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MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1943
NO. 183
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MELITOPOL, KEY .
TO CRIMEA LINE
TAKEN BY REDS
Dnieper Bulge Encirclement
Drive 4Gains Stubborn
Defense Ends.
London, Sunday, Oct. 24 OI.PJ
Soviet forces' under Gen. Feodor
I. Tolbukhin ended the bloodv,
12-day street battle of Melitopol
yesterday, capturing the Nazi
stronghold that had barred the
way of an assault across south
ern Russia's steppes to the Cri
mea or a thrust to the west. The
;;lctory Implemented the Red
, "army's encirclement campaign
In the Dnieper bulge, Gen.
Ivan S. Konev's Red forces, driv
ing forward in a supreme effort
to entrap an estimated 750,000
Nazis, seized the junction of
Verkhovtsevo, straddling the
rail lines from Dnepropetrovsk
to Zanamenka and Krivoi Rog,
and advanced to little more than
20 miles from Dnepropdzer
zhinsk, western guardian of
Dnepropetrovsk.
Germany's stubborn defense
of Melitoool. anchor point of her
vaunted "Crimea line." cost her
the lives of two full divisions
30.000 men of whom more than
4000 were killed yesterday as the
I Red army routed the Nazis out
JLof the northern section and
jsained possession of the whole
city which before the war had a
population of 70.000.
Melitoool's fall was announced
by Premier-Marshal Jotef -Stalin,
whose order of the day was am
plified by the regular operation
al and supplementary commu
nity ues broadcast by Moscow.,
With Melitopol fallen, a grim
race was expected between the
Russians, heading for the new
vulnerable Crimea, and the Ger
mans attempting to evacuate an
estimated 90,000 effectives from
the peninsula by means of their
recently-built railway to Kher
son and Nikolaev. It was signifi
es;! that the German radio re
ported Soviet landing craft
massing in the Kuban and along
the Sea of Azov coast prepara
tory for attacks along the Cri
mea's coasts. v
Moscow s communiques re
ported that more than 9500 Gor
mans .were slain In yesterday
fighting, which was highlighted
by Melitopol with additional fo
cal points in the Dnieper bend,
south and southwest of Kremen
chug; below Pereysaslav, and
south of Rechitsa on the Gomel
front.
Slicing across the Dnieper
bulge, Konev's forces met and
beat down repeated German In
fantry and- tank counter-attacks
killing more than a regiment
normally 3000 men in fighting
that at times became savage
hand-to-hand encounters.
FRIENDLY CHATS
Moscow. Oct. 23 U.R) For
elgn ministers of the United
States, Great Britain and Russia
held thier fifth business session
of the three-power conference
today shortly after Secretary of
State Cordell Hull and Foreign
Commissar V. M. Molotov con
cluded a private talk described
as a friendly exchange of ideas.
IThe business meeting lasted
two hours and 20 minutes
breaking up at 6:20 p. m and
a sixth session was scheduled
xur tomorrow, ine cumeieiu.c
was reported to be proceeding In
an 4 n kwvI aw a r t rlnm T-1 t A
an atmosphere
irankness.
Correction
London, Oct. 23. (U.R)
The Exchange Telegraph
News wire today carried the
following correction:
"Please correct the preced
ing article to read: 'President
Roosevelt's cold has devel
oped into grippe repeat grippe
(a feverish cold) not gripe as
previously sent." "
Soldier Finds
- v, V
s Sw i f2
sV.,M-i '
ILL-
SfW . ,
Although the Italian soldier above U dead tired, he la still very much
alive. In the shadow of a Nail plane, which was wrecked only
short time before when Allied bombers strafed the railroad marshal .
linf yards at Crotone, Italy, this weary warrior fell asleep.
VALIANT HELENA
BY BOLD RESCUE
Washington, Oct. 23 U,R)
About 160 survivors of the
valiant cruiser Tielena, which
sank or helped sink, or damage
16 Japanese warshihs Detore n
finally was sent to " bottom,
now are ready to fight again
as a result of a dsuUng rescue
from enemy-heitf territory in
the - South Pacific, the navy
revealed tonight.
The rest of the nearly 1,000
survivors were rescued from the
oilcovered waters of Kula gulf
after the Helena was sunk last
July 7. when Japanese shells
finally sent her to the bottom
at the close of a brilliant Amer
ican victory which saw nine
enemy warships turned intj
flame-swept wrecks and five
others badly battered.
The 160-odd men, however
made their way to Vella La
vella island, then in Japanese
hands, where they split up into
two groups. When American
commanders learned that they
were on the island, a bold rescue
operation was ordered executed.
Eight destroyers were assigned
to cover two destroyer-trans
ports the Dent and Waters
whose job it was to get inshore
as close as possible and-take off
the survivors in small boats
A rendezvous was established
shortly after midnight and the
first group was removed safely.
Marines, covering the operation.
stood guard against possible
Jananese patrols.
Then the Dent and iWaters
nroceeded through moonlit wa
ters to another point where the
second group wasferescued. A
Japanese . plane flew directly
overhead, but theT ships with
held fire and vMte not de
tected. En route back to Gua
dalcanal, the convoy was spotted
by enemy reconnaissance planes
which dropped bombs but failed
to cause any damage.
OF AXIS VIEWED
London.- Oct. 23. (U.PJ Rest
lessness and defeatism were re
ported spreading in Nazi Europe
today, and Istanbul dispatches
quoted a once-leading German
war correspondent, who desert
ed and fled to Turkey, as say
ing that "Germany will collapse
quicker than one thinks."
Asserting that the reich al
ready had lost the war. Dr. Kurt
Rey, Balkan expert for the
Frankfurter ZeitungV who fled
with his wife from Sofia, told a
United Press correspondent in
Intanbul that "Hitler and his
accomplices are continuing the
war ... in order to prolong
their rule over an exhausted
QUICK COLLAPSE
r.H unhappy Germany."
Resting Place
JIBES SENATORS
AND IS REBUKED
Washington. Oct. 23. (U.R)
Sen. Ralph O. Brewster, R.; Me.,
tonight characterized . -' as- .'a.
further illustration" o American
ineptitude" criticism of himself
and four other ' globe-trotting
senators voiced in London by
Mayor Earl Riley of Portland.
Riley, to Britain for two
months, charged in an interview
that the senators had developed
most of their impressions of
Great Britain from their Dor
chester hotel rooms.'
Brewster said Riley's Inter
view "confirms my impressions
that the British are past masters
in the art of. dealing with for
eign relations." He said that if
U. S. Ambassador John Winant
snnroved "any such irrespons
ible statements, ne is iar less
wise than I believe him to be.",
Referring to the fact that
Rilev "and his fellow travelers'
are guests of the British minis
try of information, Brewster
said thev were apparently pay
ing dividends on tne nospitauiy
extended to them. Tne sena
tors, he said, had their expenses
pam Dy tne unuea amies gov
ernment. He suggested that the diver
gence in viewpoint perhaps il
lustrates the old adage: "Whose
bread I eat, his song I sing."
Of Rilev s reference to tne
Dorchester hotel, Brewster said
he was willing to agree that they
did not "live the life of Riley."
II!
L.LU I V HUUI1UL. Viva
WEDS SECRETARY
London. Oct. 23. (U.R) David
Lloyd George, the 80-year-old
Welsh radical who produced
some of Britain's greatest poli
tical sensations 20 to 30 years
ago, amazed his friends today
by marrying his private secre
tary. Miss Frances Stevenson, a
quarter of a century his junior.
They slipped over ta tne
Guildford registry office for the
ceremony, attended only by the
bride's sister and the former
prime minister's parliamentary
secretary.
Lloyd George's daughter., Me
gan, introduced Miss Stevenson
to her father in 1913. The un
usually attractive yountf woman
was mistress of Mis? Megan's
school. She came for dinner
and remained to become the ris
ing parliamentarian's private
secretary.
CLARIFY DHAFT APPEALS
Washington, Oct. 23 (U.R)
The house la scheduled to con
sider next week a bill confirm-
ing the authority of Selective
Service Director Lewis B. Her
shey over draft classification appeals.
NAZI INDUSTRIAL
CITY OF KASSEL
BLASJEDBYRAF
Cologne and Frankfurt Also
Hit in Raids That Cost
44 Planes. .
London, Oct. 23 (U.R) Brit
ish and Canadian bombers blast
ed and burned the western arms
and engineering centers of Ka
sel with more than 3,300,000
pounds of bombs last night, and
hammered nearby Cologne and
Frankfurt with a lesser weight
of explosives in one of the
RAF's most widespread opera
tions of the war.
Forty-four bombers and . one
fighter were lost in the night
operations, which also included
the mining of German waters
and intruder forays against
western Europe by fighter com
mand planes.
The raid was the most costly
for the RAF since the night of
Aug. 23 when 58 bombers a
record were lost against Ber
lin. The price was considered
well worthwhile, however, for
it was believed that Kassel, a
city of 217,000 packed with air
plane factories and rail insta
lations, thus joined 17 other
heavily raided German cities
listed as more of a liability than
an asset to the German war
production machine.
British Typhoon and Mustang
fighter-bombers carried the of
fensive . forward in daylight
Saturday, damaging at least la
locomotives and setting freight
trains afire in "train busting
attacks over northern France
Two Focke Wulf 190 fighters
were shot down -by the British
before they were able to get
off any return fire, the air min
istry announced.
Canadian Halifax and Lancas
ter four-engined bombers in the
procession over Kassel loosed
the heaviest weight of bombs
ever dropped by the RCAF. Th'
air ministry news service an
nounced that "well over" 1,500
long - tons of bombs were
dropped on Kassel, leaving huge
fires and a smoke pall 18,000
feet high hanging over the city
, Crew reports and photographs
confirmed that the raid, four
teenth of the war on Kassel
and the fifth heavy one of the
past six months, was "highly
effective." Pilots saw three tre
mendous explosions rip through
the city as block-buster and in
cendiary bombs showered from
the giant bombers.
War Bulletins
London. Sunday, Oct. 24
(U.R) London had a brief air
alert early today, marking th
eighth straight night in which
German planes have been
over th city on small attacks,
Th alert started shortly
alter midnight and lasted
about 30 minutes during
which anti-aircraft fir biased
in on London district.
A heary rapid-fir barrag
met other enemy raiders
which flaw over an East An
glian coast town. Some raid
ers dropped flares but there
war no reports o: bomolngs,
London, Oet. 23 (U.R) Axis
land anal sea transport lines
through th Carman occupied
Balkans are under increasing
ly heayy attack. Allied reports
disclosed tonight, and Turkish
dispatches said th followers
of Rd. Vladimir Match, yet
ran coast peasant party lead
er, had launched a new attempt
to unify Jugoslav factions
aalnst th Axis.
In western Jugoslavia from
point east of Fiume to th
old borders with Albania and
Montenegro, th partlsa
forces of Gen. Josip Brosovich
wr harassing German (all
lines and roads.
CHANGE UNLIKELY
Washington, Oct. 23 ' (U.R)
There Is little chance that the
senate will change the languare
of the post-war peace resolution
on which it starts debate miii-
day, a United Press poll lndicat
ed tonight.
TO HALT ALLIED
E
Use of Tanks and Massed
Infantry Beaten Back
Lull in Campaign. '
Allied Headquarters, Algiers,
Oct. 23. (U.R) The Germans
are using tanks in desperate
counter-attacks to slow the
steady Allied drive on Rome,
but Fifth army gunners have
knocked out a number and with
their infantry have driven the
enemy from commanding
heights on the crucial front
north of Alife, it was disclosed
today.
On the Adriatic sector, the
Eighth army captured Lupara,
14 miles northeast of Campobas-
so, and a'i along the 91-mile
mountain iront Allied troops bit
deeper into German defenses
while British and American
fliers ranged up the Appenine
peninsula and cut three vital
Nazi rail arteries.
The Eighth army also hurled
back a weak German counter
attack in the area of Montecil-
fone south of Termoli but it was
in the Alife area that the enemy
made his most determined ef
forts, using massed artillery and
infantry as well as tanKS.
The artillery shelled the
American positions in the town
then the Infantry ana tanKS
smashed forward only to run
into the' deadly horizontal fire
of U. S. anti-tank guns which
scattered the tanks and wrecked
or set afire a number. The .Ger-J
man infantry broke and re-
rrpated. There was no Indica
tion that American tanks had
taken part in the battle except
possibly as mobile artillery fir
ing from oacK oi tne iiguums'
line.
Thn ' Americans then drove
mile north of Alife and occupied
ridges lining either side of the
upper Volturno, moving wiinin
18 miles of the new inland an
chor of the Nazi line at Venafro,
Eighth army troops moving
along the opposite side of the
Matese mountains were also ad
vancing on Venafro by way of
the Nazis Isernia strongnoia
but still had some 25 miles to
SO- .,
All along tne iront me aura
were consolidating meir posi
tions and searching out gullies
and hills for pockets of Germans
left behind in the Nazis' retreat
from the Volturno earlier in the
wwlc.
In the air. Allied bomDers
rnntlmmd the relentless pound
Ino nf German rail links which
already was slowing up and re
ducing arrival of reinforce
ments on the enemy front, ac-
enrdine to reconnaissance re
ports.
EISENHOWER SEES
LONG, BITTER WAR
(By United Press)
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower,
preme Allied commanaer in
North Africa, warned Saturday
night in a radio broadcast from
Algiers that victory is a "long.
long way ahead.
'This is a hard war, a Ditter
bloody war," Elsenhower said
Make no mistake. It vm do
a long, long way to final vic
tory, over a bitter rough road
Our men know it and are read
for it. But they want to be
assured above all else that the
home front is behind them."
Eisenhower made his state
ment on a program with Sec
retary of Treasury Henry mor
genthau, Jr., who reported on
progress in war bond drlvt-s
and on his tour of the fighting
fronts. The addresses were car
ried by CBS and NBC networks
in the United Stales.
TENOR OUT OF ARMY
San Diego, Oct. 23 (U.R)
Army Private Giovanni Zavatt',
30, who before Joining the arm
in 1941 was listed as one of the
nation's youngest leading oper
atic tenors, today was given a
medical discharge at Ft. Rose
cranr,, where he has been sta
tioned since completing recruit
training.
Jap Freighter
lanlu rejoice after slnkine of Jan
Lae, New Guinea, but do not stray from ack-ack Bolors run In case
of a Jap air attack. Inability to maintain supply lines was one of the
chief reasons the Nipponese were forced U evacuate the stratcrio
airbase at lu ,
THREATEN STRIKE
Chicago, Oct. 23 U.R) The
Big Five" operating brother
hoods threatened tonight to tie
up the nation's major railroads
with a strike in early December
unless President Roosevelt in
tervenes in the stalemate witn
a special fact finding board over
wage demands. "
The Brotherhood of Railway
Trainmen joined the four other
brotherhoods Locomotive in
aineers. Firemen and Engine-
men, Order' of Conductors, and
the Switchman's Union of North
America today in ordering a
strike ballot among its members.
The brotherhoods ' said It
would take 30 days to complete
the strike vote by its 330,000
members and another week to
set the date for. the strike but
they made it very clear that
there was time enough for presi
dential intervention, possibly
through the appointment of an
other board to consider their
demands.
Washington, Oct. 23 (U.R)
The War Labor board threat
ened today to refer the strike
of 22,000 Alabama coal miners
to President Roosevelt unless
the mines begin reopening Mon
day. It appeared probable that
such action would result In
renewed government operation
of the mines. Strikers then
would be subject to criminal
penalties under the Smith-Con-nally
war labor disputes law if
they attempted to block any
resumption of operations.
ON STATE ROADS
Portland, Ore., Oct. 23 U.R)
Oregon snow plows today had
cleared the earliest snowfall in
a decade from the state's high
ways with the exception of the
heavy fall still on McKenzle
river pass.
The Portland weathr Bureau
bureau also warned that fur
ther snows were coming late to
day and ordered up small craft
warnings along the Oregon
coast.
Rains were predicted for
western Oregon below the usu
al winter snow line.
NEW GUADALCANAL BASE
Guadalcanal, Oct. 23 (U.R)
A new airfield on Vella Lavella
island, the northernmost Allied
airfield in the Solomons islands
has been in operation for sev
eral weeks for both combat and
transport planes, it was revealed
today.
Seattle, Oct. 23 (U.R) The
University of Washington made
a powerful bid for a Rose Bowl
Invitation today by upietting the
undefeated all-star eleven of the
Fourth Air Force with a dispbv
of team brilliance that routed
the airmen 27-7 before a crowd
of 15.000-
Sunk at Lae
frelrhter In waters off coast el
E
KEPT OFF COAST
. Allied Headquarters, South
west Pacific, Sunday, Oct. 24
(U.R) The strong Japanese force
around Satelberg, 10 miles north
of Alllcd-held Finschhafen on the
Huon peninsula of New Guinea,
withdrew, inland Friday after
trying desoerately to break
through t6 the coast, leaving 510
dead troops, a communique an
nounced today.
Gen. Douglas MaoArthur's
communique reported that the
Japanese are now 1100 yards
west of Katika, which is three
miles north of Finschhafen air
drome. The enemy was thrown
back from Katika after occupy
ing the village last week In heavy
fighting. m
Heavy Australian artillery and
mortar fire pounded Japanese)
positions to pieces while pow
erful forces of Billy Mitchell me
dium bombers hammered them
aerially Thursday and Friday
afternoons.
In Thursday's raid the bomb
ers poured 55,000 rounds of 50
caliber machincgun ammunition
into the Japanese lines and
rained 221 tons of bombs on the
area.
The Japanese have now been
driven back to the Satelberg
area and possibly can withdraw
by land trails northward, a
headquarters spokesman said.
Liberator bombers swept
over enemy bases in the Dutch
East Indies Friday afternoon and
other planes attacked positions
on New Britain island Thursday
and Friday,
LAST MONTH LAGS
Washington, Oct. 23 (U.R)
Overall munitions production in
September was "disappointing
except for a six per cent rise
in output of four-motored bomb
ers, Acting Chairman Charles
E. Wilson of the War Production
Board reported tonight.
War production In general, he
said, was about the same as in
August and "cannot be regard
ed as anything but disappoint
ing." He said industry's failure
to show a percentage gain in
September indicates the country
is approaching its production
ceiling.
"The diversity of the prob
lems limiting over-all produc
tion indicates that production Is
pushing the ceiling," he said. "In
some plants it is design changes.
in others failure of parts or ma
terials to arrive on time. Recent
ly the most common complaint
has been shortage of labor."
PROBLEM OF PEACE
Washington, Oct. 23 (U.R)
Acting Chairman Charles E
Wilson of the War Production
Board said today that the future
of America and democracy de
pends on the ability of law
enforcement agencies to meet
home front problems in the
postwar era as effective)' as
they are meeting them during
the war
UPON NAPLES BY
BEATENHUN TOLD
Atrocities Listed For F. R.1
Criminals Freed, Brutality
Unleashed.
Naples, Oct. 21 U.R) Secre
tary of the Treasury Henry Mor-
genthau is carrying home to '
President Roosevelt a list pre
pared by Allied military govern
ment officials of 13 categories
of atrocities which the Germans
inflicted upon Naples before they
withdrew under Allied attack.
The amazing document was
edited personally by Col Edgar
Erskine Hume from Virginia,
who heads Allied military gov
ernment in Italy.
One of the charges Is that the
Nazis, just before fleeing Naples,
threw open the doors of 13 pris
ons for dangerous crlminals.Men
who had been sentenced to 10:10;
terms for murder, rape, homo
sexuality, holdups and other
crimes born killers and other
pathological criminals were re
leased upon a battle-shattered
populace already suffering com
plete disruption of Its civic ex
istence. Thousands of these criminal
were roaming the streets of Na
ples when the Allies entered
the city, but they are now being
rounded up. .
'The Germans collectively
and individually robbed shops,
homes and even people in the
streets,.;,.
"Then were many murders,
including those of a sadistic na
ture wherein dead bodies were
mutilated, especially those . of
women.
"German booby traps were
placed where they might be set
off not only by our troops but
by civilians, Including children,
many of whom were killed.
"There was much wanton de
struction of property, with phys
ical harm to people,
"Food supplies were destroyed
or fouled. Cruel measures were
taken against Italians between
18 and 35 years of age who failed
to respond to the German de
mands for forced labor. Many
people, Including women, were
beaten to make them disclose
the whereabouts - of supposed
valuables."
Destruction of the University
of Naples, described as "one of
the oldest and most famous in
existence, was detailed.
"The library of the Royal So
ciety of Naples, one of the great
learned societies of the world,
was housed in the university."
the report said. "It was put to
the torch on the twelfth of Sep
tember, a little over a fortnight
before we took the city. We are
collecting affidavits of facultv
members and students who agree
that some 600 Germans entered
the university, announcing that
they were about to burn it in
retaliation, for fighting by Nea
politan students against their
troops.
"Cans of gasoline were brought
in and the walls, furniture and
books covered with it and a fire
started. Firemen arrived imme
diately but were refused admit
tance.
'Two carablnlerl who tried to
halt the destruction were taken
to the front entrance and shot.
Witnesses avow that the notori
ous Colonel Scholl, commander
of the German troops at Naples,
arrived when the work of de
struction was under way and
read a proclamation in German
and Italian announcing that the
university was being wrecked as
a punishment to the city of Na
ples."
Red-Blue Forces
Maneuver In Snow
Fourth Corps Headquarters,
Oregon Maneuver Area, Oct.
23. (U.R) Red and Blue force
of the central Oregon war game
prepared for a battle in the
snow today as reconnaissance
forces of the two armies made
contact for the first time In the
seventh phase of the maneuvers.
War games umpires ruled
that all main bridge crossings
over an eight-mile line north of
Redmond, Ore., were destroyed
as part of the battle plan hind
ering enemy offensive warfare. ,
V'