' 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.