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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1945)
Marines Storm Iwo Island's 2nd Airfield in Bloodiest of Battles Scots Capture Goch As Yanks Near Saarburg American Casualties Total 3650 Killed, Wounded or Missing .-t i irst 48 Hours of Fighting 57th Year, No. 45 i Salem. Orison Salem, Oregon, Wednesday, February 21, 1945 Prict Caoital a Journal 4 Patton's Forces Surge ti L r:r-i ki i nrougn Lirei muunrams On 50 Mile Front Paris, Feb. 21 YP) Lt. On. George S. Pal ton's Third army, advancing three miles at some points on a 55-mile front, captured lfi towns and entered four more including the important one of Saar burg. Paris, Feb. 21 UP M. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., hurled an armored division today through a hole gouged in the central German front in the Moselle Saar triangle and the tanks smashed five and a half miles forward toward Trier through disorganized resistance. Goch, strongly fortified road center between the Rhine and Meuse (Maas) rivers in the north, finally was captured by Scots of the Canadian first army which gathered momentum in its offensive .toward the Ruhr valley, 16 miles away. South of Patton's third army, the U. S. 7th army advanced to within plain sight of Saarbruec ken, less than three miles away, Lt. Gen. Alexander M. Patch's shock troops invading the Saar again captured half a dozen bor der towns and broke into For bach, large French rail center which is almost a stiourb of de v a si a ted Saarbruccken. The Americans seized heights over looking historic Spicheren and the Siegfried line fortifications. Tanks Storm Ahead Patton, swiftly capitalizing on the breach in German defenses carved laboriously by Maj. Gen. Harry J. Maloney's 94th divi sion, sent his tanks clanking to within seven miles of Trier and two of Saarburg, both keystones of the German defense system in the Moselle valley leading to Coblenz and Mainz on the Rhine. Dispirited Germans sur rendered by the hundreds. All along a 55-mile assault front, the third army was slam ming theGermans back on their heels. The onslaught was in the Eifel mountains from the Pruem area to below Moselle. Van guards were within a mile of the northern fringe of the rich (Concluded on pape 7, column 4) Nuernberg Is Bomb Target London, Feb. 21 iP) More than 1200 American bombers escorted by 650 fighters today attacked rail and industrial targets at Nuernberg for the second consecutive day. More than 900 U. S. Flying Fortresses blasted the Nuern berg yards yesterday.' These yards are filled with trains, possibly loaded with the records and effects of the German gov ernment ministries believed moving out of Berlin. The strike by the British based American sky fleet today dovetailed with an attack by Italy-based 12th air force planes against similar targets in and near Adolf Hitler's mountain hideout at Berchtesgaden yes terday. Nazi broadcasts reported spearheads of two American formations were over Thuringia and Francoma, indicating an other deep penetration of the reich, possibly in support of the Russian armies. Today's assault, carrying into daylight the ninth successive day of the fierce aerial punish ment of Germany, followed a 1200-plane strike by the RAF against Important targets. The main force of this attack, pos sibly 750 heavies, pummeled Dortmund, key communications center for the western front. Refugee-crammed Berlin was Ttriiek twice. Other formations broke off in several directions, striking the much-bombed rail center of Mannheim, two oil re fineries south of Duesseldorf on the Rhine, and other targets. The glow of large fires from the attack on Dortmund could be seen through thin clouds and smoke rose to a great height, the air ministry said. The Weather 'Released by the United Slates Weather Bureaut Forecast for Salem and vicin ity: Cloudy with occasional Heht rains tonight. Partly c'.ouriy Thursday m o r n i n ft. Clearine warmer in afternoon. Min. will be near 40. Max. ves terday. 52. Min. today. 38. Mean temperature yesterdav. 43. which " the same as normal. Total 24-hour precipitation to 11:30 a.m. toriav. .03. To-al nrecinita- V on for the month. 5.70. which I- 2 35 inches abnve normal. Y 'v"lamett river height. 5.6 ft. Red Armies Encircling Frankfurt On Oder Slash Life Lines to Berlin, Seize Czersk in Polish Corridor London, Feb. 21 (Pi Marshal Gregory Zhukov's troops, fight inif to encircle Frankfurt on the Oder 38 miles cast of Berlin, have "temporarily" slashed the city's lifelines to the capital, a German military commentator said today. The fortress town on the west bank of the Oder is under siege and the constant hammering of Russian artillery and bombers, said the report from inside the city by Transocean war reporter Hans Arntz. His broadcast coincided with a military review in the Mos cow newspaper Pravda which said the red army was 34 miles from Berlin. 34 Miles From Berlin This report, the closest the Russian press has yet placed the Russian troops to Berlin, did not give the point, of penetration, but indicated it was in Zhu kov's sector and possibly west of the Oder1. ''The purchasers of stolen property in Frankfurt on the Oder have fled to Berlin and no longer know where to go," said the review. Arntz made the disclosure 1 that the trunk railroad and au tobahn to Berlin had been cut temporarily with the statement, "All roads leading westward from Frankfurt are now open." He said the Germans were fighting defensively "between Berlin and the Frankfurt-Kuest-rin front" on the Oder. Frankfurt Assailed The assault upon Frankfurt, he added, is being directed from bridgeheads south of the city and the "Russians have repeat edly assailed the town, attempt ing encirclement." The bulk of Frankfurt's 76, 000 population has fled and the city has been stripped for a deathstand defense as a bastion of Berlin, the German broadcast said. "Grenades are exploding in its streets and Russian planes are flying over the rooftops rat tling their machine guns," he added. "Frankfurt has become a town without airraid sirens as the occupants are constantly on the jump. Streets Deserted "Many streets are lonely and dead. Buildings are deserted and their occupants have fled to the west. Only vital enter prises are still open. The elec tricity supply has been cut down and street cars have ceased run ning. Street cars have been converted into anti-tank barri cades." Marshal Konstantine K. Ro kossovsky's Second White Rus sian army has captured the Po lish corridor town of Czersk, 17 miles northeast of Chojnice and 45 miles southwest of Danzig, Premier Marshal Stalin an nounced in an order of the day. Czersk, on the main Danzig Berlin railroad, was described as "an important communica tions center and a powerful Ger man defense strongpoint in northwestern Poland." Meanwhile, the trapped Ger man garrison in the East Prus sian capital of Koenigsberg was attempting to break through Russian lines and reach the fortress port of Pillau, at the mouth of the Frisches Haff la goon, a Moscow dispatch said. Part of the German navy now is fighting in Danzig bay in close support of troops ashore. Yanks Seize Monte Belvedere And Several Villages in Italy Rome. Feb. 21 'P1 American troops, striking over Italian mountain terrain so forbidding that at times they used ropes to scramble up the steep slopes, have captured Monte Belvedere and several villages on the peaks west of the Pistoia-Bolog-na highway. The Germans fought back viciously, but all counterattacks were repulsed and the fighting for the domi nant heights continues, an al lied communique said today. Once before allied troops had held the commanding 3. 500-foot peak of Monte Belvedere, but the nazis recaptured it last No vcmbet 29 and had held it since. Patrols continued to be very active on the rest of the Italian vedere was in American hands front, with no changes of posi- i t rldwn. tion reported. The Germans! While positions on Monte still were peppering allied posi- Mancinello the Pizzn Di Cam tions with propaganda leaflets, r pjn0 rjrte(. west of Belvedere The attack in the Belvedere : still were being consolidated, area was launched Monday the Germans launched four un night. The mountain villages i successful counterattacks. Stop Drafting Farm Labor Washington, Feb. 21 (U.R) The senate military affairs com mittee today wrote into its new manpower bill a provision de signed to stop the drafting of essential farm workers. The committee approved a new Tydings farm labor defer ment amendment. Offered by Sen. Millard E. Tydings (D., Md.), it would forbid local draft boards to consider the armed forces' manpower needs in gauging the essentiality of a farm worker. It was offered in protest against a selective service ruling last month which farm state senators said violated the exist ing Tydings amendment to the selective service act. The ori ginal amendment provides for deferment of irreplaceable farm labor engaged in fulltime pro duction of essential crops. Under the new amendment local boards in considering farm labor cases would have to base their determinations solely on whether the worker is produc ing essential farm crops and whether a suitable replacement can be found. Meanwhile, Sen. Harley M. Kilgore, (D., W. Va.), asserted that the committee's substitute is superior to the house-approved work-or-fight bill because it would cover all manpower while the house measure would apply only to men 18 to 45. 600 Yank Fliers Rescued by Jugoslavs Washington, Feb. 21 (U.R) Constantin Fotitch, former Yugoslav ambassador to the United States, said today that Gen. Draja Mihailovich's Chet niks had rescued more than 600 American aviators forced to bail out over Yugoslavia. Mihailovich's forces built a special airfield with "their bare hands and primitive equipment" so that American planes could land to evacuate the 600 Ameri cans and "scores" of other allied fliers. Fotitch said in a letter to the United Press. Striking Welders Barred Other Work Seattle. Feb. 21 U.R)Indepen dent welders, striking over a jurisdictional dispute, cannot be employed anywhere within the next two months except back at the jobs they left at two Seattle shipyards, the war manpower commission ruled today. A. F. Hardy, regional WMC director, said strikers would not receive authorized referrals for orhe jobs form the U. S. employ ment service. of Polla, Valpiana and Monte Gongolesco were brought into the fifth army lines. American troops, especially trained to operate in the snow capped Apennines, worked their way through heavy minefields to begin the assault, shortly after midnight. The enemy laid down heavy artillery and mortar fire during the night but when dawn came allied planes and artillery silenced many nazi guns. Bel- Leathernecks Charge Ahead at Iwo iPi Marines charge over a rise on the beach at Iwo .lima where Japanese defenders are giving the leathernecks their toughest fight in 168 years. This picture, by Joe Rosenthal, Associated Press photographer with the still picture pool, was radioed from Guam to San Francisco by the navv. Hitler's Hide-out at Berchtesgaden Bombed Rome, Feb. 21 (JP) Rocket-firing Thunderbolts of the U. S. 12th airforce made the first attack of the war yesterday on Hitler's private city of Berchtesgaden, the mountain hideout high in the snow-capped Bavarian Alps, it was announced today. The planes, sweeping in from Italian bases, pumped rockets into railyards 3 at low levels, ripping rail All-America Parley Opens Chapultepec Castle, Mexico, Feb. 21 iP. The Argentine is sue exploded at the first prelim inary meeting the Inter "American conference today with a demand by Paraguay that it be given immediate considera tion. Mexico City, Feb. 21 &) The inter-American conference on war and post-war problems opens today faced with the job of tailoring the broad outlines of the Crimea conference to the special needs of this hemisphere. The first plenary session will be held at 6 p. m. (8 PEW) when President Manuel Avila Camacho of Mexico will ad dress the delegates. His talk will be broadcast on an internation al hookup. U. S. Secretary of State Ed ward R. Stettinius, who arriv ed yesterday, already has com municated the results of 1he big three conference to the as sembled delegation chiefs. Stettinius and Ezequiel Pa dilla, Mexican foreign minister, are scheduled to share the spot light at the second business ses sion Thursday afternoon. Both will address the 19 delegations at that time. The United States delegation intends to sponsor at least two resolutions, one providing for freedom of information in the Americas and the other expec ted to give the Pan-American Union sufficient political and economic powers so that it can function as a subdivision of the world organization contemplat ed in the Dumbarton Oaks plan. Willamette Left $200,000 Bequest Wiamette university stands to reaize approximately $200,000 from the estate of the late Al fred L. Seaquest estate, Dr. G. Herbert Smith, said today in an nouncing that the money has been earmarked for the endow ment fund. Seaquest, a resident of Portland, died February 15 and his will revealed that Wil lamette is to receive the bulk of his estate. None of the money is to be used in connec tion with the university's build ing program. President Smith explained. However, the inter est from the $200,000 is to be used as the trustees of Willam ette see fit. The Seaquest will, filed for probate in Multnomah county j bequeathed the pioneer Sea quest homestead at Silver Lake, Wash, to the state of Washing ton for park purposes, with the proviso that no liquor be left on the premise. H left minor bequests to a church and to friends. tracks, cars and locomotives and smashed at other targets in and near Berchtesgaden, which may be the most heavily fortified spot in all the reich. They ran into intense flak and small arms fire. While there was no official comment on the attack, it was speculated that the surprise strike was directed against the movement of top priority per sonnel, supplies and nazi files from Berlin. "It is supposed to be Hitler's hideout," an air force officer said, adding that if the raiders found railway cars there, "one guess is as good as another as to what they might contain." The assault fit into a pat tern with two attacks yester day and today from British and French vases by the U. S. Eighth airforce on the packed rail yards and locomotive repair shops at Nuernberg, 00 miles north of Munich, the center of former nazi propaganda spectacles and an important rail junction. The extraordinary heavy concentra tion of traffic at Nuernberg led to speculation that it might be a movement of government of fices from Berlin, or a buildup for the defenses of Vienna. Hitler's retreat is at Obor salzbcrg (upper Salt mountain) on the edge of Berchtesgaden. The only previous attack on the immediate vicinity other top nazi leaders have homes in the area, too) occurred several months ago when a force of American heavies hit Salzburg, Austrian border town just across from Berchtesgaden. The Thunderbolts knocked out a locomotive and eight rail cars in the attack. At towns nearby they set fire to two pas senger trains, destroyed a troop train estimated 1o have 150 soldiers aboard, and destroyed or damaged nearly 50 rail cars, some loaded with tanks. (There was no indication that Hitler's retreat on Obersalzburg itself was attacked. Presumably Hitler himself is at Obersalz burg, although there have been no authoritative reports recently of the whereabout of the fueh rer.) Farraguf to be Receiving Station Washington, Feb. 21 U.Ri Farragut naval training station in northern Idaho will be con verted to a receiving ship sta tion maintaining only part of its present training facilities, the navy department today advised Hep. Compton White (D., Idaho). While said funds previously applied to training will be used to conduct the receiving station. It will include a bureau of med icine and surgery as well as yards and docks maintenance. "Tne navy anticipates a heavy 'influx to the receiving station j with the end of 'he war in 'Europe," White said. J" v 25 Jap Ships Sunk by Subs Washington. Feb. 21 f.T Twenty-five more Japanese vessels, including three com batant ships have been sunk in far eastern waters by United States submarines. A navy announcement today said the fighting ships included an escort aircraft carrier, a de stroyer, and a large converted cruiser. Non-combaiant vessels in cluded a medium transport, 14 medium cargo vessels, three small cargo vessels, a large car go transport, two medium cargo transports and a small trans port. The announcement raised to 1,045 (he total of Japanese ships sunk by American submarines since the start of the war. These include 110 combatant and 935 non-combatant craft. Sinkings announced by the navy since January 1 have to talled 121 ships. While not confirmed by the navy, the converted cruiser list ed in today's communique was believed to be one of the en emy's pre-war .8.000-ton lux ury merchant vessels. Salem Corregidor Prisoner Freed Salem soldier to whom the Inking of Manila by Genera 1 Mac Arthur brought freedom was Pvt. Raymond G. Reeves, whose mother. Mrs, Clara Stirn iman of 1004 Hazel avenue, this morning received a telegram from the war department stat ing that he had been rescued from the Japanese. Reeves, taken prisoner with the Tall of Corregidor, had been in th; coast artillery for about a year at the time that he was captured by the Japanese. Mon day Mrs. Siirniman received a card from him written April 24, 1044, at Japanese prison camp No. .1. Medieval Siege Tactics Used Against Trapped Manila Japs Manila, Feb 21 7T'i Medieval siege tactics in modern guise were employed against trapped Japanese garrisons in Manila's thick-walled Intramuros and on Corregidor today as Gen. Douglas MacArthur announced the past'1 week's fighting has cost the Nip ponese 24.000 casualties. Cannon and howitzers gnaw ed steadily at the 40-root-lhick outer wall of the Intramuros to cut an entrance way for tanks and infantry seeking to elimi nate the cornered enemy and liber.it e an estimated 7.000 civi lian i. The Yanks could pulverize the Intramuros and everybody inside with air power, but they are trying to save the civilians. Arthur Feldrnan of the Blue network termed this a possibly futile gesture. Ho was of the opinion the Japanese already have killed most of the civi lians. Gen Douglas MacArthur said in his communique today that the enemy garrison in South Manila, now compressed into in area nnlv 1500 varris by 800, "is acting ' with the Toughest Battle in Marine Corps History Invaders Make Gains on All Drives in Yard by Yard Advance Against Suicidal Enemy Admiral Niniitz' Headquarters, Guam, Feb. 21 fU R American marines stormed Iwo's second airfield today, by-passing the southern tip and driving toward its heart from the south in a general advance averaging half a mile along the blazing Island front. l icet Admiral Chester W. Niniitz announced on the third day of the invasion of the island springboard to Japan that the two marine divisions had suffered 3650 casualties killed, wounded, or missing up to 8 a.m. today. One hundred fifty of the cas ualties were officers. A communique on the Iwo battle, the toughest in the long history of the marine corps, said the two divisions were slugging forward yard by yard against heavy machine gun, mortar, small arms, and rocket fire. Maj. Gen. Keller E. Rockey's Fifth division hammered up the west, coast of Iwo beyond the lower end of the runways of the last airfield remaining in Japanese hands. The first and mam base was firmly in Amer ican hands. At the same time Maj. Gen. Clifton B. Cates' Fourth divi sion launched a frontal assault against the field from the south and by noon was "pushing to ward the center of the field," Nimitz' communique said. "The fifth amphibious corps, having secured the southern Iwo air field, made a general advance toward the island's cen tral airdrome today," the com munique said. "Gains were made along the whole line, and generally were about 500 to 1000 yards in ex tent." At. the south end of Iwo, where part of the Japanese garrison was cut off by the marine drive across the island, American forces were driving slowly up the slopes of Mt. Suribachi, from w h i c h the enemy was plastering the mar ines. Wounded Evacuated This morning the forces push ing up Mt. Suribachi gained more than 100 yards in the face of a murderous fire sweeping the slopes. Nimitz said that of the 3650 casualties by8 a. m. today, 3063 had been evacuated. In the dry language of the communique, "the numerous strong points which confront our forces in all areas thus far penetrated are being reduced by individual troop action." That meant that the marines were charging the Japanese strong points and dugouts with flame throwers, small arms, and bayonets, in bloody hand-to-hand struggles. Wa rsh i ps Su pport i n g The Japanese were relatively quiet last night. A local coun terattack on the American left flank, supported by several tanks and artillery fire, was beaten off, and attempts at in filtration were thwarted. U. S. warships and guns supported the marines through out the night, rocking the Japanese-held part of Iwo with a ceaseless barrage which contin ued this morning. Carrier-borne planes swarm ed back into the battle of Iwo today, carrying nut heavy bombing and strafing attacks. Making it plain that the mar ines had come to stay, the un loading of supplies and rations on the beaches went on all last night. - 17 Die from Flu Point Barrow, Alaska, Feb. 21 ru.R A wave of flu today had taken 17 lives in this northernmost village on the rim of the Arctic circle. greatest savagery in his treat ment of non-combatants and j private property." On Corregidor, both entrances i of the main tunnel were block-j ed by explosives and Yanks swarming over the topside pok- ' ed through rubble in search of the ventilation vent. When they; find it the Japanese will b completely sealed off, thei doom certain. Liquid fire and explosive were killing the few Japanese who managed to dash from the few remaining crevices in ban- zai charges MacArthur. describing t h e fighting in Manila as slill hitler. underscored its severitv bv an nouneiiiB onomv eastia ties of 02.000 for the six weeks of the I Inc.. Vancouver, Wash , was an Luzon campaign as against j nounccd by the navy yesterday. American casualties of 12.1)29 i Tho carriers will cost approx- 2 R7R killed 245 missing and 10,008 wounded. U. S. Landing In China Near London, Feb. 21 (U.R) Axis broadcasts said today that an army of 30,000 American troops and 90 Chinese divisions has been massed in southwestern China to support an American landing on the east coast of China. The German Transocean news agency, quoting dispatches from Tokyo, said the allied ex peditionary force awaited a signal to start an overland of fensive in coordination with the amphibious assault on the coast. The Chinese were said to be concentrated in Yunnan pro vince, including troops trans ferred from the Burma front. The location of the reported American army was not speci fied, but Transocean said the Yanks were equipped with tanks and heavy artillery. In western military terms the 00 Chinese divisions would represent well over 1,000,000 men, but Transocean indicated the divisions were believed to be considerably smaller than those used in European or American armies. Stassen Will See Dewey Washington, Feb 21 (U.R) Comdr. Harold E. Stassen, for mer governor of Minnesota, said Tuesday he would confer with Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York and other republi can leaders before attending the United Nations conference at San Francisco. Stassen now is flag secretary of the staff of Adm. William F. Halscy, Jr. He returned to the capital with Halscy. Stassen told a press confer ence he intends to make his views known on world organiza tion before (he conference, per haps some time in March, whilt he will bo on military leave. The conference starts April 25. These views, he said, he will state frankly cither in a speech or in a written statement. lie said ho was surprised by his appointment by the presi dent as a delegate to the con ference but that he thought that "politically" the appointment would prove a liability to him in H)4fi. Stassen has been men tioned as a republican presiden tiel contender four years hence, Atlantic Charter Guide Says Winnie London. Feb, 21 U Pi Prime Minister Churchill told critics of Kuin's annex a I ion of east ern Poland and the Baltic states today that Hie Atlantic charter was "a guide, not a rule " He was replying to questions in commons whether decisions on the future of the Baltic states and Poland at this time did not contradict article two of the At lantic charter. Churchill refused resolutely to elaborate in any uny on the Crinva n conference during the quosl ion period. He is sched uled to make a statement on the conference at the opening of a two-riav debate in the house nest week. i j $88,000,000 GoeS j r- ' kj aw rnfP:flre Washington. Feb. 21 Award of a contract for con struction of eight aircraft es- ; 1 1,1 1 1 1 11 ' to Henry Kaiser, , minU'iy 5HK.UUU.imu iSO Oilier details were disclosed.
