Tho 02EGQH STATESMAN. Salem, Orerv Tuesday Morning. December 23. 1844
FAGS TIT EH
- ' '
First Major Counterattack
Against Germans Launched
To Relieve Bastogne Group
By Tom Yaxbrourh
WITH AMERICAN TROOPS ON THE ROAD TO BASTOGNE, Bel
.gium, Dec. 22-(Delayed)-(aVThe first major counterblow against
Germany's admittedly' serious offensive was launched with tanks and
Infantry before dawn today and our forces advanced (distance cen
sored) against light resistance in three inches of snow. -
American forces,in the Bastogne area, who have been encircled by
the Germans since Wednesday, re-.
jected at 11:30 a.m. today a Ger
man demand that they surrender
while this rescue expedition plod
ded ahead over the roads and roll
ing hills and fir forests. sThe
steady snowfall had suddenly
turned the scene into one of
breath-taking beauty.
S5 Tanks Hit
- The . American garrison holding
. the Bastogne sector has knocked
out 55. German tanks and that is
described as "a conservative esti
mate. It shows how badly-the
Germans want the road network
. that centers in that little town just
Inside Belgium near Luxem
. bourg's frontier. '
When a German carrying a
white flag came forward with the
demand for surrender, he gave the
commander a false report that
three -towns far to the west were
in German hands. The American
commander sent him right back
with "no" for an answer.
Famous Outfit .
The armored outfit spearhead
ing this thrust into the hard un
derbelly of the German salient is
one of the most famous and spec
tacular in the entire US army.
With Jack Bell of the Chicago
Daily News, I entered a small vil
lage late this "afternoon while it
still was being cleared in a house-to-house
search. ' The - Germans
have been pulling back all day
and the snowy, frozen stillness
was broken only by occasional
crackles from rifles and machine
. guns. : "
Tanks Confident
v There is a general feeling of
confidence without cockiness re
flected throughout our command
in these parts and it is not deflat-
ed by the fact that our surrounded
forces .withdrew from St. Vith to
day. . St Vith is 27 miles northeast
of . Bastogne. American troops
there were ordered back to a
stronger line.
. Along with the feeling of con
fidence that this grave challenge
, to American arms will be master
ed there is an acute sense of his
tory among the commanding offl-
cers concerned. -Tune; and again
they glance at each other and say,
History is being made fast."
Our divisions, including ; an es
pecially gallant few ' which were
badly mauled, have - recovered
their balance and now we are
kicking back. If there ever was
any desire on our side to lure the
Germans into this move, they
have come as far as we want them
to come.
Group Name Censored
The Americans in Bastogne and
St. Vith were not the only ones
surrounded by Nazi tank columns
which cut through our lines for six
days like hot knives through, but
ter. Another sizeable group of
men also is holding fast (13 words
censored).
ine skies are leaden . and so
dense with fog or snow clouds that
it is impossible for planes to fly
Second B-29
Lost at Tokyo
21ST US BOMBER COMMAND,
Saipan, Dec. 3-( Delayed )-JP)-A
Superfortress was lost over ( Tokyo
today, carrying two colonels,! a
major and nine others to. almost
certain death. It was the second
B-29 downed in combat there.
Among those lost were Col. By
ron Elias Brugge, 35, son-in-law
of the late Maj. Gen. Clarence L.
Tinker; Col. Richard Thomas
King, jr., 36, and Maj. Robert
Flood .Goldsworthy, 27, of Rosalia,
Wash., the pilot.
Car Reported Stolen
State police were on the look
out today for a 1935 Ford sedan,
license number 421929, stolen from
the home of Joseph William Davis,
at 1075 North Capitol, Monday
night. Davis told police that the
car, gray in color, was missing
from his driveway around 10:15
p.m.
ALL SALES FILIAL!
110 DEFUIIDS on 'X
1 ESCHAIIGHS
Oregon Will
Lose Heavily
OnRaceBan
PORTLAND, Dec. 25 -ff)-" Ore
gon, where $10,691,704 was, placed
in dog racing bets this year, stands
to lose over a third of a million
dollars if the war mobilization di
rector's racing ban stays in effect
through 1945.
State revenues from racing
racing -reached $361,737 a record
amountin 1944, or three per
cent of every dollar.1 Total betting
in Oregon, counting $891,365 in
horse wagers as well as the dog
stakes, reached $11,583,060.
The i Multnomah Kennel Club's
annual derby, which draws hordes
of dog racing fans to. Portland
during the summer , months, is the
chief source of revenue. It will
be! cancelled next season if con
ditions which prompted the ban
still prevail, officials said.
County fairs received $217,500
of the state's collections this year,
while $35,000 each went to the
state fair and the Pacific Inter
national livestock Exposition. The
Pendleton Round-up and the
eastern Oregon livestock show re
ceived $5,000 each. About $49,000
landed in the state's general fund.
McCain's Fast
Force Wreaks
Havoc on Nips
ABOARD ADM. McCAIN'S
FAST CARRIER FORCE FLAG
SHIP OFF THE PHILIPPINES,
(Via Navy Radio)-Dec. 22.-(De-layed)
(P)-Fighting at sea and in
the air for reconquest of the Phil
ippines, Vice Adm. John S. Mc4
Cain's fast carrier task force in
two months has put out of "--action
1521 Japanese airplanes, and'sunk
or destroyed 89 enemy ships and
damaged 92 others. - " - j
"Actually, Japanese .losses- were
probably higher," said McCain's
operations officer, Cmdr. John S.
Thatch, Fordyce, Ark. These
figures are conservative.' J
During the same period, m No
vember and December, US task
force losses were 104 planes.
The actions were made in di
rect support of Gen. Douglas
MacArthur's Leyte and Mindoro
landings. The totals covered five
strikes in November and one in
December, all on the great island
of Luzon. .
Allied World Sends Up Christmas Prayer
t or Ouick Victory and Endurinz
V ",:'..,K .-',Z:i.'L-: -;-v: ; r" ' :
By th Associated Prea
Around the world last night a prayer went up in all Allied nations
and on all Allied battlefronts a prayer for quick victory and endur
ing peace on the sixth Christmas day of bloody global warfare.
For Americans, celebrating their fourth Yuletide at war, attention
was riveted on the flaming western front in Europe, where US sol
diers were locked in a death struggle with a desperate enemy staging
ms supreme eiiort to turn back an
Allied tide.
Those Americans abroad who
were not occupied with the grim
business of fighting marked the
holiday in as nearly traditional
ways as possible and some were
lucky enough to have real Christ
mas trees or real Christmas din
ners. ..
King George Speaks v
King ' George VI of England
voiced he prayer of all Allied
peoples, v In an address from the
royal fireside, heard in the United
States and the commonwealth, the
monarch expressed the hope that
"before the next Christmas the
story of liberation and triumph
will be complete. : , '
In like vein, Queen Wilhelmina
of the Netherlands sent her peo
ple a message of hope and of con
fidence in speedy liberation, tell
ing them that "the message of
Christmas enables us to call a
courageous and convincing no to
the dark powers that threaten us
with destruction."
Asks Lasting Peace
Pope Pius XII, who Sunday had
called upon the nations of the
world to form an organization for
lasting peace, attended a. Christ
mas day distribution of gifts to
children of refugees, in the main
auditorium of the pontifical Gre
gorian university in Rome.
Americans in London, grimly
following the. reports of the great
battle in Belgium, joined their
British friends in what probably
was the quietest Christmas cele
bration on record here. A one-day
strike of workers on London's
vast subway system paralyzed the
capital's transport network, and
many American and British alike
had to give up their plans or walk
miles to keep their Christmas en
gagements. Airmen Celebrate
Hundreds of American airmen
in action at noon had their Christ
mas 'turkey dinners and celebra
tions later in the day at bases scat
tered all over Britain. .
; In the far east other Americans
celebrated the day. In north Bur
ma, the land of jungles and Bud
Several grcsps
cVii
BOOBS 0PEII
dha temples, some army units
built Christmas trees of Bamboo
and others received real Christmas
trees flown in from India by 10th
air force planes. i
In Myitkyina there were 11
church services, attended ' by
Americans," British,- Indians, Chi
nese, Burmese and Kachins. The
Red Cross presented a pageant
of the birth of Christ. It was
staged f only, a few dozen yards
from a statute of Buddha.
All the. Americans in Myitkyina
had turkey for dinner. ;
China's War capital, Chungking,
spent its eighth Christmas of the
conflict heartened by the failure
of the Japanese to make good a
boast the boast that Kumming
and Chungking would be theirs by
Christmas. ; ' . ,
Mexico Has
Quiet Holiday
With Feasting
MEXICO ' CITY, Dec li.-ij-Mexico
enjoyed today a quiet
Christmas tempered by May day
weather and punctuated by the
popping of rockets and firecrack
ers. Many people slept until noon
after the midnight mass ("misa
del gallo"), which filled the
churches, and the last and merri
est of the "posadas" late parties
held in private homes throughout
the previous nine days, according
to Latin American tradition.
In many homes the Christmas
dinner obligatory piece de resis-
tence, turkey fiery with chile
sauce was served in the early
morning after the mass and the
"posada," since Christmas eve was
the day of semi fasting. '
Christmas; trees, presents and
Santa Claus were more in evi
dence throughout Mexico today
than ever before, as north Amer
ican customs have become more
popular.'
Schlesinger's Annua
A CLOSE-OUT of eeveraJ groups of fine fur coats
Fur Trimmed Coais
Complete CLOSE-OUT of til fine for
trimmed cloth coats .'. . you will be lucky
to get one of these fine ALL-WOOL .
exquisitely fur-trimmed. coats . ; such
wonderful values! '
"' : Values $39.75 to $135.00
...
00 SCo)(300
0
cl fine sdh b plain eclers, plaids, el&
sad Vdi
ScTcral Groups Higher
9:33 2. EL' 70DM!
Peace
ONtheHOMEFROllT
By ISABEL CHUDS ' -
The Great Day is over and it's
back to the tin mines for thous
ands of Willamette valley women.
That's not funny. "Salvaged tin
cans are the only tin mines in
the. United States," EL J. Nelson,
regional salvage manager of the
war production board, is remind
ing the public today as he re
ports that 90 per cent of the na
tural resources of , tin is still In
the hands of the Japanese.
' V
In a cheery mood, we might
reply that no wonder the Nips'
war effort seems tinny , come a
good rain and it should be rusty.
Although we know it's no joking
matter, we still wonder how we're
going to get the tin for salvage
with these new ration regulations
on canned vegetables. .
Patients Have
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Dec. 2S-(JP)
There were no long faces among
the wounded today at the U. S
naval hospital It was Christmas,
but more important, Christmas in
the United States.
Lying In the first bed of an
orthooedic ward. Pvt. James E.
Cody, jr marine from East Syra
cuse, N. Y, brought smiles to all
who walked by him with the
greeting "Merry Christmas" print
ed in bright green across the case
which covered his chest
A few beds farther along a
wounded sailor had decorated in
red and green the suspension
which held his bullet-riddled leg
aloft
On every bed was at least one
present from the Red Cross and
other groups which sent the 12,000
patients 16,000 gift boxes.
A
Navy Hospital
Happy Holiday
Of Fine Coats
Pony, Opossum, iMonnern seai,
AQjtJy Pin
tax.
lOSoldiersDie,
17 Injuredin
ane Crash
HARRISBURG, Pa, Dec. 25-JT)
An army transport plane crashed
into fog-ringed Rbundupi mountain
early , today, , killing ten soldiers
and injuring 17 others. , -
"It was the worst j sight I ever
saw," i said Fire Chief! William
Vogelsong of. nearby New Cum
berland, one of the first to reach
the scene in a heavily wooded
section known as Reeser's Sum
mi V five miles from Harrisburg.
Vogelsong said the plane hit a
tree and a wing and the engines
were on fire when he arrived with
the New Cumberland fire company
in" response to a telephone call
from a resident' ! :
"The men we're in: the plane
crying for help and we had to cut
our way . to . them with an ax.
Part of one wing was on a tree
200 feet from the plane."j '' j
The Middletown air j technical
service command withheld names
of the casualties, as well as des
tination of the plan and Its home
base. - X:--
" First reports were thje soldiers
were on . thein- war home for
Christinas but Middletown said as
far as it was determined, they
were not believed on furlough.
Fifteen .of . the ilnjurpd, with
fractures and burns, were brought
to the Harrisburg General hos
pital; The Other two. one with a
broken leg and the other , with a
shoulder fracture, were taken to
the New Cumberland army recep
tion center hospital, j
Z The crash occurred! at 4:27 a.
m. three miles west of the New
Cumberland airport j
Western, Oregon Has
Mild Christmas' Day N
PORTLAND, Dec. i 25-i!P)-Bril-liant
sunshine and a minimum
temperature o f . 3 1 degrees made
this a mild Christmas day in
Portland, but northeast Oregon
and the Cascades jwere greeted
with traditional snow. -:
The most frigid spot was Mea
cham, Ore., where I the mercury
dived to 17, and the Willamette
valley also was chilly. Salem re
ported 27 .degrees, and Astoria
shivered at 24. NdruY" Bend. had
33.
Airpl
i
Disposal
I Suits
and
including Skunk, Caraculs, Russian
Aiusnrais, etc
Plus Tax
Casual Coais
CLOSE-OUT of fine casual and sport coats
.. . come early if you want one of these
which originally sold . . i. 1
. Up to $24. , '
"isdy;5f00..
jfr
Other Grcapj
$19X3 $22X3 $23X3 $49X3
riillincry
Large Group of Fine flats
Only
Serersl Grenp Ilhjber
Thumbnail
off War!
(By the Associated Press) v
Western Front German
troops burst toward the Meuso
in fierce new show of armored
power against toughened Yank '
resistance. ; '
Russia Red army drives to
western city limits of Budapest,
cutting las t railway escape
routes ; westward - for the ' Ger
mans. " v-f- - -.""r
Greece " Prime Minister
Churchill and Foreign Minister.
Eden arrive in Athens in effort
to settle the 23-day-old Greek !
conflict :: v " ! ' - -
Pacific Gen.! MacArthur says
the Leyte campaign Is over,
giving Japan's Yamashita the
greatest : defeat in the . military
annals of his nation. '
RAF Fighters
Hammer ELAS
ATHENS,, Dec 25 -(ff); British
Beaufighters blasted left wing
ELAS forces' concentrations with
rockets and cannon fire today in
the northern suburbs of the Greek
capital as Christmas day brought
no letup In the bitter fighting in
Athens. t : l j '
Artillery fire , also ".was heard
resounding in the central part of
the city. ! ! ..
2 Salem Students
On U-O Honor Roll
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON,
Eugene, Dec. 25 - Two univer
sity students from Salem were
among an all-campus total of 106
listed on fall quarter honor roll,
released Friday from the office of
Clifford. L. Constance, assistant
registrar. Alf students named have
received a grade point average of
3.5, half A's and half B's, or
higher, for the fall term.
Listed from Salem are Jean A.
Carkin, senior in music, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Carkin I
and Robert R. Schott, senior in
business administration, son of
Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Schott
2- I