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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1943)
Yanks Capture Mt. Spinuccio Pn Snowstorm Sofia and Athens Bomb ed 8th Army Advances Toward Tollo Capital jkJoiuiraal Frankfurt Blasted by 2000 Tons Of Bombs as Climax to 36 Hour Air Drive on 7 Key Targets 55th Year, No. 303 "bSSS Salem, Oregon, Tuesday, December 21, 1943 Price Five Cents . I Mannheim-Ludwigshafen Smashed Mosquitos ijoaqn 'o i "xi ib Western Germany and Belgium Fortresses Japs Evacuating Southern Bougair i i ike Bremen and Sofia Allies Lose 90 Planes Allied Headquarters, Algiers, Dec. 21 m American Fifth army forces have lunged for ward two and a half miles in a snow storm to capture 2,600-foot Mt. Spinuccio, while V. S. ISth air force heavy bomhers escort ed by long-range fighters at tacked Sofia, the capital of Bul garia, and ah Athens airfield, it was announced today, jki a companion drive, Gen. fW Bernard L. Montgomery's Eighth army forces pushed ahead in "stiff fighting" toward Tollo in the central sector of the Adriatic front, improving their positions near Ortona, the al lied headquarters communique added. German resistance was said to be Increasing. 28 Planes Downed Allied planes shot down 28 enemy planes in the twin at tacks on Sofia railroad yards and the Elevsis airfield in Greece and in other operations which included fighter-bomber raids on rail and motor targets in the Rome area. Eleven allied planes failed to return. , This brought the luftwaffe losses in two days' sky battles to 71 planes plus three more shot down by American anti-aircraft fire during two German attacks cynewly-captured San Pietro. Another announcement said that American motor torpedo boats, which gained fame in the Pacific, teamed up with British craft to fight a vigorous night action Dec. 18 off the island of Elba with two nazi destroyers on which torpedo hits were probably scored. Many Nazi Fighters Apparently trying hard to keep their Balkan satellites from being bombed out of the war, the Germans threw large numbers of fighters into the air, Fighting American infantry men, who have been ceaselessly attacking for several days, swarmed up the slopes of Mt. Spinuccio, two and a half miles west of recently-taken Lagone under severe conditions. All of tO mountains in this area are covered with snow and many of them tower above 3000 feet. On the remainder of the fifth army front, only patrol activity was reported. Brisk Air Combats The American attacks on Sofia and Athens followed pow erful aerial blows, aimed from bases in this theater of opera tions, on Augusburg in Ger many and Innsbruck in Austria both of which are on the Bren- ner pass route, vital to the sup ply of the nazi forces in Italy Brisk air combats with enemy Interceptors were reported by today's allied communique to have taken place In yesterday's American Balkan raids. (Concluded on page 12, column 5) Revolt Flares In North Italy Naples, Dec. 21 VP) Northern Italy is flaming with revolt ' against the German military . command and its puppet Italian government, trustworthy infor mation reaching Naples showed today. At the same time, It was re ported that the Germans, fol lowing the tactics employed in Naples, have forcibly evacuat ed whole areas of Rome, pre sumably to permit German en gineers to plant mines and dynamite on a large scale. This may indicate a decision on abandonment. The situation behind the Ger man line was described as be ing "more serious than in any aOhe European countries that are under complete German occupation." Axis radios gave heavily cen sored confirmation. They reported that funeral services were held today for Aldo Resega, federal fascist commissar, Pierre Deangell and Primlere Lamberti, officials of the fascist squadristi organiza tion. The men were shot by Italians described as "terror ists." At the same time the German military commander for Rome ordered the suspension of all street highway and railway traffic inside and outside of the city between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Significantly the new order declared that "doctors, ambu lances and Red Cross vehicles' could obtain special passes per mitting them to pass through tfQtreets during the prohibited hums. Germans must carry Identification papers at, all times. The death penalty has been attached to violation of the ordinance. Russian Drive Towards Latvia Nears Vitebsk London, Dec. 21 (UP) The Vichy radio reported to night that "the entire front is on the move" in the Dnieper bend from Cherkasi to Niko pol, where the Russians are throwing "enormous" num bers of men and machines at the German lines. Moscow, Dec. 21 (U.R) The Germans were reported official ly today to be abandoning large quantities of arms and ammuni tion in a precipitate retreat to ward Vitebsk and Polotsk, key strongholds on the Moscow-Riga railway guarding the approach es to Latvia and Lithuania. The pursing 1st Baltic army plunged through a 50-mile gap in the German defenses below Nevel in an advance that al ready has outflanked Vitebsk and carried to within 20 miles north of the city. 70 Towns Liberated (The London News-Chronicle said the Russians had driven 15 to 20 miles west of the Vitebsk Nevel railroad, which if true would place the Soviets only 40 miles northeast of the old Polish border). Seventy more towns and vil lages were swept up in the latest advance, boosting to 570 the number liberated in the past six days. 1500 Germans were killed when the remnants of several shattered enemy units attempted a stand before the soviet steam roller. In another sector, the Soviets wedged the German defenses and seized several heavily-fortified strong points, killing 300 Germans in the fighting for only one' of them. Twelve guns, 80 machine guns and a large supply column, in addition to a number (Concluded on page 12, column 2) Bombers Raid Japs in Burma New Delhi, Dec. 21 VP) A combined American and RAF bombing force attacked objec tives in Bangkok, Thailand, the night of Dec. 19 in the first long-range operation of the newly-formed eastern Asia air command, it was announced to day. A communique said a strong formation of United States bombers attacked the docks while the RAF raided the en emy arsenal area. Widespread attacks were also announced in southern Burma, the RAF bombing by night and the USAAF by day. "Targets from Akyab to Hen- zada on the railway south of Prome were attacked Dec. 14 and on the three following nights," the communique said. "On Dec. 15, American heavy and medium bombers hit oil in stallations at Chauk and Yen angyaung, starting large fires." British fighters also made re pealed attacks during the period on rail, road and river traffic, the bulletin added. Canol Oil Project Received Approval of Roosevelt Washington, Dec. 21 VP) President Roosevelt said today that he approved the army's controverted Canol oil development in Canada at a time when it appeared there might be great military action in the Alaskan and Aleu- tian area. He added that at the time he would have approved anything to get a new source of oil in that part of the world as a war measure. His comment was made at a press-radio conference in re sponse to a question whether he had known of the $130,000, 000 cost of the project when he approved it. The president said he thought he knew at the time what the cost would be. Two democratic members of the senate's Truman committee defended the development to day, but their support probably came too late to save the project from a spanking at the hands of their colleagues. Senators Connally (D., Tex.) and Hatch (D., N.M.), put in plugs for Lt. Gen. Brehon Som ervell, army champion of the oil development, who explain ed the undertaking for the com mittee yesterday in detail. Somervell said the project, Knox Declares Enemy Forces Moving North Washington, Dec. 21 U.R Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox said today there were in dications that the Japanese are evacuating the southern part of Bougainville island in the Solo mons. Knox said most of the evacu ation apparently was taking piace by way of land but a naval aide at the conference said that some of the Japanese appeared to be quitting by sea, using "lots of barges." Yanks Have Air Superiority Knox, emphasizing American aerial superiority in the Pacific, said that during the week of Dec. 13-20, army, navy and ma rina corps planes in the Pacific carried out 71 missions involv ing more than 1500 light and heavy bombers with fighter es cort. "This Is more than 10 mis sions a day," Knox said, "and enemy air opposition was negli gible. On some missions not a single enemy plane was found in the air. In the central Pacific, he said, the air forces carried out nine bombing missions against the Japanese held Marshalls. The box score for those operations was Japanese losses 19 planes definitely shot down, seven probably destroyed. U.S. loss es three shot down. 1400 Aircraft Used In the South Pacific during the same week airmen carried out 61 missions in which more than 1400 aircraft participated. In addition there were seven large scale naval task force raids. He also noted that during that week there was an air task force raid on Nauru, Japanese base on the fringe of the Gil berts. He said the forces in the sou thern part of the island were moving northward. He told his news conference that since the enemy's forces are scattered it was obvious that they would at tempt to concentrate to meet the expanding American threat in the Empress Augusta bay area. Fletcher In Command The area from which Knox said the Japanese appeared to be moving is around Buin-Faisi, where the Japanese have main tained elaborate air establish ments. However, Knox said, American air forces have ren dered unserviceable every en emy flying field on Bougain ville. Knox revealed that Vice Ad miral Frank J. Fletcher had taken command of the North Pacific area, succeeding Rear Admiral Thomas C. Klnkaid, who is now in command of the Southwest Pacific naval forces. Fletcher also maintains com mand of the northwest Pacific sea frontier but relinquishes command of the 13th naval dis trict which has been placed un der Rear Admiral Sherwood A, Taffinder. Stalin 64 Today London, Dec. 21 (U.R) Premier Josef Stalin of Russia was 64 years old today. begun as a defense arm for Alaska, had become a vital of fensive weapon and declared if he had it to do over again he would make it three times as large. Connally and Somervell brought out during a discus sion that the latter does not claim the project is a good post war, peacetime economic ven ture any more than would be the making of bombs. "You were looking at it as a vital war instrumentality," questioned Connally. Somer vell replied "that's right," and made no attempt io defend the expense of the project in his testimony. In his day-long defense of Canol, Somervell said the army started the undertaking uncer tain of its oil potentialities, but "we struck a bonanza." He estimated the normal wells field in Canada will produce 100, 000,000 barrels of oil. Americans Wade Ashore in Arawe Invasion Rifles ready, American troops waded ashore for the invasion of New Britain island at Arawe as they drove forward to wipe out the strong Jap base at Rabaul by future advances. This is one o f the first pictures on the newest South Pacific invasion. (AP wirephoto via signal corps radiophoto.) White House Parleys To Avert Rail Strike Washington, Dec. 21 VP) White house conferences designed to settle the railroad wage dispute and avert a scheduled strike were resumed today, fast on the heels of a presidential statement that the best Christmas present the American people could get would be an assurance there would be no general transportation stoppage. The operating Broth To Speed Up Rabaul Drive (Br th United Preaji) Belief that Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur may be about to hurl a new invasion force ashore on New Britain to speed up his of fensive against '. Rabaul : was heightened today by ndws that American fliers ripped the northwest coast of the island with 414 tons of bombs Sunday in the heaviest aerial blow of the Pacific war. The battered enemy air base at Cape Gloucester was the tar get of the record attack, which followed closely the bombing pattern that preceded last Wed nesday's American landings on the Arawe peninsula, on the southeast shore of New Britain. Hundreds of American heavy and medium bombers launch ed the attack, smothering the Japanese ground defenses and setting great fires in the enemy base. Seizure of the Cape Glouces ter area would sever the Japan ese northern barge line from New Guinea to Rabaul and would leave the latter strong hold entirely dependent on Truk 800 miles to the north for its supplies and reinforce ments. U. S. sixth army forces con tinued their advance inland through the broken Japanese defenses in the Arawe sector, capturing the Arawe air strip and extending their lines six to nine miles northeast of the Arawe peninsula. FDR Sends Greetings To Vets in Hospital Washington, Dec. 21 VP) President Roosevelt in a Christ mas and New Year message transmitted to war veterans in government hospitals assured them of the nation's gratitude for service "so bravely and honorably rendered.'' "Now that we know in our hearts that ultimate victory is certain," his message stated, "we can face the long, hard struggle ahead with confidence and fortitude, and let the spirit of Christmas pervade our thoughts and bring us comfort and happiness. "The people of the United States, as well as myself, when I assure you of our gratitude for the service you so bravely and honorably rendered and of our continued solicitude for your felware and contentment. A merry Christmas to each of you may the new year be for you and yours a happy one." Attached to the White House greetings was a Christmas mes sage from Brig. Gen. Frank T. Hines. Weather Fair and continued cold tonight and Wednesday, with valley foa. For past 24 hours: mas. 47, mm. 25. No rainfall. River today -13. erhoods have already set Dec. 30 as the date for starting a pro gressive walkout, and the 15 non-operating unions today set the same date for their own strike to coincide with that of their fellow-workers. Leaders of the five operating railroad Brotherhoods went back to the White House in the early afternoon to, discuss with the president his" proposal for settling their wage case by sup plementing a previous f o u r -cents-an-hour aw. 'd with an ad ditional four cents in the form of overtime compensation. The Brotherhood chiefs dis cussed the situation with their executive committees for several hours earlier in the day. It was understood that the leaders were not prepared to pledge an out right acceptance of the proposal but would ask, in addition, an allowance for vacations. The exact method the presi dent had in mind for calculat ing a supplementary four cents an hour for overtime was not immediately clarified. However, Mr. Roosevelt said he hoped that railway execu tives and employe representa tives could get together on a formula which would provide earnings increases. French Leaders Under Arrest Algiers, Dec. 21 VP) Five Frenchmen formerly high in their nation's political life, in cluding former Premier Pierre Etienne Flandin, paced cells in Algiers' military prison today, charged by the French national committee with treason. Justice Commissioner Fran cois De Menthon, who acted at the direction of the committee following an invesligation of the five cases, said the arrests of the five Flandin; Marcel Peyrout on, former Vichy interior minis ter; Pierre Tixier-Vignancourt, former Vichy secretary-general of information; former Governor General Pierre Boisson, French West Africa, ana former French deputy Anciie Albert began two days ago and were complet ed this morning. The commissioner declined to divulge details of the charges against them except that they were accused of crimes against the French nation. Flandin had been under sur veillance pending investigation by a commission probing sus pected collaboration with Vichy. Churchill Keeps Growing Stronger London, Dec. 21 UR The con dition of Prime Minister Win ston Churchill continues to im prove, an official announcement said today, and his cabinet col leagues expected momentarily the resumption of the flood of directives which normally pour in when he is abroad, Censor Second Front Gossip London, Dec. 21 u.R) British and American censorship au thorities were understood today to be preparing to ban publica tion and broadcasting of all speculation originating in either country on the opening of a second front in western Europe. Speculation originating i n neutral countries or picked up from axis radio broadcasts or newspapers would not be af fected by the order, it was be lieved. . Military authorities in Lon don and Washington wore said to be dissatisfied with the wide spread discussions over here, when and how an Invasion of western Europe will be launch ed. British newspapers have been adhering fairly well to broad censorship directives permitting them to speculate only along the line suggested in official an nouncements or speeches of high government authorities and to report foreign specula tion of any kind. The censorship discussion reached a new degree of urg ency over the week-end with the appearance of dispatches telling of convoys shuttling big detachments of American troops to Britain and speculation over whether Gen. George C. Mar shall, U.S. chief of staff, or Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme Mediterranean commander, would take over the command of invasion forces. Reports that British and Am erican censors were preparing to ban speculation on a new fighting front were dismissed today by President Roosevelt as just another London story. The question was raised at his news conference. Anchor Brings Up Jeep An Advance South Pacific Base, Dec. 15 (U.R) A freighter here discharged its cargo and was preparing to head for home. The anchor came up with a slime-covered jeep hooked to it. The jeep was lost overboard se veral months earlier. Yugoslav Partisan Army Of 250,000 Nears Zagreb London, Dec. 21 W) The 250 of Marshal Josip Broz (Tito) a into the vicinity of the Croatian which London termed a major battle. Tito's resilient forces were declared In London to be en gaging nine German and three puppet divisions in the main fighting areas in addition to containing three to four nazi divisions in spbradic combats in the Istrian peninsula bordering Italy. The Germans and their mercenaries were said to have six divisions in Croatia, two on the Dalmatian coast and four in the Mostar region, including the Prince Eugene ss elite out fit. Partisian strategists, in a sec ret meeting with high U. S. and British staff officers in Alexandria, "agreed fully" on plans for a military campaign in Yugoslavia. The Chetnik forces of Gen. Baja Mihailovic, war minister of King Peter, were not represented. Almost London, Dec. 21 VP) Hundreds of RAF bombers gave Frank furt its most crushing blow of the war last night, raining 2,000 long tons of incendiaries and explosives on the German chemical and armament center. In this and subsidiary attacks the RAF lost 42 bombers. The great air offensive against Germany reached a new Inten sity with these additional attacks during the past 24 hours: KAF subsidiary formations attacked Mannheim-Ludwigshafen, mosquitos stabbed at Western Germany and Belgium and mines were laid in enemy waters. Heavy formations of American Liberators and Fortresses in daylight struck heavily at the German u-boat campaign by bomb ing Bremen. American bombers based on the Mediterranean for the fifth time in recent weeks blasted the rail yards of Sofia, capital of war- weary Bulgaria, and Elevsis air field near Athens. U. S. airforce Marauders, es corted by allied fighters, bomb ed military objectives in north ern France for the second straight day, army headquarters announced this afternoon. American and British medium bombers spread destruction on targets in northern France. 90 Flanes Lost The allies lost more than 90 planes in the 24-hour operations. This includes 33 (counting 25 heavy bombers) over Bremen, 42 in the RAF sweeps including an unspecified number of heav ies,, 11 in the Italian-Balkan area and six fighters over north- em France. Last night's RAF attack prob ably placed Frankfurt In the category with Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Kassel as Ger many's most bombed cities. It was carried out in near top strength by a force which possi bly numbered 800 or more heavy bombers. Huge fires were left burning in the city of more than a half million which already had been so badly devastated in 41 raids that a large proportion of the populace had been forced to leave. Daylight Raid Following Continuing the air offensive, a steady stream of medium and light bombers winged across the southeast coast towards France in daylight today, backing up heavy assaults begun yesterday on what may well be German rocket gun emplacements. Mannheim - Ludwigshafen twin cities on the Rhine where I. G. Farben-Industrie has the largest chemical works in the world, have been subjected to at least six bombardments of (Concluded on pnire 11, column 8) Second Strike In Montreal Montreal, Dec. 21 VP) Mon treal's second strike of munici pal employes within a week started today, with an estimated 2,000 city hall clerks and steno graphers out to enforce demands for higher wages.' The white collar workers turned down an offer from the provincial government, through the Quebec municipal commis sion, for an arbitration board to investigate their wage demands. A week ago today employes of the police, fire and public works departments staged a 14 hour strike that won them union recognition for the Cana dian Congress of Labor. Those striking today were members of the National Syn dicate of Municipal Workers and two smaller unions who joined forces with the syndi cate, recognized by the city as bargaining agent for the white collar workers. The vote was 950-40 to strike at last night's mass meeting. 000-man Yugoslav partisan army nnounced today it had advanced capital of Zagreb, in a campaign simultaneously, President Ivan Ribar of Tito's provisional gov ernment broadcast that "the treacherous Yugoslav govern-mcnt-in-exile must be deprived of all rights." The German radio said "arm ed bands' had been frustrated in landing attempts at the Dal matian coast town of Omis near Split. The main f ighting was near Zagreb, 70 miles east of Ljubl jana on the Belgrade-Trieste railroad, Tito's communique indicated. ' The bulletin, broadcast by the free Yugoslav radio, said that one column of Tito's forces had entered the town of Kopinec, near the Important nazi-held base on Dec. 15, while another column had occupied the town of Vojnic, 35 miles to the south west, on the same day. Dozen Zeros Hit Over Atoll Washington, Dec. 21 VP) Raiding Japanese positions in the Marshall islands, army heavy bombers destroyed at least seven enemy fighter planes of an intercepting flight that at tacked them over Maloelap atoll. The action was announced in a communique issued by Ad miral Chester W. Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet, and released today in Washington. Five other enemy planes probably were destroyed from the interceptor flight and two American planes were damaged, the communique reported. Three Americans were wounded. The text of the communique: "Army heavy bombers of the seventh army air force, which attacked enemy installations on Maloelap atoll on December 19 (west longitude date) were in tercepted by 25 Japanese fight ers. Seven of the enemy fight ers were probably destroyed and five other were damaged. Two of our planes were dam aged. Three men were wounded." President for Soldiers' Vote Washington, Dec. 21 (U.R) President Roosevelt said today that federal machinery should be set up to enable servicemen to vote. His policy on the sub ject, Mr. Roosevelt told hij news conference, is that every soldier should be given an op portunity to vote unless actual combat conditions in the field prevent. Under questioning, he said federal machinery is needed to Implement this policy. A reporter asked Mr. Roose velt whether senate legislation now before the house, calling on the stales to make absentee vot ing privileges available to ser vicemen, would achieve the end he proposed. He said he did not know because he had not read the legislation, although he had seen several summaries of it. The senate measure was 4 opted after southern democrati and republicans joined forces to defeat the Green-Lucas bill, which would have set up fed eral machinery for handling sol dier voting. Opponents contend ed that federal control of the vote would violate state's rights. Questioned about his confer ence yesterday with Major Gen, Lewis B. Hershey, selective ser vice director, the president said it was to work out a proposed executive order to make the fa ttier draft law more workable in the interest of better adminis tration. Senate Adjourns for Christmas Recess Washington, Dec. 21 M) The senate adjourned at 12:47 p.m. today, bringing to a close the first session of the 78th congress for that chamber, and beginning the Christmas recess which will continue until January 10. The adjournment resolution went to the house, which was still disposing of eleventh hour business when the senators be gan leaving the capitol.
