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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1945)
r u ) ommllir Weather Data for 24 hours to 7 a. m. ' Temperature: Maximum 63 Minimum 38 Precipitation Trace Forecast: Partly cloudy tonight and Sunday. ESTABLISHED 1S9G Reds Capital Siege Near End As More Yank Soviet Forces Meet LONDON, April 2S (UP) Russian troops driving through the heart of Berlin have captured the north west part of ("harloltenlnirg district, the western part of Moabit and the eastern part of Sehoonherg, a Soviet communique announced tonight. Capturing the Siemenstadt electrical district, Marshal Gregory. K. Zhukov's first While Russian army joined forces with the first Ukrainian army which captured Fricdennu, Gruenewald and Ruhalehen, the communique said. ; Southeast of Berlin the Russians surroun:led a large Gentian group and are "annihilating it." LONDON, April 28 (UP) Marshal Stalin announced to that the Red army in a sweeping advance north of Berlin had captured Torgelow, F.ggesin, I'nsewalk, Templin and Strasburg. , Russian shock troops today broke into the Tiergarten, heart of Adolf Hitler's last-ditch defense citadel in encircled Berlin. Moscow said the siege of the nazi capital swiftly xnie Pyl Pyle Prepares To Leave Marines On Okinawa (Editor's Note: In addition to the story- which appears here today, we will print one more by the late Ernie Pyle.) By ERNIE PYLE 'td up with the Americans fol- OKINAWA (By Navy Radio) : lowing the original junction at There is one very small marine I Torgau, CO miles below the eap who is as nice as he can be, al-, ital. ways smiling and making some t icast nine-tenths of Berlin crack. But- the boys say that in niveadv was under Russian con- battle ho doesn't give n damn for anything. The lirst afternoon il joined his company he didn't know who I was and as we passed, he said very lespectfully, "Good evening, colonel." I had to chuckle to my self. Later he mentioned it and 'we laujhed about it and then he started calling me Ernie. He is Corp. Charles Bradshaw f Indianapolis. He is only 19 but on his third campaign in the Pacific. He's had three pieces of shrapnel in him at various times and months later they would work out through the skin. Another one is just about to come out his finger now. In the marines Corporal Brad- j Miaw is cauea nrany ioi snort. See PYLE . . . Page 8 Former Premiers Return to France PARIS, April 28 (UP) The French press agency reported "reliably" today that Edouard Herriot. Edouard Daladicr, and Paul Reynaud, former premiers of France, and Gen. Maurice Gamelin had arrived safely in France. Hitler's Death by Own Hand or Allied Bullet Foreseen by Aide MAGDTBURG, Germany. Ap lil 28 (IT) Adolf Hitler will kill himself or be killed in Berlin - within a few hours or days and Hip war will end, Lt. Gen. Kurt Dittmar, German hifih command spokesman, said in his final war commentary in American cus- . tody. Dittmar, who surrendered to the American Ninth army r,n the Fjhe river Wednesday, told his captors that Hitlrr and Prnpa , unda Milliner Joneph Goobljcls i wci in IJtrlin and will thv there. "Tile war r ill end in a few di..vv" Ditthaf)snid. 'v"IIitler will either be itHliK) It ho will com ( Oiit suicide. Ony of three gen erals von Braurfiitsrh. Guderian or von Rutirfytedt will tafci) con iroi and will make peace immed iately on almost any terms." Asked about the Bavarian re doubt, he said, "There's talk Breach Last Berlin Defenses was approaching its end Reports reaching London also said fighting was raging "very near" Adolf Hitler's rcicheschan ccllery on the Wilhelmstrasie, 'he roichstag on the northeast corner of the Tiergarten, the Mate opera house and other buildings in the center of Berlin. A Moscow dispatch said Soviet Cossack divisions swept nearly 50 miles west of Berlin and reached the Ellw river opposite the American ninth army. The Russians were awaiting an "im minent junction" with the ninth army, Moscow said. South of Berlin, the Russian I army organ Red Star said, two more Soviet divisions had link- Lrol following a new junction of .hi- first White Russian and first Ukrainian armies in the Charlot tenburg district just west of the Tiergarten. The remainder of the encircled 3.'12-square-milc city either had been cleared or was bing mop ped no against varying losislancc. Complete occupation of the burning rubble - beared capital ) m.-iv mm- (hie ti-onlr-nnH Lions Are Named For Bond Drive Appointment of a Lions club committee to promote the sale ot bonds during the seventh war loan campaign, was announced today by Horace Nelson, presi dent of the club. Members are: A. H. Labbc, chairman, Ernest Bcrglund. Bert Worley, W. R. Winters. Wilbur Baer and C. R. Ebcrhard. The appointments were sent to W. C. Perkins, county war fi nance committee chairman, with the announcement they will work with the Rotary club committee rieviously appointed. :bout it. and the map will how you that two pockets are being formed, one in the north includ ing Norway and Denmark and one in the south in the Alps and Italy. But that is probably less l.y intention than by force of cir cumstances." At any rate, he thought, the ar could not last after the fail of Berlin, which he said was a matter of hours or at the most days. "I saw Ihe war was lost on July toth," sajcl Dittmar, refr;.-.-rn; to the frifsUaled, attempt M Hitler's lii'o. ' i ) Dittmnr talked to conespjnd- nts in hi b,ost kctlire platform manner. Butwhen he talked with the commander of the divi sion to whiche surrendered, he ,-ppeared nervous. He stanfV).it the floor and rubbed his hollow checks. Often l.A (WlANUli, NAZI TORTURE RE-ENACTED General. Eisenhower watches grimly while occupants of a German concentration camp at Gotha demonstrate the way in which they were tortured by nazi sadists oper ate lg the camp. General Eisenhower (with Generals Bradley and Patton, shown at lefl) visited the camp during a tour of the Third army front. Security Conferees Are Spurred by Nazi Peace Rumor MEMORIAL OPERA HOUSE, San Francisco, April 28 (UP) Reports of a new German erack up sent United conference en thusiasm soaring today as the delegates headed toward further showdowns between the power ful United States and Russian delegations. Conference business today was all talk with tile hard business e! decisions postponed until next week. At a plenary session this morning the conference heard from seven delegations: Czechoslovakia, India, Iran, Lebanon, Honduras, The Nether lands and Egypt. The addresses were the formal rpening statements of good will expected from each group. Rumor Cheers Delegates There was a baekslapping and handshaking interruption, evi dently caused by reports that Heinrich Himmler, Nazi gestapo chieftain, had advised the Amer icans that Hitler was dying. A rumor that Hitler is dy ing was heard here through a British source which attribut ed it to a message sent to the British and American govern ments, presumably by Heinrich Himmler. II said: "It is feared that Hitler is not very well and may not live an other 24 hours." There were no details on how c; when the message was sent to the British and American gov ernments other than that it came through Stockholm. Whether it See SECURITY . . . Page 7 U. S. Forces Reach Swiss Border In Italian Campaign ROME. April 28 (UP) The American Fifth army drove into the Swiss border area of Italy to rey, capturing Bergamo, 30 miles ( ast-southeast of the frontier at Cc.mo. and the transport hub of Brescia, 48 miles cast of Milan. A Zurich dispatch reported that the Americans had reached the Italo-Swiss border. The Fifth army's spectacular sDurt to the border zone bisect ed northern Italy, trapped tenr of thousands of Germans, and isolated Milan and Turin. The Swiss dispatch said the Americans entered Como. on the Italian side of the frontier, last night after an advance from their last reported positions west of Lake Gaida. The patriot-controlled Milan radio repoilcd that the Ameri cans also, had entered Milan. Italy's second city, but this was not confirmed. The rtljo said patriot foictu Jilready liber ,led the city. Turin, the other groat indus trial center of northern Italy, al so was isolated by the advance which cut the last roads to Aus tiia from northwest Italy. Unioi and Wallowa Covni'ti OREGON SATURDAY EVENIN(J, Ai'IlII, 28, 19-15 U. S., Russian Meeting Links Vast Army to Crush Germany PARIS, April 28 (UP) The American-Russian junction south of Berlin linked 13,000,U00 allied troops for the final act of the battle of Europe, military observers said today. Though superficially the armies of the east and west became a mighty combined force, no change in the command wl-up was be New Grand Jury Will Hear Bowman Murder Charge Empaneling of a new county :rand jury, one of the first duties of which will be action in the ?ase of Albert Forrest Bowman, charged with tho murder of his father A. H. Bowman, North Powder district rancher, was anounccd today al the court house. Twelve talesmen were instruc cd to report to the circuit court at 10 a.m. Monday when seven if their number will be selected 0 serve as the county's inquisi torial body for 1045. On the grand jury list arc Lil lian Wells, Aliccl; Pearl Conrad, Imbler; George South, Union: Lee Childers, Cove, and the fol lowing residents of La Grande: Ona Scriber, Lela Dahlstrom, Homer II. Taylor, Lois Thompson, Joe Clark, Margaret Swart and . B. Cherry. Funeral services were conduc ed today in Baker for Bowman, vho for the entire 58 years of lis life hod lived on the ranch 'n the North Powder district. The rites were conducted but 1 few hours after the son was "ormally charged with murder in in information filed in the court f Justice George Cunoy by Dis riet Attorney C. R. Eberhard. Meanwhilil, the younger Bow nan is held in the county jail irre pendihg arniiqnn:-'-nl. Baseball Results American League Washington 1 0 1 N'ew York 2 10 3 (13 innings) Pieretti and Gui rra: Bonham. rurrr and Barbark, Crompton. Vision 000 102 5008 15 2 "hilad'phia 000 100 0034 4 1 Cecil and Garbark; Kneir, Ber ry, Schieba, Black and Hayes. Detroit 000 112 0105 11 0 Cleveland 000 000 0011 2 I Benton and Swift; Bagby. Kl.i nan. Henry and Ruskowski. Chicago ut St. Louis, postponed 'ain. National Lnajjue r,itlsbur:h Df 000 000- .-0 1 1 Chicago ( -100 iWi O0xli 14 2 Butcher, ' Gi'rhf.iuMiiT, (): ter nudlcr and Salkc Id; Wjff nn'l Livingston. Philadelphia 031 200 1(107 II Boston 302 001 02x 8 10 t' Spioull, Kennedy, Karl a:;(i Mancuso; Barr-jtt, Kailr-y, lliitih ings and Masi. eirmaiini synririnioiB i lieved contemplated. Premier Marshal Stalin was c xpected to remain in command of his seven Russian armies and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, in command of the five American, one British, one French and one Canadian armies of the western allies. Best estimates of a 1 1 i. e d strength placed S50 divisions roughly 8,250,000 men at the c-isposal of Stalin and 4,500,000 men under the command of Eis enhower. Also "moving in for the kill from the south were the Amer ican Fifth and British Eighth ar mies in northern Italy and Mar shal Tito's Yugoslav liberation army. Against this mighty array of allied power, the German high command can muster fewer than 2,500,000 troops. There were be lieved to be the remnants of 2H0 divisions in Germany and 24 in northern Italy. Approximately 125,000 addi tional .German troops were be lieved still in Yugoslavia and 125,000 in Norway. Increased Butter Output Sought In Subsidy Boost WASHINGTON, April 28 (UP) The government sought today to stimulate butter production with a revised program of sub sidy payments to dairy farmers. War Food Administrator Mar vin Jones, announcing the dairy subsidy rales which will be paid foi April 1 to next March 31, of fered farrncis a substantial hf erease in the payments of hutter i.t. The government price struc ture of ceilings and subsidies oiiginally was set up lo encour age the marketing of whole milk. The pin pose was to get greater output of dried milk, evaporatpd milk and other by-products for the army and lend-lease. As a ie?ult butter production sufferni. The M subsidy program is designed to make it pri.fitabio i.r tanners in the butUr area to increase milk production and market their milk in the form of bntteifat. FIAFT RIDE IS ThTP.U . NEW11KIIG, Ore., Apiit 28 (!'!' Si t-) cap-old Boyd iS.out was drowned toia; v.'hiva. he aitd' his brother, Itich.Wl, 0, VII from a homemade raft the log pond (,r the Ilffley (Julp acd paper company near Newbcr Other boys pullodout Richard but could not roaclfcj'.oyd. FIVE CENTS Japanese Say New Invasion Move Looms WAS II INtJTON, April 2S (UP) A large force of Superfortresses struck at six major air installations on the Japanese home island of Kyu shu today with "good to ex cellent" results, the war de part ment announced. The attack was the third made in Kyushu in three days. It was aimed at I.umi, Miynxaki, Kanoya, Kushira, Kokuhu, and Miyakenojo. A 20th air force communi (iie said enemy air action was "aggressive." The H-29's de stroy wl four Japanese fight cs hiii! prolmhliy destroyed five others. One Superfort ress was lost to enemy action. By United Press American forces struck new air and ground blows today In the mounting Okinawa campaign and radio Tokyo said a 100-ship U. S. invasion fleet off the island's west coast appeared to be preparing for "new opera tions." The fleet was reported to in clude four or five battleships, 10 or more destroyers and approxi mately 80 transports. The broad cast said 10 transports were in Nago bay on the west coast and the other ships were cruising off Hie island. Okinawa Conquest Seen On southern Okinawa, 2-llh ar my corps troops advanced to the vicinity of Maehinato, two miles north of Nulla, the capital. It was believed the Americans had ( racked through the strongest de See JAPANESE . . . Page 7 Oregon Aviation To Be Fused Into National Program Oregon airstrips and airways will be co-ordinated with the rational aeronautical program as a result of a meeting of the civil aeionaulics authority and the Oicgon state board of aeronautics yesterday in Portland, called at the request of Paul Morris, re gional administrator of the CAA. The state and national boards have worked out a 10-year pro cram, known as the sixth i?vised plan, for the purpose of integrat ing all existing slate facilities and including them in the national setup. Facilities constructed in the future and existing facilities will be coordinated with the na tional system. Plans were discussed to con struct numerous class 1 airports iMnall) with 1800 foot airstrips at sea level. On May 1. the CAA, accom panied by the stale board, will make Ihe first of a series of flights covering the state, to in terview people of small commun ities not now having airports, so tin ir ne-:'ds may be incorporated in the national system. The first Sec OREGON . . . Page 7 New Ration Stamps Valid luesday WASHINGTON, April 28 (UP) A total of 10 ni w blue and re-d stamps worth 100 ration points for buyine, processed foods, meats and fats will be- good May I, of fice of price administration an nounce d today. Tr..;1 five new red stamps for buying nudts and fats are Q2. 1(2, S2. T2 and 1'2. Each one is v.onh 10 points. Ttu five new blue stamps foi buying piecessed fuoils jiic Y2, 7,2. Al, HI and CI. Five led stamps--T5, U5, VS. i and X5- -which bVoaino valid !(. .'!!, 1044, tird live blue I .amps C3, 1)2. F.2, F2 and G2 validated.' mi Jan. I, I0tr, will not ih- good otter todAy OPA said. o 'J(hV in w sQ),a$Dstamp, No. 3fi, b( ciitnes gooet Mav 1. Sugar stamp No. 3a will be good until ,lune 2 and ugar (SJaiiQ. No. 36 will be good until Aug. 31. U.S., Britain Spurri Peace Move That i Excludes Russians ' LONDON, April 28 (UP) Tho government today took official cognizance, without affirmation or denial, of a report that Heinrich Himmler had offered to guarantee the uncon ditional surrender of Germany to America and Britain -t excluding Russia and had received a blunt rejection. : V A source at allied supreme headquarters in France said that SI1AKF "has no knowledge of any such offer. If any has been made, it has been made on a government level." .: A statement from ' No. written by Prime Minister offer of capitulation might any time. The excentional procedure coupled with its assertion that the government had no in" formation on the subject "at this moment," suggested that; Churchill might be standing by for uny proposal. The re port on which uu. cial statement was based saif that Himmler, German interior minister and gestapo chief, of fered to guurantee the uncondi tional surrender of Germany lo the United States nnd Britain. Demand Russ Inclusion In the words of the Downing street statement, the report add- WASHINGTON, Apr. 28 (UP) The White House today dis claimed knowledge of an offi cial German peace offer, but made clear that when uncon ditional surrender comes it must be offered to all of ihe allies. The White House press sec retary, Jonathan Daniels, said; "This government has noth ing to say at this lime." od that the western allies "re plied, saying that they will not aeocpt unconditional surrender except on behalf of all the allies, including Russia. The version of the icport as broadcast by the allied-controlled Luxembourg radio and re corded here by the BBC said: "The following message has been conveyed to the foreign ministers of tho United States Great Britain and Russia: "Heinrich Himmler has sent a message in which he guarantees LONDON, April 28 (UP) The diplomatic corresponde.it of the Sunday Times said to night that Germany "may cease fighting during the next 24 hours," "This, I am roliably i.iformod, is the possible climax of a ser ies of statements that rang around the world," the corres pondent reported. Ihe unconditional surrender of Germany lo the United States end Great Britain. Tho govern ments of the United States and Great Britain have replied lhat uneondiliomil surrender will only be accepted if the offer is ad dressed lo all the allies." Soon after the Luxembourg broadcast, No. 10 Downing St., official lesidence of the Prime minister, issued Ihe formal state ment on the report. Nowhere did the statement say that the report was false. The implication appeared to he that t might be true. The statement said only lhat the government had no information to give about it. It concluded with a reiteration See HIMMLER . . . Pago 7 Clothing Given In Relief Drive Passes 2 1-2 Tons More than two and a half tons of used clothing unel shoes have been shipped from La Grande to peoples of devastated war areas in the United national clothVng Icoll'dion campaign, which will be brought to a close here Monday. A. ,B. Olson, co-chairman of the county campaign, said an effort will be made to clear the salvage headquarters in the L. C. Smith building on Depot street Tuesday anel Wednesday, when volunteers from the Neighbor hood club will sort and pack con tributions for shipment. Olson said the response to ap peals for clothing have been (ratifying and he expressed ap preciation to members of the various women's organizations who have volunteered to sort and pack the clothing, and to those who provided Wearables for the destitute peoples of the liberated countries. Clean clothing Tlnd shoes that are in wearable condition may be taken to the collection depot, opposite the F.Iks building on Ol pot street, Monday. 1 U-BOAT IS SUNK LONDON, April 23 (UP) A U-boat was sunk recently by fire fiom two mine sweepers cscoit ing a convoy in the north Atlan lii'lQfhe admiralty announced to day. Survivors weru taken prisoner. 10 Downing St., apparently .J. Churchill, hinted that some y be received from the nazis at n of issuing such a statement: Bavaria Is Reported In Revolts PARIS, April 28 (UP) Revo-; lutionists seized control in Mu nich today and radioed an urgent appeal for American help Ml overthrowing the Nazis. At mid-;' day, however, a broadcast pur ported to come from the gaulelf: cr in the city claimed the upris ing had been suppressed. -. ; 7 From confused radio broad-' casts and censored front din-, patches one clear fact emerged-r. (he fires of revolution had beep lighted in Bavaria, .once the.' strongest citadel of Nazidom. - And two American armies, were racing in on Munich from' positions less than 30 miles to the. west and north in answer td i desperate appeal from the rebels, foi Immediate help. Late front dispatches said. the. Third army gained upwards pt 13 miles along an 85-mile front between the Ingolstadt and gendort areas,. Units of-the 80tjv division pushed eight rnllel southeastward to the - area., ol.' Hirnkirchcn, 13 miles southeast of Ingolstadt, 27 northwest " of Munich, and 22 north of the no torious Dachau concentration camp. . ;. The U. S. Seventh army cross ed the Austrian frontier at a sec: ond point when the 44th division pushed 18 miles south to Berg, two north of the border, and moved over the frontier neat Berg southwest of the 10th ar mored division's earlier crossing. Field dispatches from ' the Third army front Identified the Munich rebel leader as Gen. Hans Ritter von Epp, last report cd as a member of the Hitler government and one of the first Nazis elected to the reichstag. ; A rebel broadcast to the peo ple of Munich and apparently also to French slave workers In Bavaria quoted von Epp as an nouncing that Germany's capitu lation was "imminent" and that "Ihe hour of freedom has struck," Meat Production, ;i Marketing To Be Conference Topics; Meot production and market ing problems will be the subject of a conference in the city hall in Lu Grande at 1:30 p. m. Tues day between state officials of the office of price administration and producers, butchers and retail dealers of Union county,- .; McDannell Brown, district di rector of OPA, and Verne Llve scy, agricultural relations advis or of the Portliind district office; will be here to discuss the new meat program lhat has been adeipted by the OPA in an effort lo provide better distribution of the civilian supplies of meat and to combat the black market. Various aspects of the meat situation will be discussed, among them the subsidies, price regulations, permits to kill and rationing. i While the meeting will not nec essarily be open to the general public, il is the purpose of the federal agency to bring into the conference everyone interested 1ft production, slaughtering and re tail selling of meat. This will be the only meeting hi Id in Union county on this sub ject, the OPA announced. ; European Veterans p Ifoige on Furloughs Included among 75 Oregon and Washington veterans who have arrived here from the European front on leaves and furloughs are two fiom eastern Oregon, ic They are Staff Sergeant Steven. J. Hippe of Union, and Sgt, MeU vin O. Wulker of Joseph. I arri r
