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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1944)
ml Nlfi) 11 mm ek EDFORD United Press Thirty-ninth Year As rl s kVw Life few I P v T """3 t . (Acme Radto-Tetephoto , LEADERS VISIT BEACIIIIEAD Top-ranking military leaders of Great Britain visit Gen. Sir Bernard 1 1. Montgomery's headquarters In France to get first-hand view of Invasion operations. Left to right: Sir (Alan Brooke, chief of British general staff; Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, Premier Jan C. Smuts of South Afiica. Medford Tank 7 Flaming Battle Graphic descriptions of two flaming battles on Biak island in the southwest Pacific in which 25-year-old Capt. Rich ard Thierolf, tank commander from Medford, participated, has been told in press dispatches from United States Sixth Army headquarters. In one engagement, according to the dispatches, American Sherman tanks knocked out eight Japanese medium tanks in a head-on clash during a fierce enemy counter-attack launched the day after Yank infantrymen landed on the island. Advance Ordered Capt. Thierolf, at the micro phone in the control tank, gave his command "Hiball!" and the deadly steel monsters under his command roared forward. A large calibre enemy gun con cealed in a cave in a cliff was silenced as Capt. Thierolf turned his squadron in line to smash at the cliff face with a barrage of high explosives. After knocking out all the Jap guns the American tanks Battle Scene in Window Of Bond Sale Headquarters Depicting a battle scene com plete with soldiers, fox holes and sand bags, a window ar rangement now on display at the War Bond headquarters, 21 N. Central Avenue, urges citi zens to "back the attack with war bonds In the 5th war loan drive." In one window Is a soldier standing erect beside placard stating, "Pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" Declaration of Independence. - In the other lies a soldier manikin fallen on the field of battle, with his gun beside him and the resolution, "That these honored dead shall not have died in vain" Abraham Lincoln. Charles Clav Sr., business manager of the 5th War Loan drive in this area, stated today that bond sales are mounting steadily, but more are needed to fill the quota. Bonds may be purchased at any of several business houses and Issuing agencies, or at the headquarters on N. Central Avenue. Sales to date In the Fifth War Loan Drive $413,170.75 "E" Salei Quota u.. ..$77,09375 ..$600,000 Total Quota for Countf , .... S2.267.000 Full Leased Wire jft5 ,. -v 7Vr 4 i Mi y me 11 r-i Commander Has Role In Against Japs On Biak withdrew for a fresh supply of ammunition, but a short time later enemy tanks were sighted coming down a road. The Amer ican tanks, reloaded, let them have it and the Japs turned tail and fled without firing a shot. Another dispatch told of how U. S. tanks, after decisively de feating Jap tanks, had with drawn to a rear position to rest and make ready for the next day's battling. Hot, dirty and exhausted, the crews had Just dropped off to sleep at night when Japanese artillery located the concentration. Guns Outranged Desperately the tankmen jumped into their vehicles and began returning the Jap fire with their 75's, which were no match for the heavier enemy guns. For three hours the clus ter of tanks fought through the uneven battle, trying in vain to locate the distant enemy guns. Finally, after American in fantrymen, fanning out to pro tect the tanks, had suffered heavy casualties, Capt. Thierolf requested and was granted per mission to withdraw his tanks, and also the infantry. The withdrawal began but it didn't get far before it was stopped by road blocks set up by Japanese infiltration troops. As the line of tanks stalled Jap art.llery once more got their range, setting one tank afire. Jap Suicidists Busy Soon after, fanatical Jap sui cidists ran toward the American tanks with sticks of dynamite and tank mines in their hands. One big Jap, a large mine tied to his back, ran to within 15 feet of one tank before Amcr-j lean machine-gunners blew up Knockout for Germany by Jan. 1 Is Hope of U. S. Military Leaders Washington, June 1 5. (U.R) Artine shortly after announce ment that American super-bomb ers had raided Japan, tne nouse today passed and sent to the senate a $49 109,922,795 bill to finance the army's world-wide operations during the fiscal year startinj July 1 Washington, June 15. U.R) The nation's military leadership now holds the "hope" that Ger many will be knocked out of the war by Jan. 1, Rep. J. Bucll Snyder, D., Pa., revealed today. He spoke to the house In his capacity as chairman of an army appropriations subcommittee to 'urge passage of a $49,109,002, 795 supply bill to meet war de partment expenditures for the (fiscal year starting July. 1. MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1944. the mine and the Jap with a bulls-eye hit. The tanks, however, finally fought their way clear and withdrew to safety after the night of horror. Capt. Thierolf, unmarried, is the sun of Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Thierolf of 907 South Oak dale avenue. He was graduated from Medford high in 1937 and from the University of Oregon in the spring of 1941, and im mediately entered the army. He received his basic training at Ft. Ord, Calif., and from there was sent to the cavalry school at Ft. Riley, Kan. From Ft. Riley he was sent to Ft. Bliss, Tex., where he trans ferred to the tank corps and received special training. He was sent overseas in the sum mer of 1943 and has been in the southwest Pacific since. SECOND FINN LINE BY London, June 15 (U.R) A Moscow communique reported tonight that Gen. Leonid A. Gov orov's Red army had broken through a second strongly forti fied Finnish defense zone In new advances on the Karelian isth mus. In six days of the offensive aimed at knocking Finland out of the war, the Russians were reported tonight to have smashed through two strong FiiM-.!?h lines advancing 25 miles and widening the break-through area to 45 mi'es. "This bill," he said, "provides Gen. Eisenhower with his knockout punch. The first round started June 6. The day of the last round we Just cannot pre dict, but we can fervently hope that it will come before snow flies again." "It Is the hope of our military leadership," he added, "that Germany will be out of the war before another year begins." Snyder referred to the mea sure as the "Hitler doom bill" and as one which "will soften To jo for his doom that shortly will follow." Lt. Gen, Joseph T. McNamcy, deputy army chief of staff, warned the committee recently that the scale of coming battles would be "beyond anything heretofore experienced." Cherbourg Isolation Near LASTJJFELINES 2'j Miles Gain in Few Hours Puts Invaders Within 4' Miles of Roads. Allied Supreme Headquarters, London, June 15 (U.R) Amer ican troops partially isolated Cherbourg today by driving to within 414 miles of the last German transport lines out of the great French port and bring ing them under artillery fire and aerial bombardment. The Americans last were re ported seven miles from the Cherbourg escape lines in their drive across the waist of the peninsula and the new positions represented gains of 2V4 miles within a few hours against mounting resistance as the Nazis struggled to protect their escape alley out of Cherbourg. ' Yanks Fan Out The United States assault forces were fanning out through Normandy In three directions, rolling up steady gains above Montebourg, below Carentan, and westward across the waist Of the peninsula, and threaten ing to seal off completely the Cherbourg port, the richest pri mary prize of the Invasion cam paign. Striking westward on a nine mile front, the Americans were 4V4 to slightly more than seven miles from the west coast rail road and highways at a number of points and already were pounding those vital Nazi ar teries with their artillery. Near St. Sauveur West and northwest of Pont L'Abee the Americans were within 4V4 to five miles of St. Sauveur-Le Vicomte, through which run the main west penin sula highway and railroad fromi Cherbourg, as well as the Dig gest canal on the peninsula. The front running northwest from Carentan was a little over even miles from La Haye-Du Puits, through which the high way and railroad also pass. German resistance became steadily more intense as the Americans approached the trans port lines. The Nazis poured In reserves In an attempt to hold the tip of the peninsula or keep open an escape route for the evacuation of the -Cherbourg garrison. " Supreme headquarters dis closed that Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley's expeditionary force was expanding its gains above Montebourg, 14 miles from Cher bourg, west of Carentan where a six-mile advance had been re ported previously, and to the southwest In the same sector. Heary Fighting While the Americans slugged their way forward against vio lent German resistance In some sectors, heavy but Inconclusive fighting raged all along the remainder of the 105-mlle front. Field dispatches from France said Marshal Erwin Rommel was throwing frh mraniry ana panzer" divisions from all parts of France into a counterattack of mounting intensity which the German high command sald(Was "moving toward its climax. Savage street fighting still raged in Montebourg for the third straight day as the Nazis battled to block the American drive toward Cherbourg, strik ing on north and northeast and stabbing towsrd Valognes, 10 miles southeast of the big port. The Allies got another weath er break, and combined fleets of fighters, fighter-bombers and medium bombers blasted and raked the Germans along and Immediately behind the battle lines. Tribune United Press Full How The French Pronounce 'Em By United Press Here is how the French pro nounce the names of the towns the allies are fighting for today: Tilly Sur Seulles "Tee-lee Suhr Sir-ye" Caen "Kahn" St. Lo "San Loh" Carentan "Kahr-ohn-tahn" Montebourg "Mohn-ti-boorg" Valognes "Vahl-oyn-ia" P.O.R. OUTLINES L PEACE COUNCIL Washington. June 15 U.R) President Roosevelt today for the fil"st time outlined this gov ernment's plans for an interna tional post-war security organi zation to be built around "A council, annually elected by the fully rcprusentativo body of all nations." In a statement Issued shortly after he met with Secretary of State Cordell Hull and post-war planning experts of the state de partment, the president said this government oroposed that the council cnncrn Itself "with peaceful settltment of Interna tional disputes and with the pre vention of threats of the peace or breaches of the peace.". Court of Justice "There would also be an In ternational court of justice to deal primarily with justifiable disputes," the president said. "We are not thinking of a super-state with its own police forces and other paraphernalia of coercive power," the president said In the first authoritative, public outline to come from this government. "We are seeking effective agreements and arrangements through which the nations would maintain, according to their ca pacities, adequate forces to meet the needs of preventing war and of making Impossible deliberate preparation fw war. and to have such forces available for joint action when necessary." P Southeas Asia Headquarters, Kandy, Ceylon. June 15 U.R) British Chindit forces broke In to the outskirts of the Japanese stronghold of Mogaung. in north ern Burma, and captured an ammunition dump containing 200 carloads of arms and muni tions, It was announced today. Striking suddenly out of the jungles east of Mogaung, the Chlndits overwhelmed the sur prised enemy garrison and seized the entire arms cache, believed to be the principal supply depot for the encircled remnants of the Japanese IRth division at Mo gaung and Kamalng. Oklahoma Governor Is Demo Keynoter Chicago, June 15 flJ.R) Gov. Robert S. Kerr, of Oklahoma, a staunch administration sup porter, was selected today to deliver the keynote address at ths Democratic national conven tion which opens in Chicago July 19. Kerr, who was among the first to advocate a fourth term for President Roosevelt, was picked as temporary convention chairman and keynoter by a unanimous vole of the conven tion arrangement! committee. Leased Wire NO. 72. 10 VOTE AGAINST SALESTAX PLAN State Convention Hears Re ports From Committees; Favor Bank Stock Change Grants Pass, June 15 Mem bcrshlp of the Oregon State Grange was urged by the State Grange interim legislative com mittee Wednesday to defeat the sales tax proposal which will be on the November ballot as con vention committees made their reports to the 71st annual state session being held In Grants Pass. The committee followed a long-standing Grange policy in urging that the sales tax be defeated. Support of the proposed con stitutional amendment to discon tlnue the double liability re quirements on stock of state chartered banks was recommend ed by the committee, as was the Burke wine bill, which . was oassed by the last session of the legislature and which has been referred to the people by refer endum petition The bill would reaulre that all fortified wines and liquors be sold only through state oneratcd liquor stores. The State G'ange agricultural committee recommended, among other things, that the sale of un economic size farm units be dis couraged and that farmers liqui date their debts In order to be free of debt when post-war re adjustment takes place. Garden Need Stressed The committee report also stressed the need for continu ance and expansion of the Vic tory Garden program, both for farmers and urban residents, In order to forestall food shortages which ml"h become acute at a future date. Among resolutions passed were those recommending that money used In post-war building should finance public work proj ects of lasting benefit, that the state game commission set aside annually a Dortion of license fees to finance feeding of deer report ed starving In eastern Oregon and that a real dirt farmer serve on the peace rnuncll. Harvest Bright J. Ralph Beck, state supervisor of the Emergency Farm Labor Board, told the session that the outlook was very bright for the successful harvesting of Oregon crons. With the help of women, children, business men and Mex ican laborers crops will be har vested on time, weather permit ting, he said. Two points were stressed by Beck, namely, that farmers or dering harvest help must trans port them to the fields, and that the labor he gets Is not a replace ment, but only a substitute. E. L. Peterson, state director of agriculture, said the principle of subsidies Is wrong and opined the need does not exist. He list ed the government agencies that are vitally affecting the con duet of agricultural activities as the OPA, ODT War Foods Ad ministration, War Production Board and the Wnr Manpower commission. BASEBALL National Pittsburgh 1 4 1 Cincinnati 0 8 0 Butcher and CameUI; DcLa cruz and Mueller. American Philadelphia .... 18 1 Boston . 5 8 0 Harris and Hayes; Hughson and Conroy. U. S. wine drinkers consumed an estimated total of 93,560,000 gallons in 1943. Attack Marks Opening Of New-Type Offensive Gen. Marshall Reveals Washington, June 15. (U.R) Rep. Joe Starnes, D., Ala., told the house today that the super-Fortresses In their attack on Japan today "successfully bombed Tokyo in a very heavy raid." Washington, June 15. (U.R) bombers today attacked Japan Marshall hailed as the opening step the Japanese. The raid on the enemy's homeland the first carried out by American airmen since the famed Doolittle raid of 1942 was announced bj the war department in a brief statement which gave no details but said merely: "B-29 Super-Fortresses of the United States army air forces 20th bomber command bombed Japan today." Mariana Landing Also R;"'d This first announced raid by the new B-29'; came at a time when U S. forces were pushing back the enemy throughout the Pacific. Only today ihe Japanese radio reported that American forces had ' landed in the Marianas Islandsonly 1,500 miles from Japan and a doorstep to American re-entry into the Philippines. The Super-Fortresses hit Japan from distant bases somewhere in the China-Burma-India theater, the war department disclosed. The China-Burma-India theater is a vast territory covering millions of square miles. But Marshall pointed out that the B-29's are capable of striking from "remote bases" and indicated that they might have flown from almost any part of that theater. The department's announcement disclosed for the first time the existence of the 20th air force, a new organization which will have jurisdiction over all Super-Fortress activities. New Super-Fortress Huge It was the first time the huge new "Super-Fortresses" were revealed to have been in action, although their existence has been known for some time. Information made public coincidental with announcement of their attack revealed that they could have dropped their bombs from a height of more than 30,000 feet; that they could have cruised toward their objective at more than 300 miles an hour, and that they are half again as large as Flying Fortresses and Liberators. Gen. Marshall said since the power of the new bombers is so great, the 20th air force would not be confined to a single the ater. The new organization will remain under a central control of the joint chiefs of staff, with Gen. Henry H. Arnold, chief of the army air forces, directing B-29 operations throughout the world. Major Talk Fore "The planes will be treated as a major task force in the same manner as the naval task forces are directed against specific ob jectives," Marshall said. Arnold said the use of the ships in combat "brings actual ity to an air force's plan made years In advance for truly glob al aerial warfare." He hailed the B-29 as "a highly complicat ed and most deadly airplane, capable of delivering the heavi est blows yet known through air power." "I assume the heavy responsi bility for its employment under the Joint chiefs of staff with full confidence in its potential use," he said. Doolittle First The first raid on the Pacific enemy's homeland was on April 18, 1942, when 18 B 25 Mitchell medium bombers commanded by then Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle now a lieutenant-general-took off from the deck of the U. S. aircraft carrier Hornet and bombed Tokyo and four other cities. That raid resulted In consider able destruction, but was costly to the United States In that all but one of the 18 planes crash landed In China. The one excep tion landed In Russia, where its crew was Interned. B-29 SUPER PLANE Washington, June 15 (U.R) Here are the known features of the new Boeing B 29 bombers which bombed Japan today: Construction All- metal monoplane. Size 08 feet long, 27 feet, high, with 141.2-foot wing span, half again as large as the Fortress or Liberator. Power Four 2,000 horse power Wright cyclone en gines, nearly twice the power of the Fortress. Bomb capacity Carries a greater bombload farther, fast er, and higher than any other airplane In existence. Speed 300 miles per hour, plus. Celling Well over 30,000 feet. Armament Multiple-gun power turrets, .50 caliber machine guns and 20 mm. cannon. Weight and range -"Very heavy and very long." Before wartime restrictions, Americans were eating twice as much ice cream as they did 20 years ago American "Super-Fortress" B-29 proper in what Gen. George C. In a new-type offensive against Mniur IS CLOSEST YET TO Pearl Harbor, June 15. U.R United States assault troops have landed on Salpan Island, Japanese base in the Marianas, and are fighting against strong opposition In an invasion that moved our ground forces to within 1449 statute miles ot Tokyo, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz announced today. The landings were carried out by strong American forces after a U. S. Pacific fleet laid down an -Intensive preparatory bom bardment on Salpan, nearby Tinian, Pagan, Guam and Rota Islands In the Marianas chain. Sea Force Aids Carrier planes and a "portion of the battleships, cruisers and destroyers of the Pacific fleet," laid down the protective bar rage for the American foot troops going in at the beaches, . Admiral Nimitz said. Initial reports from the Inva sion front indicated our casual ties were moderate. The communique did not mention landings at Tinian, which previously had been men tioned by Toklo radio. 1000-Mile Step (Tokyo radio, beginning early this morning, issued a series of Domel News agency bulletins describing two "attempted" landings during a heavy fog Thursday morning.) The invasion of Salpan repre sented a 1,000-mile amphibious leap for American forces driv ing toward Tokyo. It pounded a big wedge through Japan's island empire. The landing was a bold bid for a strategic air and naval base which would put our war planes within five hours' flying time cither of Japan proper or the Philippines. SIDE GLANCES Br TRIBUNE REPORTERS City Cop Walter Relnklng call. Ing Grants Pass long distance and getting Klamath Falls. Navy Rec-uiter Herb Crain pleased no end at what the Japs are currently receiving from the Yanks. Charley Clay reminding citi zens that war bond headquarters Is not so rushed but that addi tional .business can be cared for.
