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