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