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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 1943)
Weather forvcMt: Cloudy with occasion al Ufht rain Sunday and Moo day. bUfhtiy cooler Monday. Temp. Highest Friday . AO Lowest Saturday morning.. U Precipitation past 24 bra. , Uh The MAIL TRIBUNE Want Ad Way Oulck Results At Small Coit Tribune FORD United Press full Lund Win United Prn Full Leased Wire Thirty-eighth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1943. No. 229. Med GERMAN RETREAT ON NEVEL FRONT . TOLD BYjERLIN Russian Massive Attack Gains Moscow Silent on Winter Offensive. ( London, Dec. 18 (U.R) Ger- man sources admitted tonight that Nazi troops had gone into retreat on the Nevel front in White Russia before the pressure of a massive Red army attack that concentrated nearly 300,000 men in a narrow sector. Ernst von Hammer, military commentator for the official German DNB news agency, said the Soviets had thrown 14 in fantry divisions, two complete tank corps, two cavalry divisions and an artillery division into at tacks in the winter-swept Nevel sector, and had "forced a short ening of the German front." "The Soviets attempting a major break through and using superior forces, broke into the German defense system which was threatened until the front Vwas shortened," he said. The German-controlled Vichy radio, supporting Hammer s an nouncement, said the Nazis were forced to retreat both southwest and north of Nevel. This was the most concrete news of Soviet success in the campaign which Berlin has re ported for a week in the Nevel "Sector and which Moscow con sistently has ignored. Observers were not discounting Germany's reports, however, inasmuch as Moscow customarily withholds news of new offensives until the Soviet command can announce a major victory. Many felt it probable that the Nazi reports of fighting around Nevel marked the start of the expected Red army winter offensive. Frigid Winds Blow "i At Expectancy prevailed here and ' in Moscow that the winter of fensive was about to start, with snow blanketing the Soviet front from White Russia deep into the Ukraine, frigid winds sweeping the steppes and the Red army, equipped with winter outfits. using horse-drawn sleds to bring up its supplies. Hammer said a 13-below-zero temperature covered the south ern and central sector of the Soviet front, partly freezing the iTipet and Dnieper rivers and enabling land forces to cross wide stretches of the Pripet marshes. The temperature was several degrees higher in the northern sector, the German broadcaster said. Front reports added nothing f to the Soviet command's briefest "7 ' communique In weeks, which reported no change except in the Kirovograd sector of the Ukraine where Gen. Ivan S. Konev's troops gradually Im proved their positions in their drive to outflank that industrial city and major Nazi operational base 62 miles southwest of Kre- menchug. Moscow's broadcast operational war bulletin said the Germans were dislodged from several for tified defense points today. It said the enemy repeatedly at tempted counterattacks to check the Red army drive on Kirovo grad but was repulsed with heavy losses. FLU NORMAL, BUT BERLIN IS 'BLUE Madrid, Dec. 18 (U.R) The Berlin correspondent of the newspaper Madrid reported that influenza cases in tne oerman caDital were not above normal for this time of year, but that another illness was afflicting the citv. namely "sui generis," which Berliners have named "melan- . cholly over ruins." It was explained that the mal ady consisted of an affliction of the spirit from contemplating the vast ruin spread by tne iuu . Fancy Shooting Ibis, Cal., Dec. 18 (U.R) Pfc. Ira L Waldrip, of Col lins, Ark., told his 41st tank battalion buddies they might try his old "squirrel-sniffing" technique on the battlefield: "Back in Drew county. Ar kansas, I aimed lust ahead of the squirrel's nose. The vacuum caused by the bul let's flight took the sauirrel's breath away and suffocated him." ' Nazis Stopped I Cr iLATVui yUe. -v RUMANIA ' r 5fifii.. I "thiusts NAZI THRUSTS i 1 Alf A MILD '.-J I ST NAZIS ' (Menu 7 tit photo) Map shows area west of Kiev where Red Annies apparently have stopped the Nazis' all-out onslaught on that vital city. Farther south, Russian forces striking west from Kremenchug, to support bridgehead In the Cherkasl area, captured Cherkesl. last German base on the west bank ol the Dnieper Rirer. E E Advanced Allied Headquar ters, New Guinea, Sunday Dec. 19 (U.R) Troops of the Amer ican Sixth army drove one mile east from the neck of the Arawe peninsula 'on southeastern New Britain island to seize Umtinga lu village from Japariese forces and capture enemy equipment and field guns, it was announced today. A spokesman for Gen. Doug las MacArthur . announced the continued expansion of . Amer ican positions as the - Yanks pushed forward to move their advanced lines three miles from the original landing . point on the Housefireman beach. - Japanese . forces, putting up some resistance," finally aban doned the village and much equipment, including three 75 millimeter field guns which were apparently used to break up the commando landing near Arawe Wednesday, ' preceding Itiie main invasion thrust. As the Sixth army moved ahead, proceeding over native trails crossing New Britain isl and, U. S. army and marine troops in the northern Solomons started a push to extend their lines on Bougainville island. south Pacific reports disclosed. A spokesman for Adm. Wil liam F. Halsey announced that the troops began pushing east ward and northwestward of Em press Augusta bay positions Wednesday, moving across the Torokima river with the support of artillery, air and light naval units. 2 DIE, 5 INJURED, Roseburg, Ore., Dec. 18. (U.R) A fire at the Lang hotel In nearby Sutherlin today killed two persons and injured five others, but at least 14 persons leaped from windows to safety. The dead were Mrs. H. F. Rich, 26, and her mother. Mrs. Annie Faisley, 64, both of Suth erlin. Injured were Russell Ander son, 33. his wife, Agnes, 31 their son, William, 12; J. W. Lang, 65 owner of the hotel, and Frank Bilyeu, 32. Lang and Bilyeu are In criti cal condition, while the others are expected to recover. The fire spread rapidly from an overheated stove in the lob by and most of the guests had to flee in their night clothing. First aid was administered by candlelight when power lines were short circuited by the fire. PILOT AVERTS CRASH Portland, Ore., Dec. 18 (U.R) T)i skill nt Pantain ftAnrfffi Dn.trnp amm uroH i t ctfi fnitov oith I averting a serious accident when a United Airlines plane bound from Seattle to Los Angeles landed at Portland and the land ing gear failed to function prop lerlv. Russians Go L GIVES BIRTH TO SIX LB. BABY BOY Portland, Ore., Dec. 18. (U.R) A fine healthy boy was born today to Mrs. Carolyn Davis Wilson, 20-year-old mother who was removed from an "iron lung" respirator to permit nor mal delivery of the baby. Attending physicians said the condition of the plucky young mother was only "fair." She Was. returned to. the- respirator, where she has been for nearly three weeks. Her husband, Air Forces Corporal Marvin Wilson, 21, flew -halfway around the world from India to be at her side. After debating several days on how to administer anasthesia to help her through the ordeal, the physicians said they ad ministered a little gas. She was not out of the respirator very long before the baby arrived shortly before 2 p. m. The baby weighed six pounds 10V4 ounces. " The chief worry was whether Mrs. Wilson would catch cold or suffer a relapse. Her physi cians were hopeful she would pull through. They praised her demeanor and confident spirit through the painful days and weeks since she contracted the paralysis. She even tried to shield her condition from her army husband but the Ameri can Red Cross arranged his emergency furlough when her condition made it necessary for her to enter the "Iron lung" at Portland's Hahnemann hospital. Buoyed up by his arrival, she was able ,to be out of the re spirator for as long as seven hours on some days but the in tervals grew shorter as the time for childbirth approached, She was out only an hour yesterday and probably could not have survived if the birth of the baby had required her to be outside very long. . . LETTERSREVEAL 'PEACE NOW' MOVE Washington, Dec. 18. (U.R) An apparently organized cam paign for a negotiated peace which would save Germany and Japan from the consequences of Allied Invasions has been launched in letters to congress men signed by George W. Hart mann, chairman of the "Peace Now Movement," it was dis closed tonight. House members who received the letters and accompanying literature almost unanimously denounced the movement as "misguided" or "playing into the enemy's hands." COL. NICHOLSON PASSES Vancouver, Wash., Dec. 18. (U.R) Col. Alexander M. Nichol son, 49-year-old quartermaster at Pendleton Field. Ore., died today from a chronic skin con dition. A former resident of San Antonio. Tex., Colonel Nicholson had been at Pendle ton 13 nontni. E CONFER WITH F.R. ON STRIKE TODAY President Intervenes In Move to Ward Off Rail Walkout ,; Washington. Dee. 18 (U.R) President Roosevelt today called representatives of the nation s railroads and of the me operat ing railroad brotherhoods to con fer with him at the White House tomorrow in an effort to ward off a strike scheduled to start Dec. 30. The White House, announcing Mr. Roosevelt's action, said the meeting would be held at 2:30 p. m., EWT. Spokesmen for the brotherhoods had revealed earli er In Cleveland that they had been called to the executive offices. The national mediation board cancelled a meeting it had sched tiled with union and manage ment representatives at Chicago Monday. It indicated it might offer its services again if no basis for settlement is found at the conference tomorrow. The 350,000 members of the operating brotherhoods have vot ed to strike Dec. SO in protest against an emergency board award approved by Economic Stabilization Director Fred M Vinson of a four cents an hour wage increase. They are de manding a $3 a day boost of tneir basic wages. Meanwhile,' officials of the 15 non-operating brotherhoods whose case is linked closely with that of the operating brother hoods were reportedly maneu vering in an effort to . force prompt house action on the sen ate-approved Truman resolution which would legalize the agree ment they reached last August with the railroads for an eight cents an hour wage increase. Vinson refused to approve that agreement on grounds lf: would be an out and out violation of the little steel fromula and would go far toward breaking down the administrations' stabilization program. LI ON SALE JAN. 3 Portland, Ore., Dec. IS 0J.B New cards for purchases at state liauor control commission stores to be validated through use of ration book No. 4 will be placed on sale Jan. 3, commis sion officials announced today, Jack Holden, supervisor of personnel and sales, said the per mit applicant must present an identification along with the book, as well as his address and signature. ' The new procedure will be lit tle different for civilians .than at present, although persons in the armed services will obtain their new cards on a slightly dif ferent basis. WILLKIE BUTTONS SENT TO SOLDIER Montclalr, N. J., Dee. 18 (U.R) Pfc. Edward Meyerson in the South Pacific-has the 500 Willkie buttons he wrote his family for but his parents are still "hop ping mad" that a censor's scis sors cut out of his letter the reason he wanted them. The letter asking for the but tons ran: "I want them to and the rest of the sentence was deleted. "First, we want to know why his reason was censored, Meyer- son senior said today. "And then, well, we still want to know why he wanted the buttons. LOS ANGELES HIT Los Angeles. Dec. 18 U.R Southern California was In for a little more of the same in the way of weather during the week end after a 24-hour storm had deposited .82 of an inch of mois ture by 6 o'clock tonight, the weather bureau announced. Precipitation for tha current storm brought to 3.61 inches the season's rainfall total for Los Angeles, compared with 1.06 inches to toe tame data last year. FIRST NAZI WAR CRIMINALS FACE HANGINGDEATHS Three Gestapo and Russian Traitor Doomed For Khar kov Atrocities. London, Sunday, Dec, 19. (U.R) A Russian military tri bunal condemned three German soldiers and a Russian traitor to death on the gallows for par ticipating In the massacre of soviet civilians and war prison ers during the Nazi occupation of Kharkov, radio Moscow an nounced today. All four defendants pleaded guilty to a long list of atrocity charges, including the machine gunning of Russian children and the asphyxiation of scores of per sons in mobile gas chambers which the Nazis had mounted on trucks. Radio Moscow announced that the death sentences were passed in Kharkov at 11:40 p. m. Sat urday night (Kharkov time) con cluding a three-day public trial. The condemned Germans were Pvt. Reinhard Retzlav, a mem ber of the 560th group of the German secret police; Lt. Hans Ritz, 24, of the Nazi SS elite guards; and Capt. Wilhelm Lang- held, 52, a captain in the Nazi counter-espionage service. Sentenced to die with them was 26-year-old Mikhail Bulva nov, who was accused of acting as chauffeur for one of the "mur der wagons" used by the Ges tapo for its lethal gas execu tions. It was the first formal convic tion of Nazi war criminals ac cused of committing atrocities against the population of occu pied territories and apparently foreshadowed similar grim Jus tice for other Gestapo hangmen and atrocity mongers captured by the red army. London newspapers attached great significance to the Khar kov trial, and the Sunday Dis patch asserted that the Russians would be Justified in executing every one of the 700,000 mem bers of the Nazi elite guard or ganization whom they may cap ture. London, Dec. 18.--U.R) The Soviet Union, through the of ficial Tass news agency, denied tonight that Bulgaria had ap proached Moscow with peace proposals under which it would quit the war but retain Mace donia and western Thrace. In a Radio Moscow broadcast, the Soviet news agency said: "Several British newspapers several days ago printed a re port from New York that Bul garia, through mediation with the Union of Socialist Soviet Re publics, put forward peace pro posals so as to quit the war under the condition that lt would retain Macedonia and western Thrace. "Tass has been authorized to state that this statement is ob viously untrue and not based on any foundation whatsoever." L LEADERS-JAILED Algiers, Dec. 18 (U.R) The French National Committee of Liberation has Jailed two prom inent French colonial adminis trators on charges of collaborat ing with the Nazis before the Al lied occupation of North Africa, and Is expected to announce shortly the arrest of Pierre Etl enne Flandin. former French premier, lt was learned tonight The arrested men were Pierre Boisson, former governor-gen eral of French West Afrlct, and Marcel Peyrouton, former polit ical deputy of French North Af rica, both of whom had been un der "house arrest" for some time. WILLKIE VISIT TOLD Caracas, Dec. 18. (U.R) The newspaper Ultimas Notlciaj. quoting usually well-informed sources, said today that Wen deU Willkie would visit Venezu- ela In the near future. No other detallf were given. "When iny bi w P aw rnm. HA Hi. innnm Roosevelt takes lt literally. During greeted her Maori guide with the traditional nose-ruoDing it the Maori custara of greeting. (Copyright, 1943, by Look Magazlnt from Acme telephotoj T T L Rennert, N. -C, Dec. 18 U.R Workers manning giant cranes and using acetylene torches cut their way inch-by-inch tonight into the wreckage of three twist ed coaches believed to hold the last unrecovered bodies of vic tims of the double wreck of two Atlantic Coast Line New York Florida trains which killed 72 and possibly 82 pre-hollday trav elers and injured nearly 150. The 72 known dead Included 51 members of the armed serv ices and 21 civilians, of whom 14 had .been identified some 65 hours after the wreck. In addition, Major F. F. Sny der, Maxton army air base of- ficer in charge of military casu- alties, said 10 WAVE enlisted women known to have been on the train were unaccounted for and believed trapped In the three coaches that had not been worked on before today, It was expected to be some time tomorrow before wrecking crews made enough progress to locate and extricate any victims whose bodies may be in the un opened coaches. London, Dec. 19. (U.R) The Sunday Dispatch said today that President Roosevelt Is expected to come to London for his next conference with Prime Minister Churchill, in order to spare the ailing British leader the strain of further travel. The report printed on the newspaper s front page, was based on a dispatch from its New York correspondent War Bulletins London, Dec. 18.' (U.R) The German-controlled Paris radio went off lh air shortly after 5 tonight. Indicating pos sible air raids on the conti nent. RAF coastal command Beau fighters, escorted by Typhoon fightars, attacked a large Gar man supply ship off the coast of Brittany by daylight to day. Two hits were scored with torpedoes and the ship was left afire. All planes re turned. London, Dec. 11 (U.R) An air alarm sounded In the Lon don area tonight at 10:45 p. m. All-clear sounded shortly after ward and no Incidents were reported. 'Chungking, Dec. It. (U.R) Chinese forces have recap tured more than 10 strategic villages .In the "rice bowl" area of central China and smashed a Japanese counter attack northeast of Changteh, killing more than 400 enemy troops, the Chinese high com mand announced tonight. The communique said fierce fighting was continuing In the outskirts of Ansiang and Nan shien, Japanese strongholds on the northwest shore ot Lake Tungtlng. tAcmm Teleohoto) da. men tha old saying, and Mrt her recent tour of New Zealand shi. Stockholm, Dec. 18 (U.R) The Swedish government an nounced today that lt had for mally warned Germany that further deterioration" in the relations between the two coun tries "cannot be avoided" unless the Reich abandoned its plan to deport 1200 interned Oslo uni versity students and professors to Germany. Dispatches from Norway indicated that Berlin was backing down. The Swedish communique, re- emphasizing Stockholm's natur al concern over Nazi actions in Scandinavia, said the note in which Is replied to German For eign Minister Joachim von Rib- (AnfMMa kmantia rfnmnnrl tt Ibentrop's brusque demand of uec. o mat Etweaen cease inter- fcring in German-Norwegian af fairs, was sent last Thursday. Possibility that the Swedish stand may have forced Ger many's hand was seen In Swedish dispatch from Oslo yes terday reporting that 600 of the arrested university students have been released from the Stavern concentration camp. The dispatch quoted well-in formed sources In Oslo as saying that It was expected that almost all of those Interned after a fire Nov. 27 in the university assem bly hall, which the Germans charged was sabotage, would be freed before Christmas, IS LABORS' PLAN London. Dec. 18 (U.R) The governing body of the Interna- tional Labor Organization, to an accompaniment of reminders of world hopes pinned on the Unit ed Nations' post-war social bet terment plans, today arranged the agenda for next year's ILO conference at which a "social mandate" will be laid down. At the same time, Chinese government representatives ini tiated a movement to have So viet Russia, which has been ex cluded from the ILO since lt withdrew from the League of Nations, brought back into the organization in time for the con ference, The Belgian delegates enthusiastically applauded the suggestion. (By United Press) ' Nazi propaganda minister Jos eph Goebbels, attempting to re vive his old theme of divide and conquer, says In the current Is sue of Das Reich that President Roosevelt, unlike Wood row Wil son, "will not let the British out- maneuver him," and that the British empire will crumb! with the U, S. and soviet Rus sia gobbling up the pieces. According to a Berlin broad cast of the article titled "The Phony Colossus," recorded In New York by tha United Press, even England itself will be "In herited later on" by the U. S. ALLIES PIERCE OF ITALIAN LINE Heavy Battle Raging to Force Germans to New Defense Positions. Allied Headauarters. Algiers. - Dec. 18. (U.PJ Allied troops, in fierce armored and street bat tles, have smashed into the out skirts of key Nazi defense strongholds on both sides of the Italian front, it was an nounced today as the Germans threw reinforcements from Rus sia into their sagging lines. bpearheaded by American shock troops, Lt. Gen. Mark W, Clark's Fifth army broke into the thick defenses of San Pietro Just north of the Rome road, and Gen. Sir B. L. Montgomery's New Zealanders battled into Or sogna'a streets on the Adriatic front after knocking out 13 Nazi tanks. Heavy fighting was reported still raging for both towns, Al lied capture of which would al- . most certainly force the Ger mans to fall back to new defense positions on each sector. . Eight miles north of San Pietro, another American spear head captured the mountain village of Lagone, situated at 2,000 feet two miles west of Filignano, after beating off sharp counterattacks. Only In the center of tha front did the Nazis' desperate resistance pay off when Ameri can troops made slight with drawals in the area of San Vln ' cento, six miles below Alfedena, under the pressure of heavy and sustained counterblows. With their defenses thus be ing systematically undermined, the Germans sent into action new division, the Fifth Moun tain. division, which ' arrived only recently in Italy from Rus sia and is the 14th enemy out. , fit to be Identified In the Italian fighting. ' Members of tha -new German division were captured in. the. fighting for San Pietro, which now was virtually surrounded by American troops who at tacked relentlessly from tha south, east and north. London, Dee. 18. (U.R) Prime Minister Winston Churc hill's temperature and lung ln- flammatlon are subsiding, an of ficial bulletin said tonight IndU eating that the British war lead er had passed the crisis in hit fight against pneumonia some where In the middle east. A statement Issued by No. 10 Downlg street, the prime mini ster's official residence, at 3:30 p. m. said: "There has been some irregu larity of pulse but the tempera-, ture Is subisiding and the pneu monia resolving." Most authorities were encour aged by the optimistic tone of the bedside bulletin, agreeing that it mean Churchill had passed the crisis and might be an '.'ambulatory patient" within a week or so. YULE VACATION Washington, Dec. 18 (U.R) Congress In a last-minute burst of speed cleared away its most pressing emergency legislation today and voted to adjourn for Christmas on Tuesday until Jan uary 10. As members scrambled on to the vacation bandwagon, Rep. Hatton W. Sumners, D.t Tex, urged them In a floor speech to remind the folks back home dur ing the holidays that "there la only one Job facing the nation to win the war." In an unusual Saturday ses sion, the house and senate sent to the White House legislation temporarily extending food sub sidies until Feb. 17 and passed a 8200,000.000 deficiency appro priation bill. NO PAPER DEC. 28 In order to conserve paper under the government's ra tioning program, the Mail Tribune will not publish on Sunday, December 26.
