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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 1944)
n LAM I- 33 lyjiyj'H lit o t- DPCl i A Weather Forecast: Partlr cloudy to night and Wednesday. Slightly cooler. Temp. Highest yesterday 89 Lowest this morning 53 Precipitation past 21 hrs, - 0 Thirty-ninth Year Iron Ring Crushes Nazi Armies AW"0w" CHERBOUKfi . - tff.p. " c3 ( X LE HAVRE y channel ... V AL-v. ,"An;R0UEN islands Csi y r-S.3vr- IlX ciy union uomrront j V BRITTANY Lavo, Vfl Cloyes f FRANCE T1 5T. NAZAIRF.Jtjrfr Ange 1 tlofc I ; taiS Mil., "" ' - .-. " 0 25 50 I Bourg.r (Acme Tetephoto) American and British forces near Juncture In spearheads thrown Ionian) to entrap huge German forces In pocket beyond Vlre. giving Allied forces, according to General Eisenhower's special order ol the day. a "fleeting but definite" opportunity for major Allied victory, one whose realization will mean notable progress toward final downlall ol the enemy. "Old Blood and Guts" Leads Yanks Racing To Trap Nazis Washington, Aug. 15 (U.R) The senate today confirmed the promotion of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton to the per manent rank of major-general after nearly a, year of delay resulting from criticism of his slapping of three American soldiers. Washington, Aug. 15. (U.R) The senate military affairs committee today unanimous ly approved the promotion of " Lt'Cen; GSOYeJe S. Patton, Jr., to the permanent rank of ma jor general. Sen. A. B. (Happy) Chand ler, D., Ky., in announcing that members felt Patton had the committee's action, said been "disciplined enough" for three soldier-slapping Inci dents which occurred during the Sicilian campaign nearly a year ago. By Paul Ault United Press Correspondent Supreme Headquarters, AEF. Aug. 15 (U.R) Old Blood and Guts Is on the road back. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower announced at his advanced com mand post today that Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, the blustery, rough-riding tank specialist with a gift for, getting himself in the doghouse, is leading the Ameri can motorized spearheads in .their race to trap the German army in western France. The appointment, kept secret by the Allied command until Patton's troops had jammed the enemy into his present dilemma, showed Eisenhower's confidence that Old Blood and Guts is an inspired leader of motorized troops. Long In Eclipse Patton had been in obscurity after two mistakes which caused him to be denounced in Con gress. First was when he repri manded a patient in a hilitary Phoenix Cyclist Injured By Auto William A. Hnnscom. 17. of Phoenix suffered bruises, cuts and abrasions early last night when the bicycle he was riding was struck by an automobile V operated by George Rutherford, 16, also of Phoenix. The acci dent occurred on a sidcroad in Phoenix. The injured youth was con fined in Sacred Heart hospital today and was expected to be discharged to return to his home tomorrow. According to state police the bicycle was struck by the right front fender cf the machine. Both vehicles were traveling in the same direction. SIDE GLANCES BT TRIBUNE REPORTERS Don Bagley setting up a "pay as you go plan" for the use of certain pieces of equipment in his household. Roe Sutheriin outfitting her self in gala style for a long- awaited trip to Portland. Glcnna Manner and Naomi Miller admitting they wouldn't mind appearing ui this space. MEDFORD United Preu hospital in Sicily as a coward and slapped his face. Patton did not know the man was a vic tim of battle fatigue nor did the angry public realize that the general himself had undergone abnormal strain of battle. The second was when he made an impromtu speech in a British canteen before the inva sion and asserted that Great Britain and the United States were destined to rule the post war world. The army later amended Patton's speech to in clude Russia. After that the public heard virtually nothing about Patton. United Press War Correspond ent Robert C. Miller reported from France yesterday that he had found the American general in command of the maneuver. He couldn't mention his name but the words the general used bore the Patton copywright: "Hell, this is more of a rat race than a battle." "It's just a case of we're mov ing too fast for the Germans," the general said. "They simply refused to believe that we could cover the distance we have in so short a time.'' SLEEPING CHILD STOLEN WITH CAR San Leandro, Calif., Aug. 15 (U.R) A widespread search de veloped today for six-year-old Shirley Ann Gillham, 6, who was kidnt ped last night perhaps in advertently by a thief who stole the automobile in which she lay asleep. After a fruitless search throughout the night, police or ganized an extensive hunt over wide area that encompassed highways leading from San Leandro. The Gillhams drove with a friend last night to a night club one block from the San Leandro city hall and parked their car while they went inside. Since Shirley Ann was sleeping, they left her in the car. Fifteen minutes later Mrs. Gillham came outside to see that' the girl was all right. She found that both the car and the child had disappeared. State Democratic Chairman Coming Henry Aiken of Heppner. chairman of the Oregon State Democratic Central committee, will attend a meeting of the Jackson County Democratic Central committee in the Hotel Holland at 7:30 Wednesday night, V. D. Miller, chairman of the county committee announced today. Porter J. Neff of Medford. state delegate to the Democratic national convention In Chicago, will make a report of the con clave, and Mary Kelly and Moore Hamilton will report on the state Democratic meeting held recently Committee organ ization work will be planned. 1944 is the 175th anniversary of the discovery c-f San Francisco bay by Jose Ortega, Full Leased Wire MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1944 Battle of Annihilation Opens Against 100,000 Nazis Pocketed In Normandy SEAL MOUTH OF EJ Shuttling Warplanes Bomb and Strafe Enemy. En tire Area Flaming Mass Supreme Headquarters, AEF, Aug. 15. (U.R) Allied planes, tanks and infantrymen opened the battle of annihilation on some 100,000 cornered, fighting Germans in the Normandy pocket today as veteran Cana dian troopers and the "blood and guts" armor of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's American third army virtually slammed shut the enemy's iast escape route to the east. Patton's slashing tank col umns pounded up from Argen tan to within eight miles or less of Falaise while the Canadian first army stormed southward to within about two miles of that town and cut across one of the two main highways east ward to Lisieux. Lifeline Impossible Front reports suggested that the escape corridor might have been cut to less than 10 miles, and the flaming guns of the Canadian and American forces already had made that narrow lifeline impassable. Wave upon wave of allied warplanes shuttled incessantly over the doomed Nazi army, bombing and strafing every moving target and turning the entire area into a burning char nel house. Headquarters reports indi cated that Field Marshal Gun thcr von Kluge had abandoned all hope of extricating the rem nants of his 12 divisions from the pocket and was reforming his battle-wearied troops for a death fight against the allied armies pressing it from all sides. The Germans appeared to be wheeling their remaining tanks into a stockade-type defense line similar to th covered wagon cordons once used by American pioneers, and massing their rifle men, machine gunners, and ar tillery behind that barrier. Break Try Hinted The bulk of the Nazi forces were concentrated near the southern rim of the pocket, how ever, and there was a possibility that the desperate enemy might hurl his entire weight against the allied perimeter there in a last-ditch attempt to break through to Paris. Headquarters sources predict ed, however, that any such at tempt would be crushed with bloody losses to the Germans, since they now are so heavily engaged on all sectors that they have little or no opportunity to regroup on the scale necessary for a successful break-through. TO Three hundred Mexican na tional laborers, for work in the harvesting of pears are due to arrive tomorrow, according to County Agent Robert G. Fowler. The number is only about 30 per cent of what is needed for the harvest. The original re quest was for 750 Mexican na tionals and 500 were promised. The county agent Is endeavor ing to have the number in creased, but is without definite word, as yet. Some orchards will start pick ing tomorrow and some of the packing plants will open oper ations. The E. T. Newbry plant at Talent plans to start Wed nesday, and all the rest plan to be in operation the next two days. Only a few Bartlctts have been picked so far this week. Table Rock Gains In Battle With Mosquito Plague Table Rock ranchers, organ ized a few weeks ago to fight a plague of mosquitoes reported to have reached health-menacing proportions in that area this year, have noted definite improvement of the situation since that time, John Nealon, spokesman for the group, stated today. Nealon states that most of the ranchers in the area have co operated in the association's ef forts to drain bodies of standing water where possible, and in prevent ing irrigation water from providing breeding places for the insects by careful drain age from fields. Where drainage was impractical, surface oiling of the water was accomplished to kill larvae. Efforts of the group will be continued through the current season. NS F HUGE ARC ABOUT EASTERN PRUSSIA Moscow, Aug. 15. (U.R) TwoJ powertut soviet armies iorgea a huge arc around East Prussia from the Niemen river to the southern approaches of the Ma surian lakes today wllh one salient within less than 15 miles of German soil. Driving rapidly northward through the Biebrza marshlands in a move to. by-pass the Ma surians, Gen. Georgi Zakharov brought his 2nd White Russian army into the fortress city of Osovets in the closest thrust to German territory from the south. At the northern end of the tightening 138-mile semi-circle, Gen. Ivan D. Cherniakhovsky's 3rd White Russian army was battling against strong enemy resistance around Rasciniai, 53 miles northeast of the East Prussian city of Tilsit. (The Berlin radio said Rus sian forces had forged across the Vistula river north of War saw and captured an unidenti fied locality. The exact place of the crossing was not given. The Russians last were reported at Radzymln, 12 miles from the Vistula at the bend above. War saw.) Hollywood, Aug. 15 (U.R) Dime Store Heiress Barbara Hut ton, who inherited $40,000,000 and married a prince, a count and a movie star, today admit ted she has separated from Ac tor Cary Grant and declared there vas "no chance of a recon ciliation." Miss Hutton said she and Grant had planned a separation last June but postponed it when her former husband Count Kurt Haugwitz-Rcvcntlow refused to return her son to her custody. "Cary decided to stand by me," she said. 'But he isn't happy and I think it's best we part now. Besides, it's unfair and dishonest to take advantage of his name and protection because I am fighting to hold my child." TO BERLIN By United Jrets The shortest distances to Berlin from advanced Allied lines today: Russia 328 miles (un changed for week). Northern France 595 miles (unconfirmed, gain of 28 miles In week.) Italy 602 miles. (Gain of two miles in week). Southern France Possibly 653 miles. (Measured from point near Kice), IS NEUTRALIZED BY Japan's Once Strong Step ping Stone to Philippines Target in Heavy Attack Washington, Aug. 15 (U.R) Army heavy bombers struck Paramushiro island in the Ku rilcs on Friday, bombing ship ping near the island and the airstrip at Suribachi, the navy announced today. The raiders shot down three enemy planes, probably shot down another five and damaged two of 15 to 20 enemy fighters which attempted to intercept the American force. Two Liber ators received some damage, the navy said, but all returned. By United Press Halmahera, once strong Jap anese base 250 miles south of the Philippines, was renorted "neutralized" today as the Jap anese Dome! agency announced a force of 22 Liberator bombers had raided Iwo Jima island In the Volcano islands, 650 miles south of Tokyo. Gen. Douglas MacArthur e- ported that the Japanese had lost completely the flexibility of the Halmahera base, once a key supply line running through the southwest Pacific, following a sustained Allied aerial attack. The latest raid Sunday start ed great fires and explosions among enemy Installations. United Press Correspondent Francis McCarthy, reporting from advanced headquarters, said an estimated 25,000 tons of shipping had been destroyed or put out of commission during the Halmahera campaign. MacArthur's communique al so reported new air raids on other enemy bases in the area. Liberators attacked Manokwari on the northern coast of Dutch New Guinea Sunday, dumping 60 tons of explosives on the heaviest raid on that base since July 19. Mitchell bombers hit the southwest coast of the Vogelkop peninsula in Dutch New Guinea. bombing barges and trucks. The Japanese dispatch, re corded by FCC, claimed Japa nese fighter planes shot two of the Liberators which attacked In the volcanos yesterday. The dispatch made no mention of damage to the island. Iwo Jima lies midway be tween the recently conquered islands In the Marianas and the Japanese mainland. Fourth Front Invaders Flabbergasted By Absence of Opposition From Nazis By Herbert Matthews Representing the Combined American Press (Distributed by United Press) With American Forces in Southern France, 2 p. m. Tues day, Aug. 15 (U.R) A flabber gasted American army number ing many thousands is well into southern France this afternoon and going fast. It has been vir tually without opposition and with amazingly small casualties. The Jerries were caught com pletely by surprise and what few there were waiting for us have been scattered or captured. Men, tanks, artillery and materiel of all kinds have been pouring onto three separate beaches since H hour at 8 o'clock this morning and by now we have built up such strength that lt seems al most certain we have not only come to stay but to push on. Decisive Blow This ought to be a decisive blow for France, and everybody is astounded that it went off so easily. It had been a night of terror for all the French along the RIBUNE United Preu Full War Bulletins Madrid, Aug.' 15 (U.R) Sporadic street fighting has broken out in Paris, reports from the border indicated to night. The Germans were re ported attempting to rule Paris with an iron hand but were unable to control the French populace. AEF, Aug. 15 (U.R) Supreme Headquarters, German Seventh army lashed out in a desperate attempt to break the Allied trap in Nor mandy today but was turned back by a heavy crossfire of Allied bombs and shells after a number of tank and infan try units succeeded in escap ing to the east. London, Aug. 15 (U.R) The Red army, battling for Warsaw, has repulsed large German tank and inftntry onslaughts In the vicinity of Praga on the outskirts of the Polish capital, radio Moscow reported tonight. Canadian Army Headquar ter!, France, Aug. 15 (U.R) British bombing planes acci dentally dropped a great weight of bombs, possibly 800 tons, on Canadian troops dur ing a "saturation" raid on the German lines at Falaise yes terday, it was disclosed today. 25,000 POUNDS 'ROUNDED " UP IN E About 25,000 pounds of sal vaged tin cans were collected from Medford service stations Sunday morning by volunteers working for the county salvage committee and trucked to Camp White, where they will be shipped from the salvage depot there. The cans represented a week's drive conducted by the salvage committee with the co operation of all gasoline distrib uting firms of the city and the station operators. According to Wayne Jamison, salvage chairman, plans arc completed for the paper drive with the exception of naming a collection depot. When final permission for use of a desirable location has been received, open ing date of the drive and the lo cation of the collection depot will be announced. Mr. Jamison extended his thanks this morning to his com mittee workers, the oil distrib utors, station operators and cal lection volunteers who gave time and loaned trucks and oth er equipment for the tin can salvage. beaches and resort places and some paid with their lives and the destruction of their houses, but we held back the heaviest, tell-tale raids until daylight this morning. Three hours of hell preceded the landing. Bombs, naval gun fire, and rockets flamed and roared Into the beaches from daylight until H-hour. Before the smoke lifted, troops were swarming up the beaches, hardly believing their luck as the engineers blasted their way through cement walls and the tanks drove in and hardly a shot came from Jerry. Now comes the build up and it Is going to be tremendous and it is going to be quick. Ameri cans can be proud that this was their venture from its Inception to this successful outcome per haps our greatest single contribu tion to the war In Europe. Not Another Aniio The Germans will, doubtless, rally and throw In forces to stop us as soon as they can, but this is not going to be another Anzio, and meanwhile nothing counts Leased Wire NO. 123. IDLLE MACHINISTS ORDER jl WORK Only Four Men Report for Duty After Taking Over of San Francisco Plant San Francisco, Aug. 15 (U.R) With few exceptions, striking machinists at Federal Mogul Bearing plant today appeared to have ignored a navy return-to-work order issued under au thority of President Roosevelt's executive order for government seizure of five machine shops plagued by an old overtime dis pute. Only four additional machin ists reported for work this morning to join the 18 "rebels" who remained on the job In de fiance of a walkout called by officials of International Asso ciation of Machinists (AFL) Lodge 69. Only 20 Work This meant that only 20 of the shop's total of 115 machinists now were at work. Rear Admiral Harold G. Bow- en, who took control of the five shops to halt Interference with war production, said It still was "too early" to draw conclusions about success or failure of the navy's return-to-work call. The union had banned over time work by its members at 104 San Francisco machine shops, In deflnnce of War La bor Board orders. The WLB and navy reported refusal of the men to work overtime interfered with war production. The walk nut was called at Federal Mogul in protest against company overtime work orders. The few "rebels" remained on the Job to work 70 hours a week. Coyote Population Missing In County, There Is a dearth of coyotes in the county, and few complaints are received of depredations. Last month a bounty was paid on Just one coyote pelt, the couny clerk's office reported. The stray dogs are also behaving and no reports of their slaugh tering of sheep have been re ceived. HARMON WEDDING SET Ann Arbor, Mich., Aug. 15 (U.R) Lieut. Tom Harmon and Elyse Knox, movie actress, will be married Aug. 26 in St. Mary's Student chapel here, It was an nounced today. today but Jubilation at the al most bloodless success of a great operation. The units on our flanks didn't have It quito so easy, but they too are well inland and moving fast. I went straight to the prisoner-of-war cage where 125 Jerries were gathered to find out why they didn't put up a fight from their coastai emplacements and strong hill positions back of the beaches. It didn't take long to find out what was wrong. There wasn't any fight left In them. One mas ter sergeant said he knew the army In northern . France had broken. For three months he had realized the war was lost, "There's no reason to fight," he said. "For whom should we fight?" "You mean you're not fighting for Hitler any more?" I asked. 'That's It," he replied, "any way we've got nothing to fight with. Their dejection contrasted re markably with the happiness of the French. ILL FEEBLEDEFENSE Beachheads Are Established Alongl 00-Mile Strip Be tween Nice and Marseille. Rome, Aug. 15 (U.R) A mighty Allied Invasion force, struck Into southern France from sea and sky today and within a matter of hours overran, the Germans' feeble shore de fenses and established firm beachheads along a 100 mile, strip of the Mediterranean coast between Nice and Mar seille. A miles-long sky train of glid ers and transport planes swept in over the coast before dawn to shower thousands of Amer ican and British paratroopers across the rolling hills behind the Nazi coastal defenses, and the main assault force splashed ashore from landing craft at 8 a. m. Germans Stunned Between the two forces, tha stunned Germans were rendered almost helpless and their once- formidable fortifications were) breached almost without a struegle. By mid-morning all the land Ines were proceeding success fully according to schedule, against only light ground oppo sition and no air opposition, a headquarters communique an nounced. "The supporting air-borne op eration was also successfully ex ecuted." First reports said American and French Infantrymen, the pick of the veteran armies mass ing In the Mediterranean thea ter for months, made up tha bulk of the assault force put ashore by an armada of- some 800 warships and transport craft. American and British para troops and air-borne infantry spearheaded the attack, but it was indicated that the Initia British army participation was limited to this phase of the In vasion. Drive Inland Reports trickling back from the thousands of Allied fliers who swept unchallenged over the beaches said the Invading army was striking swiftly In land, In a drive aimed to tha northwest at the Rhone valley, less than 30 miles west of Mar seille. Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wil son, supreme Allied commander In the Mediterranean, declared that his forces would sweep tha Germans from their path, mnrch northward through the heart of France, and Join up with the Al lied armies closing In on Paris frcm Normandy. ' Victory Is certain," he pro claimed In a ringing message to the people of France. "Remem ber 1918." Even as Wilson's armies stormed ashore, Gen. Charles De Gaulle's French committee of national liberation broadcast a call to arms to all of France, ordering patriots throughout the country to rise against the Nazi occupation armies. Blast Blow Due "The blast blow Is about to be struck," the committee de I rlnred. A full battalion of American paratroops, about 1000 men, landed in the St. Raphael area, the Nazi DNB News Agency said, while another landing attempt at Port Dramont, four miles to the east, was repulsed. German reports of furious fighting along the coast appeared to be purely for home front consumption, however. Hitler's Mediterranean wall had been breached beyond hope of repair by the first shattering wave of Allied planes and shock troops and the thunderous bombard bombardment laid down by Brit ish Admiral Sir John II. D. Cun. ningham's warships. Planes Riddle Defense The Allied Mediterranean air forces hurled some 2700 planes over the Invasion beaches in their climactic D-dny punch, riddling the enemy's coastal de fenses and cutting their lines of communication to ribbons. Some 500 Mitchell and Ma rauder bombers racej In before the landing craft to drop their bombs at the water's edge, touching off the land and sea mines strewn across the path of the Invasion armada. Swarms of fighter-bombers followed tha troops ashore and methodically knocked out enemy strongpoints at the direction of tho ground commanders. Milwaukee, Aug. 15 U.R While Charles Mehringer sat In front of his tavern cooling off today a thief entered the back door and stole S1748,
