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.