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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1943)
Weather Foneut: Cloudy tonlrht and Friday. Warmer tonight tad Friday. Temp. HlKhest yesterday ts Lowest Hill morning . ze Precipitation part U bra. . Du The MAO, TRIBUNE Want Ad Way Quick Results At Small Coat Tribune United Press fall Uuad Win United Pi Full Leased Wit Thirty-eighth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1943 NO. 227 American f W'.T 0 o Herb Gray. Mall Ttibuna advertising manager, la shown above with Medford poit Ameri ean Legion official! aa he received a certificate of honorable mention awarded him in a national contest for his editorial on 'The American Legion" which apoeared in the Tribune July 25. Commander Walter J. Reinking made the presentation at the Dec S meeting of the post, Pict ured above, from left to right are A. J. Anderson, post chaplain J. F. Fliegel, past commanderi Herb Grey! Commander Reinking, and Fred L. Strang, adjutant. (Photo by Shangle.) News Behind The News By Paul Mallon Washington, Dec 16 Pant ing, hot-breathed, the Hawkshaws on the senate election sub-committee rushed forward to In vestigate the new Sparks- b o o k conten- tions that Wen- u c ii i 1 1 1 mo used more than l 'iAi.J campaign ora VNJWll fory, in fact " jljy campaign tria ls A1 i zuma, to get nominated in real Halloa Philadelphia only, to decide rather suddenly to postpone' Its appetite for the facts until "after the first of the year," not any special date-of the new-year. Just some time then. You know how these things are Christ mas coming on, Santa Claus nearly here, the weather cold, etc., etc. When "after the first of the year" comes, there Is more than an even chance that the com mitteemen will decide it Is then too near spring: Indee-, if they get up enough gumption to seek money from the senate for in vestigating, they are likely to come to a timely end from lack of funds. f For, truth be known, 'the In terwlning wires of politics, in which they 'already are entan gled, have discouraged them all and caused great shaking of the knees among new dealers, re publicans, isolationists, demo crats. They are all looking for the fellow who thought up the Idea of a senate Investigation In the first place. e e UI Is Senator Langer, the North Dakota republican, whose primary interest In pro moting the charges of the book seems to have centered on the phase implicating Harry Hop kins, the president's constant companion. The book presents a letter supposed to have been written ltst August by Hopkins to a Texan, Dr. . Lee, president of Southern Methodist university, implying the White House could ,, (Continued on Pago Eight) HOLIDAY CLOSINGS SET FOR RURAL SCHOOLS . Ten rural schools of the county have advised the county school superintendent's office they will close for the Christ mas holiday, from Christmas eve until Monday, January 3. Most of the other county schools are expected to follow suit. The Medford schools will be closed Dec. 23 to January 3, Superintendent E. H. Hedrick has announced. Many of , the rural schools started late and a longer vacation would throw the close of school into next June, which Is not desired. J SIDE GLANCES t By TRIBUNE REPORTERS Little Marcia Houghton on her very best behaviour for the Belarsky concert and helping Papa Dwight keep track of pro gram numbers. Nell Taylor obllnlmly con ducting research for the correct spelling of a title. Legion Presents Citation tT'.l i- l "Vr- 0tv Tarawa Fight Bloodiest. Say Returning Wounded Marines Oak Knoll Naval Hospital. Oakland, Cal.. Dec. 16 U.R) Wounded marines who fell fighting on Tarawa's coral strands in the bloodiest battle of the corps' history have returned home. , ITALY, PORT Washington, Dec 18 U.B German bombers in a devastat ing and virtually 'unopposed' sur prise attack on the Italian Adri atic port of Barl sank 17 Allied ships and caused 1000 casual ties, official sources said today. . From official sources It was learned that the Barl raid was far more destructive than- was indicated by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson at a news con ference today. . . Washington, Dec. 16. (U.RJ Secretary of War Henry L. Stim son said today that a German air raid on Barl, Italy, caused an estimated 1,000 casualties to Allied forces and destroyed five American ships. Two ammuni tion ships were among those which were hit Explosion of the two ammuni tion ships resulted In the dam age and destruction of the other shipping involved. Ships Unnamed Stimson said he was unable to say whether the two ammuni tion ships were among the five American vessels destroyed, the identity of these two ships and also of the five -American mer chant ships listed as destroyed was -not available. "Fortunately most of the car goes had been discharged prior to the attack and the loss of supplies was accordingly not great," Stimson said. Among the casualties were 37 American naval personnel. Stimson said while the Al lies maintained definite aerial superiority over southern Italy aVid most of the Mediterranean, the Germans had appreciably increased their air strength in this area. Allied forces have encount ered sharp fighter resistance and some heavy bomber raids have been carried out, in addi tion to that on Bari. Bari harbor is the chief sup ply depot for the British Eighth army. Printer Reject AFL Affiliation Indianapolis, Dec. 16 01.10 Woodruff Randolph, secretary treasurer of the International Typographical union, announced today Its members defeated a proposal to reaffiliate with the American Federation of Labor by a 1.225 majority. The total mail vote cast, he said, gave 24.591 against reaf filiation and 23,366 for it MANY DODGE SERVICE LEGION HEAD CLAIMS Redding, Cal., Dec. IS. CU.R) Warren Atherton, national commander of the American Legion, said today that too many young men are "dodging the uniform of their country." Atherton told Redding audience that no Job Is essentia', for men in the 18-25 age bracket en.aeeeeaeee -T. ll1 o 0 rney were stui reliving ine horrors of their brief, vicious in vasion. But as their spirits rose they called in unison for beer "cold, American beer," "Pistol Packin' Mama," and a good look at a lady marine. 3000 Casualties The contingent that arrived at this huge naval hospital was the battered vanguard of the 3000 casualties who went down hero ically on the beach at Betio be fore a murderous rain of Japa nese machine gun fire, snipers bullets and exploding shrannel, . Sgt.. Herman C. Bruton, Denl- son, Texas, was among the first to storm concrete barricades along the-beach. His first two grenades went too far. . T pulled the pin of a third one. My arm hung limp but I had to get rid of that grenade. I tossed It feebly and- It bounced over the barricade, hitting the lackpot. Then my hip gave way. or tne next 15. hours I had ringside seat to the nastiest oltched battle In history. I saw landing craft roar into the? beach and get blown to pieces before mey got there. I saw men wad mg toward shore riddled by bul lets. .-. . i . Jap Swtaaa Saba 4. 1 saw a Jan officer charee through our left flank, waving a saber wildly. He flung himself at, my ouaay, who was lying on the beach With both legs bloody. The officer swung the saber, but my Duddy blocked It with hie rine stock. Before he could swing again, another marine oasned his head In w th the h-.itt of his rifle. My buddy got the saDer. Pvt. Cllft N. Laperruque, 21. Los Angeles, said the Jam. tried to finish off American casualties siretcnea out on the beach. TINUATION OF SUBSIDIES VOTED Washington, Dee. 16 (U.F9 The senate banking committee today voted 11 to 5 to continue the food subsidy program for 60 days pending a final congression al decision on the Issue after the Christmas holidays. The- committee authorized senate Democratic Leader Alden W. Berkley of Kentucky to in troduce a resolution continuing subsidies and the Commodity credit Corp. until Feb. 3. It decided on the temporary continuance after rejecting a compromise proposed by Sen. Robert A. Taft, R., O., which would permit expenditure of $600,000,000 for subsidies, but nan the Butter and meat rollback programs and fluid milk sub sidies. The committee also vot ed 9 to 8 against reporting leg- islatlon containing a flat ban on subsidies. Medford district Community Chest subscriptions up to last sight weret $39,553.99 Ouota la 41711.40. PENDING DECISION ranis urn ' inn mm BRIDGEHEAD ONLY 270 MILES FROM Troops Charge Ashore at Cape Merkus; and Nearby Arawe and Pilelo Islands. By Brydon C Taves (United Press Correspondent) Advanced Headquarters, New Guinea, Friday, Dec. 17. U.R American army invasion forces landed in southwest New Britain Wednesday behind a pulverizing Allied bombard ment by air and sea, quickly crushed Japanese resistance while suffering "fairly heavy" casualties, and established, a firm beachhead 270 miles from the island's key base of Rabaul. Assault units of the United States Sixth army splashed ashore in the Arawe area of New Britain in a dawn attack which caught the Japanese by surprise. ' " . . Fast Action A front dispatch said .that live hours alter the fust man was ashore, all' the primary ob jectives were taken and the en tire ' Atawa ' peninsula, ' three miles long, was in American hands. Allied warships and 'planes blasted the Japanese positions for 27 minutes before. amphibi ous tanks spearheading' the land ing poured onto the beaches in powerful waves. " .After the landing had been secured, a strong force of Japa nese bombers attacked the In vasion fleet Two planes were shot down. 'The Allies lost no planes or ships. Commandos Fay Dear Some units of the U. S .Sixth army paid high price for the gallant role they took in the in vasion. . One force which struck before dawn in a diversionary commando thrust was believed almost half destroyed by a withering cross fire of Japanese machine guns and 37-millimeter cannon. The commandos never reach ed the beach, but fought from the water with tommy guns, rifles ' and pistols until more than half of them were dead or wounded. Only then did they fall' back In rubber boats or swim away. By George E. Jones United Press Correspondent Aboard Mitchell Bomber Over New Britain, Dec. 15 0J.B American army troops' charged ashore - on New Britain today (Wednesday) and established a bridgehead 270 miles across the island from Rabaul, the Japa nese "Pearl Harbor" of the southwest Pacific. United States, naval, air, and land forces under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur were thrown against the rela tively small Japanese force de fending the landing area astride the communications and supply lines between Gasmata and Cape Gloucester. , - Stirring Strategy The first boatloads of army men swarmed ashore Just before 7:30 a. m. on Cape Merkus and the nearby islands of Arawa and Pilelo. They now. hold, a strip of the island keying the Japa nese defense system throughout the southwest Pacific. . . From this twin-engined bomb er' I saw the American flag carried Into New Britain. Fly ing less than 300 feet above the water in two furious strafing runs against the Japanese posi tions. I saw the. bioad mosaic of our amphibious strategy in its widest outline. It was a more stirring exam ple of that strategy than I had seen in three previous landings wtih American forces: Oa Southwest Coast The landing was made on the , southwest coast of New Britain j some SO miles east of the tip 1 of the Island and about (0 miles 50 Die When Luxury Trains Collide ALLIES EXPLODE ITALIANFRONTS Tanks Spearhead Advances by 8th and 5th Armies Bomb Brenner Pass Line. (By United Press) Tank-led advances by Anglo American ground forces and a smashing American aerial blow at both sides of the strategic Brenner Pass supply line put the allied offensive in Italy back in full swing today as Russlau armies turned back the German tide west of Kiev and rlDDcd through the Nazi lines in the j Dnieper bend. Gen. Sir Bernard L. Mont gomery's Eighth army veterans knocked the i main props out from under the German defenses along a 15-mlle front below Pescara with a sudden armored thrust into the main enemy p. sit Ions near, the , Adriatic coast Weather Aids . The British swarmed across the vital Ortona Guardlagrele lateral highway at three points and captured the village of Ber aldl, 4V4 miles south of Ortona Adriatic anchor of the tempor ary German line in eastern Italy Front reports indicated ' the Nazis were tutting up a stub born defense, but clearing weather and hardening ground aided the allied drive. On the western flank of the si lied line, Lt.Gen. Mark W.Clark'i Anglo-American Fifth army front 'also exploded into action after a six-day lull imposed by rain, and mud. American tanks and infantry overran a strategic hill SOUthWest Of San Vinronn rand limited advances were achieved at several other points behind a swelling artillery bar rage that battered the enemy's defenses. Bomb Supply Line Simultaneously, a powerful force of U. S. Liberators, Flying Fortresses and Lightning fight ers struck a three-way blow at the main German supply line running through the Brennej Pass into northern Italy. In Russia, tierce fightlnc raged along a broad front from the middle Dnieper to the Kiev salient and Moscow reported that the Red army was on the attack everywhere. . 1 A violent see-saw battle raged through the hills at the center of the Kiev salient where a German attempt to resume the offensive appeared to have broken down after a one-day success that carried the Nazis back into ,the Important road Junction of Radomisl, 48 miles west of Kiev. TRAINS COLLIDE Quebec, Dec. 16 (U.PJ Two Canadian National Railways freight trains collided on a sid ing at St Charles De Bellechasse today and the brakeman of one was burned to death when the baggage car caught fire. ' west of Gasmata. Rabaul lies at the opposite or northeastern end of the island. . Destroyers stooged around restlessly outside of the inner ring of transports and broad bowed landing craft. Small boats milled around the latter until the first wave had loaded. Then they struck out (or the beach like waterbeetles. While our bomber formation roared through the predawn darkness, many miles away 1 could see naval batteries wink ing far below us. As we approached the target in daylight war vessels and troop carriers were firing 'iort bursts of light artillery at the shore. HELPS P.O. KEEP , UP WITH FLOOD Record Volume of Christmas Mail Being Handled Here Crest Believed Passed. Even though the volume of Christmas mall being handled at the Medford postoffice Is the heaviest in the history of the office, pre-planning has enabled the staff to cope with the situ ation and all mall is moving on schedule, according to I Frank DeSouza, postmaster. The post master stated today that the bulk of outgoing mall has gone through the office and that the great percentage of local resi dents had heeded the postoffice warnings and had mailed their packages earlier than usual. For the past few days Incom ing mall has been Increasing daily, DeSouza said, but so far the load has not been more than the staff can handle without trouble. New Train Helps , Movement of parcel post mall has been facilitated in this dis trict by the addition of a South ern Pacific mail tralp which makes a trip between ' Ashland and Dunsmuir, each way, daily, the postmaster stated. The train, put Into operation about a week ago, carries only parcel post mail and has no passenger service. Mr. DeSouza also stated that a considerable Increase in the purchase of war stamps and bonds had been noted at the Medford office and that many purchasers volunteered the In formation that they were using the stamps and bonds as gifts. GULF.1ASTGETS COLD WAVE TASTE By Untied Press The cold wave moving across the nation dipped down to tho Gulf Coast today where the tem perature hovered below freezing from Jacksonville, Fla.. to Lar edo, Tex. Jacksonville with 27 degrees above zero wos colder than ths center of the nation's ice box Great Falls, Mont., where the thetmometer stood at 38. Caribou, Me., remained the nation's coldest spot with 21 be low zero. The Great Lakes. Ohio valley and eastern sea board were warming up as tho cold moved southward. The temperature rose from bo low zero to mlnlmums of two above at Chicago, Minneapolis and Cincinnati, five above at Columbus, 11 above at Cleve land, nine above at Pittsburgh and 14 above at New York and Washington. Last Ditch Fight by Nazis Is Elmer Davis' Expectation Washington, Dec. 16. (U.R Director Elmer Davis of the Office of War Information was disclosed today to believe that Germany probably would make "a last-ditch fight" because its military and political leaders know that surrender would be "condemning themselves to the hangman's block." "Even when the German people have cracked, as they may be beginning to do now, they probably will be unable to prevail upon their leaders to ll CHURCHILL L ILL COMMONS TOLD London. See. Ii (UFO Aa official bulletin tonight re ported some improvement In the general condition of Prime MlnUter Winston Churchill, who is suffering from pneu monia. London, Dec. 16 (U.fO Prime Minister Churchill, who cele brated his asth birthday Nov. 30. has been stricken ill with pneu monia, presumably somewhere in the Mediterranean area, a dramatic announcement In the house of commons revealed to day. "His general condition is as satisfactory as can be expected.' a bulletin read by Deputy Prime Minister Clement R. Attlee to a stunned house declared. The bulletin did not disclose Churchill's present whereabouts, Second Attack Churchill only last week con eluded an historical rounJ of conferences at Cairo and Teh ran with President Roosevelt, Premier Stalin, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and President Ismet Inonu of Turkey. - Attlee assured the house that "every modern facility is avail able on the spot" to treat Churchill, who, he said, had developed a "patch of pneu monia" on his left lung after being confined to bed with a cold for several days. It was the second time this year Churchill has been strick en with pneumonia. Last Feb ruary he was confined to his home for three weeks during most of which he continued to work at high pressure, TRACK COACH DIES Bloomington, Ind., Dec. 16. 0).n C. E. (Billy) Hayes, OS, Indiana university track conch who was regarded as one of the most successful track mentors, died today of pneumonia after an attack of influenza. give up," Davis said In an ap praisal of the war outlook for the next few months. The OWI chief pointed out that the German leaders had "their own personal skins to consider." He believed they would risk annihilation in bat tle rather than face almost cer tain death at the hands of Al lied Justice after the war. "They know that they will be tried aa war criminals and, In all probability, pay with their lives for their crimes," he aid. . DILI 4 N.UI COME TOGETHER Derailing of Southbound Train Cause of Disaster Bodies Badly Crushed. Rennert. N. C. Dee. M fll.Pt At least 50 persons were report, ed killed today in the disastrous collision In near-zero weather nf the north and southbound luxury streamline trains of the Atlantie Coastline Railroad, the Tamiaml Champion, and the East Coast Champion, running between r ioriaa and new York. Mrs. W. F. Barham of the Red Snrlnas. N. C. Funm-il Home, where the bodies were be. lng taken, said at noon that ap proximately BO bodies had been brOUBhl in that mnrfitipv an,! that "more are coming In." ' , ;' Soldiers. Civilians "They started bringing them In at -8:80- this morning," she said. "We have not had time to try to identify the bodies. Vic tims include both soldiers and civilians. Some of the bodies arc in horrible shape." - Atlantic Coastline official's at Rocky Mount said rennrra InHU cated the death toll would go to io. ine number of injured was rising toward 150. The accident amimrf at 1-1B a. m., when three steel can of the Tamiaml Champion, which left New Y-rk at 11 -is yesterday and was due at Tampa, ib at o:sa p. , m. tonight. Jumped the tracks. The speeding northbound East Coast Champion, en route from Miami to New York, crashed into the derailed cars at full speed, telescoping and Jamming them into a mass of twisted wreckage. ROOSffiPLANE London, Dee. 16. (U.PJ The German DNB news agency broadcast a report today that a plane carrying President Roose velt made a forced landing in the Azores because of motor trouble. A DNB dispatch attributed to Lisbon said that Mr. Roosevelt's plane "was compelled to make a forced landing on the Island of Terceira in view of motor trouble In order to make re pairs." The broadcast, lacking sub stantiation immediately in any Allied source, said the landing was made while Mr. Roosevelt was on his way to Cairo and Tehran. He spent a few hours In the Azores during the trip, it said. PT BOATS LAUNCHED WHEN CARRIER SINKS San Diego, Cal., Dec. 16 U. Four PT boats being trans ported in a merchant ship were saved when their pilots roared away In them as the torpedoed merchantman began to sink, a crew member disclosed today. Members of the motor torpedo squadron clambered aboard their small craft as the cargo ships deck disappeared under water, leaving the PT boats' afloat. The squadron saved four of its six craft. ' California farms produce about 200 commercially import ant crops.
