMhiViiselves in reserve Konev's troops captured Mue hlberg, on the east bank of the Elbe, 20 miles east of Wurzen. U. S. first army troops have been in that area for several days. Frankfurt is By-passed Zhukov's first White Russian army had advanced its siege line iar into Berlin along a blazing battlcfront angling across the city from northwest to southeast. It also outflanked Berlin on the north with a push through Or unienburg, and captured the by passed Odor river city of Frank furt. in a second order of the day Stalin disclosed that Konev's first Ukrainian army swung up against Berlin from the south in a drive carrying 50 to 100 miles through scores of big towns. Konev's. forces captured Tel low, at the southwestern edge of the Berlin metropolitan area; Beelitz, 15 miles to the south west, the Berlin outposts of Lueb ben, Zossenand Luckcnwalde, and scores of places to the south. Also falling to Konev was Te unbriclzen, 28 miles southwest of Berlin and only 40 miles from the U. S. ninth army bridgehead at Barby on the Elbe. In his first order Stalin hailed the victories of Zhukov's army in the frontal assault on Berlin. See SOVIETS . . . Page 5 Leroy Darling To Be Superintendent Of Irrigon School Leroy Darling, for three years a member of the La Grande high school faculty , and well known for his work with the school band, today announced he has teen appointed superintendent of schools at Irrigon. He said he plans to leave La Grande early in July to make his home in that community and take up the new work. Darling tendered his rcsigna lion to the local board of educa tion. He said his family will accom pany him when he leaves soon after the close of the school year here. Death of Himmler Wreck Hinted I I LONDON, April 23 (UP)- -An Exchange Telegraph dispatch f:om the northwestern front to night said a question has been raised whether one of three bod ies found in a wrecked car might be that of Hcinrich Himmler, eestapo chief and commander of j the German home army. end under control, despite the fact that they were deprived of their food and cigarets, and put in solitary confinement by offi cers who tried to interrogate them." He spent 8 days in soli tary confinement during his stay in the prison camp. "How did they treat you?" he was asked. "They didn't treat you." he re plied. "We did ovirything Mr, ourselves with equipment sent by the YMCA. The YMCA can have my money any day. "We couldn't carry on any ath letic programs because we were loo weak from malnutrition. We had one box -A coUl a day, to keep the baracks warm, and that rn was inc rut oi inc nuiciai Kin ci'ias package tii'X'S. inaii was vi km p 160 square ft I warm lor a 24 hour ixrijcl." , IX Hunker s.ud the IntfA lin German cuplors treated tlic pro ofce 'j bvUer than jiW the roar f";iW WW' aw&'"l tfcjay when PC t i WCre IoW-Q "It is a woVdcift TS i n n to be ba(J)in t country With tiO days to Co as I choose.' he 'concluded, ESTABLISHED 1896 Yanks Drive Into Danube Vailed Marines Land On 2 Islands Off Okinawa By United Press American air forces struck damaging blows against the Jap rnese over the weekend. Ma rines landed on two more islands off Okinawa where U. S. army troops battled with little success for the fourth straight drjy. against Japanese defenses above Naha, the capital. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz disclosed that the airmen had wrecked 126 Japanese planes and fix ships in two days of action along an 850-mile front from Ju lian to the southern Ryukyus. Additional planes may have been destroyed in two raids by superfortresses on Kyushu air fields from which Japanese air men have been flying against eiound and naval forces in the Okinawa area. Carrier planes shot down 49 Japanese aircraft from a force which attacked the Okinawa area Sunday afternoon. Four other Japanese planes were downed Saturday. Nimitz said the Japanese sank one light fleet unit. i Honshu Raided Mustang fighters from I wo Jima destroyed or damaged 47 enemy planes in an attack on Su zuku airfleldC 32 miles "south west of Nagoya on the Japanese home island of Honshu Sunday. The Mustangs also swept Ise hay south of Nagoya and sank two small oilers, a small tanker and a 6,000 to 8,000 ton cargo See MARINES . . . Page 5 Basque Influence On Sheep Industry Told Lion's Club ( Joseph Gaiser, of the Eastern Oregon college faculty was the speaker at the weekly luncheon meeting of the La Grande Lions club, in the Stein coffee shop to day. He spoke of the history and culture of the Basque people, hose home lies in the Pyrenees mountain district of north Spain. He also traced the history of their immigration in this country and outlined what he called "Basque territory here as bounded by the cities o; winne- mueea, Nevada, Boise, Idaho, and Jordan Valley, Oregon. Point ing out that people of this na tionality were largely responsible for the high development of the sl.eep raising industry, and had made this work more or less of an exact science, he praised their resourcefulness and classed them as definitely one of the higher types to make this country their home, and who had become good Americans. Committee reports were given by the following club members: progress of the UNRRA clothing drive, Gordon Capps; national cancer drive, Bert Worley; and victory gardening, Jesse Rosen baum. Guests were chief of police Clyde Lund, and Lt. Bill Kline, formerly of La Grande, now in the U. S. navy. L. M. Complon of the state for rstry department and attorney Colon Ebcrhard were introduced as new members. Tickets for Hayes Lecture on Sale Tickets to hear- Sam Hayes speak in La Grande at noon, May 1, at the Elka club, are now Mailable al the chamber uf coin- i n,rrrc i.ffirr ttays in ngi'-'nal dirertor fur the national committee on living w,ir memorials, and is making a lour nl wostcrn areas to explain tile program, ) Charl es a ti .. .. i -j fistrie, i a memfcr Of tho fiuvr ernoj) s ooiilj: "(ijtei MorOfurther iiXing) mcmjftialst ence of the (yhich will be rf,conatnt use tolWiytO0itt tfeilay u.;i;ln7J fine comunity. TWtQucslSQulvcdCT,, Only I inoriais have TTecn sw pooIsO.ennis courts or spnV.frp. simittt lecreatiodal facilities. -- LA GRANDE, OREGON MONDAY EVENING, rat; ELBE RIVER BRIDGE NAMED FOR PRESIDENT TRUMAN As a tribute to their now command er in chief, U. S. army engineers named the Treadway bridge they built under fire ovor the Elbe river the "Truman bridge. A brush-weilding engineer adds the finishi'.ig touch as he labels it, "The Gateway to Berlin." Signal corps radio-ielephoio. Delegates Gather For Security Parley Of United Nations ' SAN FRANCISCO, April 23 (UP) The United States delega tion to the United Nations con ference met for the first- time hero today as the Big Three pow ers conferred at Washington in a last minute attempt to iron out the Polish dispute. Planes landing at nearby air liclds and every train crossing the Sierra brought more dele gates and advisors to the confer ence. But most of the principals still arc absent. French Foreign Minister George Bidault, chairman of his delegation, and French Minister of Public Health Francois Bil louz, a delegate, were among to day's arrivals. Five of the seven U. S. dele gates met in an apparently rou tine preliminary session at their hotel here. They were Sen. Ar thur Vandenberg, R., Mich.; Rep. i Charles A. Eaton, R N. J.; Rep. , Sol Bloom, D., N. Y Cmdr. liar nld Stasscn, and Dean Virginia Gildersleevc of Barnard college. Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, chairman of the dele gation, was in Washington, where , .e conferred with British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and bo vict Foreign Commissar V. M. Molotov on the thorny Polish problem. He later conferred with F resident Truman at the While House. Dutch Oppose Veto Plan Netherlands Foreign Minister E. N. Van Kleffens, chief of his rointry's delegation, said the Duich group will propose seven amendments to the Dumbarton See DELEGATES . . . Page 5 Truman Confers With War Chiefs WASHINGTON, April 23 (UP) President Truman conferred for an hour today with his lorcign and military affairs high command, but what the confer ence was about icrnained a guarded war secret. Participating in the ennfer ( nee was Major-Gen. John R. Dean, former roeretary to the rhiels-ot-staff and more recently the head of a military mission I" the Soviet Union. Each of the conferees declined to dincuss the meeting. Summoned to the White House were Secretary of War Henry L. Stimon, .Secretary of State t'.ii ard H. Stettinius, jr., Secretary .f Nivy Jaini'S Forrrstol, (it n. Ou-gr C. M:ir,,hall, army clik f- -srtvff, Admiml Ernest ,1, King, comman.tr'r-iii-chicf ,f the U. :S. nirl, and Admiral William I) L'ahyj the prcnident's personal chicf-uf-,;taff. 8HIRU5Y HAS BtRTHBAY tflOLLyWOUD, ApniJ23 (CP) fa"A(reiun((W)fiancet,( Sit fami AgaiO O'cjJ - - - - Unia$ and Wallowa Counties ''. ( H Oft Pi 1 "Sl iff v Evidence of Jap Cannibalism Found On New Guinea, Leyte Editor's Note: After more than two years. United Presa Vice President Fraik H. Balholomew is at last permitted to disclose evidence of Japansse cannibalism which he obtained on a tour of Pacific fighting fronts back in tho winter of 1942-43. Relaxa tion of army censorship restrictions on the subjoci finally onables him to present the following disnatch. SAN FRANCISCO, April 23 (UP) To the recent disclosures con cerning the cruelty of the Japanese toward war prisoners, I can now add evidence that the Japanese have a callous disregard for war dead, including their own men, and that they practiced cannibalism j New Guinea. Postmasters Sought In Elgin, Wallowa WASHINGTON, Apr. 23 (UP Applications will bo receiv ed by the civil service commis sion through May 10 for post masterships in Wallowa, Silolz, Monrod and Elgin, all in Ore gon. 4Bi Three' Aides Seek Accord On Polish Problem WASHINGTON, April 23 (UP) The foreign ministers of the United Slates, Great Britain and Rnssiii conferred for an hour awl F. half again today in an eleventh-hour attempt to straighten cut Big Thifo disagreements be fore the San Francisco confer eicc. At Hie conclusion of the meet ing, the second since Soviet For eign Commissar V. M. Molotov's arrival by airplane yesterday, Secretary of State Edward It. Stettinius,, jr., hastened to the While House. Reports to President It was assumed be went there to report to President Truman on today's discussions with Molotov and British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden. The foreign ministers, striving j to achieve a united front on the organization of the Polish gov ernment and other problems, in dicated they will meet again Int er today. They expect to leave tonight for San Francisco where the world security conference opens on Wednesday. Eden talked with - Stettinius alone before Molotov's arrival at the secretary's office and for five minutes after Molotov left the meeting. Stettinius refused to s;iy whether the foreign ministers made any progrtss in today's discussions. Throughout the meet ing, tlx- con idms outside the sec retary's office were patrolled bv both HiKSian ,nmi. If.-, S. secret service men. worn BILE, nics . WASHINGTON. April ZflIO --The "work ptl else" (fa)jor bKV strongly ur,ta. byftt'e late Presi- dont.-Rooscvelt, ,was retLlh'ed evelt.u-as retLU''d e day -,y tiio-fioira- to lis inim.vy rff)iirs coinmittee. ii Auijgcn ciallvcontcdcd thar-ri meant the buii(f)J)t e manpower measure. - jmja - APRIL 23, 194'. The facts that I learned there and on other fronts emphasize the ruthless nature of our enemy, js do Ihe recent wholesale atro cities in the Philippines und Adm. William F. Halray's disclosure of cannibalism in Leyle. During a tour of the New Gui nea fighting front early in 11143 II was told by responsible allied officers that there was evidence thai Japanese troops, cut off firm supplies, ale 'parts of the boiiits nf American and Australian dead. I I! nv over the Owen Stanley range to the front from Port Moresby al the turn of the year in 1!M3 and was shown grim evi dence of the savage practices in pi riir.'-'ters of diy ground in the jungle where the Japanese fin tally had been wiped out by mor- tar and field artillery fire fol lcm:.'il by infantry charges. There was no evidence any where al that time that the Jap See EVIDENCE . . . Page 5' Women Will Pack Relief Clothing' Clothing to relievo the distress of the destitute people of the I , i -a.". liberated from axis suh- I jug.'itinn will be par ked for ship- j 'mint lomoirow in tin; ioceiving 'ic pot in tin' ).. C. Miuui Dunning mi Depot street by meiiiocr ol II " auxiliary of trie W.i.ian: f ! Foreign Wars. A. li. Olson and Lynn Larson, co-chairmen of the Union county campaign of the United national clothing collection, today urged that anyone who has clean, wear able e.'isl-off garments or shi.'-s lake them to the receiving depot imiiii ditaely, that they may be pu p.ii'-il for shipment al Ihe ear lii st posyibli moment. All types of clothing are need ed, tiny said, and it should bo clean and suitable for wear "as I,", as the roimiiitU'o hail no cli along or mending facilities. Elgin Solditr Is Killed in Europe O'i'he death iiH fielion !.fli , tfcr Europi tri ttieat rn)t opei at ions' of Set. Pai W.' J;liillip. 'of E'ld fi ,9 mcAuncrd in (if officiaVfiasualtyrj listY(Ha.,(9-Uiduy by tl.ewar de- The annoi(n) einc(ii;jw:(ic)i (jy. 1KSUOU ail"l"J l.'iaiives nave ueen iieiifietlO"1' '(u) of kin as I lr) father, ircnit.vsJl'liillips of Eltin. on or Americans, French Open Battle For Bavarian HideooH PARIS, April 23 (UP) Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's U. S; third army drove forward an additional 21 miles in its Bavi' arian offensive today and broke into the Danube valley lg miles northeast of Hujfon.sburg. . . $ Three American and French armies had opened the battlfj, for Nazi Germany's last retreat in the Bavarian Alps. Patton's foot soldiers sained 18 miles on the southeast sec? tor and reached Burglcngenfeld, 13 miles northeast of Rtf- jjensuurR'. , , i Eleventh armored units pusncu forward 21 miles to reach the wettterfcld vicinity of th-3 Re gen river, 24 miles northwest of Regensburg. Other units of the third army fanned out northwest und south oast of Regensburg. Pricon Camp Taken Pulton's tank columns reeled off gains of us much us 32 miles in us many hours, sweeping up thousands of stunned nazi pri soners and liberating at least one enemy prisoner-of-war camp with hundreds of allied captives. Late dispatches said the third urmy crossed the Naab' river on a seven-mile front aflor captur ing Nabburg and Schwarzenfeld and pushed southeast four to five miles to the Kemmath and Wil hof arcus. At Kemmuth, they were 23 miles north of tho Dunu bian fortress of Regensburg, little nroro lln 70 iniiux frbm Mrnieh and 123 miles from Berchtes gudon. Move Down Danube Other third army forces ' wore moving down on the Danube along a front of more than 30 miles extending west from tho Naab river to Neummrket, 18 miles southwest of Nuernberg. Amberg, 14 miles west of the See PATTON . . . Page 5 Soft Coal Wage j Contract Given Approval of WLH WASHINGTON, April 23 (UP) The war labor board today unanimously approved the wage provisions of the new soft coal contract, Operators estimated the contract would increase miners' wages by an average of $1.30 a day and the production cost of coal by 25 cents a toll. The WLB said that the wage adjustments will become effec tive only if approved by Stabil ization Director William II. Davis I unless the office of nrieo ad ministration determines no price k lief will be required. All of the producers have ask- a OI'A for price relief, however, end OPA has begun a study which it hopes to complete this week. This would permit Davis to make a decision by ,May 1. Operators have asked that a deci sion be marie by then, and the United Mine Workers extended the old contract until that time. Anti-Jap Action Branded 'Rackets' SEATTLE, April 23 (UP) Dil lon S. Myer, national director of the war relocation authority, said today that persons who belong to an ti-Japanese-American organi zations are "trying to lay the same groundwork of racism in the United States as Hitler devel eped in Germany." The organizations, ho predict ed, will break up as soon as "the ertod prnplt" realize Ihey urc "racket." "Profe:ional promoters tire putt in Jap hating on a paying bi sis," he said. They aim to make money regardless of hew it may affect the nation." Jtyer lloseribe9 SuiUlc as "the vvortl city in the eiruiTtiy as far i s rViit'h; p,' uiiiotifinal schemes L;,li KftfLCOrLlvl.1 P JJBan. 1, I'M.- WA tlj.f Maid, SOOO eligible Japane.se- Airie)'ioin.s(-',Slti (l(S)e Jieen re'(G) Cjd kD tlfn 9oirk ffthc WRA I'Qcd. rfMtn.cdi ucy cent of that i.timbff-wtll returrrto the PitfjHP coiist. (ffi) ad'tql, most of tlulny iwieii the. summer. o Weather Data for 24 hours to 7 a.m., April 23: , Temperature: Maximum 62 Minimum 37 Precipitation 04 Forecast: Showers t o n i g h t, clearing and cooler Tuesday. FIVE CENTS .": Ernie Pyle First Live Jap Soldiers Seen By Writer (Editor's Note: In addition ia' the atory which appears here to-, day, wo will print several olheri which wa have just received from. Ernie on Okinawa. Wa believed ha would have wanted us to. A' a great reporter, a great news paperman end a great person, he would have wanted hi stories to go through, despite his tragic death,) ,. ; -.ji 'j .- By ERNIE PYLE "'. OKINAWA (By Nuvy. Radio). Now I've seen my first Jap soldiers in their native state Ihat Is, before capture. But not for long, because tho boys of my compuny cuptured them quicker than a wink. . It was mid-forenoon and wo had just reached our new bivouac areu after a march of an hour und u half. The boys threw off their packs, sat down on the ground, and took off their hcT mets to mop their perspiring forheuds. , We were in a small grassy spot at the foot of a hill. Most of tliuLo hillsides have caves and household stuff hidden in them. They are a rich field for souvenir hunters. And ull marines arc sou venir hunters. . i So immediately two of our, boys, Instead of resting, started up through the brush, looking for caves and souvenirs. They hid gone about SO yards when; one of them yelled: A "There's a Jap soldier under this brush," We didn't get too excited for mosl of us figured he meant a dead Jap. But three or four of the boys got up and went up the hill. A few moments later some body yelled again "Hi)y, here's another one. They're alive und they've got rifles." So the boys went at them in earnest. The Japs were lying undil two bushes. They ha?! their hands up over their cars and were pretending to be asleep. The marines surrounded the -bushes and, with guns point-,, ing, they ordered the Japs out. -But the Japs were tee scared to move. They just lay there,, blinking. , The average Jap soldier would See PLYE . . . Page 6 ,! Heiress and Noted Conductor Marry HOLLYWOOD, April 23 (UP) Gloria Vandcrbilt, 21-year-old heiress, nni! her new hlishnnd. Leopold Stokowsky, the 58-ycar- O old orchctftYa-jConductor, were be lievd In seclusion here todayjn a quiet honiymoon after theij marriage m Mexicali, Mcx., Sat urday night. The marriage was revealed yes tcrduy by Apolonlo Nunez, Mexl xall civil judge, who performed the ceremony. The wedding occurred a day ufter Miss Vanderbllt, who in hcrited a $4,346,000 fortune oi her 2hd (birthday, obtairvod a Reno cWorce from Pasqualo (Pul) Di Clcco, Hollywood actor's agent. " o u OO o O
