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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1944)
British Drop 5040 Tons of Bombs on Major Nazi Rail Centers Russians Repel Nazi Assaults In Narva Sector German Stand at Se vastopol in Final Hour As Reds Sink Ships Moscow, April 21 U. The German command hurled hordes of tanks and tens of thousands of Infantrymen today against soviet forces massing In Estonia and old Poland for snring and summer offensives, klit the Russians held firm and were reported officially to be "slaughtering" the attackers. The Increasingly heavy Ger man "preventive" attacks indi cated that red armies may be preparing to strike next in the Narva sector of Estonia in the Baltic states and on the Stanis lawow front in the Carpathians as soon as they complete the liberation of Sevastopol, last nazi toehold in the Crimea. The German stand in Sevas topol, Russia's biggest naval base was believed in its final hours as two Russian armies slowly pressed the doomed gar rison back through the streets of the city. Soviet planes block ading the approaches to the port in 24 hours alone sank an en emy destroyer and four trans ports totalling 15,000 tons, some oi them loaded to capacity with fleeing German and Romanian troops. (A British broadcast recorded by CBS said a heavy Russian cruiser, standing off Sevastopol harbor, was shelling the docks in the German-held city.) Tanks Repulsed The Germans launched their heavy attack against the soviet bSdgehead on the west bank of the Narva river southwest of the Estonian railway junction of the same name after a fierce 90-minute artillery barrage. As the curtain of fire lifted, large forces of tanks, self-propelled guns, and infantry moved forward, "apparently counting on routing our defense by one blow," the soviet communique said. Instead, a hail of soviet rifle, machine-gun artillery, and trench motar fire forced the en emy to turn and flee, but later lirports said the attacks were orontinuing on a heavy scale, though without success. Some 2,000 Germans were killed in the initial battles. Supporting the red army, so viet planes bombed concentra tions of military trains at the Latvian railway centers of Re- zene and Gulbene. Many fires and explosions were touched off. A slate refinery at Kivihli, 45 miles west of Narva, also was raided, and the communique re ported that "almost the entire area of the plant" was left en veloped in flames. Mystery Veils War Project Richland, Benton County, Wash., April 21 Pi A full fledged city has arisen in this area of central Washington 'sagebrush desert and rolling hills under the impetus of a mystery-shrouded war project. Normally a town of about 150 residents, the boom has boosted the population many times over. Now, following a war produc tion board appeal at Washington two days ago for several thou sand more construction workers to go to an "important war proj ect, near Pasco, Wash.," the area will grow more. A city of 15, 000 population is expected. Many barracks and scores of attractive houses, in no way a war housing development, have arisen. Some are. one-story bungalows and others are two story duplexes. They, are on well laid-out circular, winding streets. , A high school was opened last jfceek and five modern grade schools are being planned. The hotel is modern and a new hos pital, service buildings and other civic structures are aris ing. The new motion picture house already is open. Prefabricated houses, blocks of them, built at Toledo, Ore., are arriving by truck and train. They are set up in a few hours. Richland is 10 miles from Pasco, where the Yakima and Columbia rivers meet. The big project is officially known as the Hanford Engine works. The area, under complete supervi sion of the army engineers, cov ers more than 15 townships and half a million acres in Benton, Grant and Franklin counties. The Weather k Partly cloudy tonlsht. Lisht uns Saturday. Slightly warm er Max. 55. min. 36. Rain, trace. River, 4.8 ft. Capital 4 Journal ft 56th Year, No. 96 SiM.TS'S.Sr Salem, Oregon, Friday, April 21, 1944 Pru 9?!ttS Jap Life Lines In Pacific Snap Says Admiral San Francisco, April 21 UP! "The lifelines of the Japanese Pacific empire are stretching and snapping one by one." That was the way Vice Adm. David W. Bagley, commander of the western sea frontier, to day described the trend of events in the Pacific war. 'We have demonstrated our superiority over the Japanese amphibious warfare," Ad miral Bagley told the San Fran cisco Commonwealth club. "Our maturing experience and offen sive power permit broader and bolder operations." Nearing Power Peak He said, too, that "our na tion is approaching the peak of its belligerent power," which he defined as "the sum of its sea, land and air . power used collectively and in true coopera tion, plus its civil power." ' For, the admiral declared, our Pacific war will not be won by the army, the navy or the air force. It will be won by. all three jointly, backed to the hilt by our home front produc tion of supplies and fighting equipment, with all allegiances merged into a dynamic patrio tism." Fighting an Empire As to the extent of Japanese conquest, Admiral Bagley said, "we are not fighting an over populated and fantastically am bitious country of about the size of California. We are fight ing an Asiatic empire with a land area almost as great as that of our own continental United States." The future of America in the Pacific was at stake, he declar ed, in the great battle of Mid way in June, 1942. He called that "an ultimate testing ground for the Japanese concept of an invasion force, with that force operating under conditions more favorable than ever again are likely to be vouchsafed to our enemies." Out of the U. S. victory at Midway the Admiral concluded, came an axiom of naval war fare that command of the sea is essential to invasion opera tions. "Japan most prematurely presumed such command and supremacy at Midway," he said, "and gambled away an empire in an attempted short-cut to conquest." As a consequence of a subse quent campaign of bleeding the enemy of strength by constant and wearing attrition, Admiral Bagley suggested "it is possible. if improbably, that the imperial fleet may eventually be scut tled to preserve the quaint myth of its invincibility." Bagley cautioned that "we must not match the enemy's folly in over-extending lines of communication to the breaking point." Victory Ship Launched Richmond, Calif., April 21 (U.R) S. S. Ethiopia Victroy, first of 77 contracted Victory ships, was launched yesterday by the Per manente Metals Corp. shipyards. Mrs. M. F. Novak, Seattle, Wash., was sponsor. Japs Aim to Seize Crops In Hunon to Starve Chinese Chungking, April 21 (IP) A new threat to China, including the possibility of a man-made famine affecting 20.000,000 civilians and hundreds of thousands of soldiers, developed today as strong Japanese forces drove across the-Peiping-Hankow railway in northern Honan province. A Chinese army spokesman said the Japanese offensive, em bracing between 50,000 and 60, 000 troops, was spearheaded by contingents from Manchuria where until now Japan has kept the flower of her army even through the seven years war with China. The Chinese surmised, the spokesman said, that the Japa nese were making a bid to smash the Chinese grip on 150 miles of the Peiping-Hankow railway which would permit the enemy to link his north and central forces in China. After being rebuilt the rail way would provide an over land communications route, in dependent of menaced sea routes, either for offensive ac tion or to withdraw troops south of the Langtze in event of a suc cessful American landing in south China. Raids on Jap Pacific Island Bases Continue Washington, April 21 UP) American bombers hitting Wake island in the mid-Pacific for the second time in as many days dumped 30 tons of bombs there Wednesday night, the navy re ported today. Only moderate anti-aircraft fire was encountered by the Li berator bombers which made the 19th raid on that little is land taken by the Japanese early in the war. On the same day, the navy reported, other bombers roar ed down on Ponape, which flanks the eastern approaches to Truk in the Caroline islands, to hit the air field and adjacent buildings. These army bombers encountered only weak anti aircraft fire. The enemy's isolated positions in the eastern Marshall islands also were hit again in what has come to be a day-to-day bomb ing assault. Army, marine and navy planes joined in the at tack on unidentified Marshall is land positions blasting barracks, gun positions, air strips and oth er facilities with 50 tons of bombs. For three consecutive days, enemy plane installation at Wo leai island, in the western Caro lines, and Satawan island, 150 miles southeast of the key Ja panese base at Truk, have trem bled under bombs laid by Mac Arthur's Liberator squadrons. From Both Directions The south Pacific fliers are lending a potent helping hand to American bombers which strike the Carolines from their central Pacific bases in the Mar shall and Gilbert islands. Army, navy and marine corps aircraft arc doing the slugging from both directions. Since Sunday, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz' central Pacific fliers and MacArthur's bomb-layers have hit the Caroline bases in 23 raids. Their explosives have raised smoke pillars on islands from Woleai eastward 1150 stat ute miles to Pingelap. Some of these blows were hit-and-run smacks by navy search planes; others were heavy at tacks, considering the vast over-water stretches, like the 46 ton blasting given Truk Wednes day night and Thursday morn ing, Carolines time, by army bombers in Nimitz' command. 0PA Wants More Help from Labor Portland, April 21 (IP) The OPA would like more help from labor organizations in price con trol problems, Leo Gentner, San Francisco, regional OPA admin istrator, said here today. He told a meeting of the Ore gon labor advisory board that unions of this district have been asked to select their own repre sentatives to assist in the fight to control inflation, but .response has been unsatisfactory. One of the toughest local problems is control of restaurant prices, the meeting was told. Fanning out in three main col umns in an offensive launched April 18, the Japanese evident ly were aiming at throwing a strong cordon about Chenghs licn (Chengchow), a former strategic junction of the Peiping-Hankow line running south and the Lunghai railway run ning cast and west just south of the Yellow river. One column, striking from Chungmow, on the Lunghai to the east, reached a village eight miles southeast of Shenghsien, and two others crossed the rail way about 20 miles south of Chenghsien. Meanwhile about 10.000 Ja panese who had massed in a bridgehead on the south side of the Yellow river struck south ward and were within six miles of the Lunghai railway. A later Chinese communique said the Japanese who crossed the Peiping-Hankow railway from the east had advanced to a (Concluded on page 11, column 6) IL v ' Tiiri'hi ffttlllt sisA "mltumm . i -mrm ' Great Britain's "Human Torpedo" UP) Two men in diving suits revealed weapons, the "human torpedo." London announces this device, used against the enemy base at Palermo, Sicily, in January of 1943, is ridden by two men who guide it near its target, set off the explosive charge with a time fuse and then ride the propulsive part to safety. (AP wirephoto via radio from London.) New Italian Government Includes Count Sforza Naples, April 21 (IP) Marshal Pietro Badoglio today announced the formation of a new Italian war government with himself as premier and foreign minister. The men who held the war, navy and air ministries in the old cabinet remained at their posts in the new government, as did the technician whom Badoglio had Strike Closes Bolivian Mines La Paz, Bolivia, "April 21 VP) The Bolivian government, having yielded to the pressure of a nationwide tin strike by returning former Interior Min ister Pedro Siltfeti Arce to cus tody, sought today to bring a quick end to the walkout that closed every tin mine in the country Wednesday. The strike, of vital concern to the allies because of Bolivia's role as the principal war-time supplier of tin, harked back to the disorders at Catavi in De cember, 1942, when 19 persons were killed and 30 wounded in clashes between military au thorities and striking tin miners. A government statement said the workers quit in protest against the release by a habeus corpus action of Silveti Arce and other former ministers ac cused of responsibility in the Catavi shootings. The statement declared the former officials had been returned to custody in view of "the necessity to guarantee the security of the state and to insure the protec tion of the accused ministers themselves from intimidation by the aroused populace." The government added that "the president of the republic (Maj. Gualbcrto Villarroel) has requested the miners to return peacefully to their labors." General Paffon Arrives in Britain London, April 21 UP) Pistol-packing Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., who commanded the American 7th army in Sicily, has arrived in the European the ater of operations for duty, it was announced officially to day. The general had last been re ported in Cairo where it was ru mored months ago, he was to lead an invasion of the Balkans. He had dropped from the spot light, however, following the victory in Sicily and after the soldier slapping incident was disclosed last November. This incident involved the punish ment of a shell-shocked soldier and Patton later publicly apol ogized to the seventh army. Patton stepped into the lime light with the landing of his troops at Casablanca in Novem ber, 1942, when, with pearl handled pistols slapping at each hip, he went ashore with an ul timatum for the surrender of the French forces. Hnlman Protests Ration Washington, April 21 UP Rationing plans for civil avia tion gasoline was protested to day by Senator Rufus Holman (R., Ore.) who told an OPA hearing that Oregon groups be lieve such action will slow the war effort. chosen to head the finance min istry. The other posts were divided among Italy's six poli tical parties of the liberation junta and some independents. Badoglio submitted the new list to King Vittorio Emanuelc following the gareement of the actionist party, the last of the holdout parties, to participate along with the other five of the junta in the new union govern ment. - - ; Five outstanding' figures were made ministers without port folio. They were Count Carlo Sforza, one-time Italian foreign minister who led the anti-fascist movement abroad; Benedet to Croce, philosopher and for mer senator; Guilio Rodino, leader of the Christian demo crats, and Palmiro Togliatti, communist leader who in many years in Russia under the name of Ercoie Ercoli was attached to the third international. Tog liatti recently returned from Moscow to take the lead in urg ing cooperation with Badoglio in formation of a new govern ment, and Pietro Mancini, so cialist. Others heading ministries are: Gen. Taddeo Orlando, war; Ad miral Raffaele De Courten, navy; Gen. Renato, Sandalli, air; Quinto Quintieri, president of the Bank of Calabria, finance; Salvatore Aldisio, Christian democrat and former deputy from Sicily, interior; Vincenzo Arangio-Ruiz, liberal party leader, justice; Fausto Gullo, communist, lawyer and ex-dep-uty of Salerno, agriculture. Atti lio Dinapolis socialist, labor; Francesco Cernaboni, labor-democracy, communications; Prof. Adolfo Omedo, actionist and rector of the University of Naples, public instruction; Al berto Tarchiani, actionist, pub lic works. Monetary Program Announced Tonight Washingon, April 21 (IP) Secretary of the Treasury Mor genthati announced today that a joint statement outlining a pre liminary agreement on a pro gram for international monetary cooperation will be made public simultaneously at 5 p.m. (PWT) tonight here and in other United Nations capitals. Morgcnthau went to the capi lol today for a conference with interested congressional com mittees. The lawmakers ex pected to get some idea of the opinions of 30 of the United Na tions toward a new concept in world banking ideas which have been gathered by U. S. representatives in a long series of conferences. 500 Workers for Project Approved Washington, April 21 UP' Employment of 500 workers on the Deschutes irrigation project has been authorized by the war1 production board, Senator Guy Cordon said today. A labor lim itation previously has restricted the number to 100. ride one of Britain's newly- Elite Troops On West Wall London, April 21 (U.R) The German radio said today that the greatest concentration of shipping since the Dunkerque evacuation has been assembled in British waters, presumably for an invasion of western Eu rope. The royal navy is being con centrated in home waters, along with units of the American, French and Italian fleets, the broadcast said. "Troops are leaving London," it added. "Every day now, troop trains are leaving London stations taking men to ports." Germany has moved rein forcements of crack SS elite guards into her Atlantic wall defenses, said a Stockholm dis patch, and nazi broadcasts re ported that 300,000 men now stood ready to repel any allied invasion. "All preparations to counter the invasion have been conclud ed, and all defenses are ready for the enemy," radio Berlin said. The Stockholm newspaper Tidningen reported from Berlin that the newly-arrived SS troops "are considerably more strictly disciplined and much better equipped than other line troops." Federal Hearing On Umatilla Island The federal interior depart ment will conduct a hearing at The Dalles May 4 to determine whether the state or the federal government owns an island in the Columbia river between Umatilla and Umatilla Rapids. The state last year leased the island for 20 years to the In land Navigation company, which is using it as a supply base to provide oil to the Pen dleton army airbase. After the lease was signed, the federal government claim ed ownership or the island, on which more than 20 oil storage tanks and other equipment arc located. The state attorney general's office will uphold the state's claim at the hearing. Stassen Rescued at Sea By Crew of Sub Chaser Madison, Wis., April 21 UP) "We may have rescued the next president," a Wisconsin sailor wrote his parents in a letter de scribing the rescue at sea of an officer he identified as Lt. Cmrir. Harold E. Stassen, former Min nesota governor and republi can presidential possibility. The navy department said it had no confirmation of the incident. But at South St. Paul, Minn., Mrs. Slasscn, wife of the 37-year-old flag officer in Admiral William D. Halsey's south I'a ficic fleet, said she had "heard something about it." "I just had a letter from Har old a few days ago and he did say that he had had some inter esting experiences hut he didn't tell me anything aboul the res cue," Mrs. Stassen asid, She added that she believed he did not mention the rescue for fear it would cause her to worry. William Bormett, a former University of Wisconsin athlete, Cologne, Berlin , In Record Pre-lnvasion Assault; nks Raid Balkans from Italy Massive Aerial Campaign Roars Through Fifth Straight Day Bucharest Attacked and Badly Damaged Targets in Northern France Also Hit London, April 21 W' The German radio reported a major at tack today on southeastern Kuropc by American heavy bombers, and the air ministry announced the RAF last night dropped the heaviest bomb load of the war more than 5040 tons on four railroad centers in Germany and occupied countries. A German broadcast said Bucharest was attacked by the Ameri can bombers, apparently from bases in Italy. More than 1000 bombers the greatest force of these pianos ever dispatched by the RAF took part in last night's smash against Cologne and other centers. This was the second time within four days that the RAF had broken the record for bomb tonnage. More than 4480 tons were cascaded Tuesday night upon four other railroad centers. Only 16 bombers were lost in the tremendous night operations, Including a Mosquito raid on Berlin, which quickly followed yesterday's dusk attack on Adolf Hitler's Atlantic wall by a fleet of 750 to 1000 Flying Fortresses. An air ministry communique i said a great weight of bombs was dropped in the four-ply as sault, suggesting that it might have exceeded the 4480 tons deposited on French rail targets by a 1000-bomber fleet Tuesday night when the RAF marked up a record up to that time in bomb tonnage. American Marauders and Havocs with an escort of RAF, Dominion and allied Spitfires hammered military objectives in northern France today. In less than 72 hours allied air invasion forces in Britain had sent over 9000 planes roar ing against the European fort ress with close ot 15,000 mixed tons of explosives on rail junc tions which tie the invasion coast with the reich, defending air fields, plane factories and coastal defense installations an unprecedented pattern of de struction obviously designed to flatten a path for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's troops. Pattern Continued The pattern was continued to day as bomber formations, in cluding American Marauders, skipped across the channel, con tinental radio stations closed down, and Spitfires harrasscd the military objectives in north ern France that were hit by 2500 tons of explosives by the Americans yesterday. In addition to Cologne, rail targets hit in the RAF assault last night were Otlignies, 15 miles southeast of Brussels, Lens in the Pas-de-Calais area of France, and La Chappelle on the outskirts of Paris where a ring of rail junctions had been at tacked in recent raids. In addition to these strikes, the RAF's fleet of minelayers also went out. Dutch Coast Forays Beaufighters of the coastal command also made a foray against shipping off the Dutch coast, hitting one large escort vessel with a torpedo and dam aging two smaller ones. Although Cologne was bombed through clouds with the aid of both ground and sky markers dropped by pathfind ers, the communique said the clusters of bombs were well bunched. Cologne was riddled by Bri Iain's first 1000-bombor assault on May 30, 1942, but the city still is Germany's third largest and the air ministry explained that its railways, now largely repaired, were still vital to the German war effort. Its industries have been re duced to comparative impo tence, however. Bolivian Censorship La Paz, Bolivia, April 21 'U.R) The Bolivian government i nouneed last night that it had established censorship of the press. who is a sound man aboard a subchaser, mentioned the inci dent in three letters. In a letter to his parents, he said: "The other day something happened that I think you might be interested in. Just a few weeks ago we were patrolling In front of one of these islands when somebody saw a small boat ahead. We came close and noticed that they were having engine trouble. We look the passengers aboard and one of them was Stassen. I've read where 'he's being wanted as a candidate for president. We!!, maybe we saved the next on?" Describing the fi-fect-plus. 200-pound Stassen. he wrote: "Boy, he sure is a big man." Paris Blasted Bomb Targets In Northern Italy Allied Headquarters, Naples, April 21 )IP Allied warplanes, diverted temporarily from as sulis on Balkan rail targets, smashed at German communi cations in Italy yesterday, with U. S. heavy bombers blasting Venice harbor and pounding other targets from Ancona to Trieste. The big bombers were hampered by clouds, but ex plosives fell close to a merchant vessel in Venice harbor and other undisclosed targets were hit, headquarters said. The Monfalcone shipyards near Tri este and the port of Livorno (Leghorn) also were attacked. In all. allied planes flew more than 2000 sorties yesterday, de stroying 10 German craft for a loss of eight of their own. On the ground, meanwhile, German troops on the right flank of the Anzio beachhead were observed taking up both their own and allied mines. Al though the front there has gen erally been quiet, the Germans have been reacting sharply to every allied move, apparently apprehensive of an attack. One such allied movement Wodnes daynight drew a heavy concen tration of artillery fire. On the same night an Amer ican destroyer, patrolling off (he beachhead, intercepted four E-boats, probably sending one of them to the bottom and prob ably damaging another. The Germans shelled Orlona heavily and threw a harassing fire over other sectors of the Adriatic front. A number of new German gun pits northeast of Tollo were discovered by pat rols, who killed two sentries and returned to their lines. Heavy artillery duels raged again in the Cassino area where patrols also were very active. About 60 German planes were observed over the battlctronts yesterday. Churchill Cites Empire's Stand London, April 21 WiPrime Minister Churchill told com mons today that the British American mutual assistance agreement was reached in 1042 with assurance from President Roosevelt that "we were no more committed to abolition ot imperial preference than the American government was com mitted to abolition of their pro tective tariff." Winding up the empire de bate in commons, Churchill said: "At my first meeting with the president of the United States in Newfoundland at the time of the so-called Atlantic charter, and before the United States had entered the war a meet ing on very anxious and critical mattcrs 1 asked for insertion of the following words In tho Atlantic charter which can be rend in that document: " 'With due respect for their existing obligations . . .' "These are the limiting words and they were inserted for the express purpose of retaining to this house and to the dominions the fullest possible rights and liberties over the question of imperial preference. "The agreement for discuss ing as to how a greater volunm of trade and a more harmonious flow of trade can be created in the Immediate post-war years leaves us In every respect, so lar as ret one is concerned, pcr frctlv free." Churchill said. "How could it otherwise bn when parliament itself would not only have to debate the mat ters but would have to legislate upon them when they were brought before lt?
