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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1945)
Red Army of 1,500,000 Open Direct Assault on Flaming Berlin Allies Capture Bologna, Italy Gateway to Po Fall Comes Quickly After Long Siege Other Citadels Seized Rome, April 21 (IP) Bologna, first major objective of the all-out allied offensive in north ern Italy, fell today to troops of the fifth and eighth armies. Polish troops of the British eighth army under Maj. Gen. Bohuszszysk and the U. S. 91st division commanded by Maj. Gen. William G. Livesay and the 34th division under Maj. Gen. Charles Bolte all entered '.the historic Italian fortress city on the southern edge of the Po valley at the foot of the Apen- riines. ' " Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander in a message of con gratulations to the victorious troops said: "Let us keep driving forward until the last enemy soldier has been driven from Italy." Gen. Mark W. Clark, allied ground commander, said his 15th army group now stands "inside the gateway to the Po plain poised to destroy the Ger mans who continue to enslave and exploit northern Italy." Budrio Also Taken The fall of the city of 270,000, which had blocked allied troops for months came quickly after fifth army troops had severed the important Bologna-Modena highway northwest of the city yesterday. There was no indication of any generaj withdrawal in the face of Lt. Gen. Lucian K. Trus cott's sledgehammer blows, al though considerable enemy snovement was reported north and northwest of Bologna. Caselecchio was entered by hard-fighting South African units who blasted their way along the mountainous terrain approaching that outer fortress of Bologna. Continuing the momentum of the drive on Bologna from the east, eighth army troops clear ed Budrio, eight miles distant. Eighth army troops fighting northeast of Bologna rolled through heavy shell fire. They entered San Nicolq Ferrarese, key village nine miles" south east of Ferrara. Find List of Missing Pilots Nuernberg, Germany, April 21 (U.R) The fate of thousands of American and British airmen 1 listed as "missing" may be 'learned soon. A processing center for al lied fliers shot down over Ger man territory was discovered in the nearby town of Buchenbuhl. A master index file detailing what happened to 45,000 Anglo . American airmen was found in the center. Each captured flier was re corded in the master file and listed on a separate card. He was given a number' and his belonging were placed in an en velope with the number. Bushels of rings, watches, fra ternity pins, and dogtags were found at the processing center. No Hope for Speedy End of Nazi War Paris, April 21 (IP) L. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, Gen. Eis enhower's chief of staff, said to day he held no hope for an im mediate end to the war in Eu "Vope and added that there may be bitter fighting and heavy cas ualties to come. Addressing war correspon dent at supreme headquarters, Smith said General Eisenhower would try to get the war over as soon as possible but had no intention of throwing away the lives entrusted to him and would fight as economically as he could. With the Germans still resist ing and apparently determined to stand to the end in a national redoubt, rooting them out may take considerable time, Smith added. The Weather (Released by the United States (Weather Bureau) Forecast for Salem and vicin ity: Clear with only occasional scattered clouds tonight and Sunday. Temperatures near freeelng with frosts in colder sections tonight. Rising temper atures tomorrow. Conditions will be favorable for dusting in the morning.. Max. yesterday, 72. Min. today. 43. Mean tem perature yesterday, 57, which was 5 above normal. Total 24- ;hour precipitation to 11:30 a.m. loday. 0. Total precipitation for tne montn. 2.2s. wnicn is . inches above normal. Willam ette river height. 4.5 ft. Capital 57th Year, No. 96 Yanks Driving to Junction with Russians to Split Nazi Front And Capture Asch in Pilsen Push Paris, April 21 (IP) U. S. and Soviet troops drove today toward a. junction to split the Nazi front, and the dramatic junction ap peared to be only a matter of hours. Patrols may already have already met along the Elbe some 75 miles south of Soviet-besieged Berlin, Allied armies meanwhile chewed, into the two great remaining German pock- ets in the north and south, and the American third army in a second thrust into Czechoslo vakia captured Asch, in a push aimed at blocking off the muni tions cities of Pilsen and Prague. Canadians drove harder on the ports of Emden and Wil helmshaven, and against the sea-flooded Holland defense line. The British cut off Bre men, and fought within a mile of Hamburg. Close on Stuttgart French and American forces closed on Stuttgart. The French broadened a corridor farther south within 14 miles of the Danube's headwaters. Ameri cans of the seventh army battled 70 miles from Munich, and pushed to within 27 miles of TJlm, north of the nazis' south ern mountain redoubt. The hookup between the east ern and western allies will be the result of coordinated plan ning with the juncture carefully planned to prevent confusion in the meshing of forces, supreme headquarters said. The prisoner bag in the west rose to 913,237 for the first 20 days of April. Czechoslovakian Drive Three allied armies the French first and the U.S. sev enth and third hammered southward toward the nazis' Bavarian-Austrian redoubt, and fought within 70 miles of Mu nich and 30 from Lake Con stance. Asch, just inside the old Czech border, fell to their army units fighting to cut' off the re doubt from Czechoslovak war factories. Asch is 60 miles from Pilsen. Lt. Gen. George S. Pat ton's troops farther south in Grafenworh were 58 miles from Pilsen and 125 from Prague. Red army front dispatches said Russian and U.S. patrols were as close as 25 miles south of Berlin, and a junction on the Elbe 75 miles south of the Ger man capital was believed immi nent. 45-Mile Gap The best information at allied headquarters was that 40 to 45 miles still separated Russians northeast of Dresden from U.S. first and third army forces along the Mulde river east of Leipzig. But it was clear that the two forces now could meet almost at will, perhaps within the next 24 to 48 hours. Doubhboys were 15 to 20 miles from the Elbe opposite the Russian wedge, and the Soviets were reported only 25 miles from the Elbe. A British correspondent with the U.S. ninth army declared the muffled thunder of Russian guns could be heard. Ninth in Flank Attack General Eisenhower quicken ed his drives to crack open the areas where the Germans may make their last great stands; the northern port belt and the southern redoubt. Central Philippine Campaign Ends with Annihilation of Japs Manila, April 21 (U.R) American troops shattered the last Japa nese organized resistance on Cebu to complete the conquest of the central Philippines today. Gen. Douglas MacArthur said the sweep through the central Phil-: ippines liberated at least 6,400, 000 persons on more than a score of islands. He promised that the re sources of the freed area, meas uring nearly 33,000 square miles, would be used for the re habilitation of the Philippines and "for prosecution of the war against Japan itself." Japanese losses on Cebu amounted to approximately 5, 000 dead as veterans of the American division burst through the last defenses in wide enveloping moves to com plete the campaign. A few en emy stragglers scattered through the hills to become prey for Filipino guerrillas. The conquest of the central islands in the Archipelago en abled the Americans further to concentrate on .the offensives on Entered as second elut matter t Salem, Oregon Salem, Congressmen to View Atrocities London, April 21 lP) First hand reports to the San Fran Cisco conference by British and American legislative delega tions on the horror of nazi con centration camps appeared in prospect today. Gen. Eisenhower issued an invitation last night for 12 con gressmen to visit the scenes. A British parliamentary dele gation set out from London yes terday. .Diplomatic quarters conten ded that a joint report to the conference would provide a powerful argument for a strong peace. Gen. Eisenhower also asked that 12 American editors come to Europe for personal inspec tion of the camps. The Daily Mirror reported that throughout Britain movie goers, unable to look at pictures of the camps, had walked out of theaters. Goebbels Calls For Defense London, April 21 VP) Propa ganda Minister Paul Joseph Goebbels called on all the men women and children of Berlin tonight to defend the besieged capital. ... . .. , In a broadcast Goebbels, who is also gauleiter of Berlin, pro claimed: "What you have earned with blood and tears you must de fend with all the means at your disposal. What you have earn ed with sweat and work you must defend." Goebbels continued: "During the years of bitter battles for national socialism we have learned to love Berlin and will under no circumstances let the enemy take possession of our town." Goebbels' speech was made over the controlled "wired wire less," available only to residents of Berlin, but excerpts of the speech were given over the gen eral German radio by commen tators. Truman to Open Conference by Radio Washington, April 21 OT President Truman will broad cast from the White House Wed nesday on a half-hour program between 4:30 and 5:00 p. m., PWT, opening the world se curity conference at San Fran cisco. The president's speech, to be heard on all networks, will be about 10 minutes long and will wind up the half-hour program. Luzon and Mindanao. They were the last two large islands on which Japanese or ganized forces were active, al though the enemy garrisons slowly were being compressed into decreasing pockets for final annihilation. On Mindanao eighth army forces were pushing out rapidly from the new beachhead on the Moro Gulf and sent an addi tional column thrusting 16 miles inland along the main road to Davao. At the northern end of the beachhead, other American troops advanced 15 miles north east of Malabang and reached the shore of Lake Lanao, a scant 25 miles across the nar row neck connecting Zambo anga peninsula with the main part of Mindanao. Oregon, Saturday, April 21, ludwigslutt yiTyWf-' r m-m Halle f If&urien lHoyorswerda I M I Via? Vf III Rolhenbutg ( Where Two Fronts Draw Closer (IP) Greatest gain reported on the Western front was an American drive southeast of Bayreuth capturing Grafenwohr and reach Kemnath. On the eastern front Moscow officially reported fightipg west of the Oder river beyond Kuestrin and in the south told of taking Forst, Muskau, Weisswasser and Rothenburg. Berlin said the red army also was attacking (broken arrow) across the Oder south of Stettin. America and Britain in Full Accord Says Eden Washington, April 21 VP) British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden today declared "We are in complete agreement on all points" after a conference with Secretary of State Stettinius. The two presumably discussed the attitude they will take on the ticklish Polish problem at their meeting with Soviet Foreign Churchill On Peace League Bristol, England, April 21 fP) prime Minister Churchill declared today "a world organ ization which we must build and shall build will be free and open to all the nations of the world." Speaking only a few days be fore the opening of the world security conference at San Francisco, Britain's wartime leader asserted that "Nations must live In peace and Justice with one another," thus envis aging the ultimate inclusion of even present enemy nations in a world peace organization. He added significantly: "There must be always the necessary force to restrain ag gression." Churchill said that as far as Europe is concerned "We are coming to the end of the long journey," but added that the defeat of Japan will require "a new leap forward a new lift ing of soul and body." His views were expressed un der a new roof in the great fire blackened hall of the Univers ity of Bristol, to which he came to present honors to two mem bers of his war cabinet. Churchill was made a "free man" of Bristol. German General Shot Killing Yank With the U.S. First Army in Germany, April 21 VP) Amer ican tankmen shot a high rank ing German general to death yesterday in the Ruhr pocket when he and his men ran from a house and killed a U.S. sol dier with a machine pistol. The Americans were making a routine patrol south of Schmallenberg when eight Ger mans burst out of the house and fired on them. A tankman op ened fire with a machinegun.. Besides the American and the German general, two of the general's fleeing men were kill ed and two others wounded. Three escaped. Yanks Enter Dessau New York, April 21 U. S. first army troops entered Des sau today, the American broad casting station in Europe report ed In a broadcast recorded by CBS. Join 1945 STATUTi WlliS . ...JUL . . . , was expected to arrive here to- night or tomorrow, "We had very useful discus sions on a number of Subjects," Eden told reporters as he em erged from an hour and a quar ter's session with Stettinius. He would not elaborate. Molotov's delay in reaching Washington has left very little time for the big three to settle the broad range of problems facing them and both Eden and Stettinus appeared to be grow ing impatient. Another part of the hurried international discussions taking place here was carried on at the White House where U. S. Am bassador to Russia W, Averell Harriman spent three quarters of an hour talking with Presl dent Truman. There was some hope that the Russians would back down on their twice-presented demand that the present provisional go vernment in Warsaw be invited to San Francisco. American dip lomats were prepared to stand firm in their refusal to admit the Warsaw group, until it is reorganized along the lines laid down at Yalta British - Russian - American talks on establishment of a new Polish government stalemated in Moscow several weeks ago and will be carried on here over the week-end, although there still is no indication of what can be expected. Diplomats also were awaiting Molotov's arrival for release of a three-power warning to Ger mans on atrocities which allied troops have found mounting in horror as the nazis slide down to defeat. Soldier's Own Letter In Dead Nazi's Pocket Headquarters 15th Army Group in Italy, April 21 HPi Staff Sgt. Cameron E. Butte of Astoria, Ore., reported today how he killed a German soldier yesterday and searching him found a letter in the dead nazi's pocket addressed to Sgt. Camer on E. Butte. . "The letter' was from my grandmother," Butte related, "and I learned later from the mail clerk that he gave the let ter to a buddy of mine and ask ed him to deliver It. My buddy is missing in action. The German either killed or captured him and stole the letter as a sou venir." I Price Five C- n Americans 15 Ships by Jap Suicide Planes Guam, April 21 m Fight ing on southern Okinawa raged fiercely today as Japanese troops fought a stubborn de fense action against three Amer ican divisions driving toward Naha, the island's capital. Adm. Chester W. Nimitz' communique yesterday said 15 American ships of all types were lost during Okinawa operations between March 18 and April 18. The Japanese lost 100 ves sels, among them the prized 45.000 ton battleship Yamato. Added to this total in sea-land-air warfare were 2569 blasted Japanese planes. List of Lost Ships American losses included five destroyers, a destroyer-transport, two minecraft, a gunboat, four landing craft and two am munition vessels. Despite terrific casualties from artillery preparation for the southward push of the 27th, 96th and 7th divisions, the en emy of southern Okinawa was resisting stubbornly. The 27th passed Kakazu ridge, but was mopping up by-passed pockets of Japanese. The 27th advanced 1000 yards in the first 24 hours and was only 800 yards from the Machinato airstrip, north east of Naha. In the center of the three-pronged drive the 96th was bucking rough terrain, its right flank delayed nearly a half hour in starting because of a fierce enemy artillery bom bardment. Men of the 7th after a 1400 yards advance, were inching toward Yonabaru air strip, a bare 200 yards from its fringes. B-29's Hit Kyushu On little Ie island the enemy defense had taken a suicide as pect as the 77th division coped with makeshift defenses, includ ing wooden mines, depressed an tiaircraft guns which raked beaches, and 500-pound bombs rigged with detonating gren ades. Japan's homeland felt the thunder of B-29's again as a fleet of between 200 and 300 of the sky mammoths bombed nine airfields of Kyushu island. En emy planes attacking American forces in the Ryukyus have been taking off from these fields. Half of Germany Now Occupied (By thfl Unltfd Press) Allied armies have occupied one-half of the 225,256 square miles of Adolf Hitler's "greater Germany." The advances by soviet troops converging onto Berlin brought the total area under allied con trol to the half-way mark 112,630 square miles. "Greater Germany" includes the 182,471 square mile Reich and 24,064 square mile Austria and 8,721 square miles of the Czechoslovak Sudetenland. 220 Prisoners Burned and Shot to Death Near Leipzig By Hal Boyle Thckla, Germany, April 20 (Delayed) (IP) The charred bodies of 220 political prisoners who were sprayed with flaming acetone and burned and shot to death just before American troops captured this Leipzig suburb still were sprawled today in postures of agony. Some lay in the ruins of the concentration camp barracks. Others were caught on the sharp spikes of barbed wire enclosing the camp. Of 324 Polish, Russian, Czech, Yugoslav, French and Italian political prisoners in the camp only about 80 survived. A Czech barber who managed to short circuit the electrically charged barbed wire enclosure led them to safely. This atrocity took place in plant No. 3 of the Erla works, which made Mcsserschmitt air plane parts. The camp, in the middle of the factory buildings, was a division of the notorious Buchcnwald "murder factory" near Weimar. From here the Germans were marching prisoners by the hun dreds to points farther east un til last Saturday. When guards learned the U. S. Ninth armored division had swung around east Russians Battle Within 5 Suburbs And Flank Shell-Pounded Capital iw1 Wen Toward Americans . eyo mn3- ..J Battle Never oermans Firing Forests, Making Suicide Charges London, April 2t (PI The German radio said tonight the Russians had broken into Greater Berlin. Russian tanks entered Greater Berlin from the northeast, the German broadcast said, penetrating into the Weissensee-Pankow district. Moscow, April 21 (IP) An entry into Berlin appeared Im minent tonight, with the Red army's big guns hurling sal' voes of shells into the city. London, April 21 (IP) The Germans declared today that 1,500, 000 Russian troops laying siege to Berlin had battered into five suburbs, and flanked the shell-pounded capital on the southwest with a sweep to within 32 miles of American lines. Even as Soviet guns pounded the Potsdamer Platz in the heart of Berlin, Moscow dispatches asserted the desperate defenders had fired forests and blown up a power dam, unleashing torrents of water on Soviet infantrymen. A German broadcast said 16 armies, including four tank armies, were pounding at Berlin's gates in a battle "never surpassed in ferocity. Moscow reported the Germans were making suicide charges with fixed bayonets. Soviet forces, by enemy account, had fought their way Into Berlin suburbs at five places Bernau, Strassberg, Fuerstenwalde, Koenigs-Wusterhausen and Zossen. The Russian drive to Bernau, three miles from the eity limits. was announced by the German J high command. This action constituted part of the northern envelopment move against Ber lin. In Southwest Sweep In a swift penetration of nazi defenses below the capital, other Russian forces advanced to posi tions southwest of the capital, the German transocean agency announced. In this sweep the Russians reached the vicinity of Beelitz and Treuenbrietzen, re spectively 12 and 22 miles southwest of Berlin's great southwestern suburb of Pots dam. Treuenbrietzen Is 32 miles northeast of the last reported American positions in the vicin ity of Dessau. Russian forces in a 35-mlle breakthrough also reached the important rail Junction town of Jueterbog, 10 miles southeast of Treuenbrietzen and 27 miles be low Berlin, the Gerrrtt high command said. 'hyj Retreat Cut Off -With this .sweep the Russians severed virtually all the south ward avenues of retreat out of Berlin. The Berlin radio announced that nazi Propaganda Minister Paul Joseph Goebbels, in his ca pacity as gauleiter and defense commissioner for Berlin, would address the residents of the be sieged city later today. Marshal Ivan S. Konev's first Ukrainian army was engaged in the drive south of Berlin. Farther south in Saxony where Konev's men also were driving toward a linkup with the Americans the Russians reached Kamenz, 19 miles northeast of Dresden and 59 miles from Chemnitz, the Ger mans said. 35-Mile Breakthrough The German high command communique announced a 35 mile breakthrough scored by Marshal Ivan S. Konev's first Ukrainian army had reached Jueterbog, 27 miles south of Berlin. To the north the first White Russian army, making a frontal assault on Berlin, was locked in a bitter battle with nazi defend ers' of the capital along the (Concluded on Page 9, Cnlumn 8) of Leipzig they decided to de stroy the last 324 left on their hands. "All were scheduled to be killed that night Tuesday," said the Czech barber, Carl Tykal. "But for some reason the guards decided to wait until the next day. During the night 30 men managed to climb over the fence. Most of them hid In holes and corners of the fac tory. "To get them out of hiding the guards went around the next day, carrying big steaming cans of potato soup and shouting that all who came out would be fed. Most of those hiding were so hungry they fell for this trap." I walked over to the ruins of the 40 by 150 foot building and saw the charred skeletons, more than 25 at each door. They had burned Into a mingled mass of bones. One skeleton head lifted above the others and its blind eyepits stared sightlessly under the warm spring sun. Surpassed in Ferocity Blowing up Dams and with Fixed Bayonets Record Bomb Blitz on Berlin London, April 21 VP) RAF Mosquitos set -e record for bombing Berlin last night, hit ting the besieged reich capital six times as the climax of a day long blitz on German railways by more than 3000 planes. Three times were the most Berlin ev er had been raided in one night before. Last night's attacRs, made without loss of a single aircraft, brought to 76 the num ber of raids on Berlin In the last 58 nights. More than 600 American Fly ing Fortresses yesterday slam med 1600 tons of bombs on sev en key outposts in the city's de fense perimeter. U.S. Eighth air force head quarters announced its planes had dropped 51,385,550 pounds of high explosives within Ber lin's limits in 19 attacks since March 4, 1944. ' u While t British raiders were hammering the western and central parts of the besieged; capital, Russian bombers were, mauling defense lines on the eastern outskirts by the light of flares and artillery flashes. Allied pilots dealt the nazi air force another heavy blow yes terday, destroying more than 112 planes 84 on the ground and 28 in aerial combat and boosting to 3166 the number knocked out in the last 12 days. U. S. Ninth air force pilots led in the number of kills, with 71 on the ground and five in the air. Torture March For Airmen 21st Army Group Hdqs., Ap ril 21 U.R) Eighteen hundred al lied airmen were beaten and bayonetted by nazi guards on a torture march they dubbed "the Stettin Jaunt," a Canadian sur vivor said today. The Canadian, Warrant Of ficer Armand Joseph Pamburn, Bonifice, Manitoba, an airforce navigator, said the victims in cluded 1000 Americans. Pamburn said that during the two mile march, which took place last July, German marines clubbed and jabbed the fliers to tempt them to escape. If they tried, they were mowed down with machine guns by other ma rines. The prisoners originally were held in Stalag Luft VII in East Prussia, but because of the Rus ian advance they were sent by train to Memel, thence by boat to Swinemund.e Enroute they passed through Stettin, giving the trip the title 'The Stettin Jaunt." Pelain Escapes Info Switzerland Paris, April 21 (IP) The news paper Lordre, crediting private sources, said today that Marshal Henri Petain has escaped from Germany Into Switzerland. The article added that Pierre Laval, Marcel Deat and other collaborationists remained be-' hind. Simultaneously, a demand was made by the newspaper La Depeche that the case against Petain be prepared and legal machinery be set up for a swift trial of the former head of the Vichy government. 1
