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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 25, 1944)
Weather Forecast: Fair with little change In temperature Sunday. Temp. Highest yesterdar . 81 Lowest this morning 67 freclpltatlon past 24 hrs. . 0 Use The MAIL TRIBUNE Want Ad Way Quick Results At Small Cost Medford Tribune United Press Full Leased Wire Untied Press- "-eased Wire Thirty-ninth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 1944 NO. 80. WW EOT "j 1! l I ' Mi DOUGHBOYS OPEN FINAL DRIVE TO CAPTURE PORT German Effort to Evacuate By Sea Fails Enemy . Weakening Fast. Allied Supreme Headquarters, London, June 24 (U.R) Ameri can troops seized the last heights overlooking Cherbourg today and swept down to the southern and southwestern edges of the city while British warships smashed a German effort to carry out a "Dunerque" evacua tion. With aerial and naval support, the Yanks had knocked out all but one of the forts on Cher bourg's southern approaches and driven within three-quarters of a mile of' the main city. Battered and exhausted after four days of incessent pounding and with two of their divisional eenerals killed, front dispatches said the 30,000-odd Germans in and around Cherbourg were raDidlv weakening. Late Saturday the doughboys launched a final aiiacn irom nau.lv wnn htrhta under a ringing order to "push the b s over ana wain mio town." With a bayonet charge, they captured a huge stronghold of 16 subterranean rooms which had somehow absorbed the snock of the tremendous, three-aimen-sional bombardment. Advance Raold - Henry T. Gorrell of the United Press watched the charge irom an observation point itself only two kilometers just over a mile from Cherbough. Earlier he flew over the beseiged city In a Piper Cub observation plane and reported seeing the Ameri cans "advancing en masse to ward their final objectives." "The Infantry's advance .anU " fjnrrpll said. He' also noted a number of German ships in the harbor, pos sibly meaning that the enemy would make other evacuation at tempts like Saturday's pre-dawn getaway aboard seven small merchant ships escorted by E boats and armed landing craft. The British blockade patrol nrnmnllv .Sink tWO Of the VCS- . sels, seriously damaged three others and left tnem wallowing helplessly off Cherbourg while the remaining two succeeded in running through to Alderney in the channel islands. The British forces suffered superficial dam age and a small number of cas ualties. Gorrell reported after his Pipe Cub flight that the front was surging down on Cherbourg from the heights north of La Mare a Canards. The town Is a mile from the Cherbourg limits and troops north of there were within three-quarters of a mile of the city. Allied headquarters said that If the enemy garrison did not surrender within a few hours the fighting might develop Into alow and costly street battles. Gorrell reported from the front, however, that the Ameri cans reached heights overlook ing the city at 3:20 a. m. with only slight resistance. Many Quit About 1,250 Germans had sur rendered in the Cherbourg area In 24 hours and this fact, plus the enemy's failure to react to the breaching of the port's peri meter defenses "indicates a rapid deterioration of the enemy morale and ability to defend Cherbourg much longer," a front dispatch said. More than 300 Marauder bombers saturated Cherbourg's defenses In a series of raids be fore noon, but a thick weather front precluded almost all aerial support in the afternoon. Richard McMillan of the United Press said long-range can non, field artillery, naval guns, tanks and infantry as well as planes were "all massing fire upon the Citadel, which Is belch ing smoke and flames as the Ger mans attempt to destroy it." Fires were burning In the cen ter of the city and at several points east and south of It, ac cording to a London Evening News dispatch by a corespon dent who flew over the front. Warrens r pet li&m. tarns WhlJ Dov. and Mrs. Earl Warren bid farewell to their children as they leave Sacramento, Call!., executive mansion for O O. P. convention in Chicago. On top steps (left to right) are daughters Virginia, 16; Dorothy, 13, and Nina, 10. On lower steps, sons Earl Jr, 14 (left), and Robert, 8. The family, pet, Brownie, wags his goodbye STRIKE VOTE ON EYED BY UNIONS Portland, Ore., June 24 U.R) Labor leaders freely predicted that lumber workers would de mand a legal strike vote under the Smith-Connally act following the War Labor Board's second denial of a general wage increase in the fir and pine industry, but no action was taken, pending outcome of labor meetings begun here today. Executive committee members of the AFL Northwestern Lum ber and Sawmill Workers con vened here late Saturday after noon to map a course of action. The negotiating committee of the International Woodwrkers of America (CIO) will begin here Wednesday, Worth Lower;, president, said. Michael Costello. secretary of the Puget Sound council of the Lumber and Sawmill Workers' union (AFL) said In Seattle he believed members would take no precipitate strike action. "With the Invasion of Europe now under way and with lumber . playing a vital role In the war. I am sure there will be no illegal work stoppage," Costello said He said the workers were less Inflamed now than a month ago when they staged a wildcat strike that paralyzed much of the lumber Industry in five northwest states. He said he was confident they would continue their efforts to get higher pay in a sane and orderly manner. IIMf Washlngon, June 24 (U.R) The Office of Price Administra tion tonight denied that it de scribed as "widespread reports" that used cars will be rationed beginning July 10. OPA said it has not been di rected by the War Production Board to ration used cars and the Office of Defense Transporta tion and WPB have not reached any decision as to whether used cars will be rationed. Price ceil ings on used cars will go into ef fect July 10 as previously an nounced, OPA said. WALLACE ENDS VISIT rhiinffklne. June 24 (U.R) Vice-President Henry A. Wallace Inft hern todav after a four-day visit marked by Informal, frank discussions with Gencralif.nmo Chiang Kai-shek during which thv found themselves in agree ment on the urgent necessity of defeating Japan, aid to China i and establishment of a democrat-! ic peace In the Pacific. I Leave for GOP Convention BULLETINS Sacrahiento, Calif., June 24 (U.R) The Pacific Coast league cellar champion Sacramento Solons continued their jinx over the leading San Francisco Seals tonight with a 5-2 victory for their tenth victory in 13 starts against the Seals. With Earl Porter dishing up nine hits to the Seals but hold ing them to single tallies in the sixth and eighth, the Solons' jumped on Bill Werle for 13 hits and two runs each in the second and third and one in the sixth- The win cinched the scries for Sacramento, making the game count four to one. San Francisco 2 9 3 Sacramento 5 13 0 Werle and Sprinz; Porter and Steiner. Seattle 18 0 Oakland 4 9 1 Speece and Sucme; Pippen and B. Raimondl. Oakland, Cal., June 24 (U.R) Seattle's second-place Pacific Coast league club found the go ing tough against the seventh place Oakland Acorns tonight, dropping a 4-1 decision in a tight contest. Washington, June 24 (U.R) German planes. In the first an nounced raid on American ' shut tle" bombing bases in Russia, destroyed "a number" of Amer ican planes and killed three crew members, the war department said tonight. The terse ar department an nouncement said further details are not available. The long-planned "shuttle" bases were first used June 1 and 2 when American strategic bombers landed in the Soviet after bombing Rumania, pre sumably from starting points in Italy. On Thursday and Friday this week part of a mighty part of 2000 planes wheeled onto the Russian fields after loosing 2300 tons of bombs on Berlin It was believed that several of these bombers landed In Russia from England for the first time. Tonight's announcement re vealed that the Nazi airmen had blasted at two Russian air dromes, apparently catching sev eral American planes parked on the airstrips. This would indi cate that the German raid came In the nature of a "surprise" at tack. NEW GEODETIC OFFICE Portland, Ore., June 24 (U.R) A Portland office will be added to the coast and geodetic survey to aid In extensive field work planned for this area, Rear Adm. L. O. Colbert, director of the bureau, disclosed today. 'SHUTTIFBOMBING BASES IN RUSSIA RAIOEO BY NAZIS I Acme Telenhoio) T TAKE 470 TOWNS, CIRCLE VITEBSK London, Sunday, June 25 (U.R) Triumphant Soyiet armies broadening their summer-often sive have captured more than 470 towns and settlements in White Russia on a 125-mile front east of Mogilev to northwest of the virtually encircled fortress city of Vitebsk, Moscow an nounced today. In three orders of the day, Marshal Josef Stalin announced that Soviet armies had advanced as much as 25 miles and on four separate fronts had breached strong German fortifications for as much as 50 miles. The Soviet objective seemed to be to crush White Russian defenses In a single stroke and open the road to the Baltic States and East Prussia of the Reich Itself. Stalin's order also revealed the Russians had cracked the Finnish defense line along the entire length of the Evir river between Lakes Ladoga and One- ga northeast of Leningrad and had freed more than 200 towns and settlements In a three-day offensive. More than 470 towns and set tlements along the extended and blazing front from east of Mogi lev to northwest of Vitebsk have fallen to Soviet troops in the first two days of the Red army s summer offensive, Marshal Stalin and Moscow's war bul letins revealed today. More than 6,100 Germans were killed as Soviet forces advanced as much as 25 miles on four separate fronts in White Russia and breached strong German fortifications for as much as 50 miles in a bold effort to crush Nazi White Russian defenses in a single stroke and open a path to the Baltic States and East Prussia. . T New York, June 25 (U.R) The first casualties of the Nor man beachhead to be returned to the United States were Iden tified by the war department to day as Lt. Col. Michael C. Mur phy, a glider pilot, Lafayette, Ind., and Pfc. James A. Lester, engineers corps, Clio, Mich. They arrived here last night In an ambulance plane of the air transport command and are in the old Cantonment hospital, Mitchell Field. Murphy's glider steered Into a tree near St. Mere Eglise dur ing the first minutes of the in vasion on June 6. Lester was wounded by shrapnel while land ing on a beach In the first wave. NEEDED TO KEEP TWO-PARTY ROLE Gov. Bricker Urges More H i s t o r y At Crossroads, Less At Washington. Chicago, June 24 (U.R) Dem ocrats and Republicans have "much in common today," Gov. John W. Bricker of Ohio said tonight. "Neither has much to say In Washington," he smiled. Speaking before 2000 persons under the auspices of the Chica goland Brisker for - President committee, the Ohio candidate for the Republican presidential nomination said the party must carry its campaign to "the cross roads and to the people." "More history must be made at the crossroads and less at Washington," Bricker said. "The people will be better off for that. Let us now resolve to make his tory at the crossroads this year." America is "strong enough to change leaders in the midst of war," Bricker said, "if we ought to change." "The president Is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces," he added, "but he is not the commander-in-chief of the American people. "The rights of the people will be preserved in a Republican victory. A Republican victory Is necessary to save the Repub lican party and the two-party system and the Democratic par ty as well." Ward Seisure Hit Brlcker's address before the committee was extemporaneous. Then he made a nation-wide 15- minute radio broadcast. Bricker attacked the govern ment s recent seizure of the Montgomery-Ward plant in Chi cago and the "New Deal propa ganda campaign" by govern mental agencies. The seizure itself was ' "hot half as dangerous," Bricker said, as Attorney General Francis Biddle's statement "that no busi ness in America is Immune from attack." "If that philosophy of the New Deal is true," ho said, "we are already under a dictatorship." And the endorsement of Presi dent Roosevelt for a fourth term by the Communist party and the CIO political action commitec "alone was sufficient to justify a Republican victory," he said. ALLIES' SUPPLIES E Allied Supreme Headquarters, London, June 24 (U.R) Less than three weeks after Allied forces surged ashore on the beaches of Normandy, the land, sea and air forces have won the battle of supply dispatches from United Press front correspond ents showed tonight. Robert Miller, who has been covering the communications battle aboard PT boats in the English Channel, reported from an England port that supplies now were moving to France on an "endless conveyor of ships." He said Nazi air, submarine and E-boat Interference had been vir tually eliminated. DESTRftTfAKES FLYER OFF RAFT Pearl Harbor. June 24 (U.R) A destroyer of the U. S. fleet ac companying raiding aircraft car riers to Pagan Island In the northern Marianas Thursday picked up Lt. Cmdr. Robert H. Pricen, U. S. N. (home town un available), an air group com mander of a U. S. carrier, who had been shot down Into the ocean 11 days before. Price was floating about on a tiny rubber raft awaiting rescue when the destroyer picked him up. He was shot down during the early phase of the Marianas ac-1 tion. DANE SABOTUERS BLOW UP LARGEST ARMAHPLANT Armed Italian Partisans Gather In Hills Copen hagen Under Military Law London, June 24 (U.R) Dan ish patriots were reported to night to have bloiOn up Den mark's biggest armament works, causing the Nazis to proclaim martial law in Copenhagen, Whifp 80 OnO Tfnlinn ormoH narll. sans were said to be gathering in me mountains south of Bologna. While French forces of the In terior damned the flow of Nazi reinforcements to the Normandy front by disrupting traffic on tne vital Belfort-Paris railway, 80 Danish saboteurs late Thurs day blew up the Dansk Industri byndikat works which had been turning out machine guns and anti-tank guns for the Germans, Danish dispatches via Stockholm reported, lt was described as the boldest and greatest single act of sabotage in Denmark. Last night, the Germans clamped a military rule on the Danish capital Nazi explanation for the action was said to have been to enable German courts to "treat crimes such as have been repeatedly committed by the Copenhagen underworld more quickly," but the main reason was believed to have been the destruction of the armament plant, located in Copenhagen's free harbor. The explosions were reported to have wrecked a three-story building housing the main work shop as well as a metal harden ing department. Stockholm re ports said lt was believed the Germans would not be able to re-build the plant for another six months. E ROBOT BOMBINGS London, Sunday, June 25 (U.R) The German robot bomb ing of southern England was re sumed early today after a lull of more than 15 hours, but coast al reports Indicated that a mighty 'lect of RAF night bomb ers was ' again blasting the French Channel coast In an ef fort to knock out the launching ramos. The flying torpedoes began crashing Into southern districts soon after midnight breaking the longest lull In the offensive since the Nazis first launched their robot fleets in force 11 days ago. The "breather" had created hope In some quarters that the Intensive Allied bombing of the Pas de Calais area had dislo cated the enemy s catapult bases. The aerial bombardment of that bomb-shattered coastal strip apparently was continuing with out leup early his morning. ANEW LAST NIGHT London, June 25 U.R) RAF heavy bombers smashed at Nazi targets In the occupied countries and twin-engined Mosquito raid ers pounded Berlin last night, following widespread daylight attacks by four big American task forces on enemy objectives In France, Germany and the Bal kans. Powerful formations of British heavies thundered out over the continent during the night and at least one wave was believed to have blasted the German ro bot bomb Installations In the Pas do Calais area of northern France. The roll of gunfire and the crash of exploding bombs com ing from the Calais and Dun kerque sectors were clearly audible on the British coast. War Bulletins Chungking, June 25 (U.R) Allied troops entered the Japanese-held stronghold of Mo gaung In northern Burma Sat urday, a Chinese army com munique said today, Chinese troops entered the southern part of the town, and other troops are drawn up at the northern edge, the com munique said. YANKEES SPRING TRAP UPON NAZIS ABOVE GROSSETO Fifth and Eighth Army Grind Ahead In Italy Hard Fighting. Rome, June 24 -MU.R) Fifth army forces battering northward against increasing Nazi opposi tion have trapped an enemy force In a 225-square-mlle pocket above Grosseto on the Tyrrhen ian coast, while other spearheads have pushed northeast along Highway 73 beyond Roccastrada, 23 miles southwest of the big Siena road junction, lt was an nounced today. Headquarters announced that the Fifth and Eighth armies, who have pushed their lines as much as 120 miles above Rome In the three weeks since the Italian capital fell, were grinding stead ily northward on an 80-mile front and that the Nazis were fighting fiercely as they nearcd their new defense line above Florence and Livorno. On the eastern side of the front In the Perugia sector the Nazis were offering strong resistance east and west of Lake Trasimcno and 25 miles southwest of Per ugia a street battle was In pro gress In the highway town of Chlusi. ' At least seven allied columns were slashing through the hills and valleys in a drive that at most points had carried to with in 70 miles south of the German defense line, the "Gothic line." On the coast, American tanks and Infantry fighting down from the hills cast of Follonica on Highway One, 22 miles north west of Grosseto and 48 miles below Livorno, advanced to within two miles of that town. The drive to the edge of Follon ica, on the Tyrrhenian coast, was disclosed to have drawn a cordon around a 225-squaro- mile sector of the coast. An enemy force of undisclosed size was penned Inside the pocket which was created when the Americans swung north from Grosseto and then moved west ward toward the sea at Follon ica. LOS ANGELES IN Washington, June 24 (U.R) The population of Los Angeles has increased 11.3 per cent since the 1840 census to 1,673,518. while San Francisco's population has increased 10.4 per cent over the same period, the department of commerce revealed tonight in a report on special census changes In the two California communities. Los Angeles' population In 1940 was 1,504,277. Son Fran cisco has Increased from 634,538 to 700,735 In early April. The special Los Angeles census show ed that the population of the Los Angeles congested population area as a whole increased by 440,508, or 15.1 per cent. TAX RlOClN i Washington, June 24 (U.R) Chairman Walter F. George. D.. Ga., of the senate finance com mittee tonight called upon both nolitlcal Dartics to writo post war tax reduction planks Into their platforms as a means of en couraging business expansion. TASK FORCE CONTINUES HEAVY DEFEATS OF JAPS Strike Within 753 Miles of Tokyo; Yap Island Air Base Raked. By United Press) American carrier task forces continued to press- the war against Japan in the western Pacific Thursday and Friday when they struck within 753 miles of Tokyo and destroyed at least 82 Japanese planes and sank or damaged 19 small cargo vessels and sampans. Adm. Chester :W. Nimitz an nounced that carrier-based air craft hit Iwo Jima Island in the Bonins Friday in the second raid of the war on that stronghold, ' shooting down 60 planes in air combat and destroying 12 which attempted to attack the carriers. On Thursday, the force attacked Pagan island, 712 miles south of Iwo Jima and sank four cargo vessels and a sampan and dam aged two cargo ships and 12 sampans. The hard-hitting actions rais ed the impressive toll of Japa nese shipping and aircraft since June 10 to 93 ships sunk, prob ably sunk or damaged and 638 or more planes destroyed. Forty-four enemy ships have been sunk, two prabably sunk and 47 others damaged, a recap itulation at Pacific fleet head quarters showed. On Safpnn Inland fn the Marl anas, American marines and soldiers continued to advance along the northern shore of Magicienne Bay. A dispatch from United Press War Correspondent Richard W. Johnston, aboard a flagship off Saipan, reported that U. S. patrols had entered the suburbs of Garapan, capital city of the Marianas on the west-central coast. Other planes continued neu tralization raids on the Caroline Islands, teaming up with south west Pacific bombers of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's command in attacks against Truk and other bases. MacArthur announced raids on Truk, Woleai, Yap, Sorol and Ulithl in the Carolines Thursday night. Twenty-two Japanese planes were destroyed or damaged at the Yap airfield 12 of them definitely wiped out, reports from the southwest Pacific said. Pearl Harbor, June 24 (U.R) In hard-hitting actions Thurs day and Friday, the U. S. fleet in the Pacific raised the impres sive toll of Japanese shipping and aircraft since June 10 to: Total ships sunk, probably sunk or damaged 93. Ships definitely sunk, 44; probably sunk, 2; damaged 47. Aircraft destroyed 638 or more; probably destroyed, 9; damaged 4. U. S. losses for the same per iod include no major combatant ships. Only four American ships were damaged and 98 air craft were lost with 28 flight personnel. CALIFlPOTE IN FAVOR DEWEY Chicago, June 25 (Sunday) (U.R) Reliable private advices from the '.rain bearing Califor nia's 50-vote delegation to the republican national convention Indicated today that Gov. Thorn Indicated today that Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, of New York, will have the state's support for the presidential nomination. Sales to date la the Fifth War Loan Drive $1,287,780.25 "E" Sales , ....$271,131.25 Quota ..$600,000 Total Quota for County . $2,262,000
