Weather
Forecast: Fair today and
Monday. Little change In tem
perature. Temp.
Highest yesterday . 81
Lowest this morning 51
Precipitation past 24 lira, 0
Use The
MAIL TRIBUNE
Want Ad Way
Quick Rasults
At Small Cost
MEDFORD
Trie jne
United Prut Full Leasad Wii
United Prow
,tnied Wire
Thirty-ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JULY 9, 1944
NO. 91.
A
X2P
BUSH TROOPS
TAKE KEY FORTS,
Berlin Hints Withdrawal
Montgomery Masters Foe
In Vital Action. .
London, July 8 (U.R The
Berlin Transocean news agency
front line correspondent, Guen
ther Weber, reported today from
Field Marshal Guenther Von
Kluge's headquarters that it' is
"not improbable the Germans
may shorten their lines by with
drawing them beyond Caen."
A late United Press front dis
patch said heavy German traf
fic was observed on several
roads leading out of Caen and
that Allied field guns and war
ships were bombarding the high
ways. An official commentator
here meanwhile warned against
the danger of heavy German
armored counterattacks.
Allied Supreme Headquarters,
London, Sunday, July 9 (U.R)
British troops smashed into Caen
Saturday, sweeping through 12
suburban forts in a juggernaut
offensive to within half a mile
of the center of the ciyt .and
Berlin hinted that the Germans
were abandoning the burning
and battered bastion on the road
to Paris.
Patrols may already have
penetrated the inner city, and H
appeared that Gen. Sir B. L.
Montgomery's British Second ar
my had met and mastered the
main German force facing the
French beachhead in a battle
that may go down as one of the
decisive actions of the war.
Yankee! Gain
American troops at their end
of the 120-mile offensive front
swept Into La Hay Du Puits for
the fourth time and on their east
flank captured St. Jean De Daye,
drilling a deep hole near the
center of the German front.
Hundreds of German prison
ers were taken as the British
hacked through stone villages
in Caen's western, northern and
northeastern outskirts where
German resistance, fierce when
the attack started before dawn,
wilted late in the day under the
overpowering assaults.
There were signs that German
heavy guns and tanks were with
drawing to a new line below
Caen and the Berlin radio, pes
simistic throughout the day on
the battle for the city, said last
night that "it is not improbable
we may shorten our lines by
withdrawing them beyond
Caen."
Caen, with a population of 50,
000, is as big as Cherbourg, and
ranks as France's seventh port
It lies nine miles from the sea
but has a large floating basin and
huge docking space with outlets
to the coast through the Orne
river and canal, making it a val
uable addition to the Allies' con
quests in France.
The 11:30 p. m. Allied com
munique reported steady gains
were made Saturday on all rc
tive portions of the front, with
the Americans back in La Have
and holding all high ground in
the area.
Paris In Sight
After capturing St. Jean sev
en miles southeast of Carcntan,
the Yanks linked two spearheads
in the central sector and plunged
on south toward Important Pont
Hebert through a hail of fire
from 88-m:llimeter and nebel
werfer rocketsholls. leaving the
enrmv's main' forts behind.
But the flaming focal point of
the entire battle area was Caen.
where the British were slashing
away at the buckle of the Ger
man front in fighting which an
official commentator said might
change the course of the war.
Paris itself lies only 120 miles
bevond Caen and if Field Mar
shal Erwin Rommel's main arm
ored force can be smashed in the
present battle the distance to the
French capital may be covered
far more swiftly than has been
anticipated, it was said.
BULLETIN
Seattle 0 5 3
Portland 1 ? 0
Elliot and Sucmc; Helser and
Adams
War Bulletins
Chungking, July 8 (U.R)
Reinforced Chinese troops are
pressing their four-day-old sur
prise counter-offensive suc
cessfully from three sides of
Hengyang, a Chinese commun
ique said today, and a supply
line has been reopened
through the city's west gate,
captured when the xing of en
circlement was broken Tues
day morning.
Japanese planes have drop
ped new loads of incendiaries
on the center of Hengyang,
front dispatches acknowl
edged, but added that this
constitutes no threat to Chin
ese possession of the key
Hunan province city.
Southeast Asia Command,
Kandy, Ceylon, July 8 (U.R)
Triumphant British imperials
have dislodged Japanese inva
sion remnants from positions
northeast, southeast and south
west of liberated Imphal in In
dia's Manipur state, an Allied
communique said today, bring
ing to 11,000 the number of
Japanese killed since their
abortive invasion began
March 12.
MILITARY HEADS
Ti
Current Lag In War Produc
tion Held Detrimental To
All-Out War.
Washington, July 8 OI.R)
The Joint chiefs of staff the na
tion's military high command
tonight joined the opposition to
War Production Chairman Don
ald M. Nelson's program for
starting reconversion now with
the warning that if the current
lag in war output continued, it
"may necessitate revision in
strategic plans which could pro
long the war."
"In view of the major offen
sive operations under way on
every front," the chiefs of staff
said in a letter to Nelson, "it is
essential at this time that there
be no relaxation in war produc
tion and that deficits in deliv
eries be made up at the earliest
possible date."
The letter was signed for the
joint chiefs of staff by Admiral
William D Leahy, chief of staff
to President Roosevelt.
Nelson's plan, outlined before
the senate Truman war inves
tigating committee on June 19,
proposed a gradual reconversion
to civilian manufacture by plants
in which war work has definitely
ceased and in areas where man
power is not needed for war
production. The WPB chairman,
who is convalescing from pneu
monia, had informed the Tru
man committee he would issue
orders effectuating the plan on
July 1, but he has not yet done
so.
The Joint chiefs of staff wrote
him that "the issuance of orders
at this time which will affect
our ability to produce war ma
terials is not consistent with the
all-out prosecution of the war."
Santa Cruz. Cal., July 8 U.R)
Ed Hart was arrested Friday and
booked on charges of camera
theft In San Jose.
But today police here learned
that "Hart's" true identity was
Earl Harrison, former Oakland
tavern manager wanted In the
San Francisco East Bay region
on charges he collected $15,000
from saloonkeepers on unful
filled promises to deliver whisky.
Police found $7500 In sealed
envelopes Harrison had left for
safekeeping with Santa' Cruz es
tablishments. He was returned
to Oakland by police th' aft
ernoon. EEAPS TO SAFETY
Santa Rosa. Cal., July 8 U.R)
2nd Lt. George F. Stephens, of
Huntington, Indiana, parachut
ed to safety when his twin-engine
fighter plane crashed this
afternoon near Potati, CaL
LIQUOR
E
Vice President Choice Is
Thorn; Word From Wal
lace Awaited. -
Washington, July 8 (U.R)
Democratic circles, in the throes
of fresh speculation over vice
presidential prospects at the
party's national convention, cir
culated a report tonight that
Senate Majority Leader Alben
W. Barkley, Ky., would make
the speech nominating President
Roosevelt for a fourth term.
There were some who be
lieved that the president would
insist on the rcnomination of
Vice President Henry A. Wal
lace. But there were others who
felt that Mr. Roosevelt would
not remain adamant if opposition
threatened to destroy convention
unity. All, however, eagerly
awaited Wallace's radio address
from Seattle tomorrow in the
hope that he might drop some
hint as to his own future plans
Meanwhile, new names were
listed as added starters in the
vice presidential speculative
sweepstakes a game that was
being played by democrats and
republicans alike. These were
War Mobilization Director
James F. Byrnes and Supreme
Court Justice William O. Doug
las. Others previously mention
ed include House Speaker Sam
Rayburn, Tex., Sen. Harry S.
Truman, Mo., and Barkley,
Barkley was at his home In
Paducah, Ky., and was not read
ily available for comment in the
report that he would take the
convention lead in calling for a
fourth term. Democratic national
committee officials here pro
fessed to have no knowledge of
Barkley's plans, but at least one
of them said he "wouldn't be
surprised" if the report were
true that the Kcntuckian would
placa Mr. Roosevelt in nomina
tion. Such an act by Barkley would
be final proof of his full recon
ciliation with the president fol
lowing the majority leader's
angry reaction to the tax bill
veto.
DEGAULLE ENDS
BUSINESS TALKS,
Washington, July 8 flJ.R)
Gen. Charles De Gaulle today
concluded business talks with
President Roosevelt and other
American officials, convinced
that "the flame of France burns
more brightly" than ever.
De Gaulle spent one hour with
the president today, and at the
conclusion of the talks, the sec
ond since yesterday both French
and American officials were
hopeful that the upshot would be
speedy U. S anproval of the ten
tative British-French agreements
for the civil administration of
France.
Diplomats and officials of all
categories were pleased and a
little amazed by the harmony
which has prevailed ever since
De Gaulle's arrival on Thursday.
The head of the French commit
tee of national liberation had
been painted In this capital as
a stiff-necked, stubborn man who
would never give up a position
once taken.
There had been fearj that the
discussions would break down
on the rock of De Gaulle's In
sistence that his committee be
recognized as the provisional
government of France. President
Roosevelt, however, made It
clear at the outset that he would
not discuss this question on the
crounds that only the people of
France can pick a government
and De Gaulle gracefully acqui
esced. SCOUT LEADER PASSES
Los Angelas. July 8 (U.R)
Raymond O. Hanson, 57, execu
tive of the 12th region. Boy
Scouts of America, died today
after a lengthy Illness.
Once Too Often
Portland, Ore., July 8 (U.R)
Alfred L. Overton's favorite Joke
resulted in his death today.
The 42-year-old isolation hos
pital guard was in the habit of
putting his pistol into his mouth
and pretending to pull the trig
ger. This time the gun dis
charged. Harry R. Gauman, a friend,
who was with Overton at the
time of the accident, told Deputy
Sheriff George Larson that
Overton apparently believed the
gun unloaded or that the cart
ridges were not in a position to
fire when he pulled the trigger.
BLOODIEST FRAY
OF ITALY DRIVE
TAKES HIGH TOLL
Main Outposts of "Gothic
Line" Stormed Savage
Resistance Encountered.
Rome, July f) (U.R) Amer
ican and French troops closed
on Livorno (Leghorn) and Flor
ence today after storming
through three of the four main
outposts of the German "Gothic
line" in one of the bloodiest
battles of the Italian campaign.
A wide-open tank and infantry
fight raged all along the 40-odd-mlle
5th army front from the
Tyrrhenian seacoast to the roll
ing hills above Siena in western
Italy as Allied armored spear
heads knifed forward to within
11 miles or less of Livorno and
about 23 miles of Florence.
Headqaurters spokesmen said
the Nazis were waring a savage
withdrawal, and that casualties
were running high on both sides.
(A BBC broadcast recorded by
CBS said street fighting was re
ported to have broken out in
side livorno. presumably be
tween Italian partisans and Nazi
troops, and that the city's Fas
cist chiefs had fled to escape the
advancing Allies.)
Roslgnano, keystone of the
Germans' coastal defenses 12
miles below Livorno, and Cas
tellina, five miles to the east,
were taken by Americans yes
terday while French colonial
troops bombed and bayoneted
the Nazis from Colle Di Val
D'Elsa, 35 miles inland on the
road to Florence.
Volterra, the fourth and last
enemy stronghold on this line,
was still in German hands last
night but front dispatches said
American tanks and riflemen
had launched a powerful assault
on the city, which lies about
midway between Roslgnano and
Colle Di Val.
BOMBERS BATTER
Allied Supreme Headquarters,
London, Sunday. July 9 (U.R)
More than 4,000 Allied war
planes roared over the flaming
Norman battlrfronts yesterday
and laid a shattering barrage
across the German front lines
around Caen, while a mighty sky
fleet of well over 1,000 Italian
based raiders bombed Nazia oil
refineries and airfields in Aus
tria and Hungary.
Headquarters announced that
the overall number of sorties
would total more than 4,000, in
cluding 1,200 flown from Nor
mandy airfields In close support
of American and British ground
attacks.
Headquarters announced that
Normandy-based fighters shot
down two German planes against
a loss of one. Spitfires of the air
defense of Great Britain mean
while set fire to a wireless sta
tion at Combourg, 20 miles
southeast of St. Malo, and straf
ed various targets from Brittany
to Laon.
FUMES STRIKE GIRLS
Pomona, Cal., .July 8 (U.R)
Ten school girls, whose vaca
tion trip became a near tragedy
when an exhaust line in a bus
loaded with 40 children came
loose and poured fumes Inside,
recovered tonight after they
were overcome by carbon mo
noxide gas.
GOEBBELS TELLS
IN GRAVE PERIL
1
People Warned If Nation
Loses, Chance to Renew
Struggle Lost.
London, July 8 (U.R) Nazi
Propaganda Minister Joseph
Goebbels told the German peo
ple today that the Reich is in
"grave danger" and that if it is
destroyed Germany "will not
have a chance to repeat this
struggle for another 10, 20 or 50
years," the DNB news agency re
ported. Goebbels' warning, coming al
most immediately after Adolf
Hitler's admission to German in
dustrialists that the Reich's in
dustries were being far out
stripped by the Allies, was
directed to a mass meeting of
200,000 Germans at an unidenti
fied town "in the cast" and
broadcast for German consump
tion. In an apparent attempt to
frighten the German people into
working and fighting with the
energy of desperation, Goeb
bels said:
"Our enemies have made lt
cynically clear what fate awaits
the nation in the event of the
defeat they hope and strain for.
"Our enemies will not be
satisfied with destroy ing'our In
dustries, paralyzing our eco
nomic life, transporting our sol
diers and workers to Siberia and
slashing our country to pieces.
"No, they wish on their own
testimony to destroy the Ger
man nation in Its national sub
stance." Goebbels said that while for
mer wars were fought for terri
tory, strategic frontiers or com
mercial interests, "today the ex
istence of whole nations is at
stake."
TRAPPED JAPS ON
Pearl Harbor, July 8 (U.R)
Desperate Japanese troops cor
nered on the northwestern rim
of Salpan counter-attacked U.S.
forces before dawn Thursday
morning and gained three
fourths of a mile in several
hours of bloody fighting in
which 1500 of the enemy were
killed and numerous American
casualties were Incurred, lt was
announced today.
American marines and sol
diers fell back 2,000 yards be
fore the vicious counter-offensive
but rallied their forces be
fore noon and smashed forward
again to regain 800 of the lost
yards. The Japanese drive was
concentrated against the Amer
ican left flank, and at one point
It moved to the edge of Tana
pag town.
The Japanese opened a short
lived artillery attack on Iscly
airfield from Tinian island and
air-raided American positions
Ineffectually simultaneous with
the ground counter-offensive In
the north.
Admiral Chester W. Nlmitz'
Pacific fleet headquarters com
munique disclosed a total of 66
Japanese planes were destroyed
and 06 damaged In the previously-announced
carrier attacks
on Chichi and Hah islands In
the Bonlns group 650 miles
from Tokyo.
It was obvious now that the
Japanese, trapped on a narrow
strand by the inexorable ad
vance of leathernecks and sol
diers, will try to sell Saipan as
fanatically and dearly as possi
ble. The right flank of the United
Slates forces continued to ad
vance and reached a point
slightly more than a mile from
the uncompleted airfield at
Mnrpl Point at the extreme
northern end of the 15 mile
long island.
Vi Nuys, Calif., July 8 flJ.R)
An unldentifjed hen was the
sole casualty when a P-38 fight
er plane crashed into Van
Nuys street today.
Russ Near Baltic Frontiers
.eallie So
WARSAW
POLAND
MILES
RT LALV- A
h f v )1 v
Memel . . . IE f
EAST ' f m Smolensk
PRUSSIA Jy'1
. p,ip" M" i? I $
frest-Lilovil -n- j
l L-L u :
(Acmt Trlephoto)
Powerful Russian Armies pound on toward Latvia and Lithuania at
pace that may reach both of Baltic republics In days Berlin, in
communique that admitted "Germans fought their way further bock,
wards." acknowledged loss of Kowcl. last strong point cast of Its Bui
River defense line.
WOMAN PILOT OF
IN TRAIL CRASH
MJss Paula R. Lopp, 26, of
Manchester, Okla., a women's
auxiliary service pilot, was
killed late Friday afternoon
wheri the single-engine BT-13-B
army training plane she was
piloting crashed in the moun
tains near the Umpqua Divide
about 30 miles north of Medford
and four miles off the Tiller
Trail highway In the Railroad
Gap district.
The crash started a fire In the
forest which was discovered at
3:30 p. m. by Lowell Ash, fire
guard stationed at Trail. Ash
nut out the fire and notified the
Rogue River National Forest
Service. Army and forest service
men went to the scene at 7:30
and removed Miss Loop's body
to Camp White.
According to Capt. G. E. Moul
trie, commanding officer of the
Medford army air field, said
that Miss Loop was on a ferry
ing flight from the south to
Seattle, and had landed here.
Cause of the crash will be in
vestigated by an army board,
Capt. Moultrie said.
Miss Loop had been a mem
ber of the WASPs since June of
1043. Next of kin is her mother,
Nattic A. Loop, who has been
notified.
FIFTH WAR LOAN
Washington. July 8 U.R)
The $16 000.000,000 goal of the
Fifth War Loan was surpnssed
todny by more than $050,000,
000. Secretary of Treasury Hen
ry Morgenthau, Jr., announced,
although sales to individuals
were $1.750 000.000 short of
their goal of $6,000,000,000 at
the last accounting.
It was Indicated, however,
that by the end of July with all
sales from payroll deduction re
ported, the individual goal will
be reached and overall sales
will be In the neighborhood of
$20,000,000,000.
The Fifth War Loan drive was
the largest single financing ever
undertaken by the United States
or any other country. It exceed
ed by $500,000,000 the goal of
the Fourth War Loan.
CIGARETTE STARTS FIRE
The fire department was
called to extinguish a minor fire
In the basement of the Casino
club on South Front at 1015
p. m. Saturday. A carelessly
tossed cigarette was probably
the cause of the fire, according
to Fire Chief Roy Elliott.
U.S.S.R.
IRD RULE,
WALLACE FLAYED
Roanoke, Va., July 8 U.R)
Sen. Harry F. Byrd, D Va to
day called upon the Democratic
party to return to "the greatest
Democratic declaration in exist
ence" the party's 1932 plat'
form and to reinstate the two
thirds vote In national conven
tions.
In a surprise address before
the Virginia state Democratic
convention, Byrd said that dis
unity is threatening the Demo
cratic party as never before, and
that a "return to sound princi
ples of government" would do
much to reassure the American
people.
The delegates, later In the day,
adopted an unanimous resolu
tion to oppose a renomlnatlon
of Henry A. Wallace as vice
president at the forthcoming na
tional convention in Chicago.
The resolution asserted that
Wallace "has become a convert
to doctrines and Ideologies for
eign to the faith and traditions
of Virginia."
E
ROBOT BOMBINGS
London, Sunday, July 9 (U.R)
Robot bombs thumped down in
to the southern counties and the
London area during the night,
causing damage and casualties
and ending one of the longest
resnites since the launching of
Hitler's ersatz blitz.
It was stilled authoritatively
that there was nothing to report
during the greater part of Sat-:
urday's daylight hours but thei
nomoarnmcni rcsumea during
the evening.
The London Dally Herald said
observers of last night's attack
reported that the Germans ap
parently had switched to new
launching sites on the Belgian
coast following yesterday's In
tense pounding of coastal France.
Grass Fire In Gold
Hill Area Quelled
A stale forest patrol crew was
last night mopping up a grass
and brush fire that burned over
approximately 120 acres Just
north of Gold Hill. The blaze,
which started about 10:45 a. m.
Saturday Just Inside the city lim
its, was brought under control ,
the middle of the afternoon by
volunteer Gold Hill residents,
cement plant workers and the
forest patrol crew. The fire, of
undetermined origin, swept up
Kuggct Butte almost to the bea
con over dry grass and brush.
E,
WILNO FALL DUE
Red Army Within 95 Miles
of East Prussia, Imperial
Nazi Bastion.
London, Sunday, July 9 (U.R)
Soviet tanks and infantry broke
into the streets of Wilno, capital
of Soviet Lithuania, yesterday In
a headlong 27-mile advance over
the Lithuanian borders, while
to the south other Russian troops
captured Baranowicze, clearing
the way for a mighty , three
pronged Red army assault on the
fortress city of Brest Litovsk.
Gen. Cherniakhovsky's 3rd
White Russian army, plunging
to within 95 miles of East Prus
sia after driving 225 miles in 18
days, drove the Nazis from house
to house In Wilno, an ancient
city of 20,000 pre-war popula
tion. London observers expected
the city to fall within the next
24 hours.
Gen. Cherniakhovsky's forces
severed its communications with
Daugavpils, in Latvia, cutting
the Leningrad Warsaw rail
trunk line and thus depriving
the German Gen. Llndemann's
Baltic divisions totaling pos
sibly 30 off their main escape
route, through Poland.
Far to the south of the blaz
ing 350-mile front in Lithuania
and Poland, Russian troops
drove to within 24 miles of
Plnsk, and in a three-way drive
on the rail Junction of LunineU
smashed forward to within 17
miles of that town.
The Imminent fall of Wilno
and the capture of Baranowicze
collapsed the whole German in
termediate defense line protect
ing the central Polish plains, the
Baltio states and East Prussia.
More than 800 towns and set
tlements were swept up as the
Red army surged forward on all
fronts in a giant offensive to
ward Warsaw and Berlin.
As the German hold on Wilno
was being shaken loose by the
onrushlng 3rd White Russian
army, Baranowicze fell to the
troops of Marshal Konstantin K.
Rokossovsky's 1st White Russian
army and cleared the way for a
great Soviet push against Brest
Litovsk, 120 miles southwest,
and Bailystok, 117 miles west.
Brest Litovsk Is historically
one of the bastions of the Reich
itself and London observers re
garded the battle for the city
now as underway, with a three
pronged offensive from Kowel,
Baranowicze and Stolin, south
of Lunlncts and 34 miles south
east of Pinsk,
Eugene, Ore., July 8 (U.R)
After visiting here with his
mother, Mrs. Eva C. Ellsworth,
Harris Ellsworth, Rep., Ore., to
day was on the way to his home
In Roscburg.
He will be In Oregon two
months, traveling around the
Fourth District which he rep
resents In congress and hand
ling matters which could not be
taken care of by correspondence
from Washington,
Washington, July 8 (U.R)
Yugoslav Ambassador Constanln
Fotitch tonight created another
major dlplomollc problem for
the United Nations by refusing
to recognize the new Yugoslav
government which excludes all
representatives of Gen. Draja
Mikhailovitch and Includes two
of Marshall Tito's men as un
representative of the great ma
jority of Yugoslav people.
Salts to data In the Fifth
War Loan Drive
$2,588,232
"E" Salei
Ouota
.....$488,362
lanoooa
Total Quota
for County
.S2.262.000