Ml
0)
l
S 1
Weather
Forccmst: Partly cloudy to
night and Friday. Little change
In temperature. Temp.
Highest yesterday 7g
Lowest thlt morning 54
Precipitation past 24 bra, 9
Thirty-ninth Year
RAF Thwarts Nazi "Dunkerque" Attempt
EVACUATION TRY
FROM LE HAVRE
IS
Capture of Bordeaux, Troyes
by Far-Ranging American
Tank Columns Reported.
Supreme Headquarters, AEF,
Aug. 24.-4U.PJ RAF bombers
smashed an attempt by German
light warships and merchant ves
sels to evacuate Nazi troops from
the doomed port of Le Havre
today as far-ranging American
tank columns were reported un
officially to have captured Bor
deaux, deep in southern France,
and Troyes, only 130 miles from
the German border.
Thwarting a Nazi "Dunker
que," the bombers intercepted
the German ships shortly after
midnight and in an eight-hour
running battle between Le
Havre and Boulogne, put the
ships to flight. The bombers
made 25 separate attacks against
the surface craft, which presum
ably were carrying troops from
Le Havre, now on the verge of
being engulfed by the first Ca
nadian army.
Ships Driven Back
Some of the ships put into
Boulogne harbor and then at
tempted to sneak out again for
a dash up to the North sea
but they were driven back into
port again by the bombs and
guns of the RAF planes.
The evacuation was attempted
as American flying tank col
. umns rampaged almost unop
posed through southwestern and
eastern France.
Allied headquarters spokes
men declined to confirm or deny
a report broadcast by Radio
France at Algiers that an Amer
ican tank column had swept
down more than 150 miles south
of the Loire, Joined forces with
French partisans and captured
Bordeaux, the fourth city of
France.
(The reported fall of Bordeaux
followed repeated reports from
Gezan and French sources of al
lied amphibious operations along
the Bay of Biscay south of the
city. There has been no official
word of any Allied sea-borne at'
tack on that coast, however.)
Two other American columns,
meanwhile, sped eastward to
ward the German frontier In a
drive that menaced the entire
line of communication between
the Nazi forces in southern and
central France and their home
land. One armored force of Lt. Gen.j
George S. Patton's U. S. Jra
army was reported striking into
the outskirts of the Tioyes rail
hub, a pivotal point on the net
work of railway lines funnelling
into Alsace-Lorraine and the
Saar valley.
A second tank column drove
up from Orleans in a wide
sweep around the southeastern
suburbs of Paris, cut across the
Loing river and drove eastward
through Montagris, 63 miles
southwest of Troyes.
Only feeble opposition was re
oH In the Dath of the fast-
rolling American armor and it
appeared that the German grip,
on all eastern France had been
shaken badly by the disastrous!
beating Inflicted on the Nazi 7th
army in Normandy.
Four powerful Allied armies
were crushing in from the west
and south on the 93,000-odd sur
vivors of the 7th army, and
closing swiftly on Rouen and the
channel port of Le Havre.
SIDE GLANCES
BT
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
George Buchanan trying
without success to find out who
wrote Trieste Overture.
"Tubby" Dean surprised at
the speed of the Medford un
derground. Alfred Carpenter maintaining
that since the calendar reads
AuRust, it must be summer in
spite of the early morning ther
mometer reading.
MEDFORD
United Preu
War Bulletins
Ankara, Aug. 24 (U.R)
Diplomatic sourcet said to
day that Russia's armistice
terms to Romania call for
unconditional surrender and
establishment of a demo
cratic government in Bu
charest. London, Aug. 24 (U.R)
American heavy bombers
from Italy and Great Brit
ain, estimated at more than
2000 strong, struck against
widespread targets in cen
tral and northern Germany
and in the wavering Balkan
countries today as clearing
weather permitted resump
tion of the Allied aerial of
fensive. E PASSES
SEALED BY YANK
E
Rome, Aug. 24. (U.R) Amer
ican mechanized columns were
reported to have sealed the
Franco-Italian Alpine passes
after a lightning 68-mile ad
vance from Grenoble to the
Swiss frontier, while allied land,
sea, and air forces broke down
the last German defenses in the
encircled naval base of Toulon.
There was no official confir
mation of the reported thrust to
the Swiss frontier which, if veri
fied, would put the American
columns within 175 miles or less
of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's
tank spearheads sweeping down
on Troyes from the Paris area.
With American troops astride
the Franco-Swiss frontier, the
mountain routes of escape into
northern Italy would be closed
to the German armies in south
ern France.
Fight For Toulon
Meanwhile, French infantry
men battled through the streets
of Toulon behind a tremendous
air and sea barrage, herding the
German garrison back into the
old port area.
The great naval base's main
fortifications already had been
breached, however, and an offi-
cial spokesman said the corn-
plete occupation of the port was
imminent.
(Lorfcon radio reports, uncon
firmed by allied official sources,
said American and French
troops also had liberated the
French west coast port of Bor
deaux.) Redistribution
Center Now Open
in Santa Barbara
Washington, Aug. 24. (U.R)
War department hotels at Miami
Beach, Fla., and Santa Barbara,
Cal., went into use today as re
distribution centers for veterans
returning from overseas.
The army maintains 35 hotels
at Miami Beach and three at
Santa Barbara. Veterans report
to redistribution centers after
21-day furloughs to await reas
signment. The war department said five
such stations will be in operation
by Oct. 1. Beside those at Miaiml
Beach and Santa Barbara, one
win be opened at Lake Placid,
N. Y., Sept. 8, and others later
at AsheviUe, N. C, and Hot
Springs, Ark.
TWO YEAR SENTENCE
GIVEN HORACE STOREY
Horace Oliver Storey, 48.
charged with obtaining money
under false pretenses was sen
tenced yesterday by Circuit
Judge H. K. Hanna to serve an
indeterminate term of not to.
exceed two years in state prison.
Storey entered a plea of guilty
on a district attorney's informa
tion, and waived grand Jury in
dictment. The cases of Gordon Everett
Beckman, 19, charged with lar
ceny in a dwelling and Mrs.
Blanche Cobb, charged with ob
taining drugs illegally were ord
ered continued, pending further
Investigation. Both entered pleas
of guilty.
Full Leased Wire
MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1944
FIFTH CAPITAL
Chisinau, Former Capital of
Bessarabia, Latest to Fall
in Soviet Advance.
London, Aug. 24 (U.R) Rus
sian troops have captured Chisi
nau, former capital of Bessar
abia and an enemy southern
stronghold, radio Moscow an
nounced tonight, as the 2nd
and 3rd Ukrainian armies con
tinued their twin offensive
against Germans and Romani
ans reeling back toward Galati
Gap, gateway to Bucharest.-
Chisinau, 50 miles east of
Iasi, previously had been by
passed by the two Soviet armies
in their drive southward over
the Romanian plains, and lay
approximately midway between
the two Russian columns.
Town Outflanked
It was taken by 3rd Ukraini
an army troops in a "skillful
outflanking maneuver and fron
tal attack," Premier Marshal
Joseph Stalin announced in an
order of the day which de
scribed Chisinau as an "import
ant communications junction
and
hold
powerful enemy strong-1
Chisinau, capital of Moldavia
state, was the fifth capital the
Soviet armies have liberated.
As in the cases of the other
capitals Kiev of the Ukraine,
Minsk of White Russia, Wilno
of Lithuania, and Petrozavod
sky of Karelia the liberation
of Chisinau will be saluted by
24 salvoes of 324 Moscow vic
tory guns.
The capture of Chisinau
joined the two Russian armies
for a climactic smash throueh
tne German and
Romanian
forces, who were 170 miles or
less from Bucharest.
The German and Romanian
troops were continuing to resist,
although they were fighting
among themselves after King
Michael's announcement that
the Soviet armistice terms had
been accepted.
Sweden and Vichy
End Relationship
Stockholm, Aug. 24 (U.R)
The Swedish foreign office an
nounced today that all diplo
matic relations between Sweden
and the Vichy government
"have ceased," and that Swed
ish diplomats in France have
been ordered to Switzerland.
(The dispatch did not clarify
the reason for Sweden's move,
but it presumably was caused
by the flight of the Vichy gov
ernment, reportedly to the
Franco-German border.)
U. S. Learns Belatedly That Air Bombs
Cannot Take Place Of Artillery Shells
Washington, Aug. 24 'U.R)
War Production Board Chair
man Donald Nelson told the
Senate War Investigating com
mittee in secret testimony re
leased today that the present
lag in artillery production was
due to belated recognition that
air bombing could not take the
place of shell fire in this war
and that more guns had to be
made.
Tanks and heavy truck pro
duction fell behind. Nelson said,
mainly because of manpower
shortages In foundry shops.
Nelson said this "most critical
problem" could be solved by
12,000 additional workers.
Production Declines
Nelson's testimony was given
In the same closed session Tues
day at which Maj. Gen. Lucius
D. Clay, army director of ma
terial, told the committee that
production of tome vital war
Items dropped as much as 53
per cent last month. Chief
shortages listed by Clay were
heavy artillery and ammuni
tion, trucks and tanks.
STETTINIUS FOR
E
T
Chairman Promises Corre
spondents to Try for More
Information on Talks.
Washington, Aug. 24 (U.R)
Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., chair
man of the Dumbarton Oaks
world security talks, promised
corresondpents today that the
chairmen of the three delega
tions would try to get more in
formation into their daily com
muniques. The three chairmen Stettin
ius (U. S.), Sir Alexander Cado
gan (British) and Andrei A.
Gromyko (Russian) met 16 rep
resentatives of the State Depart
ment Correspondents' associa
tion in Stettinius' office at Dum
barton Oaks. The correspond
ents hai requested the meeting
to present a memorandum pro
testing the secrecy surrounding
the conference.
Stettinius read to the commit
tee a joint statement of the three
powers which said in effect that
the present system of publicity
about the talks would continue.
After a 45-mimite off-the-reenrd
discussion of the problem, how
ever, stettinius said the three
leaders would consider the
memorandum from the press and
added that he personally expect
ed that the meeting would do
some good.
Foreign War Vets
Select Officers,
Keep Women Out
Chicago, Aug. 24 (U.R) Jean
A. Brunner, Forest Hills, N. Y..
was elected commander In chief
of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
at the closing session today. I
Joseph M. Stack, Pittsburgh,
Pa., was chosen senior vice-
commander, with Louis E. Starr,
Portland. Ore., a junior vice
commander. Other officers are Robert B.
Handy, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.,
quartermaster-general; James A.
Cannon, Youngstown, O., Judge
advocate general; Dr. Hubert J.
Eckwall, Chicago, surgeon-general;
and the Rev. Father Pat
rick J. Lydon, Boston, chaplain.
Delegates voted down a pro
posal to admit service women to
their organization by a vote of
2,848 to 1.946.
PATCH CONFIRMED
Washington, Aug. 24 (U.R)
The senate today confirmed the
promotion of Alexander M.
Patch, commander of the south
ern France Invasion, to the tem
porary rank of lieutenant gen
eral. Nelson said "tremendously
increased requirements" neces
sitated a sudden output of
heavy artillery. Sen. Homer
Ferguson, R., Mich., asked if
this was due mostly to changes
in plans. Nelson replied it was
"due mostly to a change of con
cept." "Due mostly to the fact that
they found out aircraft bomb
ing could not take the place of
artillery?" former Chairman
S. Truman, D., Mo., asked.
"That is very true," Nelson
replied.
"In other words the dropping
of a bomb didn't have the same
effect as the shooting of a
shell?" Ferguson persisted.
Known From Start
"The ordnance department
knew that from the start," Nel
son said.
"And contended for It," Fer
guson asked.
"Cottended for It; proved it
mathematically In every way,
shape and form," Nelson re
plied. But you eouldn t convince
1 " " United Preu Full Leued Wire
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SPAIN
Mats
(Acme Ttlenhnto)
Liberation of Paris by French patriots was accompanied by spectacular new Allied gains on all French Ironta,
Canadians and British closed In on Channel parte, wru ch Americans were approaching down the Seme. Other
U. S. unite race past Sens, southeast Paris, nearlng German border as Allies, In south, reached Toulon and
were within three miles of Marseilles. Unconllrmed reports told of new landuura near Bordeaux.
Street Fighting Flares Up In Paris;
French Flash Call For Outside Help
Supreme Headquarters, AEF, Aug. 24 (U.R) Street fighting
between French patriots and Germans flared up lnsido Paris
today and Allied Supreme Headquarters announced that yes
terday's fighting French communque telling of the capture
of the city was premature.
Headquarters revealed that
the patriots, tricked by a Ger
man appeal for an armistice in
to believing that the enemy was
leaving the capital, had flashed
an urgent call for' help to the
American and French regulars
massed outside the city.
Allied forces began moving
on the city yesterday against
German resistance, headquar
ters spokesmen said.
(Radio France at Algiers said
American troops entered Paris
tnnitrht. fnllnwintf the arrival of
a French regular force.)
Liberation Hailed
(shortiy before the
announce
ment that Paris had not yet
been freed, Prejident Roosevelt
issued a special statement in
Washington hailing the "liber
ation of the former French cap
ital as dispelling the "patch of
gloom" which had remained
"through the rising tide of Al
lied successes.")
There was no official word
at headquarters that Allied re
lief columns had yet entered
Paris, although a dispatch from
CBS Correspondent Charles
Collingwood, datclined "Paris,"
said the French 2nd armored di
vision arrive there yesterday.
Gen. Pierre Koenig, com-mandcr-ln-chlef
of the French
forces of the interior, an
nounced early yesterday that
Paris had been liberated by an
army of 80,000 organized patri
ot troops and hundreds of thou-
them except by experience,"
Truman observed.
Nelson told the committee
that $73,000,000 was spent In
July on new artillery plants
which are just now coming In
to production. Lags in tank
production, Nelson said, were
due largely to changes In de
sign while radar output fell off
as new developments had to be
worked into assembly line pro
duction. Nelson said there was no real
evidence of war Job desertion
by workers desiring to return
to peacetime occupations ex
cept on the west coast. The
army and the war manpower
commission, however, he testi
fied, feel that desertions are
pretty widespread.
"On the west coast there has
been some movement of that
kind," Nelson said.
"I think this Is probably due
to very bad living conditions,
overcrowding, lack of transpor
tation, and a cutback in pro
grams which caused part of the
labor force to dissipate,'" he
said.
sands of revolting Parisians.
Nails Break Pledge
His announement apparently
was based on the German ar
mistice request, which tho pa
triots accepted at face valuo as
signifying thnt the Nazis Intend
ed to evacuate tho city.
Then, even as jubilant crowds
throughout the Free French Em
pire and the Allied world were
celebrating the liberation of
Europe's queen city, the Nazis
repudiated the pledge on which
they had obtained a brief truce
from the patriots and resumed
the battle.
Latest reports reaching Allied
headquarters from the turbul
ent city said the Franch still
held parts of Paris but that
street fighting still was in prog
ress .
Germany Whipped
In Sixty Days Is
Atherton's Guess
Portland, Ore.. Aug. 24 (U.R),
National Commander Warren
Athcrton of the American Leg-
Ion today predicted Germany
would be out of the war in B0
days and If so, believes that the1
war in the Pacific will be overl
within a year.
Coming here from Spokane.
Wash., Athcrton has observed
fighting conditions on a three
month tour of the Pacific and is
now on a 20-state speaking tour.
He said the Allies have been
beating the Japs in the Pacific
with a third of our strength,
"and when we turn all of the
United States production Into
the theater the Japs will go un
der within year."
Union Squabble
Halts War Work
Providence, R. I., Aug. 24
(U.R) All structural work on
comljat carriers at the Walsh
Kalscr shipyard was halted to,
day as union leaders, comapny
officials and government repre
sentatives conferred In an effort
to end an unauthorized strike
of 7500 bollermakers and rig
gers. The walkout began Tuesday
as result of what was described
as a jurisdictional dispute be
tween two affiliates of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor.
QUIZ SLAYER SUSPECT
Los Angeles, Aug. 24 (U.R)
Police today arrested Admiral
Dewey Adnmson, 48-year-old
negro ex-convict, and questioned
him In connection with the
strangulation murder of Mrs.
Stella Blauvelt, 84, wealthy Chi-:
cago widow last July 24. Mrs.
Blauvelt was murdered In her
apartment when she surprised a
would-be burglar.
NO. 131.
BY YANKEE FLIERS
Pearl Harbor, Aug. 24 U.R)
American filers continued their
wide-sprend dally air attacks
against Japanese positions
throughout the. Pacific, striking
Paramushiro Island In the north
ern Kurllcs Sunday and attack
ing the Island of Yap for the
fourth consecutive time, Pacific
fleet headquarters announced to
day, Ventura searchplanei from
fleet alrwing four sank a small
vessel off Paramushiro, most
northerly of the Kuriles, dam
aged another ship and scored
direct hits in storage areas, the
announcement from Adm. Ches
ter W. Nimltz" headquarters
said.
One of seven intercepting
enemy fighters were shot down.
All tho navy planes returned.
Seventh AAF Liberators con
centrated their Tuesday attack
against Yap on bivouac areas
"d 'lclt !"
lsla"d approximately 635 miles
"outhwest of captured Guam.
Antiaircraft was meager,
...
Backfire ISUmS
c 0 Frrint Creti)
Dunsmulr, Cal., Aug. 24.
(U.R) V. C. Creason, Southern
Pacific engineer, suffered sec
ond degree burns and R. C. Guy
man, fireman, suffered second
and third degree burns when
their locomotive backfired yes
terday at Mott, seven miles
north of Dunsmuir.
Creason was In a local hospi
tal. Guyman was sent to the
Southern Pacific hospital at San
Francisco following first aid
treatment.
WILSON RESIGNATION
ACCEPTED BY F.D.R.
Washington, Aug. 24. (U.R)
The White House today an
nounced that President Roose
velt hos accepted the resignation
of Charles E. Wilson as execu
tive vice-chairman of the war
production board.
Wilson In his letter of resigna
tion blamed "subordinate" WPB
officials for statements that he
was "opposed to reconversion."
On the contrary, he said, he fa
vored reconversion and actually
had set In operation many steps
affecting reconversion to a large
degree.
Wilson, former president of
General Electric Co., has had his
differences with WPB Chairman
Donald Nelson on occasion.
Nelson
called at the White
House today to bid the president
goodbye before starting on a
mission to China for Mr. Roosevelt
T
AXIS SATELLITES.
Hungarian Army Claimed In
Revolt Upheaval Lika
Preceding 1918 Collapse,
London, Aug. 24. (U.R) Thej
Hungarian army was reported
in revolt today, and press dis
patches said Bulgaria had asked
the allies for their peace terms
in the wake of Romania's stun
ning break with Germany and
her proclaimed decision to Join
forces with the allies.
A flood of reports from allied
and axis sources on the conti
nent made it clear that all threa
of Hitler's balkan satellites wera
in the throes of political upheav
al almost Identical to that which
collapsed the central powers in
1918.
Mutiny In Hungary
The German DNB news agen
cy announced that Hungary'
nazi puppet premier Dome
Sztojay had ordered the Immedi
ate dissolution of all political
parties in that nation, and Swiss
press dispatches to London said
mutiny had broken out In tha
Hungarian army.
DNB said all political activi
ties in Hungary were prohibited
under the decree and that
Sztojay was prepared to act
ruthlessly to put down any op
position. An Exchange Telegraph dis
patch from Zurich, quoting a
Hungarian diplomat there, said
a cabinet crisis was imminent, if
it had not already developed
and that an army-led revolution
was believed certain.
Simultaneously, Bulgaria was
reported on the verge of follow
ing Romania out of the axis
camp. Authoritative reports
from Ankara said tha Bulgara
had asked for a final delineation
of the terms on which they
could make peace with the Unit
ed States and Britain.
On Allied Terms ' 1
While some government cir
cles in Sofia appeared to ba
holding to the illusion that they
could withdraw from the war
with some territorial gains, it
appeared Increasingly evident
that the Romanian move would
squeeze Bulgaria out in short
order and at the allied terms.
Romania Itself was braced to
meet posslblo German reprisals,
and the government clamped
virtual state of alcge on Buch
arest. EXCESS PROFITS
Washington, Aug. 24. U.R
Democratic and Republican sen
ators joined today In attacking
as "administratively impossible"
the proposed McKellar excess
profits amendment to the sur
plus property disposal bill.
The senate by voice vota
added to the bill the Bankhead
amendment, raising the federal
loan ceiling on cotton from B2Vi
per cent to 95 per cent of parity.
The excess profits amendment
Introduced by Sens. Kenneth
McKellar, D.,'Tcnn., James O.
Eastland, D Miss., and Ernest
W. McFarland, D., Ariz., would
give the government the right to
ban excessive profits on all sub
sequent resales of surplus pro
perty after it leaves government
hands.
r t T m.
i yjampn uin i reais
Mosquitoes in China
A Secret B-29 Base, West
China, Aug. 24. (U.R) Oomph
girl Ann Sheridan cut short her
recent appearance at this base
when her halter and slack attlra
provoked a large-scale attack
by mosquitoes and insects in ad
dition to whistles from her G. I.
audience.
Miss Sheridan was appearing
during a tour of far eastern
bases with actor Ben Blue.
TO BERLIN
By United Press
The shortest distances to
Berlin from advanced allied
lines today:
Southern France 890
miles (gain of 71 miles in
week).
Northern France 820
miles (gain ot 75 miles in
week).
Russia 323 miles (un
changed for week).
Italy 802 miles (un
changed for week).