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NINETY-FOURTH YEAR.
22 PAGES
Salem, Oregon, Sunday Morning, March 25,: 1945
Price 5c
No. 317
MB
' i 1
Liu
jug) ana
S ' PouNonb 1651 ..-., ;,":. L,
"I note that representatives of
Alcoholic Anonymous are coming
to Salem next Friday night when
they offer to meet with local per
sons who may 4 be Interested in
their plan of personal rehabilita
tion of victims of the drink ha
bit They will be at the YMCA at
8 o'clock to hold private confer
ence with alcoholics or with their
relatives and friends.
This organization, Alcoholics
Anonymous, is .a recent and very
Interesting development It is a
very loosely organized group of
Tersons who. after losing their
self-control through indulgence in
intoxicating beverages, have de
veloped a -plan for their own res
toration -to physical and moral
health and now are devoting part
f their time to helping other
victims to escape from degrada
tion. Its work- is quiet and con
fidential. It aims at permanent
Individual reformation. It charges
no fees and collects no dues. In
the space of few years it has
grown to include some ; 16,000
members. The Portland group was
formed a little over a year ago
and is now undertaking to ex
tend the benefits of A. A. to com
munities over the state. Previ
ously conferences have been held
with individuals at the state
penitentiary. The conference Fri
day night is the first in down
town Salem. " : (
- The purpose behind Alcoholics
Anonymous is to reach, those
whose lives are being wrecked by
use of alcoholic liquor. It is not
to launch a general reform or to
propagandize for universal absti
nence. It
(Continued on Editorial Page)
Allied Bombers
Blast Formosa,
Gebu Islands
V MANILA, Sunday, March 25
p)-Heavy bombers dropped 145
tons of bombs on airdromes and
a naval air base on Formosa Fri
day, raided Cebu island in the
central Philippines with 116 tons,
and destroyed or damaged nine
freighters and tankers in the China
and Sulu seas. i
i Gen. Douglas MacArthur said
the liberators, "Continuing the
destruction of the enemy! air force
on Formosa,? hit the Tainan air
drome and thelOkayama naval air
base. :
s Many places were put out of ac
- lion, gun emplacements were si-
tnrH and , exnlosions were ob
served in hangars, warehouses and
.': rail yards, -f
lOn Cebu, the big bombers flew
with attack planes and fighter-
bombers to attack installations
around Cebu city, midway along
the east coast. MacArthur said
' fires and explosions indicated the
destruction of stores and ammu
nition." . ; ij
; 24 Graves of Japs,
Germans Desecrated
' FRESNOCalif.; March 24 (IP)
Twenty four graves of persons
" -with JaDanese or German names
have beert desecrated in the
'lTmintain .View cemetery here
within the last two weeks and ef-
" forts have been made to force
the lotk of a mausoleum contain
ing the ashes of nearly 300 Japan-
ra Sheriff Gearge J. Overholt
- said today.:
For Service
And Accuracy
- On page 11 of today's States
man are listed the names of de
ceased war heroes from areas
within a radius . of 25 to 35
miles, of Salem.
It is" published as an aid to
organizations preparing plaques
of the honored -aead, and par
ticularly at this time for the
federation - of Patriotic Socie
ties now ready to erect such a
memorial for Marion-county.
f If there Is noted an omission,
or any kind of ; an error in
Spelling, addresses, etc. j it is re
quested" that such be detailed
in a letter to The Statesman
Immediately. '
i The margin of possible error
is considerable, despite exhaus
tive checking, because no sto
gie official source has such a
jist and because of many -factors
of residence, removals and
possible oversights.' .' ?: i - .
5 Whole-hearted cooperation of
all - communities, ; therefore; : is
tolidted to the end of accuracy
and service. . f .i-- " ,
hfozJ&ottifM Your
Door Each Morning'
' I m , .1, ...... . ,,.!. ; . ...! . ? . , . . . . ... ' ., " -1 v ,;!-
Offensive
Aims For
76,000 Germans
Killed-Captured
In New Assault
By Richard Kasischke
. LONDON, Sunday, March 25
(P)-Russian tanks nd infantry,
smashing within 40 miles of Aus
tria and 81 miles southeast of Vi
enna, have surged 43 miles across
western Hungary along a 6-mile
front in a great new onensive
timed with the allied assault in
the west, Premier Stalin disclosed
last night.
Moscow said 76,000 Germans
had been killed or captured re
cently in Hungary.
The massive breakthrough in
Hungary, thrusting toward south
ern Gernanys mountain re
doubt," where the nazis are ex
pected to make their last-ditch
stand, came as Berlin reported a
savage, swaying battle raging in
the nazi capital's outer defenses
31 miles east of the city.
The Vienna-bound offensive ex
ploded as the enemy said the red
army had built up a 17-mile-long,
six-mile-deep bridgehead across
the Oder river before Berlin and
had hurled new powerful forces
into the assault. ,
At the same time, Moscow an
nounced that soviet forces in up
per Silesia had captured the In
dustrial cities of Neisse and Loeb-
schuetz and were probing"the Su
deten mountain defenses leading
from Silesia to Brno, Prague, and
Hitler's Czechoslovak ; arsenal.
Far to the north, the battle for
the. twin isolated Baltic ports of
Danzig and Gdynia was drawing
to a close as Russian forces ground
to within three miles of Danzig
and less than two miles from
Gdynia.
Japs Trying
To Break Gut
From Burma
CALCUTTA, March 24 H7P)-
Pitched battles between hard-driv
ing British armor and Japanese
troops caught in the Myingyan-
Meiktila-Mandalay triangle were
reported today as ; the enemy
fought to escape from central Bur
ma.
The enemy force was originally
estimated at 30,000.
Allied occupation of Meiktila
has cut the Japanese escape routes
to the south and unless the enemy
can break through there, only nar
row trails eastward to Thailand
still remain open. ' i
In the last 48 hours, field dis
patches said, more than 100 Jap
anese troops have been killed in
the Meiktila area, with 200 slain
at a road block midway between
Thazi and Meiktila Thazi is 15
miles east of Meiktila.
Lyons Soldier
Dies in Action
LYONS, March 24 PFC Lau
rence Kirsch, 21,' was killed in
action March 4 in Germany. His
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ira Kirsch
of Mehama were notified Friday
night by the war department
I He was born July 12, 1924, and
enlisted after his 18th birthday
and following his graduation from
Stayton high school. He was home
on furlough in July,' 1944, and was
sent overseas ionowtngTiis return
After four days in England he
was sent to France and hadTre
cently been. In Germany,
Beside his parents; survivpr&J
are three sisters: ArletaShirley
and-Elzetta and ' two brothers:
Gordon and Dale, all younger and
living , at . home. Agnes Kirsch . of
Salem is an aunt.
U.S. ft Retain Xontrol
Of Mandated Islands
WASHINGTON.! March 24-Gip)
s&d Navy Juuinat-aaid
on doubts" that the
United States will retain unilater
al control of the mandated islands
captured from Japan despite any
proposals for international trus
teeship. - i
Vienna
11.000 Allied Planes Join
1 Assault I Across Rhine in
'if ' ------- j ; - -- ; -
Support of Ground Troops
By Henry. B. Jameson
. LONDON, Sunday,-March' 25-(iP)Mosquitos lashed Berlin
last night for the 33rd consecutive night,: continuing unchecked
the mightiest aerial offensive in history, which yesterday saw
11,000 planes join the assault across the Rhine in support of
troops charging toward the heart of the reich.
The huge armada j which converged on the Rhine crossing
Ducks Come Back;'
Beat Utah, 69-66,
to Snatch Third
S ! 5
I The University of Oregon bas
ketball team, eliminated in the
Western division, NCAA cham
pionship layoffs FSiday night at
Kansas City "by Arkansas, 79-76,
came back Saturday I night to
snatch third place in. the meet
with a 69-66 victory Over Uni
versity of Utah. The Ducks came
from behind in the final half for
victory, ft . . :
f Oklahoma A & M emerged with
titie western title by defeating Ar
kansas, 68-43, in Saturday night's
fjnale. The Aggies play Eastern
winner New York university in
Madison Square Garden - Tuesday
night for the national champion
ship. (Full details oh I today's
sports pages, 14-15.)
200 Big Forts
found Nagoya
Plane Factory
S 21st VJS. BOMBER COMMAND
HEADQUARTERS, Guam, Sun
day, March 25-P)-More than 200
Superfortresses swung In daringly
ow over the mammoth Mitsubishi
aircraft engine factory! near Na
goya in darkness early ! today and
Set at least 15 fires in the great
est demolition raid yet to hit Ja
pan. j i
1 Giving Nippon no pause, the sky
behemoths from the; Marianas
touched off flames and explosions
in one of Japan's most important
plants the day after a big Amer
ican carrier task force Shelled and
bombed the Ryukyu islands, 300
miles Southwest of the enemy
homeland. . !' I .v.-! :
The B-29s, which in five recent
incendiary raids have j dropped
more than 11,000 tons tons of fire
bombs on Tapanese cities,; switched
to demolition bombs in an effort
jto knock out a factory; whose en
gines are used by virtually every
type of enemy, plane. I -
ARC Will Still
Receive Gifts i
That every person in this area
may haVe an opportunity to con
tribute during the Red Cross war
fund campaign, county headquar
ters for the drive at Valley Motor
Co. offices in Salem and a booth
on Liberty street between State
and Court are prepared to receive
money jgifts H. G. Leserer, coun
ty war fund chairman, Baid Sat
urday. H . .---;-..! .:-f'1 -
Checks or money orders may be
mailed -to the county war fund
office, or cash may be taken either
to the ' office of the j booth this
week. H? : ; j
All war fund workers have been
asked to make reports i early in
the week so that division, com
munity and 'total contributions
may be tallied.. .?t i
Bill Increasing Senate
Signed by Governor !
Senate Brrf-913 of, the recent
Cenate membership from SQ to 31
andmai!lne Klamath county a
senatorial district was signed.lnto
law Saturday, by Gov4 Earl ShelL
.Among the five billssigned1 by
the governor was also senatbill7
providing a means -f or revocation
of-lectlon:td corne l under i the
newiiepeuleil'vwimunr
law oi : iyt3.i -,-'-T.I
Half of Iwo Casualties ;
Reported to JVcxtof Kin
- WASGTON, March 24-ff)
Lt Ge. A. A. Vandergrift, com
mandant of the marine corps, said
today more than half of the Iwo
Jima casualties already have been
reported to the next of kin,
area from England and continent-
based airdromes, laid a protective
wall of fire in front of the Allied
troops. ! .
Incomplete returns from yester
day's ! castigation of the reich
showed at least 53 German planes
were 1 shot down by American
fighters exclusive of the bag for
last night's Berlin raid which was
not yet tabulated.
The harried luftwaf fe offered
only i spotty opposition. Almost
half of the kills were scored as
the Nazis were run down like rab
bits by American fighters. Twenty
enemy planes were blasted out of
the sky over one field from which
they were trying to escape.
With Nazi defenses thrown into
turmoil by this tremendous attack
from the west, American heavy
bombers from Italy leaped the
Alps and smashed a tank factory
in Berlin in a 1600-mile round
trip, the longest escorted mission
ever flown over Europe.
From dawn to dusk one great
procession of bombers and fighters
swept- across the channel to be
Joined over the continent by thou
sands of other warplanes stream
ing up from advanced bases in
Belgium, 1 Germany. Holland and
France, s
Each phase of the mammoth op
eration Was run off with split-second
timing, with as many as five
layers of planes roaring toward
their objectives at the same time
or criss-crossing at different alti
tudes;
romise
Agreed Upon
Iri Work Bill
WASHINGTON, March 24 -(X)
A compromise which would let
the War - mobilization director fix
employment ceilings for Individ'
ual plants and freeze workers to
essential Jobs was approved today
by 'a senate-house conference
committee. ' j ! - ,
Employers and employes con
victed ' of wilfully violating the,!
hiring and employment regulations
issued by the mobilization director,
James F. Byrnes, would be sub
ject to a year in Jail or a $10,000
fine, or both. ' -r
Notable absent, however, was
the regulatory core of the bill
passed by the house February 1
power for local draft boards to tell
thieii registrants to take war jobs
oifj go to jail for five years. ,
Howard Damon, jr.
Killed in Action
- a ' i i ...
Lt. Howard Gage Damon,' Jr.,
son pf Mn and Mrs." H. G. Damon
of 901 North Commercial st, was
killed . in action over Cebu on
March 4, his parents have been
notified. A
A graduate of Salem high school
he attended University of Oregon
and North Pacific College of Op
tometry . prior to f entering the
service He ws commissioned in
the air corps last summer at Luke
Field, California. i.
. Picture on Page 2
Conip
Nazi Civil Authorities in Allied
Held'Land Cease Functioning
i. By Dwlght I Pitkin
LONDON,1 March 24 - (ff) - The
German radio" told the home press
today that Heinrich Himmler had
ordered ; all civil .'authorities in
evacuated 'r allied-occupied ter-r
ritory, tot !eease. functioning tot
hi" time being,".: another sign of
the riiT-nrTrr',7Ti,,"jt i
" Front dispatches ,have told of
thtnisandr ot Germans fleeing the
invided areas " akng -the Rhine,
and this latest German broadcast
said Himmfer had established "in
terim offices' to help the heads
of rural districts, mayors and oth
er local officials to "administer, or
if necessary to liquidate existing
institutions.! .", .
tlJL Nayy
Ham i
ers
Kyukyiis
Blow Is Oosest
Surface Action
To Nip Mainland
' By Morrie Lands berr - :
U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEAD-
QUARTERS, Guam. Sunday,
March 25 -(JP)- The 16-inch guns
of United States battleships bom
barded the Ryukyu . islands Fri-
day land Saturday in the closest
surface action of the war to the
Japanese mainland, while carrier
olanes of Vice Adm. Marc A.
Mitschers task force 68 struck
coordinating blows.
The navy disclosed in a com
munique today the latest phase of
the most extensive carrier task;
force action of the war..
Mitscher's two-way strike at
the ;Rikyus, destroying enemy
shipping and smashing airdromes
within 300 miles of Japan, was
delivered with only a day's inter-
val likely for refuelling.
Mitscher's force braved bad
weather to hit four islands in the
Ryukyu area, chief of which w4
the naval and air base of Okln-
awa Sunday and Monday his
planes had pounded : southern
Japan, then took on the enemy
home-based air fleet in sky bat
ties raging on through Tuesday
and. Wednesday. , ,i f
Today .'. communique said
fiekyy toll, as yet not completely
assessed, was taken during the
sky fights of Mitscher's carrier
air arm Tuesday and Wednesday
with enemy planes based on Kyu
shu, Shikoku and Honshu islands
of Japan.
During the attacks a destroyer
of. the task force was. seriously
damaged and a heavier warship
suffered some damage, i 1
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, who
previously had disclosed that 17
enemy warships were crippled and
more than 700 enemy planes de
stroyed or damaged in the raid
on southern Japan, said the March
21 action was so intense that in
one phase alone 50 enemy air
craft were downed at a cost of
three American fighters.
House
WASHINGTON, March 2-P)
House passage sent to the senate
without change today Jan $833,
810,932 appropriation bill for the
agricultural department for the
twelve jnonths starting; July 1.
Passage came on a roll call vote
of 256 to 18, after a. republican
backed? drive to lap several hun
dred million dollars from the big
measure bogged down." :
Led by Representative Taber of
New York, ranking minority ap
propriations committee - member.
republicans tried to eliminate
$$0,000,000 school lunch fund and
at $90,000,000 allotment for rural
rehabilitation loans and grants, j
Funds to Investigate
Meat Shortage Okehed j
i WASHINGTON, March 24-0f)
Price Administrator C h e t e r
Bowles in a last-miniite appear
ance before the senate appropria
tions committee today won ap
proval of a special $565,000 fund
to investigate the meat shortage;
Their files and other official
property will be brought to safe
ty the broadcast said.
German radio commentators
meanwhile conceded frankly that
allied' troops had a -sizable foot
hold across the -lower -Rhine; said
the "bulk'' of the FirsW-fl.- rmy
was dxikin.f eastward rom the
TCemafen "bridgehead, t a nd. es
pressed anxiety over the "surprise
establishment" by LL Gen. George
S. Patton, Jr of a UJS. Third army
bridgehead in the south.
The German command endeav
ors to delay a decision until the
moment when the employment pt
additional German . material and
tactical means is advisable" said
one broadcast. ' ... -
Ag Fund Bill
if
Confident
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Break German
Crust and Win
Says Churchill
TiNDON. March 24-(JV-Prime
Minister ChurchilL at Field Mar
shal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's
. . . i . . . il. n i ii
neaquarters toia iroops ox u
army group today that the "deci
sive victory . in Europe will ; be
near" once the Rhine river line is
pierced and the crust of German
resistance broken.
A similar message of confidence
in speedy victory was issued by
Montgomery while Gen, Eisen
hower warned German officers,
soldiers and civilians that the Al
lies would hold them to strictest
account and punish them accord
ing to their deserts If they became
involved in the execution of Al
lied airborne troops.
Prince Bernhard of the Nether
lands, speaking under the author
ity of the supreme Allied com
mander,.! warned Dutch patriot
trooDs to take no action without
orders but altered them to be pre
pared to coordinate their efforts
with the new . Allied offensive
which has carried across the
Rhine." - - . .v '
VonRichthoferi
Under Arrest
MADRID. March 24-WVField
Marshal Baron Wolfram von Rich
thofen, luftwaffe production chief
and cousin of the German first
World war ace, has been arrested
on Hitler's personal order despite
Goering's protection because of
the failure of a rocket-propelled
tighter type, according to a Ger
man military source, '
Seven members of von Richtho
fen's staff also were reported ar
rested. The arrests are reported
to have caused a rift between
Goering and Hitler.
The German source here said
nearlr 5000 of the new planes
were assembled after a. test of
models proved satisfactory. Many
were sent to air command areas
before it was found that the planes
not only lacked speed but -come
disintegrated In the air. 7- . '
Yanks Barge Jn
With Ice Cream
NEW YORK UP) Pacific fight
ers now can enjoy ice cream and
fresh fruit and meat a few hours
after, invasion landings. :;
i The Army's -new all-con
refrigerated bargar flllv of its
1rJBdvdQe-CKSuick. " .
,ItJS towed behind an invasion
flotilla and moored off the beach
head.. It can send ashore 1,000
tons of ice cream, fruits and
choice beef cuts.
Wilsonville FenC!ose&
The .Wilsonville ferry has been
closed by high water, state high
way department offices announced
here Saturday.
roruinrn
LrvxLnJ ULixJ
niro
eoirapiete
TCnire
Eisenhower's Forces Charge 5
pies Into Ruhr; U. S., British
Navies Aided in Crossing River
By Austin
i
pAris,
, Sunday, March 25-(AP)-Four allied
armies crossed and broke Germany's vaunted .
Rhine line on a 30-mile
xivc uincs into we xiaming iiunr ana tne norln
German plain and today General Eisenhower's
force stood at the threshhold of final victory.
Backed by 1200 guns and 11,000 planes,
with British and U.S. navies manning fleets of
landing barges, the long-awaited end-the-war of
fensive swept across the Rhine in the most massive
operation since D-day last June 6, ripping the his
toric Rhine barrier wide open.
The British second army and parts of the Ca- j
nadian first army struck in concert with the allied
first airborne army, spilling out on the north Ger
man plain within 290 miles of Berlin, and goug
ing opt a bridgehead of more than 15 miles
stretching east to Wesel, northwestern gateway to
the Ruhr, j -r - 'W .
The ' U. S. ninth army, with General Eisen-
hower watching, charged five miles into the Ruhr
just south of Wesel, welded four crossings into a
solid 12-mile wide bridgehead, swept up 12 towns
and thrust southward within four miles of Duis
burg, Europe's greatest inland port. j
Thus General Eisenhower had committed
possibly 1,250,000 men to the offensive of the
west, and at least six of his nine armies were across
the Rhine, which never before had been stormed
in batle. ; ' . j. , .
Furthermore, one of these, the UJS. Third army, was only 263
miles ttom Berlin and had tank forces beyond "the Rhine on the mid
German valley route to the capital. : "
The Swiss said yet another army, the French First, had crossed
the Rhine north of Strasbourg, and the U.S. First was less than' U "
miles from the Ruhr beyond the river on the south and might lunga
northward at any hour.
The UJS. Seventh army was moving into position on the Rhine
after splitting the last German forces left west of the river near Karls
ruhe, and Allied strategists have warned the enemy to expect to meet
the new UJS. 15th army at any time. - f
Ninth Seven Highway
In Smashing into Dinslaken, a Ruhr city of 25,000 population, the
Ninth levered the Wesel-Duisburg highway. It captured. Spellem,
three miles south of Wesel, nearby Friederichsfeld Torde, farther
south, and Stockum. 1 j J
Allj ilong the front, from the Wesel area down through the UJ5.
First army's burgeoning bridgehead and on southward to where the
UJS. Third army was beginning to tear at the heart of Germany with
tanks and troops, the feeling grew that the end of war )n Europe was
not far; away. - "' ; ' ; .
Naval landing craft of the type used in the Normandy invasion -brazenly
plied the Rhine long a symbol of Teutonic patriotism feed
ing tanks, guns, troops and supplies into the four Allied bridgeheads
scattered along some 200 miles "of the river." .-'.S..'-" v.'TCjv
First reports from the front said Montgomery's northern forces
had captured 1500 prisoners and the Ninth had taken 1700 more. 1 j
Enemy ;Gathering Forces ." - ' ' " l
Field dispatches said the Gerjmans were gathering tanks for an
expected counterblow, but the feeling persisted that with the terrific .
losses suffered west of the Rhine, this time the enemy could not stop
the Allfed 'drive. . " It
- Moxe than 10,000 Allied planes ruled inner Germany's skies, fer-
rying parachute troops, scattering the ground defenders with bombs
bullets fand rockets, or heaping fresh destruction on already battered
enemy communication lines to the flaming front. I " ' . ;- ' I
! Fisehhower had committed possibly 1,250,000 men Ul the battle of
the west with- this latest offensive," and to the south LL Gen. George
S. Patton, Jr, crossed the" Rhine personallyJLo direct the TJiiid army's
offensiie into middle Germany, now powered" by tanksT ; i
i The Rhine had been bridged by pontoons both in the Ruhr andjhe
Third army's middle Rhine crossing aftd the big amTHnaJ push waf
on to knock Germany quickly from the war. "
More Air Treops Land - . " x
' ; 'Alarmed German broadcasts said ftat jnore AH fed troops .of,, the--air
were descending, .tonight" of er a broaXront nnftfc'bTthe Ruhr,
wipsaioss WfiTTotheemjf ptwer to resist -:L-
rGeraaair-foTces, stunned, by -the
massed! on the Rhine's .west . bank,- began surrendering by the hun
dreds as the first waves plunged out on the east bank from naval land- -tag
craft like those used on Normandy's beaches, ' . I "
r . Smashing into open country 290 miles from' Berlin the troops of
Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery .were told by the 2 1st army
group commander that "the enemy is driven into a corner J i
"It will be Interesting to. see how much longer the enemy can
stand it; the complete and decisive defeat of the Germans is certain,"
declared Montgomery. . - - , ' ' 1 ; , T . . ' i '
The long-rested British Second army, out of action since last Sep
tember opened the attack by crossing on the north flank at S pro.
last night ' An hour later waves began moving across on the south
flank. . , - .- -.
1 . - " " ' . . '
uDdDudl
s
Woctoiry
Bealmear
front yesterday, plowing
.terrible drum fire of 1200, guns.
k'VV.1
4 IT?