17 rf
Dlmout
Thanks, Navy ,
"Your Service Men eel-
saaa means a lot to us fel-
lews . away from heme,"
writes a Salem jnaa la na
val training. He echoes many
nek notes received br Tin
Statesman.
IN
' 1
Sunday ausstt p. m.
Xlaaday tssrbe -1:2 a. m.
Weather:- IrL max. temp.
Si, sain. 4t. FrL rata .11 la.
Sat rtrer 1J t. Weather
data restricted by army re-
Tl
enest. , x-v.
nrsTY-cico:n yeas
Sedan. Oregon. Cimday l lcrrlag. rbraciry 7, 1813
fcic la.
No. 233
(
Message
Slated
Byr Snell
Taxation Problems
-. To Be Discussed
: , Further Monday
By RALPH C. CURTIS
- t : Gov. Earl Snell will trans
mit to toe legislature, when its
members reconvene on Monday,
special message.
"The message," Gov. Snell
said Saturday, "will be a fur
ther amplification of my views
and recommendations in con
nection with the important prob
lem of taxation."
There was no further revelation
as to the message's content.
" Beyond curiosity as to the na
' ture of the impending recommen
dations, on the surface there is
nothing about such an announce
ment to set tongues wagging. Oth
er governors have sent special
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
Third reading Monday:
In Senate: SB 36, 119, 121. HB
2, 232.
In House: HB 30, 85, 87, 89, 91,
142, 146, 165, 170, 204, 297, 298,
302.
messages to other legislatures. Yet
tongues were set wagging, and in
this wise:
Obviously, Gov. Snell. is going
to advocate a taxation program.
The questions are, what program,
and whose? ...
As food for speculation upon
these questions, the ' wagging
tongues found available this- back
ground: ; ; - ' :
Taxation is not merely
Important problem" at this
slon; It Is "the important prob
lem." In recognition, the legis
lature's presiding- officers ap
pointed highly capable taxation
committees, composed of men
who not only know about taxes.
- bat have confidence fat what they
know. Yet not content with what
they already know, these com
mittees have dag deep Into all
. phases of the taxation problem
since receiving their appotnt-
ita.
" They have had, in addition, the
assistance of Guy Gordon, whose
"splendid services' . . in connec
tion" with ' matters of taxation"
Gov. Snell acknowledged in his
Inaugural message. ' '
On the basis of what they knew
and what they learned and with
Mr. Gordon's assistance, these able
committees have worked out, with
out fanfare, a f taxation program.
Though there have' been hints and
shrewd guesses, its details have
not been announced. This for the
reason that they are still subject
to change; but the impression is
that the program has rather sol
idly "jelled."''"
' Why then, a special message on
taxation? '
Oddly enough, the cry has been
raised that there is "no leader
ship" and no program. There is
bound to be suspicion that the
cry emanates from those who
know there is a program, and
know pretty well what it is, and
don't like it 4
The republican party is now
responsible . for Oregon's gov
ernment. From republicans sen
sitive to this responsibility and
concerned over the "no lead-"
ership" cry has com an appeal
to Gov. Snell to assume leader-,
ship. The special message Is the
result. ,
. Still what program, and whose?
Though the final score is not
,t yet in. Gov. Snell's recommenda
tions on other subjects have not.
In the main, fared well in the
legislature to date. Is he planning
to challenge the judgment and de
cisions of these quite independent
minded tax committeemen, "stick
his neck out" further?
' (Turn to Page 2 Story A)
Willamette and Creeks Rise
- Snow which fell in fair quantity
but did not dingr in downtown
.Salem, late Saturday night indi-
dated : removal, temporarily : at
least, of the threat of a second
IMS' Good, unofficial weather ob
servers declared as the Willam
ette hovered close to the 14-foot
mark. . ,
fUlverton oa Saturday was
experiencing the worst flood of
the winter there to date. Silver
: creek' rose more than two feet
from 11 a. m. to 7:30 p. m. and
was higher than it had been '
even daring the disastrous No
vember high water.
' Basements and lawns in the
Geiser addition were flooded.
The Salem -Sflverton lower road
was under water from the Pud
Eisenhower:. Meads 'NW
Africa; Giraud Arranges
Unity Step ; A Hies Pushed
By EDWARD D. BALL ! -: i - ,
LONDON, Feb. MVThe allies set, the stage for the impending
showdown in Tunisia Saturday by naming Ltf Gen. Dwight p.
Eisenhower commander-in-chief f a new north African theatre
of operations shortly after the political situation in north
AIhm a Vsrvafii1 turn ttt T ) '
In the actual fighting, ha the allies suffered a setback
11 ' ? aorhtn i the Germans; captured a
K.Bayne Jcr
v
cants Lr
Postmastership
List Closes Tuesday;
Some of Former
Seekers Undecided
By STEPHEN C. MERGLER
- 4
The second civil service list of
applicants for the Salem postmas
tership is to be closed Tuesday
with at least one new man enter
ing the competition.
Kenneth Bayne, long-time
worker on the Marion county
democratic central committee and
frequent candidate for county of
fice, is adding his name to the
list, friends have been advised.
The complete list is obtainable
only from commission offices at
Washington, DC, at the close of
the filing period.
Joseph J. Gallagher, benefits
supervisor for the state unem
ployment commission, who was
the only one of eight applicants
to be certified for appointment
following the original examin
ations late last year, is again
In the running. He didn't have
to file a new application.
Paul Lynch, deputy collector of
internal revenue, whose office is
in the postoffice building, has
filed- a new application, and so
(Turn to Page 2 Story C)
' ; v .-I .
Safem -HigliV--'
Speakers Win
At linfield
McMINNVTLLE, Ore., Feb. 6(ff)
Salem dominated the 11th annual
high school speech tournament
Saturday at Linfield college, win
ning four events and placing in
numerous others.
The results were:
' Senior oratory Won by Jane
Huston, Salem; Nevitt Smith, Sa
lem, second; David Dawson, Med
ford, third. ,
Radio speaking Won by
Jacques Autrey, Hillsboro; Lloyd
Bomaschopky, Dallas, second;
Alice Rose, Salem, and John Pooy,
Sheridan, third.
Senior, extemporaneous Won
by Laroy Dillan, Hillsboro; John
Brown, Salem, second.
Junior extemporaneous Won
by Don Pollack, Forest Grove;
Dick Stanton, Grants Pass, sec
ond. Poetry Won by Betty Lou
Morris, ; Sheridan; Patty Lou
Stockhoff, Sheridan, second; Jean
Driggs, Salem,-third.
Junior oratory Won by Nancy
Brown, Salem; Jean Driggs, Phyl
lis Graham and Erma Wolverton,
all Salem, second.
Humorous declamation Won
by Bill Burns, Salem; Pat Leary,
Salem, second; Jack Horn, Rose
burg, third.
Senior declamation Won by
Patricia Lutrupp, Sheridan; Alice
Rose, Salem, second; Jean Bar
ham, Salem, and Betty Lou Mor
ris, Sheridan, third.
- Senior debate Won by Robert
Meyers and Richard Smirthwaite,
both ; Beaverton; Jack Horn and
Varney Baker, Roseburg, second.
After dinner speaking Won
by John Brown, Salem; Bill
Burns, Salem, second; Nevitt
Smith, Salem, third.
ding: river' and was not in use
early Saturday night l " - -
The Abiqua was out of ita banks
and over the highway on the Mt
Angel road- although traffic was
still getting through at 8 p. ax:
Salem felt the flood threat as
overburdened sewers backed up
at the city's edge, where new res
idential connections, some of them
allowed when installation of new
mains seemed imminent, had com
bined with high streams and hea
vy rainfall to flood basements. .
i PORTLAND, Feb. -JSf-Meterologist
E. L. Wells pre
dicted the Santiam river will
rise one foot above the 14-foot
flood level at Jefferson Satur
day night hut will cause little
damage.
Appli
strategic mountain from the Brit-
I ish First army 20 mues .south of
Pont-du-Fahs. But the . British
announced sea successes with sub
marines sinking three more axis
supply ships and a tanker in the
Mediterranean.
The Algiers radio broadcast
a report that British Eighth
army troops were "a good
miles inside Ta a 1st a," after
crossing the border from Libya
bat this lacked official confirm
ation. ( i . - "
Gen. Henri Giraud established
a new war committee in French
North and West Africa, supplant
ing the old imperial council
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
IN NORTH AFRICA, Feb. C
(AVGen. Henri Giraud Satur
day steered liberalised Af
rican regime In the direction of
French unity, with the appoint
ment of De Gaollist sympathis
ers to several high places la the
government believed a virtual
certainty by informed sources.
formed by the late A dm. Jean
Darlan.
Giraud's step apparently left
the way open for the Fighting
French under Gen.; Charles De
Gaulle to be represented, and
North African dispatches reported
that Gen. Georges Catroux Of the
Fighting French national commit
tee conferred with Giraud in Al
giers Saturday on taking a post
in the French African govern
ment.
Later dispatches, however, said
it was reported that Catroux
would not take a place in the Gi
raud government, and Fighting
French spokesmen in London said
there was mo question of his ac
cepting such a post,
Both Giraud's new committee
and the separation of the' US
North African theatre of opera
tions from the European theatre
were seen as direct results of the
Roosevelt - Churchill Casablanca
conference.
The fall meaning of Elsen
hower's appointment was not
immediately clear, bat London
military circles did not Inter
pret It as a complete and final
answer as to who would direct
the US. British and French
forces lajthe showdown battle
for Tunisia.
, (In Washington the war depart'
ment said the new theatre of op
erations would include the north
western section of North Africa
(Turn to Page 2 Story B)
Minors9 Work
Gets Ruling
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -(AV
The war manpower commission
said Saturday that "no one under
14 years of age should be employed
full-time or part time as a part
of the hired labor force." T
In a statement of policy issued
by Chairman Paul V. McNutt, the
commission also opposed employ
ment of 14 and 15-year-olds in
manufacturing and mining jobs
or in any other work unless "qual
ified older workers are not avail
able." - ? ,
The WMC said "It is essential
that young people have the fullest
possible opportunity " consistent
with the war effort to complete
their education." J; I V :
"In most cases," the statement
said, "youth under 18 ! can best
contribute to the war program by
continuing in school and, when
their services are required, ac
cepting vacation, and part-time
employment.' '
He said the Willamette river
rose slightly-above flood stage at
Harrisburg Friday, " but receded
during the night
The ice bridge across the Co
lumbia river at The Dalles went
out Saturday and port officials
guarded against : ice" piling ; up
against wharves. Ferry service
was resumed after nearly two
weeks-lapse. ; r-:"VV,' 'l-' : y
s A wind and rainstorm occurred
here Friday night Tree surgeons
were called to bind up a large
shade tree that split SO feet above
the ground and threatened to fall
on an apartment building.
. -. The Portland weather bureau
predicted a moderat rise in the
- Willamette river above Oregon
City threnghoBt the next 24
hoars.
Oogfigtos
Down 26;'
Of Enemy.
No Allied Fighters P
Lost Over Guinea;
( Bombers Attack
By .TOM YARBROUGH j
ALLJED HEADQUARTERS
IN AUSTRALIA,- Sunday,; Feb
1-iJfy-ln : the biggest 1; single
day's air. battle to date in the
southwest Pacific 26 Japanese
planes were destroyed and; 15
damaged over Wau, New Gui
nea Saturday. Not a" single
allied fighter was lost in the fierce
dogfighting which lasted all day.
The allied fighters were Light
nings, Airacobras and Kitty hawks;
their victims were Zeros and me
dium bombers. )
It was aa all-out attempt 'by
the Japs to ram the Waa air
drome around which g r a a 4
fighting has been continuing; oa
a small scale f or several days.
There was no ground push syn-;
chronized with Saturday's big
air attack and fighting was lua
ited to patrol activity. I
The total bag of enemy planes
consisted of: Twenty one fighters
and three medium bombers shot
down by planes and two by anti
aircraft guns: Damaged or prob
ably destroyed 12 fighters j and
three medium bombers.
Fighting occurred over a wide
area around Wau, which is 35
miles southwest of Salamaua.) The
planes battled at altitudes as high
as 18,000 and as low as 2000 feet
with planes swirling and rolling
like gargantuan , tumbleweed. .
This air battle was surpassed In
size only by the great three-day
allied attack on a Jap convoy off
Lae, New Guinea. J a n u a r y 6
through January 9 when 133 en
emy planes were downed or dam
aged. American pilots had a stroke of
(Turn to Page 2 Story G)
Committee to
Investigate
Subversives9
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6f(ff)
President Roosevelt established an
official committee Saturday to
handle "complaints of subversive
activity by federal employes but
this action came far from satisfy
ing congressmen who have been
pressing for a housecleaning;
"What we need -is fewer inves
tigations and more action on in
vestigations already made, com
mented Rep. Hendricks (D-Fla.).
"Congress expects to press this
fight until real action is taken and
we are not going to accept a
whitewash by any board." S
Chairman Dies (D-Tex.) of the
house committee on unAmerican
activities expressed the vewj that
instead of a committee of depart
mental officials which the presi
dent appointed, the . public would
have "more confidence'-' in a board
composed Of representatives of the
American legion, the CIO j and
AFL and business groups, f
Ut. Roosevelt set up the Com
mittee ' in an executive order
which directed It to "serve as an
advisory and coordinating agency
in all matters pertaining to the
investigation and disposition of
complaints of subversive activity
on ; the part of employes of the
executive branch of the federal
government," except the wai and
navy departments. , ; f, -
: The committee will act In cases
involving those departments upon
request of their secretaries.
The committee, set up within
the Justice department, consists of
Herbert Gaston assistant secre
tary of the treasury; Oscar L.
Chapman, assistant secretary of
interior: Rudolph M. Evans, mem
ber of the federal reserve board of
Koverhors: Francis C Brown, so
licitor of the federal deposit in
surance corporation, and John Q.
Cannon, Jr., legal adviser to the
civil service commission. :i
Pendleton Plane .
Crashes in Field ;
PENDLETON, .Ore- Feb
A pursuit plane from Pendleton
army air base failed to come out
of a power dive Saturday! and
crashed in a farm field three miles
northwest of here. .- .-' I
The pilot was killed , instantly
as the i plane scattered wreckage
over a wide area and burst into
flame.. ,f
Witnesses said the plane had
made an inside loop but failed to
straighten out after going into the
dive. " V-'.' ;---'.v.. ?r-.. ii "
Air base officers said the pilot's
name would be withheld until the
next of kin had been notified,
Singing Will
Continue9
4 - -
UIA&II BEACH, Fla Feb. C
Several residents of Mi
ami Beach nave filed written
complain recently about the
early morning singing of the
- troops, in training here. -
. Saturday they received their
answer from CoL Ralph ' 1L
Parker, commanding, the Miami
Beach air base command. :
. Said Colonel Parker la an
open letter:
"The singing will continue.
Moreover - please arise at
the first soand of military ac
tivity each morning and get
down on your knees with all
the members el year household
who are disturbed thereby, and
offer thanks to God Almighty,
with me and all the rest of as,
that those are Americans smg
tag American songs, and not
Germans or Japanese singing
- victory ' songs In American
streets."
OSGanflOCE
Engineers, TPAACS
To Be Sent for
Special Work '
WASHINGTON, Feb. -(ff)-
The war manpower commission
announced Saturday approval of
281 non-federal schools, colleges
and universities for utilization by
the war and navy departments for
specialized training of men and
women needed, in the armed for
ces. ;
Located throughout the coun
try, the institutions were first to
be selected by a Joint -committee
of the army, navy and manpower
commission for the new war
training program. Many others
will be designated later. Every
institution in the country is be
ing considered for possible use.
The commission emphasized
that actual contracts ' will be let
only to Institutions whose facili
ties prove acceptable .to the inter'
ested branch of the services.
"cntFacts for' training made be
fore creation of the committee re
main in force. There are between
600 and 700 of these.' Renewals
will clear through the committee:
Among the 281 approved are:
To the war department for
training engineers.
Alaska : University of Alaska.
Idaho: University of Idaho.
- Montana: Montana State college.
Oregon: Oregon State college.
Washington: State college of
Washington, University of Wash
ington.
To the war department for the
training of army aviation cadets.
Idaho: College of Idaho.
Montana: Billings Polytechnic
Institute, Montana State college,
Montana State university, North
ern Montana college.
Washington: Central Washington
college, St. Martin's college, State
College of Washington.
To the war department tor
training centers for WAAC train
ees. Oregon: Oregon College of Ed
ucation. ''..'''
To the navy department for
training engineers.
Montana; ' Montana ' School of
Mines.
Washingto n: University of
Washington.
Two Men Hurt
In Accidents -
Howard Rose, 50, Capitol cab-
ins,West Salem, was in the sur
gery . at Salem General hospital
this morning after catching his
wrist in a roll as he worked at Kay
Woolen nulls shortly before mid
night Saturday. City first aid men,
who were called to the scene nf
the accident, said they could not
judge the extent of the injury al
though fellow : workmen believed
the hand was almost severed from
the wrist ;-r- . ' V? T
Ed SauL 47, resident of 70 lib
erty road, was able to "crawl to the
porch ot the house a& 1815 South
Liberty to call for help after a
fall had resulted in a compound
fracture of his lejt leg between
the knee and the ankle. City first
aiders, called at 11 p. m took him
to Salem General hospital. .
Windshield Stronger .
PITTSBURGH, FeboV-iff) The
danger to airplane windshields
from collisions with high-flying
birds has now, been obviated, civ
il aeronautics authority officials
claimed Saturday in disclosing the
development of a laminated,
"bird-p x o o f ; windshield seven
times as strong as ordinary glass.
The' new windshield, . resulting
from months . of . experiment by
CAA and glass and plastic .com
pany experts, can withstand the
impact of a 15-pound .bird at
speeds of . 200 or more miles an
hour - -
Med Sitorm Nasi Mines
omtli rf Rostov:; Noose
Mav - Deev Deiml
Soviet Drives Roll On
KHARKOV pjf t )V ' V
!St- A5r7 - STALINGRAD
Russian forces continued early today to push closer to Karsk (1)
additional railway junctions were captured on the way to Khar
kov (Z). Columns drove Into the onUklrts of Rostov (1) and west
ward in the Caucasus (4) to trap German troops, threatened with
a "Dunkero.ue at the Kerch straits. Berlin admitted Russian troops
were In Novorossisk, port on the red-controlled Black sea Asso
ciated Fress Telemat.
Both Navies
In Pacific; Knox Says
War With Subs Grows
i By WILLIAM T. PEACOCK
WASHINGTON- Feb. o-OV American and
forces sparring in the southwest
some warships ori the other side, Secretary Knox said Saturday,
although no major clash has yet developed. ' J X
Discussing the situation at a press conference, the. navy secre
tary first said the losses were minor in everything surface
and air." Then he added that they
might be called "moderate, if you
want to change the word," but em
phasized .that they! included "no
thing significant nothing of a ma
jor character."
He did not amplify bat his
statement seemed! to mean nei
ther side had lost any Urge ves
sel, such as aa aircraft carrier
or battleship, and that Japanese
claims of having sunk two Amer- .
lean battleships are pare fabri
cation. ),.-.: ..t;.,;tVr
Knox also told reporters:
(1) The Germans now have
more submarines at sea than last
June; the - month Of ' heaviest al
lied losses, with large concentra
tions south of Iceland, on the route
to Britain, and in the mid-Atlantic
on the routes to north Africa. -The
navy is stiainingi every effort"
to produce sufficient anti-subma
rine, vessels to combat this menace
upon which Hitler 'Undoubtedly Is
counting heavily: Although Knox
referred to last June's ship losses
in speaking of ihe large number
of nazi U-boats now operating, ho
did not imply that current losses
were, at the same rate. In fact,
he commented, as Secretary of
War Stimson previously had said,
losses; on the north Atlantic route
to Russia had been reduced. He
also said that Brazil was making
good progress in combatting sub
marine ' activities off the South
American coast, "j.-
(2) He did not believe the Japa
nese nad increased their strength
in the Aleutians. This was in re
sponse to a question from a re
porter who remarked that recent
navy communiques-, had reported
considerable Japaneso air activity
in that area.' "
A communique read at the con
ference related that five enemy
planes bombed American positions
in the Aleutians February .4, but
inflicted no damage. That night a
US force of Liberator heavy and
Mitchell1 medium bombers with
fighter escort, ", bombed the Jap
base at Kiska and shot down three
of five enemy planes which en
gaged them. The Japanese also
lost another - piano to an Ameri
can reconnaisance aircraft. :
, Covering also la e 1 1 o a s t by :
forces oa Guadalcanal In the
Solomons, the communique said
American patrols had advanced
(Turn to ; Pagu 1 2 Story C
uu iso
MATUTI Mllfi
Ltiss:- Ships
Japanese naval
Pacific have each knocked out
Veteran Pilot
Found Dead
In Alaska
KETCHIKAN, Alaska, Feb. ()
The body of Harold Gill am, veter
en Alaskan aviator, missing for
more than a month since his plane
crashed southeast . of here, was
found Saturday, the coast guard
reported. .::r ' -.'
The body was : found, on the
beach ot Boca de Quadra by a
coast guard searching party in
command of A. W. Angellson, the
same man who was in charge of
the search boat which earlier this
week found Joseph H. Tippets
and Percy Cutting, first survivors
of the crash located.
Gillam's body was returned to
Ketchikan late Saturday by Pilot
Hugh Ransdell of Ellis Airways.
The veteran Gillam, who had left
his party to seek aid for them on
January 10, apparently- bad died
from exposure and shock.
, One of the six persons aboard
the plane when it crashed on a
mountain above Smeaton bay Jan
uary 8, Miss Susan Batzer, 23, of
Camas, Wasa was fatally injur
ed. The tour men passengers all
have been rescued. -.
' Miss Batzer met death bravely
(Turn to Page 2 Story, F) .
WoocLburn Blarine
Among Navy Dead
- WASHINGTON, FeU e-flVThe
nary announced Saturday 42 cas
ualties in navy . forces, Including
14 dead, 14 wounded and 14 miss
ing. ' -r K- ;;
This. "brings to 22.T79 the: total
of navy, marine corps and coast
guard casualties reported to next
of kin since December 7, 1941.
The grand total ' includes 6475
dead, 4033 wounded : and 12,271
missing. ";. - ?;V: .-. ;. ' - .
' Casualties announced Saturday
(those listed are navy and non
commissioned personnel unless
otherwise specified) , included:
V Oregon t; Barrett, Charles J
marine, dead. Father, Mr. Sylves
ter Earrett, Woodburn,
as
Columns Surge
Within 10
Miles of Gty
200,000 Nazis Said
In Caucasus ; Reds
Approach Kharkov
By The Associated PrM "
LONDON, Sunday, Feb. 7
The Red army stormed forward
at the last German defenses of
Rostov south of the Don Sun
day and sent flying columns
southward toward the .Kerch
straits to cut off the seaward
escape of a large nazi Caucas
ian army already virtually caught
in a Russian noose by a lightning
thrust to the Sea of Azov.
A special Russian communique
recorded Saturday night by the '
Soviet Monitor said the Russian
forces reached the Sea of Azov
south of Rostov, cutting the Ger
mans off in the Caucasus, and the
regular communique early Sun
day said columns were turning
south toward the Kerch straits. .
Adolf Hitler thus was pre-
seated with the task of extrl
eating his entire Caucasus force, "
estimated up to 200,009 men, in
his first rDankerqne" and aft
er his disaster of Stalingrad. .
At the same time, the communi
que announced, the red army
surged to within 10 miles of Rosn
tov from the south by the capture
of Bataisk and. burst across the
Donets river in - a - sweep which,
threatened not only the encircle
ment of Rostov and the Donets
mining basin but also the ap
proaches to the Crimea.
In the latter thrust they came
within 43 miles of Kharkov, in
dustrial capital of the Ukraine,
with the capture of Balakleya, on
one of the railways radiating
southeast of Kharkov,
The Russians, in their drive to
the Sea of Azov south of Rostov,
announced that they had captured
the town and port of Yeisk, 63
miles southwest of Rostov and the
terminal of a branch railway from
the main Rostov-Baku line.
With all railways and roads hi
their possession the Russians thus
had cut off the large German force .
still holding Krasnodar and the
Black sea naval base of Novoros
sisk in the Caucasus after a retreat
of 375 miles from the highwater
mark of their invasion.
' Escape by sea from Novoros
sisk or across the Kerch straits
Into the Crimea were the only
exits left to the , Germans, and
with the Russian fleet still la ;
being la the Black sea it was a
question whether the German -high
command had the naval
facilities to attempt aa evaeua- '
tion sacb . as saved the ' British
army at Dunkerque nv 1149. .
(By German account, the Black
sea naval base of Novorossisk al
ready was invested by Russian
troops which landed under the
smoking guns of the Black sea
fleet. Others had landed on the
Taman peninsula leading to the
Kerch strait, the Berlin radio ad
mitted.) .
Planes Wreck
Burma Enemy
BOMBAY, Feb. 0AVUS hea
vy bombers have wrecked Japan
ese communications between
north and south Burma so com
pletely that the enemy has been
compelled to rearrange his de
fensive forces while an effort is
made at repair.
Two weeks ago MaJ. Earl I'
Tash, of Walla. Walla, Wash., led
an. attack on the Myithge railroad
bridge across the Irrawaddy, just
south of Mandalay sole connec
tion for north-south traffic and
dropped at least one thousand
pound bomb on a span in mid
stream. - Photographs show the
span dropped into the river. -
- Since then .the Japanese have
been working frantically to re
pair the bridge. Before their evac
uation the British had destroyed
the foot bridge at Myitnge, but
the rail span remained.
The Japanese had built run
ways on the railway bridge and
used it both as a highway end
rail crossing. Thus the American
bombs cut both - road and rail
traffic