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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1944)
Surrounded Sky Troops in Holland Relieved by British Forces Baltic Campaign Capital AJouiraal Allies Capture Nijmen Bridge Almost Won Across Rhine for Invasion Uses; Tank Battle Rages On Moselle By Red Armies Riga Neared 200,- 56th Year, No. 226 Bnttrid u Moond etui mitUr at Stltta, Or mob Salem, Oregon, Thursday, September 21, 1944 Price Fiv r Tallinn Neared 200, 000 Nazis Trapped Moscow, Sept. 11 IU. The government newspaper Iivestla said today that the red army campaign to liberate the Baltic states is almost won. Four Rus sian armies were wheeling through the Baltics on a 200 miliJront, riding down the rear guard of an estimated 200,000 German troops threatened with Imminent death ot capture. Gen. Ivan C. Bagramlan stormed the suburbs of Riga. Marshal Leonid A. Govorov BWept toward Tallinn. Gen. Ivan Waslennikov deepened his thrust toward the sea northwest of Valca. Gen. Andrei I. Yere menko pushed against Riga from the east. v Writing against that backdrop in sarcastic vein, Izvestia's mili tary commentator said that "the Germans soon will be compel led to announce the 'successful' conclusion of the Baltic cam paign." Front dispatches indicated that main barriers in the path of Govorov's two-way thrust through Estonia already had beenThuxdled, leaving before him a relatively clear coastal plain stretching to the capital city of Tallinn. The veteran Leningrad army under Govorov was revealed last night to have joined in the 1211. Mmnaidn pnmnlntintf nn assault arc swinging down from Sjthe Gulf of Finland to the su- burbs of Riga. i Nazi Line Smashed j An elaborate system of Ger f man fortifications, based on a chain of rivers and swamplands I hugging the west shore of Lake Feipus, was smashed by a mas i give air and artillery bombard is ment. The Govorov's assault forces " broke through west of Narva i and north of Tartu and swarm- ed through the flattened G,er I man positions for advances up J to 44 miles. '5 MJadio Berlin said the Soviets ; alrorlaunched their big assault ; on Warsaw, forcing several crossings of the Vistula river i and winning a foothold 500 (j yards deep in the streets of the i capital. Berlin said the bridge 1 head was sealed off after a wild battle that jammed the quarter I mile wide river with dead.) : Soviet Premier Josef Stalin " revealed last night that his 1 Leningrad army .freed for ac I tion by the capitulation of Fin land, had been thrown into the battle for the Baltic states, joining the offensive opened by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic armies. Pearl Harbor Probe Refused Washington, Sept. 21 (IP) Assailing republican demands for a7 congressional investigation of the Pearl Harbor disaster as "pure political bunk," Chair man Sabath (D., III.), said to day he has no intention of call ing the rules committee together to consider resolutions demand ing an inquiry. -ti Sabath disclosed his stand as chairman May (D., Ky.) of the house military committee turn ed a deaf ear to a request for a joint military-naval comit tee investigation and as verbal repercussions from the Jap sneak attack continued to echo through the halls of congress. "It's politics, pure political bunk," Sabath said in an irv- terview concerning a resolu tion Introduced earlier this week by Rep. Harness (R., Ind.) proposing creation of a special committee to determine who, if anyone, was negligent at Pearl Harbor. Harness says he wants it J:hown whether persons "in hijh places" were negligent. The resolution was referred to the rules committee, and un less Sabath is overruled by his group, it will gather dust there until forgotten. "They knew there wasn't time to consider it before the recess we expect to start this week," Sabath declared. "They are just making a gesture for political reasons." Road to Berlin 'Bt the Ajiotittrd Prfijo 1 Western front: 305 miles from near Arnhem. t Russian front: 312 miles frVm outside Pulutsk. 3 Italian front: 580 miles from 25 miles below Bologna, Allies Advance In Hard Fighting In North Italy Rome, Sept. 21 Mi Greek troops of the eighth army fought to within 2000 yards of Rimini on the Italian Adriatic coast yes terday but rain slowed down the fifth army's offensive after Am erican forces had captured the heights dominating Firenzuola, an important junction on the road to Bologna. Headquarters described fight ing on both ends of the front as intensive and declared the Ger mans were "clinging desperate ly" to their defensive positions. Break Through in Po The enemy's hold on Rimini and the gateway to the Po valley was jeopardized by the Cana dians, who broke through Ger man defenses southwest of the port and advanced to San Loren zo, less than two miles south west of Rimini. As a result of this break through, the Canadians were in position to outflank Rimini on the west and isolate its defend ers. They were within a mile of the Marecchia river which flows into the Adriatic at Rimini and only three miles from the coast northwest of the city. A mile behind the farthest point of the Canadian advance a large enemy force still was wag ing a desperate battle on San Marino ridge. Peaks Captured American troops, meanwhile, beginning their drive down the northern slopes of the last moun tain barrier guarding the plains of northern Italy, drove the Ger mans off the heights of Monte Montale, Monte Acuto, Monte Frena and Barco. They were 25 miles northeast of Florence and only two miles southeast of Fir- enzuola, which is a junction of roads extending northward through the remaining nazi de fenses. The doughboys also fought their way toward the key town of Santa Lucia, which is part of the Futa pass defenses of the Go thic line. In the Ligurian coastal sector fifth army troops approached the outskirts of Pietrasanta, 19 miles north-northwest of Pisa, in a steady advance which reached the foothills at the western ex tremity of the northern Apen nines. Hold to Last Man A partial explanation of the resolute German opposition to the fifth army was seen in this order found on two captives: "I am detailed to guard this position and to notify platoons of all enemy attacks. This posi tion is to be held to the last map and bullet, even if the enemy breaks through on all sides sup ported by strong artillery and mortar fire. Only on the auth ority of the company command er will this position be aband oned." Two Capture Seven Germans Portland, Sept. 21 (IP) Lt. John L. Lucas and his sergeant crept stealthily up to a German infantry patrol in France and captured seven men one night, he wrote his wife here. After ward he felt a prickling sensa tion in his feet. Completely bare, they were full of thorns. Eastern Peleliu Veritable Gibraltar of Fortifications By Richard W. Johnston Aboard Expeditionary Flagship, Palau, Sept. 21 U. The ma rines who conquered southern and eastern Peleliu foot by foot and yard by yard tonight fought for inches in the western pen insula against the best fortifi- cations thev have encountered . Peninsula are so sheer and cruel- since Tarawa and 'over the worst terrain in the Pacific. The Japs have dug in along an incredible network of con necting coves equipped with steel doors. These natural forts range from ridge to ridge, and the Japanese are able to give one another mutual support with cross-fire from the ent rance of every ravine. Their mortars and artillery cover the peaks. The caves are hollowed and floored five levels deep, mak ing the entire chain or coral cliffs into a gigantic bombproof shelter. This is the first Japanese strongpoint in the Pacific which literally, as well as figuratively, is comparable to Gibraltar. The ridges on the western 7645 Japanese Killed in Battle On Palau Isles I IT. S. Pacific Fleet Headquar ters, Pearl Harbor, Sept. 21 IIP) American Invasion of the Pa lau has cost the Japanese the small island of Anganr, most of Pelellu and 7645 lives, but Adm. Chester W. Nimitz re ported last night that "the en emy resistance Is better" on rocky and rugged Peleliu. The .Nimitz communique spoke of "slow progress being made" in heavy fighting by the First marine division on Pele liu, where the invasion of the vital Palau line of defenses started a week ago today. The Japanese had the advantage of rocky, timbered elevations. Most of Peleliu Won (A more optimistic report came from the battle scene last night in a Blue network broad cast by Webley Edwards, rep resenting the combined Ameri can networks. Covering one day more of fighting than was en compassed in the official com munique, Edwards said the ma rines have won all but a small strip on the northeast coast of Peleliu.) The announcement of 7045 Japanese killed on Peleliu and 600 on Angaur came after a communique told of the virtual conquest of the latter, where only mopping up action re mained for the' 81st army divi sion. Three-fourths Slain The casualty estimate for Peleliu covered virtually three fourths of the estimated 10,500 enemy on the island wheh the invasion was launched. Offi cers on Peleliu described its rocky, cave-pocked terrain as the worst yet encountered in the drive westward across the Pacific. A small, unnamed island off the northeast corner .of Peleliu was occupied by the marines without any report of resist ance. , Hitting again at the inner rim of Japanese defenses, Liberator bombers from Gen. Douglas MacArthur's command pounded installations in the Davao area, at the southern end of the Phil ippines, with 120 tons of bombs. Many explosions and fires were reported. There was no inter ception. New Airfield A new airfield was reported started on Angaur. The inva sions of Peleliu and Morotai, in the Molucca islands west of New Guinea, provided ready-made airstrips for the allied forces. Small, planes were reported al ready using the Peleliu field, and the Morotai field, 300 miles south of the Philippines, pre sumably has been put into shape. Prohis Approved For Oregon Ballot Portland, Sept. 21 W Claude A. Watson of Los An geles, the prohibition party's candidate for president, and his running matct Andrew Johnson of Willmore, Ky., were approv ed for the Oregon ballot at nominating assemblyhere last night. ly sharp it would barely be possible to surmount them even without opposition. They are so jagged men ac tually are injured merely by falling down. Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger, com mander of the Pacific fleet ma rine forces, toured our front lines, encircling the ridgehead today as well as the secured sections of the island and termed the terrain "the worst I ever saw." He said the battle for Guadalcanal was not even re motely comparable to this. The job of hollowing the cor al mountain chain has been a matter of years, not months, and it is obvious the Japanese have been prepa'ring this key fortress of Palau for decades in flagrant violation of their mandate. Yank Marines Storm Ashore on Peleliu (IP) Troops of the First marine division stormed ashore from beached "Alligators" as one of the early waves of assault troops hit the beach at Peleliu island in the invasion of the Palau group which began Sept. 14. Smoke is from burning "Alli gator." (Photo by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal on assignment with Wartime Still Picture pool. (Picture radioed from Honolulu to San Francisco.) Bombers Aid Army in Invasion of Holland London, Sept. 21 lP) American planes bombed railyards sup plying the Siegfried line at Mainz and Coblenz today, struck an oil plant on the Rhine at Ludwigshafen and '"supported allied aircraft in the continuing airborne invasion of Holland," a U. S. Eighth air force communique said. A thousand or more heavy Germans Show Friendliness By Jack Franklsh Kornelimunster, Germany, Sept. 20 (Delayed) u.R) The Germans in this border region which American captured a week ago are discarding their hostile attitude and warming up toward the invaders, but doughboys are taking the show of friendship with a grain of salt. The GI's doubt that these wo men, children and old men who dis-obeyed a nazi order to eva cuate really are glad to see them. They have been remin ded that Germans "won the peace" after the first World war by similar tactics and they have been warned against fra ternizing with civilians. Many of the people profess to be anti-nazi, and they say the allies will find a similar friendly attitude through the whole Rhineland. but one young 4-F German told me: "The Rhinelanders will be friendly all right, but don't trust them too far." Even young children are giv ing the V-sign to passing troops. An older boy said he had been a member of Hitler's Youth but he was glad he could be a Pathfinder (Boy Scout) again. One young woman whose hus band is serving somewhere in the Wehrmacht said the "little" nazi regime was vicious but that she still believed Hitler, him self, meant well. Polish Paratroops Dropped in Warsaw London. Sept. 21 (U.R) The German DNB news agency re ported today that allied planes dropped Polish parachutists in Warsaw. "On the fifth anniversary of the unconditional surrender of Warsaw, a large formation of Anglo-American bombers car ried out a demonstrative raid for the purpose of encouraging remnants of the underground movement in its desperate struggle," DNB said. "They dropped a number of Polish shock troop leaders who were all shot down in the air. The dropping of Polish para chutists took place at midday." Later Paper Delivery Because of the opening of school, delivery of the Capital Journal by carrier will be a little later, except Saturdays, than during va cation time, as the boys have to wait until school is over. bombers and fighters were em ployed. Medium forces of more than 400 Flying Fortresses and Lib erators bombed visually at Mainz, on the Rhine near Frank fort 75 miles behind invested Trier in the main German fron tier defenses, but used instru ments at Coblenz and Ludwigs hafen, Coblenz is on the Rhine 70 miles southeast of sur rounded Aachen. Ludwigshaf en lies about 100 miles east of Thionville, France, where Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's Third army is battling the Germans. The heavy bombers attacked other, unspecified targets in western Germany. Hundreds of Thunderbolt and Mustang fighters escorted the bombers and also supported the fifth successive day of airborne landings in Holland. From Italy, other Flying Fort resses and Liberators support ed the Russians by bombing rail communications in Hungary leading to the eastern front. Throughout the day at inter vals, the German radio shout ed warnings of bombers ap proaching west and southwest Germany. With Mainz and Coblenz bombed again, allied air forces have announced since Tuesday blows at 13 railroad yards di rectly used in the intensifying battle for Germany and Hol land. Congress to Recess Until November 14 Washington, Sept. 21 IIP) Congress voted to recess today to Tuesday, Nov. 14 a week after the national elections. Many members began leaving the capital, homeward-bound to put a whirlwind finish on their political campaigns, soon after the house concurred in the senate's adjournment resolu tion. Under the resolution's terms, congress could be called back for any legislative- emergency by its presiding officers, or upon a joint written request of the majority or minority leaders of the two houses. Chinese Execute General for Flight Chungking (Friday) Sept. 22 'Pi Gen. Chen Mu-Nung. com mander of the 93rd Chinese army has been executed for failure "to carry out his in structions to defend Chuanh sien," stronghold on the way to Kweilin, the Chinese central news agency said today. General Chen "fled at the ap proach of the enemy," according to the dispatch. The execution was carried out at the front Sept. 20, on orders of the Chi nese high command. (MCV U. S. Casualties Pass 400,000 Washington, Sept. 21 (U.R) American combnt casualties in this war, a.r officially announced here, passed 400,000 today to reach a total of 400,780 as com pared with 389,125 a week ago. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson announced that army casualties through Sept. 6 to taled 337,743, including 64,488 killed, 177,235 wounded, 48,725 prisoners of war, and 47,315 missing. The army total was 10,020 greater than that announced by Stimson a week ago. Navy, coast guard, and ma rine casualties as announced to day contributed 83,017 to the overall total. They included 25,152 dead, 23,867 wounded, 9,532 missing and 4,466 prison ers. The navy total was 1,508 larger than that of a week ago. Stimson announced that of the army wounded, 72,583 have returned to duty. Nazis Removing Rhine Factories By Don Whitehead In Germany, Sept. 12 W The Germans have begun dis mantling factories west of the Rhine and are shipping the ma chinery to eastern Germany to prevent its falling into the hands of American troops. The Yanks meanwhile held firmly to Iheir breaches in the Siegfried line against continued counter-attacks. Forward observers in the Aachen area saw the Germans dismantling a factory and load ing the machinery on a train and trucks. They immediately called for air and artillery missions to blast the transport. In Stolberg the doughboys still fought house to house, cleaning out stubborn resistance. The Germans had made every house a strongpoint but the town was almost cleared as American troops reached high ground on its eastern side. 7,nl' Russians Accuse Finns of Helping Germans to Escape Moscow, Sept. 21 'U.R) The Russian press today angrily accused Finland of violating armistice terms and of treacherously helping Germans to escape the country. The naval organ, Red Fleet, AnafriVieA tV, aifnnfinn "in- " tolerable" and demanded "strict unconditional fulfillment of all armistice terms." "Izvestia said "every day. ev ery hour is precious." and ac cused Finland of duplicity in aiding in a leisurely German evacuation. "The soviet people cannot for get that for a long time Finland used ils geographic position per manently to threaten our north western borders." Izvestia said. "Finland was granted indepen dence by the Soviet Union in 1917, but thrice violated not only the principles of grateful ness but the laws and principles of peaceful ncighborlincss. r j . f I! m J tna or nazi ivnine ruver uerense Line Punctured Except for Its Last Water Course French Advance on Southern Front in Lorraine London, Sept. 21 M British armor and American parachutfl troops have captured the Nijmegen bridge across the main branch of the Khine in Holland, Having the important span from German destruction and paving the way into Germany. Today the allied forces swung across the bridge toward Arn hem, where surrounded sky troops had been battling grimly for control of the last river crossings before Germany. German broadcasts tonight said the cutoff forces had been relieved by troops of the British second army. The Germans claimed with no allied confirmation that 2R00 of the British First airborne division had been captured. With the northern end of their historic Rhine river defense line punctured except for ils last watercourse by the sweeping threat, the Germans scraped up a large part of their remaining armor and hurled it into battle along the Moselle, 200 miles to the south. There the U. S. Third f- army was engaged in its great est series of tank battles since the invasion of France. Fighting through rugged hills and forests northeast of Nancy, veteran American tankmen de stroyed 105 nazi tanks, field dispatches stated, as the Ger mans struggled desperately to save at least their upper Rhine line. 134 Tanks Destroyed Despite the ferociousness of the German effort, however, French troops of the Third army drove close to Flin, five miles north of Bacarrat and 20 miles southeast of Nancy. The Nijmegen bridge, a mile and a half long concrete struc ture, was seized intact by Brit ish armor striking swiftly from the south and American ele ments of the First allied air borne army which hit from the north. The British tanks then crossed the Waal, the Rhine's largest arm, and streamed northward to the relief of the beleaguered air-borne pocket at Arnhem, key to the Emmerich gateway to the Ruhr and northern Ger many. Arnheim, on the Nedger Ryn, Is eight miles north of Nijmegen. Some Germans were reported still holding out In Nijmegen itself, however. Coblenz Bombed . American Flying Fortresses and Liberators flew to bomb Coblenz and Mainz, central Rhine distribution points behind the front as the fighting flared to a decisive stage with the allied armies a month ahead of their timetable. The Germans counter-attacked by land and bombing from the air in a desperate attempt to save their historic river de fense line, but some of the west ern front's hottest fighting vir tually set the seal of doom on perhaps 100,000 enemy troops caught In western Holland. The whole fate of the Ger mans Ruhr valley and the safe ty of their entire northern flank was turning on the outcome of this first victory and the un folding of a second battle about to take place for control of the crossings of the northern branch of the Dutch Rhine at Arnheim, The seventh army, closing in on the last 12 miles to the Bel fort gap, also made gains all along its front. Siege of Calais Begun With the fail of Boulogne, the allies began a real siege ham mering of Calais. A 3,000 to 4,000-ton bomb attack was made on the town yesterday. About 1,000 German marines were still holding out at Le Portel, approximately two miles south of Boulogne, a position dominating the entrance to the harbor, and there still was some fighting at Wimereux, two miles north of Boulogne. The Cana dians, in working through the chain of concrete forts at Bou logne, had taken 6,000 prison ers. inis nappenen in iu.,t and 1941 but this cannot and must not be repealed." Izvestia charged that Finland had violated the preliminary conditions of the armistice by not expelling German forces from Finland. "In spite of the passage of a whole week since the Finns un dertook to disarm the German forces remaining in Finland af ter September 15 and hand them over to the allies as war pris oners, not a single German sol dier has been disarmed. More over, Finnish authorities are helping the Germans to leave the country disarmed," Izvesia said. n . r r i Greal Tank Battle Raging By Wes Gallagher Alsace-Lorraine, Sept. 21 (IP) Adolf Hitler has thrown in a large portion of his armored forces against the U. S. third army and for three days this armored force has been engaged -in the greatest single tank bat tle since the landings in France. The battle has seen the de struction of 105 nazi tanks. As this is being written on a box of bazooka shells, American artillery shells are whistling; overhead at a number of Mark VI Tiger and Mary V Panther tanks dug in near Bures, 18 miles northeast of Nancy. From there an irregular bat tle line is active in a wide ara north to points near Chateau. Salins. But there is no regular Una of tanks. Both forces range many miles on both sides of these lines in sorties. Much of the mobile forces at the disposal of the Germany army has been thrown reck, lessly into battle. Many of tha destroyed Tiger tanks dotting the battle area had Just had their numbers painted on them in the factory. It Is the first time the Ger. , mans have committed their ar mor in this strength since tha fighting at Caen in Normandy. Battling the panzer veterans, some from the Russian front, are young American tankmen who have given more than they have taken but who have not come out unscathed. Allies Month Ahead of Plans London, Sept. 21 (U.R) Gen, Dwight D. Eisenhower's cam paign is well over a month ahead of schedule, and his next camp proDaDiy will Be established in Germany, Merrill Mueller said today in a pooled broadcast from Paris. Mueller, National Broadcast ing company correspondent, broadcast on behalf of the American networks after his return from Eisenhower's head quarters in eastern France. He said Eisenhower drova himself so hard his health suf fered and he was Instructed not to leave f""" n t But "lie is in top form again today," inc L.iu.iL..ti,t.r "and the sparks are flying about getting this thing over with." "We are well over a month ahead of schedule, which is wonderful for the tactical opera tions, but a first class headache for Ihe strategic planning," Mueller said. "For Hie past two weeks tha fullest concentration has been given the supply line and ser vicing parts up to the stage lina of the present operations. This Herculean task has been ac complished only by the most concentrated effort of each In dividual in I hose seldom her alded but vitally necessary or ganizations." Army Denies Opening 01 Soldiers' Ballots Washington. Sept. 21 The army today officially de nied charges that its censors had opened envelopes containing soldier votes in slate primaries. Secretary of War Stimson, asked at a news conference about the charges, said the war department had investigated them and that the inquiry "has not disclosed 1o date a single ballot envelope opened by an army censor." The Weather Scattered thunder .showers tn mtcht. orrastonni rain. Coolpr Frtrinv. Max. 81 . min. 54. Rain, -7.4. River, -3.2 ft.
