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.