Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, December 28, 1943, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., December 28, 1943, Page 1, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text' Weather ' Parecutt Occatfooa light ntiu toolght and Wedneulaj, LHtl. tomperatara clunge. Temp. Highest yeterday . 61 Lowest thlt morning , Sft Precipitation part 4 hi. Cm The MAIL TRIBUHI Want Ad Way Quick Result At Small Coil , . Medford Tribune United Pim Full LMsed Win United Press full Uutd Win Thirty-eighth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1943. NO. 236. Hi m . n n niw . News Behind The News By Paul Mallon fc Washington, Deo. 28 The of ficial headlines have cheered us with almost daily victories through 1943, but any sober c o ntemplation of 1944 must make us look behind them at the reality of o u r w a ef- II in xiaiy, me Pacific is lands and New Gul .ea, we raul Mailoa have been en gaged in- cost ly, brave but token-scale fight tag. A very small fractlo of our massive army has even now a month more than two years I after war started seen the venemy. There have been official estimates that 2.500.000 (pos sibly about a third of our pre paring army) will be overseas by New Years day. Official pronouncements dis close that we had four divisions . In action in Tunisia, five in Slcl'v. and four or five in Italy about 60,000 to 75,000 men flshtins at a time. About half these divisions have carried on through, so that only half of them may be as sumed to be additional troops. These considerations would fur nish an estimate that a little over 100.000 men had yet seen action on this front. On Guadalcanal and In the Solomons, three different dlvis . ions have bei'n . mentioned. Jp yjlew Guinea, elements of two ' more have been officially de clared. A division Is supposed to have been involved at Attu. Thus in the Pacific, the es timate could be safely placed at around 90.000 in action, plus the 19,000 regulars who fought for the Philippines. CERTAINLY few more than 200.000 troops one tenth it the land force supposed to be overseas now. and only an infini tesimal 2V4 per cent of the army (Continued on Pgo Pour) APPEAL FILED IN Salem, Ore., Dec. 28. (U.R An appeal was filed in the state supreme court today from a Multnomah circuit court order restraining Tom Ray of Port land, business agent and secre tary of the Boilermakers' union, from acting as an official of the union. An order signed by Circuit Judge E. M. Page enjoined Ray from his duties as secretary of the union. The action was brought by Otto W. Mursener, official of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. The court ordered Mursener and the International Brother hood to establish bond of $100, 000 to protect Ray in event the court's enjoiner proved wrong ful. Ration On Sugar Holds Unchanged Washington, Dec. 28. (U.R) Suear rations for home use will remain unchanged for another two and a half months it was disclosed today as the Office of Price administration announced validity dates for sugar stamp number 30 In ration boon lour. SIDE GLANCES By TRIBUNE REPORTERS MB T Bob Kyle, Sr., reminiscing Knot U'nrlH war I when he joined both the navy and the army. Jean Luckey maintaining that it was more romantic to cut the family Christmas tree in the forest Instead of merely buying one from the corner lot. State Policeman Willard Ruch attemotinf to overtake a speed Ing tractor driven by J. C. Deaver. E 4,000 DEAD IN ZHITOm AREA Allies Consolidate Mountain Positions Overlooking Road to Rome in Italy. By United Presi A two-pronged Russian winter offensive, gathering momentum almost hourly, ripped deep into the German defenses guarding the aproaches to Poland and Ru mania today, while allied forces in Italy bent back the Nazi lines on the Adriatic coast and consoli dated their mountain positions overlooking the central road to Rome. Gen. Nikolai F. Vatutln's 1st Ukranian army, estimated by Berlin at 500,000 men and 1,000 tanks, surged forward 14 miles along a 20-mile front west of Kiev, piling up huge German cas ualties in the center and south ern wing of the enemy lines and engulfing another 100 towns and villages. - Nasi! Reel Back The hard-pressed German forces, weakened by their abor tive six-week counteroffensive, reeled back in disorder toward Zhitomir and its companion Junction towns of Berdichev and Kazatin, leaving more than 4,000 dead and scores of wrecked or captured tanks behind. One Soviet column closing In from a the southeast thrust to within 16 miles 'of Zhitomir and captured the railroad town of Stepok, only 75 miles from Poland's prewar frontier. Another advanced spearhead burst into Vcheraishe, 24 miles east of Berdichev and 135 miles northeast of the Rumanian bor der, capturing huge stores of arms and ammunition abandoned by the fleeing enemy. Beat Natia Down In northern White Russia, the second Soviet winter offensive beat down savage German re sistance around the key railroad town of Vitebsk and converged on that stronghold from the northwest, northeast, and south east. More than 2,000 German troops were Kuiea in one sector of the Vitebsk area alone and the fast driving Red armies beat down as many as 20 separate enemy counterattacks. With the main Moscow-Riga railroad line east of Vitebsk cut by the Russian siege arc, the Nazi garrison was dependent entirely on the high way line running south of Vi tebsk and the evacuation of the town appeared imminent. Russian forces also were on the attack in the northern half of the Dnieper bend after smash ing repeated German counter attacks in the Kirovograd sector. Cold In Italy In Italy, American, British, and French Moroccan troops, lighting in bitterly cold weather, battered steadily at the Nazi de fenses guarding the inland road to Rome. American 5th army troops cap tured two more enemy strong- points on Mount Sammucro and brought the strategically impor tant village of San Vittore un der complete Allied observation. Advanced elements of the Amer ican wing consolidated their positions less than 1V4 miles from the village. Berlin reports said German troops abandoned Ortona last night. MATH ELIER PRESUMED DEAD Santa Barbara, Cal., Dec. 28 (IMS Second Lt Kenneth Cameron Wilson, marine flier from Klamath Falls, Ore., was reported missing and presumed dead today by officials of the marine corps air station. Wilson's Torpedo bomber col lided In midair with another while on a routine training flight Sunday 30 miles at sea over the Santa Barbara chan nel. The pilot of the other plane parachuted to the ocean and was picked up by fithcrmen, General Marshall Back in U. S. bt.VL 4rm TWffphnM Inspecting the huge Douglas aircraft plant at Long Beach, Calif., is Gen eral George O. Marshall, Army chief of staff, shown here with factory head, Donald Douglas. The Inspection took place upon Marshall's re turn to this country from the Cairo and Teheran conference and other war zones. Scharnhorst Sunk While Menacing Allied Convoy London, Dec. 28 (UP.) The admiralty revealed todajr that an outgunned British cruiser force intercepted the 26,000-ton German battleship Scharnhorst off Norway's North Cape Sun day and forced the big enemy raider to break off an attempted raid on a Russia-bound Allied convoy. IN FLUE Salem, Ore., Dec. 28. -01.(9 State, and school departments today reported Increased ab sences due to Influenza. Approximately one-fourth the city school enrolment, 1,243 students, were absent from classes today. Seventeen teach ers were ill. Superintendent of City Schools Frank Bennett said the epidemic would have to become worse before schools were closed. The secretary of state's de partment, rushed with license application filings, reported 30 employes absent with colds or influenza. E JAP AIR BASES By United Press The fall of Japan's major air bases In northwestern New Brit ain and complete Allied aerial domination of the southwest pa cific battle area appeared as sured today as American inva slon forces widened their beach heads around Cape Gloucester and closed in from two sides on the twin enemy airfields behind the cape. : Front reports, trailing as much as 36 hours behind the action. said American tanks and artil lery were attacking the airfields only a few hours after the Ini tial marine landing early Sun day morning, and it was consid ered possible the airfields might already be In American hands. MILITARY FUNERAL FOR SELECTIVE SERVICE AIDE Salem, Ore., Dec. 28 (U.R) Military funeral services were held today for CapL Jack M. Routh. 3 Oregon selective serv ice assistant, who died Friday nlgdt of a heart attack. Routh bad been connected with the state military depart ment since 1937. He was a na tive of Salem, and was employed on the stuff of the Astorian Budg et at Astoria before Joining the state military. ,V1 1 Disclosing for the first time details of the spectacular Arctic naval battle that ended in the death of the Nazi battleship the last seaworthy capital ship in the German navy the ad miralty said the Scharnhorst finally was sent to the bottom by a torpedo launched by the 8,000-ton cruiser Jamaica. . Contact At Dawn The first contact with " the giant German surface raider was made in the half-light of the Arctic dawn Sunday, when the 9,925-ton cruiser Norfolk inter cepted the Scharnhorst driving toward the convoy in an at tempt to bring her big guns to bear on the helpless merchant men. . The Norfolk moved into range and opened up' with her eight- inch guns, scoring at least one hit on the raider, which then turned back to the south and headed at top speed for the shel ter of the Norwegian fjords, despite the fact that she mount ed main batteries of nine eleven inch guns. . The Norfolk and supporting cruisers and destroyers from the convoy escort closed in behind the fleeing raider and chased her southward for several hours before drawing . within range again. - In the subsequent exchange, the Norfolk suffered one shell hit aft, but the British flotilla clung to the chase and after dark the destroyers raced In close to drive three torpedoes into the hull of the Scharnhorst, forcing it to reduce speed. The Scharnhorst finally went down at 7:49 p. m. - Some survivors were picked up from the water, but the ad miralty gave no indication as to how many of the 1,400 offi cers and men aboard the Scharn horst were rescued. STORM WARNINO San Francisco, Dec. 28 (U.R) The weather bureau announced today it has posted small craft warning on the California coast from Point Arguello to the Ore gon border and in the San Fran cisco bay region. Radio Highlights - Washington, Dec. 28 (U.R) Secretary of War Henry L. Stim son will explain the army's op eration of the nation's railroads In a radio address tonight at 7 o'clock, FWT. The four major radio networks will carry the ad dress. Transcriptions will be re broadcast in western states at 7 p. m, FWT. Army Prepares to Use Soldiers If Railroad Men Stage Strike; End of Steel Walkout Ordered AMERICA USING SECRET WEAPONS KN0XD1SCL0SES Japs and Nazis Feel Sting of Gadgets Not Known to Them; Achievements Told Washington, Dec. 28. (U.R) American secret weapons are being employed against the Ger mans and Japanese, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox said today. This disclosure was made In a' summary of the past year's achievements of the various navy bureaus, released by Knox at his news conference. Discussing the work of the Bureau of Ordnance, Knox said: Navr Not Idle i "In the field of new weapons, or secret weapons, the navy haa by no means been Idle. The Japanese especially have ' felt the sting of weapons which' al though greatly improved, never theless are of conventional types. Japanese and Nazi alike, however, also have felt destruc tion wrought by weapona not known to them, and will con tinue to do so." Knox also revealed that there are six times as many aircraft carriers, including the escort types, In commission as there were when the Japanese at tacked Pearl Harbor, and that the carrier's offensive sting has been greatly increased by the Corsair and Hellcat fighters, the most powerful carrier - based fighting planes in the world. Big Pilot Incsease 1 Knox said that twice as many pilots were trained this year as last and that the total number of navy pilots now is five times the total of two years ago. Two and one half times as many navy planes were built during the second year of war as in 1942, of which 73 per cent were combat types compared with 60 per cent a year ago. ... . - . " INVASlDNlTfERS London, Dec. 28 U.R) Ger man radio broadcasts and reports from neutral capitals indicated today that a new attack of inva sion litters has gripped Nazi mili tary commanders defending tne coanal outposts of Hitler Euro pean fortress. Apparently alarmed oy in tensified A1 1 led Invasion prepara tions and the appointment of a supreme Anglo-American com mand to direct the final assault Europe, the Germans were said to be hurriedly reinforcing their defenses from Norway to the Dodecanese islands. AMERICAN EQUIPMENT PROVES SUPERIORITY Allied Headquarters, Algiers Dec. 28 (U.R) A staff officer said today that the Italian cam paign had proved the superior ity of Allied tanks and tank de stroyer over corresponding Ger man equipment. Carjtain Vincent Ruwet of Tor- rington. Conn., member of the headquarters staff assigned to training plans, said the fighting In Italy had established the value of the Allied training technique and had shown the Infantry to be , " uf.h" . , his post as publisher of the Port the. queen of battles. i.h n,.ooi.n nvt f,,M th. NO PAPEh JAW. S ' In order to conseive paper under the government's ra tioning program, the Mall Tribune will not publish on Sunday, Jan. 2. U. S. Submarines Bag 12 More Jap Ships Washington, - Dec. - 28 (U.R) American submarines have sunk 12 more Japanese ships in a con tinuation of crippling assault on the enomy'a heavily-burdened supply lines, the navy announced today. The latest victims of the U. S. navy a underseas fleet included a destroyer, seven freighters, two large tai kers and two medium sized transports. They brought to B36 the total of Japanese ships hit by subma rines in this war 386 sunk. 36 probably sunk and 114 damaged. The 12 latest Japanese victims IS TOLD BY KNOX ' Washington, Dec. 88 U.B The navy announced today that an American destroyer was sunk In the landings on Cape Glouces ter; New Britain island, end this was the only U. S. ship lost in the operation. - Secretary of Navy Frank Knox had announced earlier at his press conference that a small coastal transport also' was sunk, but the navy said It was later learned the transport was only damaged. The loss of the' destroyer brought to 134 the total of Amer ican vessels lost In this way and occurred during the Japanese air attack which followed the initial landings. ' Casualties Untold Knox said that the navy had not received any Information on casualties In the destroyer sink ing and he did not disclose the name of the warship. The trans port he described as a small craft only 100 feet long. Knox at his press conference called attention to the "usually extravagant Japanese claims that they had sunk two American heavy cruisers and two large transports, and heavily damaged three other large transports in the latest New Britain opera tions last week end. Chicago, Dec. 28 (U.R) Henry E. Voegell. 67. manager of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, died today. He had been 111 of pneumonia 10 days, Palmer Hoyt Raps Officials Who Try Fright Psychology New York, Dec. 28 (U.R) Palmer Hoyt, director of the domestic branch of the Office of War Information, today sharp ly criticized the high but un identified government official who last week predicted heavy American war casualties In the next 90 days as a means of combating complacency on the home front. He declared that fast, realistic reporting of both defeats and victories such as the hard-hitting newspaper accounts of the bloody battle for Tarawa would do more to drive home the seriousness of the war "than all the lectures of all the high government officials concerned." In what may be his last speech ' New York sales executive group that he disagreed with those Washington official who felt that the way to offset overcon fidence was by "lecturing or frightening the people." "Only th other day, th newt- were the largest number cov ered In a single U. S. navy an nouncement in some months. There has been increasing evi dence that Japan's shipbuilding Industry has been unable to keep pace with the losses Inflicted on its merchant fleet by American submarines. Well over one-third of Japan's merchant tonnage has been destroyed and reports from the southwest Pacific showed that they have become largely dependent upon barges for trans port and supply. These have been especially vulnerable to aerial bombing and strafing. SNELL TO CONFER SEEKING SESSION Salem, Ore., Dec. 28 (U.R) Gov. Earl Snell will confer to day with five Portland legislat ors who have suggested s spe cial session be held to provide extra funds for post-war project. Members of the Portland grbup are State Senator Irving Bind and Stat Renrtsentatlv John Hall, Phil Brady, Leo Smith and Dean Bryson, all ef Portland. The Oregon War Dad, a Port land organization, has asked that a session be called to cancel part of the 75 per cent state Income tax reduction voted by the legis lature In regular session early this year. The group suggested the money be used to finance post-war projects. Gov. Snell, In a radio address Sunday night, said he doubted whether the legislature, which voted only nine months ago to reduce income taxes, would re verse itself. The governor has reminded the Portland group the post-war readjustment and development commission has listed projects totaling $300,000 for which funds now are avallble or obtainable. TOO DANGEROUS Washington, Dee. 28 (U.R-- The labor department today ad vised aircraft plants that vari ous Jobs are considered too haz ardous for 16 and 17-year-old workers and these workers shot id be shifted. papers carried an Interview with a high official who declined to be named," Hoyt said. "This official undertook to lecture the American people on taking the war seriously and sought to drive home his point by predict ing that we would suffer a half million casualties In the next 00 days." Such "rash predictions of dis asters to come" is hardly the way to upset complacency, he declared. Hoyt said it was the duty of OWI "to see that dur country gets equally full and frank re porting on the home front' and not, as some "amateur propa gandlsta" seemed to think, to "spoon-feed the public with whatever ideas or attitudes are considered desirable at the mo ment." It lr essential, he continued, to Insure an orderly flow ol news out of the nation's capital because "nothing can be so dis couraging and so confusing to a willing public . . . than a con fused set of signals from Wash ington," GEN; SOMERVELL OF enaltles To Be Invoked Against Strikers Under Smlth-Connally Law. Washington. Dee. 28. ll.Pl The army is prepared to operate the natlon'a railroads with sol dier In event of strike and im pose penalties against striken under the Smlth-Connally labor act and other laws, Secretary , of War Henry L. Stlmson and Lt Gen. Brehon B. Somervell deolared today. inese statements were made at a . new conference while three rail union still were standing, technically at least, on strike call for Dee. 80. ' Doubt Strike '. It was generally believed.' however, that the three holdout unions ultimately will rescind me strike can as 17 other rail' union already have done. " Meanwhile, the danger of general steel strike appeared to nave been averted as worker responded to government and union order that they end a' week-end stoppage and go back' to th mill. - ' Stlmson and ' Somervell aald their aol objective was to keep th railroads running o that th war would not be interrupt ed. Somervell, commander , of th army service force,' wee placed In charge of the railroad when the government took then over last night. Conditions Frosen Wages and working condi tions that existed as of 7 p. m. last night will be frozen for th duration of the army's control, they said. These included awards of wages to the Brother hoods of Railway Trainmen and Locomotive Engineers under th president's arbitration. Stimson quoted from letter written by Gen. Henry H. Arn old, commander of the army air forces, which stated that th railroad strike would have th effect of "virtually paralyzing the war effort of the army air forces." He said the seriousness could not be exaggerated. The strike would immediate ly stop the flow of army air force technical supplies, the ex port of drum gasoline, and ex- nause the supply of aviation fuel in the United States in five days. Each day's Interruption of railroad traffic from strikes, Arnold said, would represent the equivalent of the loss of day's production of about 300 airplanes which could never be made up. Would Cripple Army ' Somervell said Arnold's ap praisal of the effect on the air force would apply equally to the ground and service force and interrupt the movement of troop overseas. Somervell said army officer and men with railroad experi ence were being assembled at key points so they could be used if necessary In operation of th railroads. He said it was th Intention to use them as neces sary to supplement railroad men who chose to stay on th Job. Those who want to work would not be replaced. : Somervell said security ar rangement were under th authority of the nine service command. He said no mov was being made to augment th military police now assigned to railway property, but this would be done If necessary. The railroads as of 1 p. m. last night became federal prop erty to which federal law ap plies. Somervell said the Smlth Connally anti-strike act and con spiracy acts specifically would apply to strikers.