Yankee Shock Troops Storm Cherbourg Outer Defenses
PORT WILL FALL
SAY OBSERVERS
Nazis Given No Chance for
Sea Escape Defenders
Are Badly Demoralized.
Allied Supreme Headquar
ters, London, June 20 (U.R)
American shock troops stormed
the outer defenses of Cherbourg
five to six miles from the heart
of the city today, and 14 miles
to the southeast captured Mon
tebourg, one of the most bitter
ly defended German bastions
encountered In the Normandy
invasion.
Lt. Gen. Omar N." Bradley's
forces drove in to clamp an as
sault arc against Cherbourg,
reaching its suburbs in some
sectors, beating down German
resistance so disorganized in
some places that observers pre
dicted the great French port
would be in American hands
within two days.
30,000 Doomed
Naval authorities at supreme
headquarters put the seal of
doom on the survivors of an es
timated 30,000 Germans
grabbed by the U. S. drive
across the Cherbourg peninsula,
declaring that they had virtual
ly no chance of evacuation by
sea.
Toppling German strong
points behind the Cherbourg
defenses in a concentric drive
against the port, the Americans
seized Montebourg and a num
ber of lesser villages, and 10
miles southeast of Cherbourg
Invested Valognes - from the
east, west, and southeast.
Other U. S. forces bending
back the center of the German
defense line around the Norman
beachhead drove to within two
miles of St. Lo, rail and high
way hub at the base of the
Cherbourg peninsula.
Farther around the Allied
front, British troops seized Hot
tot, two miles southwest of cap
tured Tilly-Sur-Seulles.
On Wide Front'
The converging push against
Cherbourg appeared to encom
pass the entire front below the
port. The Americans held Mon
tebourg In strength and were
clamping an assault rc sgninst
Valognes, four miles to the
northwest.
Whether the outer defenses of
Cherbourg could be carried on
the momentum built up during
the smash up the peninsula, or
whether Bradley would have to
call a halt to move up heavy
forces while artillery pounds a
way into the town was any
body's guess, but many of the
guessers were on the port being
taken in short order.
Moscow, June 20 (U.R) So
viet vanguards reached the out
skirts of Viipuri, back door to
the Finnish mainland and Hel
sinki, today and front dispatches
indicated the enemy's retreat
had been turned into a com
plete debacle.
Russian tanks and infantry,
converging on Viipuri over high
ways and forest trails on a big
arc from southwest to east,
captured town after town intact
and swept on in pursuit of the
fleeing Finns.
The Finnish army appeared
to have been disorganized com
pletely by the Red army's swift
smashing of the Maijnerhelm
line and two other defense lines
farther south in the Karelian
isthmus in the first 11 days of
an offensive designed to knock
Finland out of the war.
(Finnish quarters in Stock
holm forecast the fall of Viipuri
within 48 hours.)
Collaboration Plank
Is Favored For GOP
Washington, June 20 U.R)
A six-man republican platform
subcommittee, it was disclosed
today, has unanimously recom
mended a condensed version of
the party's mackinac declaration
for postwar international col
laboration as one of the planks
in the 1944 GOP platform.
SIDE GLANCES
Br
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Leland Brophy gloomily re
viewing all the trials and tribu
lations of farming.
Richard Payne turning into
the man-of-the-hour by discov
ering and reporting a fire at
Valentine's.
Maury Spatz explaining that
his case of poison oak was un
doubtedly caused by touching
some of those kind of leave.
my,
IViEDFORDttl R I BUM
United Press
Thirty-ninth Year
jff"
(Acme) Telephoto)
GERMANY'S SECRET WEAPON ROBOT PLANES Here is an artist's conception of a German robot
plane, made from British Home Security drawings. The pilotless aircraft has a 16-foot wlngspan, Is
35 feet lonz and carries the equivalent of a 2000-pound bomb. The propulsion unit is mounted above
the plane's tail.
2
Eugene, Ore., June 20 U.R)
Officials of the Oregon State
Federation of Labor today
awaited a ruling from national
headquarters of the American
Federation of Labor on the
State Federation ousting of dele
gates from five unions, an action
taken in annual convention ses
sions here that included election
of state officers.
New officers, elected at final
sessions Sunday, are:
Volney Martin, Portland, pres
ident; John O'Neill, Portland,
secretary-treasurer; Charles W.
Crary, Medford, vice president;
John Gillard, guard, and Ted
Fry, conductor.
Executive board members
named included District 10, Don
Stancell. . - - , . -
Delegates outd, for asserted
failure to affiliate, with their
district councils, were from the
following locals:
Eugene Carpenters, Corvallis
Laborers, Grants Pass Carpen
ters, Tillamook Laborers and
Medford Carpenters.
At the Medford Labor Tem
ple W. M. Garfield, manager of
the Medford Carpenter's local,
stated that William L. Coombs
was the Medford delegate to
the convention. Mr. Garfield
had not been informed of the
convention's action and could
make no statement until hear
ing from Mr. Coombs.
Crary, named .vice - president
of the Oregon State Federation,
is business manager of the Med
ford Electrician's Union, Local
659. Stancell, elected to the ex
ecutive board as a representa
tive from District 10, is secre
tary of the Medford Teamsters'
Union, Local 962.
HETMlBONS
NEW NAZjSEGRET
London, June 10 (U.R) The
Germans introduced another "se
cret weapon" today, a foot
square box which rises to a
height of 6000 to 8000 feet and
then springs open to release
long, silvery strips apparently in
tended to foul the propellers of
attacking airplanes.
The strange new anti-aircraft
missile was used for the first
time today In attempts to de
fend robot plane launching pat
forms behind Pas de Calais from
Allied air attack. It was report
ed to have been completely in
effective. Airmen speculated that the
strips, apparently metallic, were
designed to foul propellers, but
others believed it was more like
ly that they were aimed to throw
off whatever device the Allies
us to locate and bomb targets
through the clouds a condition
which prevailed over much of
the Pas de Calais today.
Dr. Hedges Elected
Chiropractic Chief
Portland, Ore., June 20 U.R)
Dr. A. R. Hedges, Medford, is
the new president of the Oregon
Association of Chiropratic Phy
sicians. Other officers elected at the
meeting here Monday night were
Dr. J. W. Sargent, Portland, vice
president Dr. Charles H.
Rhoades, Portland, secretary
treasurer; Dr. R. D. Ketchum,
Bend, Oregon representative to
the National Chiropractic as
sociation, and Dr. Roy L. Dunn,
Roseburg, Chaplain.
Full Leased Wire
Tlf nn.t.. I
Four Big Nazi Oil Centers
Blown Up By Yankee Planes
London, June 20 U.R) A record fleet of 2250 American
heavy bombers and fighters blasted four big Nazi oil centers in
to roaring pillars of fire today. "
The mighty blow at the heart of -the German war machine
evoked only meager opposition from the battered Luftwaffe.
Switching suddenly from the i
tactical campaign against enemy
communications in northern
France, the 8th Air Force sent
well over 1500 Flying Fortresses
and Liberators and half as many
fighters over northwestern Ger
many to bomb and burn syn
thetic and natural oil refineries
at Hamburg, Hannover, Magde
burg and Poelitz.
Other American heavies
crossed the Straits of Dover to
smash for the third time in 24
hours at the robot plane cata
pults in the Pas de Calais area.
Staggering Blow
The staggering blow at Ger
many's fast-dwindling oil re
sources was carried out in per
fect weather that enabled the
American sky giants to lay their
high explosives and incendiaries
squarely across the targets,
They came over their objec
tives almost unopposed and left
great billowing columns of
smoke and flame towering thou
sands of feet in the air. Two
hundred miles away on their
homeward flight, the American
crewmen still saw black smoke
clouds, evidence of the success
of their attack.
PROPERTY VALUES
GROW IN COUNTY
Total net taxable valuation of
property in Jackson county has
been placed it $27,747,670 for
the 1944-1945 tax year, as
shown in the annual summary
by the assessor's office. This is
an increase of $633,700 over the
1943-1944 tax year when it was
$27,113,970. Assessor C. A. My
ers reported there was an in
crease in the valuations and a
cut in the tax levy. The above
figures do not include the pub
lic utility valuations which are
fixed by the state.
Real property vale Is fixed at
$22,847 110, an increase over
last year when it was $22,113,-
970. The personal property valu
ation is listed at $4,900,560, an
increase of $110 over last year.
An Increase is shown In the
number of beef cattle, dairy
cows and poultry,, with hogs
lower and sheep and goats with
only a small gain.
Y
Purchase of the old Jackson
County Bank building at the
northeast corner of Main street
and Central avenue was an
nounced yesterday by Leland
Brophy, Medford Jeweler. The
building was owned by the
United States National Bank of
Portland houses the Lantis and
Johnson shoe store, the Law
rence Jewelry store and Herman
Nigl's shoe repair shop.
At the time of purchasing the
bank building Mr. Brophy as
quired a 12'i-year lease on the
Vawter building adjacent on
Main street and which houses
his Jewelry business, the Needle
Art shop and Dr. Frank A.
Freeburger'f office.
LAUCK
U.S. SUB GRAYBACK
BELIEVED LOST IN
PACIFIC THEATER
Washington, June 20 (U.R)
The navy today announced the
loss of the 1,475-ton U. S. sub
marine Grayback, presumably
in the Pacific whera American
snhmerslhles are taking a high
toll of Japanese shipping.
Skipper of the vessel, who
was listed as missing along with
the ship's complement of ap
proximately 65 men, was Cmrd.
John A. Moore, of Memphis,
Tenn.
The first U. S. submarine to
be announced lost in three
months, the Grayback was ap
proximately 299 feet long with
a 27-foot beam.
The vessel was commissioned
in June 1941. It is the fifth un
dersea craft of its class to be
lost in the war.
The Grayback is the 24th
American submarine and the
160th naval vessel sunk in this
war. American submarines in
the Pacific have sunk 607 Jap
anese vessels, probably sunk 36,
and damaged at least 115 more.
The Grayback, under Moore's
command, had been credited
with sinking an auxiliary cruis
er and two freighters on one
mission for which Moore was
awarded the Navy Cross.
Henry Wallace In
Chungking To See
Chiang Kai Shek
Chungking, June 20. (U.R)
Vice President Henry A. Wal
lace arrived in Chungking to
day with personal representa
tives of Gen. Chiang Kai Shek
and American Ambassador Clar
ence Gauss who flew with him
from Sinkiang, China's vast
western province.
Wallace and the Generalis
simo rode together in an auto
mobile to Chiang's residence
where they had tea. In the wel
coming party were Dr. T. V.
Soong, Chinese foreign minister;
Dr. Sun Fo, president of the leg
islative Yuan of the Chinese na
tional government; U. S. Ambas
sador Clarence Gauss and other
members of the American diplo
matic corps.
"I come from Siberia, one of
the newest lands, to begin my
visit In one of the oldest," Wal
lace said at the air field.
He said he had entered China
via Sinkiang, "through the back
door, but I believe developments
of the coming years will prove
me right in saying I've entered
through the new front door."
BOLT HITS AEfolAL ON
GOLD HILL RESIDENCE
Gold Hill, June 20 (Spl.)
Lightning struck an aerial pole
at the home of Mrs. Joe Blair,
during Sunday's electrical
storm, ripping shreds of wall
paper and insulating paper from
the walls of an upstairs room,
where Iron bolts held the aerial
in position from the inside. For
tunately the paper did not Ig
nite, although it was badly
scorched in streaks. A large ra-
Idio, downstairs was silenced.
MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 194
POWERFUL AMERICAN AND JAP FLEETS
MAY TANGLE IN FAR WESTERN PACIFIC
BRITISH WIPE OUT
ISOLATED NAZIS
IN OLDPERUGIA
Germans Resume Retreat to
North Alone Entire 150
Mile Italian Battlefront.
Rome .June 20 (U.R) British
8th army wiped out isolated Ger-,
man rear guards in the streets
of the ancient cathedral town of
Perugia today as French colon
ials smashed the last organized
resistance on Elba after a light
ning 78-hour campaign that cost
the enemy 500 dead and wound
ed and more than 1,900 prison
ers. Official reports disclosed that
the Germans had resumed their
retreat to the north along all the
150-mile Italian battlefront un
der savage attack by allied war
planes and the pursuing 5th and
8th army ground columns.
27.000 Prisoners
Approximately 27,000 enemy
prisoners already had been
rounded up by the advancing al
lies since the start of their of
fensive little more than a month
ago and the bag was mounting
rapidly. 1
Bad weather that limited
aerial operations and left trucks
and troop cars bogged deep in
mud appeared to be the major
factor slowing the allied advance
on all fronts, and there was no
indication that the enemy was I
yet ready to stand and fight in
force. 1
The Elba campaign, mean-j
while, came to a blazing climax
at noon today when the last Nazi
stragglers and snipers were
rounded up and killed or cap
tured. Halt Repair Work
On Old Normandie
New York, June 20 (U.R)
The former French luxury
liner Normandie, now the
U.S.S. Lafayette, is lying idle
at the Todd shipyards, and no
repair work is being done on
the ship once scheduled for
conversion into an American
troon ship.
"The Lafayette remains at
the Todd shipyards in Brook
lyn for preservation," an offi
cer of the third naval district
said. '
The Lafayette burned and
capsized at her Hudson river
pier in February, 1942, as she
was undergoing conversion
from passenger liner to navy
uses. She was raised at a
cost of $3,750,000.
Surprise Attack By Naval Task Force
Hammers Matsuwa Island, Key Jap Base
By Rusiall Annabel
United Press Staff Correspondent
Aboard a United Stales Flag
ship Off Matsuwa Island, June
13 (Delayed) (U.R) A strong
naal task force ghosted In
through dense fog before dawn
this morning to surprise Jnpan's
key naval and air ferry base on
Matsuwa Island in the central
Kurlles and subject the instal
lations to a half-hour bombard
ment, the heaviest ever deliv
ered in this sector of the Pacific
front.
The warships making the dar
ing foray under the command of
Rear Adm. Ernest Gregor Small,
Washington, D. C, steamed in
under enemy coast defense bat
teries and threw In a terrific
volume of fire before the Jap
guns could open up or enemy
bombers could get Into the air.
Complete Surprise
The surprise was so complete
and the effect of the shelling
so demoralizing that no resist
ance developed so far as the
commanders could dctermint.
Only a few wild shot were fired
in return.
The strike was the deepest
penetration yet made In force
into Japanese waters, for Mat
suwa lies only 400 miles from
the big, thickly populated north
ern home island of Hokkaido
and 900 miles from Tokyo.
The action was coordinated
UnlU
L
BY
REMAINSJN BILL
House Insists On Amend
ment to Ag. Department
Appropriation.
Washington, June 20 U.R)
The house insisted by a vote of
219 to 124 today on retaining in
the agricultural department ap
propriation bill an amendment
to ban "political or lobbying"
activities of department em
ployes. The house also voted to cut
funds for the farm security ad
ministration but concurred in a
senate-approved provision allo
cating $1,500,000 to cover opera
tion of the farm tenancy act and
$40,000,000 for rural electrifica
tion administration loans.
The conference report on the
measure now goes to the senate
with strong indications that it
will be returned to the confer
ence committee for further ef
forts to resolve differences.
Extend GuayuU
The house earlier had voted
299 to 43 to extend the $35,
000,000 guayule rubber experi
mental program.
The house reduced farm secur
ity administration funds for lend
ing activities from $96 710,000
to $67,500,000 and cut the ad
ministrative fund from $28,265,-
000 to $26,000 000.
Rep. John Tuber, R , N. Y., op
posing the granting of any funds
at all to FSA, charged that ad
ministrative costs represent 39
per cent of the total appropria
tion. L
FREED FOR DRINK
Washington, June 20 flJ.R)
War Production Board Chair
man Donald M. Nelson today
notified distillers that their
August Industrial alcohol output
will not be needed, freeing their
facilities for the manufacture of
more than 50,000,000 gallons of
whiskey.
Nelson said he made the de
cision after Rubber Director
Bradley Dewey advised him
that alcohol requirements for
the synthetic rubber program
will be about 20,000,000 gallons
less than had been estimated for
1944 and about 30,000,000 gal
lons less than expected for 1945.
with naval operations taking
place In the central Pacific and,
according to the commanders,
was unique as one of the few
times a naval force has attacked
an enemy air base without
fighter support and the first
time such an operation has been
carried out in heavy fog.
During the half-hour bombard
ment, approximately 5,300 pro
jectiles were hurled into the one
and one-half square mile base,
equalling the bomb load of
around 120 Liberators. The ac
tion was supported along the
Kurile chain by bombers of the
11th AAF and Venturas of Fleet
Air Wing Four.
Before the attack, a bugle
call sounded general quarters
through the steel passageways
of this warship at 3:30 a. m,
In Thick Fog
The task force turned In to
ward Matsuwa, knifing through
the grey fleece of the fog, so
thick you can't see the length
of the ship.
For three days we had been
hoping to get within range be
fore the enemy detected us, and
now It was beginning to appear
that we were going to achieve
a complete surprise. We were
so close to Japan proper any
thing could happen. We knew
the enemy had warships, bomb
ers and submarines which could
be used against us. The Japs
-FuU Leai.d Wire
mil itii&ilM i-i--.
(Acme) Telephoto)
ITALY PREMIER Ivanoe Bo
nomi, Italy's new premier and for
mer underground leader, who suc
ceeded Badogllo when King Victor
Emmanuel delegated his powers,
FEAR CHANGSHA
TAKEN BY JAPS
Chungking, June 20 (U.R)
Japanese forces have broken into
and probably captured the flam
ing city of Changsha after a
whirlwind three-week offensive
through Hunan province that
threatens to cut China In two
and Isolate her from her western
allies, a communique disclosed
today.
More than 50,000 Japanese
shock troops, Including picked
veterans rushed down from Man
churia, launched the final as
sault on Changsha Sunday, at
tacking behind a massive aerial
and artillery bombardment.
By mid-day, the city's outer
defenses were beaten flat and
the Invaders smashed into the
streets, while strafing fighter
planes turned Its crowded build
ings Into flaming torches.
Bitter street fighting ranged
on until nightfall when Chung
king lost radio contact with the
outnumbered defenders, and it
was indicated they had been
forced to surrender the city, a
key point on the Canton-Hankow
railway.
BABE WINS
- Chicago, June 20 U.R Babe
Didkriksen Zaharias, using her
superior power to recover from
many off-kilter shots, defeated
Margaret Russell of Detroit, 4
and 3, today in the initial match
of the 15th women's western
open golf tournament.
would not be expecting an at
tack In such weather, because
no such operation ever before
had been carried out In the fog.
At 5:15 a. in., I . t out onto
the wing of the brid' e. I didn't
hear the warning nuzzcr and
was crossing the platform when
the first salvo was fired. There
was a dazzling flash, a wave of
heat and then a thunderous
concussion.
I thought "Ihey got us a di
rect hit on the bridge" before
I realized it was our own guns.
Half Hour Hammernig
The fog-shrouded task force
hammered the unseen island for
half an hour, maneuvering all
the while at top speed, each
ship maintaining its appointed
position.
It was a deadly war drama
of the sort you could hardly
believe even while taking part
In it. It was certainly too much
for the Japs, with the shatter
ing rain of high capacity shells
breaking among their hangars,
barracks and supply dumps.
The shelling was so demoral
izing, they fired only a few
errptic shots, and none of our
ships was touched. We had no
casualties, either combat or op
erational, and not an enemy
plane took off to offer resist
ance. If there were any Japa
nese warships nl the area, they
prudently retired.
Weather
Forecait: Cloudy with show
ers tonight and Wednesday.
Slightly cooler. Temp.
Highest wterday 84
Lowest thla morning 60
Precipitation oast 24 bra, . M
NO. 76.
JAPANESE LOSE
300 PLANES IN
Futile Stab at U. S. Task
Force Seen Tip-off Jap
Carriers Near Squadron.
By United Press
Powerful units of the Amer
ican and Japanese imperial fleets
prowled the war western Pacific
virtually within battle range to
day, after a desperate air-sea
fight in which the enemy lost
more thon 300 planes In a futile
strike at the big U. S. task force
supporting the invasion of the
Marianas islands.
Displncnra thnf mnma Af 4fc
emy planes were launched from
turners raised me possibility
that the Japanese naval com
mand might at last be ready to
risk its battle fleet in defense
of the Marianas, only four hours'
flying time from Tokyo.
One U. S. Ship Damaged
The Japanese were believed
to have sent a strong task force.
Including carriers and escoi ting
warships, within range of the
American task force to launch
their attack Sunday. There was
no official comment on that pros
pect from Admiral Chester W.
Nlmltz' Pearl Harbor headquar
ters. The abortive attack on the
American fleet off the Mari
anas cost the Japanese the bulk
of their striking force and re
sulted in damage to only one
U. S. ship.
American plane losses were
not announced Immediately, but
the enemy's casualties were the
heaviest they have suffered
sine the climactic battle of Mid
way, more than two years ago,
when about the same number of
Japanese aircraft were de
stroyed. Many of those planes,
however, went down with their
wrecked carriers.
Take Asliio Field
The crushing blow to Japan'
waning aerial strength came as
American marines and army
troops fought their way across
the southern end of Salpan isl
and In the Marianas and cap
tured the Asllto airdrome. Sea
bees wero reported already at
work repairing the 3600-foot
lanning Held which, If extended.
comn accommodate the
B-29 Suoer-Fnrtrna
new
A JannnpiA vm.. .!-..
aid
30,000 American troops had been
landed no Sairan. It claimed that
Japanese planes wero attacking
the supporting American fleet
continuously and that they sank
Six U. S. Wflrhln tamltttaA It
others, and shot oown more than
' pianes since June 12
Other American air forces
were on the attack over the cen
tral and southwest Pacific,
smashing at Truk and Rebaul.
IROWCTED
L
George Moro was elected to a
three-year director's term at the
annual school election of the
Griffin Creek district held last
night. R. R. Childs, who has
served on the hoard for the past
12 years, declined election for
another term.
Harold Tolle will serve ai
chairman for the coming year
and the third member of the
boord is Roy Guches.
Patrons at the meeting accept
ed the financial statement and
approved a tentative budget sub
mltted by the board. Mrs. Myrtle
Wilson was reelected as school
clerk.
Sales to date In the Fifth
War Loan Drive
8762,502
"E" Sale! ,
Quota ,
..$171,637.50
.SBOO.000
Total Quota
for County
12.262,000