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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1944)
Nazi Spearheads Drive 35 Miles into Belgium and Luxembourg ! Soiperforts Raid Jap Industries In Manchuria Mukden and Darien Again Attacked, Along With Honshu Centers Capital. Yank Vets Stop Cold Further n 'h to North While Others Chop i Miles Into Ease of Mazi Salient .0 ' ,s: 56th Year, No. 304 t Salem. Orison Salem, Oregon, Thursday, December 21, 1944 Price w vents JaJoi Washington, Dec. 21 (U.Ri Su perfortresses destroyed 15 ene my planes, probably destroyed seven, and damaged 11 during a raid on the Japanese arsenal city of Mukden, Manchuria, the war department announced to d,TT Two superforts were lost clue to enemy action. The raiders re ported "good results" at the tar get, which was the Manchuria Airplane Co. plant. The attack was carried out shortly before noon December 21, Jap lime. Tokyo Reports New Raids The Tokyo radio meantime reported widespread new at tacks by allied air power at points as widely separated as Iwo Jima (700 miles from Tok yo), Hongkong, Davao in the Philippines, and Sabang, Su matra. Tokyo radio also said thai Japan soon may expect round- the-clock bombings every hour or half hour by the superfort resses taking off from expanded air fields now being completed en Saipan. Completion of the airfields, the broadcast said, '.ftould permit night landings and assemblage of large B-29 forma tions at Saipan. Visual Bombing On the Mukden raid the tar get was struck by visual bomb ing in clear weather, though haze and smoke partially obscur ed results. Enemy fighter oppo sition was described as "moder ate to strong," though anti-aircraft fire was meager. Iwo Jima Also Raided The enemy broadcasts said Iwo Jima was raided by a for mation of 15 superfortresses ac companied by P-38 Lightning fighters; 40 China-based P-51 Mustang fighters hit Hongkong; superfortresses and B-25 Mitch ell medium bombers hit Davao, important port on Mindanao isl- ,and; and British camer-based plains raided Sabang) one of the world's best natural harbors. The Japanese also said thai Dairen in southern Manchuria was(hattacked and that two pairs of B-29s flew over Honshu last night and early today. A Tokyo broadcast recorded by the FCC said one of the braces' of Saipan-based super forts dropped bombs on Shizu oka and Aichi prefectures in south central Honshu. The air craft manufacturing city of Na- ' goya is in Aichi. The J a p a n e s e-controlled ! Hsinking radio said approxi- ' mateiy 30 planes bombed Muk den and Dairen,- the latter at the southern tip of Manchuria, from high altitudes at 10:30 a.m. , (6:30 p.m. Wednesday, PWT), causing "extremely slight dam- : age." Four planes were said to have been shot down. :" (Concluded on pnjre 13, column 4) I OPA Exactions Closes Market W. L. Lewis, owner of the i Paramount Market on North ; Liberty street, announces that ' due to difficulties with the OPA ? he is closing the store as of Sat urday, December 23. He stated that when OPA classifications started his store was classified in the No. 2 , group. However, he stated that . the volume has grown until it ( has become greater than that : allowed under the No. 2 classi fication and as a result it has i been ordered upped to a No. 4 or chain store classification. He stated under the circumstances it is impossible to operate and he is closing the doors as he gives service in credit and de Jivfry. ,OIr. Lewis has been operating meat markets for 17 years in the same vicinity, having been with the old Cross market, later taking over the Steusloff mar ket at the corner of Liberty and Court, then the Paramount meat market and later the whole store. Under his management, as stated, the volume has increased to a great extent. He said the store lias encountered no trouble with the locai board but diffi culties have arisen in connec tion with outside investigators and OPA representatives. The Weather Cloudy with light rain tonight clearinn gradually P r i d a v. Warmer. Max. 42. min. 30. Wednesday rain, .31 ins. River, -2.6 ft. Yanks Mop-up Jap Remnants In North Leyfe Allied Headquarters, Philip pines, Dec. 21 U.R The Leyte campaign reached the mop-up stage today with three Ameri can divisions pursuing isolated and steadily weakening groups of Japanese into guerrilla-infested hills in the northwest corner of the island. The fall of Libongao, 11 miles north of Ormoc, and Kananga, two miles farther south, to two converging columns at last re ports only a mile apart com pleted the destruction of the Yamashita line and smashed the enemy's last integrated, or organized, resistance. Drawing to an End "The battle is rapidly draw ing to an end," Gen. Douglas Mac-Arthur reported in a com munique just two months after American invasion forces first slormed ashore on the central Philippines island. (A Tokyo broadcast said to day that Japanese planes dam aged an allied warship, pre sumably a cruiser, in an attack on a convoy west of Lcyte.) On Mindoro, 300 miles north west of Leyte, combat engineers completed the first of a series of oil-surfaced airstrips to cover the next phase of MacArthur's campaign to liberate the Philip pines. The mile-and-a-half long strip was finished in the record time of four days. Mindnra Undefended No ground opposition yet has been encountered on Mindoro, MacArthur said, and air attacks continued light. Nine enemy planes were shot down by naval units and shore anti-aircraft batteries Tuesday. The 77 th division, which landed at Ormoc only 12 days ago, captured the Leyte strong hold of Libongao in a four mile advance from Valencia, while the first cavalry divi sion moved south to within a mile of the 77th after seizing Kananga. The enemy abandoned 1541 dead in his retreat Tuesday, MacArthur revealed. "His cohesion is now com pletely broken, he is no longer capable of an integrated de fense and the small remnants of his forces divided into iso lated groups are able to resist temporarily only at indepen dent points," MacArthur asser ted. Chinese Closing in On Hochih, Kwangsi Chungking, Dec. 21 (U.R Chinese troops were reported closing in an Hochih in north ern Kwangsi province today while another column thrust to the vicinity of Chinchengkiang, 180 miles northwest of Liu chow, site of a former Ameri can airbase. A communique reported that more than 100 Japanese were killed in the fighting outside Hochih Wednesday. On the north central Burma front Chinese forces recaptured three villages near the Bhamo Nam khan road and reached ter rain which is on the downgrade to Namkhan. British Open Tank Attack On Insurgents in Athens Athens, Dec. 21 The British opened a tank assault against ELAS concentrations today after expiration of an ultimatum from Lt. Gen. R. M. Scobie that the insurgents stop fighting. Hocket-iiring fighter planes joined in the attack Sherman tanks climbed monastery-lopped Likabettus moun tain and sent 75-mm. shells crashing into ELAS positions around Averoff prison and the military academy. Scobie's ultimatum, which ex pired at 9 a.m., had warned that any ELAS forces continu ing to hold out would be at tacked "with all the arms at my disposal." At Omonia square, lank-supported parachute troop patrols made a ser;es of sorties, demol ishing a sniper's nest and tak ing numerous prisoners. The billet of the U. S. air force transport command rock ed with the shell blasts as buildings behind the requision- Russians Launch New Drive in West Hungary London, Dec. 21 UR) Berlin reported today that the red army had resumed its offensive in western Hungary between Lake Balaton and the Danube, throwing at least 10 divisions of more than 100,000 troops into an onslaught which breach ed the German lines. Nazi broadcasts said the main weight of the new soviet drive was centered in the area of Szekesfehervar, 32 miles south west of Budapest and midway between Lake Balaton and the Danube. Budapest in Pincers The Hungarian capital al ready was flanked to the south west by the drive which con stituted the lower arm of a pincers whose jaws were re ported less than 20 miles apart, bringing the last rail line out of the city under soviet artil lery fire. To the northeast the Russians battered through stiff opposi tion in the southern Slovak mountains. At the same time, Stockholm reports credited to anli-nazi German sources said the Ger man high command was pre paring a gigantic "Christmas offensive" on the eastern front to coincide with the new drive in the west. Nazis Plan Huge Drive These reports, which thus far were not supported by Mos cow dispatches or the latest German propaganda outpour ings, said perhaps 250,000 nazi reserves would be thrown into the new offensive on an undis closed sector of the eastern front. Stockholm said fresh troops were being released for the ac tion through the mobilization of additional Volksturm, or peo ple's army, units in the reich. Both Russian and German accounts of the east front fight ing today, however, centered on the fierce struggle raging along the mountainous Hungarian-Slovak border. Roosevelt Sends G I Greetings Washington, Dec. 21 (U.R) President Roosevelt and lead ers of the armed forces, in holi day greeting messages to service men and women throughout the world, today hailed American military progress in 1944 and promised new and powerful blows against the enemy in 1945. "On behalf of a grateful na tion," Mr. Roosevelt said, "I send to the men and women of our armed forces everywhere warm and confident good wish es this fourth Christmas of war. On Christmas day, more than on any other day, we remember you with pride and with humil ity, with anguish and with joy. We shall keep on remembering you all the days of our lives." In a special message to wounded and ill fighters, he said they "have given your blood and health to restore to Christ mas its meaning and to make the spirit of Christmas genuine ly prevail throughout the world." ed Commopolitc hotel were plastered. A routine communique issued by Scobie at noon said further prisoners and weapons had been captured and that progress had been made in clearing the ELAS troops, the militia of the EAM or national liberation front, from Athens and Piraeus. Jean Rallis, the pro-nazi for mer premier who escaped from the Averoff prison two days ago when the insurgents stormed (he building, was re captured last night. A reply was awaited from King George II in London on whether he would accept or re ject a suggestion that the na tion's leadership be turned over (Concluded on pae 14, column 2) if f ; v mfM Examine Mystery Balloon lP) Officers examine a Japanese-inscribed balloon that was found at Kalispell, in northwestern Mon tana. The men are (left to right): MaJ. .1. F. Bolgiano, Capt. W. B. Stanare, and FBI Agent W. G. Banister. Supply Problem on Front Found Superbly Handled Washington. Dec. 21 UPj House members back from Europe left the definite impression today they found everything going well at the fronts although more ammunition could be used. Hoarse and travel-weary, fifteen members of the military com mittee returned last night by army plane and arranged to tell General George C. Marshall and Secretary of War Stimson of their four-weeks inspection tour of batllcfronts. . .. . I Although bound by a self-irn-posed censorship not to dis cuss in detail what they had seen until they had talked -with army bosses, the returning leg islators left these impressions with interviewers: American troops want for nothing, including cigarettes, gasoline and supplies of all kinds: their morale is high, al thought they want to get the war over with quickly and re turn home; the supply organ ization from buttons to tanks, is, as one member put it, "Just simply amazing and will be recorded by history as the great est job of its kind ever under taken." This appraisal of the situa tion followed recent expres sions of alarm by military men over the output of heavy am munition, trucks and other criti cal items. Even the selective service regulations have been revised to help increase this production. However, most of these calls were based on in creasing output to meet greater demands which are developing, rather than on actual combat shortages now. The congressmen said that in their army-conducted travels they saw everything there was to see, including the supply lines in the rear and the actual fight ing at the front, and were with in rifle-shot of German sol diers at Duren, on the western front. As acting chairman of the re turnin group, Costello (D., Cal.) summed up the trip by saying the committee "found things in excellent condition." "They are doing an excep tionally fine job." he added. Lancaster Bomb Fortress of Trier London. Dec. 21 IU.Pi Lancas ter heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force today attacked the stronghold of Trier, in south west Germany, near the Luxem bourg frontier in the southern sector of the German offensive. Fighters of the United States ninth air force escorted the Brit ish bombers which attacked Trier without loss. V-Bombs Batter Britain London, Dec. 21 iP The Germans continued to batter southern England with V bombs last night while pressing their offensive on the western front. A government announce ment reported both casualties and damage. JIB"IWi!IIIIIWJ'IULl-l'tmWWfi? Stettinius May Go to London Washington, Dec. 21 WPi The possibility arose today that Sec retary of State Stettinius might go to London as a preliminary to a "big three" meeting. British Foreign Minister An thony Eden called for a re-establishment of "quarterly meetings of foreign secretaries'' of the great powers in the house of commons yesterday. The British have clearly shown for some time their ar dent wish to have a high allied conference on their home ground and it seems out of the question that Marshal Stalin would be willing to travel that far to meet President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill in England. The flare-ups in Greece and Italy bared differences in Anglo American policy towards liber ated Europe which both sides have expressed their interest in talking out. Churchill told commons that the allies agreed on general aims but that "whether there is complete agreement on every aspect of these matters is an other question altogether." Whether Stettinius will travel to London before the big three meet depends on President Roos evelt, say well informed sources. So far, no decision has been taken, they said. British Capture Italian Towns Rome. Dec. 21 fU,R)Brit ish eighth army forces have cap tured the villages of San Sil vestro and San Pietro. north- . west of Faenza, after punching through German resistance to cross the Lamone river three miles northeast of the city and advancing two and a half miles toward the Senio river.. Farther west. New Zealand troops cleared the east bank of the Fenio for three miles north of the main Rimini-Bologna highway and captured 100 pris oners. Canadian troops north of Bagnacavallo have beaten off a tank supported counterat tack after heavy fighting, a com munique. said today. Except for patrol clashes and harassing artillery and mortar fire the fifth army front below Bologna remained quiet. Heavy bombers of the U. S. 15th &ir force bombed targets in Germany, Czechoslovakia and Austria and RAF medium bombers hit road target? in Yugoslavia. Weather restricted tactical air force operations. Stimson Sees Nazi Offensive Shortening War Washington. Dec. 21 Mi War Secretary Stimson said today that if the German counter-offensive fails it definitely will shorten the war. He coupled with this asser tion, however, the statement that the Germans' ability to launch the huge offensive is significant. He said the nazis had penetrat ed allied territory for distances ranging from five to 20 miles. Sector Loosely Held Stimson in his weekly review of the war given at a news con ference, said the Germans chose for their attack a sector "which had been loosely held by both sides. It was a terrain which had not offered to the allies much incentive for exploitation." The secretary commented that the nazis did not have a great deal to lose in risking the of fensive and that it might gain for them a few months of time before they must account for the misery they have inflicted upon the world." Kffort to Halt Allies Discussing the power of the Clt'rniaii thrust, Stimson said that despite losses suffered by ihe nazis in land and air attacks in recent months "they have been able to build up on the west wall a very substantial force for this attack." Interpreting the enemy of fensive as 'an all-nut effort to halt our advance into the Col ogne plain and the Saar basin," he added: "I have the utmost confidence in the wisdom, energy and ag gressive fighting attitude of General Eisenhower and his loaders." Recalls Old War In ' response to a question Stimson said he based his state ment concerning a possible shor tening of the war on his recol lection of events 25 years ago when he fought in World War I. Referring to the enemy offens ives in the latter stages of that war, he said: "I was there when they drove almost to the channel, again al most to Armentieres. Again when they drove to the Marne. I remember how we fell as if they would never slop. And then I remember how, suddenly, on the 18th of .July (1018) we bit into Ihe German salient and it shrivelled up like a toy balloon. "And I remember how it seem ed a very short lime after, the surrender came." Stalin Celebrates 65th Anniversary Moscow. Dec. 21 A Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili, bet ter known to the world as Pre mier Joseph Stalin, celebrated his Giith birthday today with a complete absence of official fanfi re. Although the soviet union took no formal notice of the occasion, telegrams from all over the nation, as well as from manv of the world's capitals, poured into the Kremlin. Neither press nor radio made any mention of the occasion, but like Washing! nns birth day in the United States t he dale is known to everv Russian. Army Suffers Since Loss of the Philippines j By .lames MeGliney I Paris. One. 21 U.fii This is the payoff. ' j The United States army has suffered in Belgium and I.uxem- i bourg ils worst setback since the loss of the Philippines in U42. The Germans still are advanc- -- - - ing. and their counler-offensive ! pilal "f the duchy 1 h;i t was probably has yet to reach ils ! tliujhl secure, already may ; peak. j vp fallen. ! Supreme headquarters ac- j 'Inn German command has knowledges that the situation j thrown so much inlo its assault is grave and that it may become a lot graver before the tide of battle lurns. ''We are confident thai we are going to win this battle," an official spokesman at su preme headquarters said last night, "but we arc not going to win it this week and probably not next week."' In the first three days alone, the Germans penetrated deeper into Belgium than we have been able to drive inlo Germany in three months. Luxembourg, Nazi Thrust Develops Into 2 Deep Wedges As Massive Formations of Armored Divisions and Infantry Pour Into Breach Under Clouds and Fogs Paris, Dec. 21 Field Marshal Karl von Hundstedt's armor and infantry had driven 35 miles westward into Belgium to a point about 14 miles smith of the fortress of Liege up to noon Tuesday, it was disclosed at supreme headquarters today. But veteran 1st army formations, rushed up to the northern flank of the deep German salient, stopped the Germans cold today in their effort to push northward, and badly mauled large tank units in a heavy engagement. Other American forces, hurried Into action along the German north flank at Monschau, chopped nine miles into the base of the German salient. The deepest German thrust was 14 miles west of Malmedy where tank columns cut the Licge-Bastogne-Arlon road and reached the village of Ilo.vcmnnt. Field Marshal Karl von Rundsted's winter rush across the allied lines of communication had tie- veloped into two deep wedges as massive formations of from five to six armored division and eight to nine infantry divisions poured inlo a wide breach under concealment of fog and cloud. Luxembourg Drive The second deep wedge had penetrated three-fourths of the way across Luxembourg. This drive farther south appeared di rected toward Sedan, scene of the 1 340 breakthrough. This drive carried 14 miles from the frontier town of Vi anden to just east of Wiltz, 10 miles east of Bastogne and 48 miles northeast of Sedon. Wiltz is 28 miles north of the city of Luxembourg. A parallel German column was in the vi cinity of Clervaux, seven miles northeast of Wiltz. These were the positions at noon Tuesday. To Run All Week Supreme headquarters still did not permit up-to-the-hour pin-pointing of German posi tions, and field dispatches quot ed ''good authority" on the 1st army front as saying the Ger man drive was not likely to be checked this week although the northernmost prong of the German attack had been stemmed. First army reinforcements rushed to the scene by Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges since Sat' urday, when the German coun teroffensive was unlimbercd, had succeeded in stopping any northward push from the line running through the American held towns of Monschau, But gonbach, Malmedy and Stave lot, front line reports said. But the German drive was reported turning south and west of St. Vith, farther south, in the most potent threat. Smash Trapped Tanks American tank destroyers go ing into the attack in a fog that limited visibility to 50 yards fought a great engagement to day outside Stavelot, and .smash ed the efforts of German armor to break through and rescue the remnants of 60 nazi tanks 1 rap ped near the embattled village. Blazing round after round, Iho Americans destroyed five American Sherman tanks and a tank-destroyer that had been captured and manned by the Germans. "We have destroyed approxi mately .10 of their 00 tanks and knocked out about 50 of 200 supply vehicles caught with them.' the commander there re ported. The new German attack, made on the fourth successive day they have attempted lo res cue the trapped lank outfit, was launched less than two miles southeast of Malmedy, the funnel through which the Kaiser poured his armies to ward Liege in August, 1014. (Concluded on page 14, roliimu 'il Worst Setback 150, 000 to 225,000 men and perhaps as many as 000 tanks j that it may aim to slash through lo the North sea, a development ; that might set the allies back six months. The Iroops are the finest in j ; the German army veterans of . battles on the eastern, south- ! ern and western fronts. Gone in most sectors are the old men j and young boys who fell back before (he first breach of the Siegfried line. I ' (Concluded on pajrc 13, column Claim 20,000 Yanks Captured London. Dec. 21 iP The Ger man high command declared to day that nazi spearheads had cut the Liege-Bastogne highway which runs 12 miles west of Stavelot and taken 20,000 pris oners in this week's offensive. The highway runs from Liege, Belgian fortress city, to Bas- logne 43 miles farther south. It was cut "on a broad front," the bulletin said, without specify ing where the raid was crossed. A penetration to Stavelot. 20 miles inside Belgium, has been the deepest announced by the allies. 'Enemy supply columns mov ing toward the Meuse river were caught up with and overtaken by German tanks. Freshly- brought up American units were split up into single groups and did not succeed in checking our advance," the broadcast com muniriue said. Advanced Ger man units have "penetrated into the Ardennes," il added. Americans in the Schnee Eifel forest in Germany "far behind the front were either wiped out or taken prisoners yesterday. Seven thousand Americans were captured," the bulletin asserted. "In yesterday's fighting 43 tanks and armored vehicles as well as 50 guns were captured." Elsewhere on the western front allied attacks continued without success, il added, Yanks Smash Trapped Tanks By Hal Boyle Outside Stavelot, Belgium, Dec. 21, 2:30 p. m., il'j Ameri can tank destroyers today smashed attempts by German armor to break through and rescue remnants of a nazi force of 00 tanks trapped near this embattled village. Firing blazing round after round through a thick mist, the anti-tank gunners destroyed five captured American Sher man tanks manned by German crews which were spearhead ing a fresh drive lo crash through Yank positions be tween Stavelot and Malmedy. The new attack was launch ed about a mile and a quarter southeast of Malmedy, (lie fun nel through whirh the Ger mans poured their armies to ward the great city of Liege in August, 11114. I licfore the nazis retreated i American artillery shattered j their columns and killed scores of their infantry who had count ed on the fog to enable them to surprise the American out- posts. In addition to capturing five tanks. American anti-lank gun ners knocked out one of their own tank-dest rovers that had fallen into German hands. As the enemy tried frantical ly for the fourth straight day to hat! le t h rough to the res cue of ;i large panzer force bottled up near Slavclnt, Am erican infantr and tank units continued methodically to chop this trapped outfit to pieces. Buy Christmas Seals llifl
