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MEDFORD
Tribune
United Press Full Leased Wire
United Press Full Leased Wire
Thirty-ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1944
NO. 137.
WW
nil
Ji
LHl
I
s
Drive For Sedan Underway;
Patton's Army Chase
Nazis Near Belgium.
Supreme Rheadquarters, AEF
Aug. 31 (U.R) The German
battle screen west of the Rhine
land broke wide open tonight
and front dispatches said Amer
ican tanks and infantrymen
were pouring through the great
breach, almost at the borders of
Belgium.
In a blazing 37-mile advance
from the Aisne river line at
Neufchatel, powerful armored
columns of the American 1st
army burst across tha Meuse
river below Sedan and swung
up toward that historic city at
the entrance to the Ardennes
forest.
' It was through the Ardennes
forest that the German armies
of 1940 swept to turn the Magi
not line and overrun France.
At the same time, Lt. Gen.
George S. Patton's American
3rd prmy forces were reported
to have surged far east of
Chalors-Sur-Marne, apparently
pushing into the Argonne forest
in a headlong drive toward Ver
dun. Patton's men are riding down
hundreds of fleeing Nazis and
United Press War Correspon
dent Henry T. Gorrell reported
that the battle had degenerated
into a race to see whether the
Germans or Americans would
reach the borders of the reich
first.
The battle of the Meuse on
the U. S. 1st army front began
and ended in a matter of hours,
with the enemy scattering back
Into the Ardennes forest in com
plete disorder.
At one point, an American
battle group captured 400 pris
oners representing 64 different
German units, indicating the
enemy no longer was fighting
as an organized army.
The exact point of the Meuse
crossing was not given, but Gor
rell said the Americans were
pounding on Sedan and the Ar
dennes and it was intimated
they might already have reach
ed the Belgian border.
Equally chaotic scenes were
reported from the blazing
Somme battlefront above Paris
where the Canadian 1st army,
the British 2nd army and units
of the American 1st were 'tear
ing apart the German defenses
guarding the robot bomb coast.
Thousands of Germans were
bypassed and facing death or
capture in the channel port of
Le Havre as the British captured
Amiens in a powerful thrust'
across the Somme river line and
swept on toward Boulogne,
Calais and Dunkerque.
"It is now no longer a drive
against armed opposition but a
alized and confused German!
armies in France, an authorita
tive spokesman told Gorrell at
the front.
"The battle of France is rapid
ly drawing to a close tonight,"
Gorrell wrote.
On the northern front, "all In
dications were that the robot
bomb coast might be overrun by
the allied armies within 72
hours.
I
Rome, Aug. 31 AJ.P Pilots
from the carrier USS Tulagi
saw only six German planes
during their operations covering
the invasion of the southern
coast of France and shot down
every one of them, the U. S.
navy disclosed today.
Ensign Richard V. Ventzer,
Route 2, Sheridan, Wyo., down
ed a Junker-52. while credit for
t downing a Hcinkcl was shared
by Ensign Advide Robin?on of
Chicago and Lt. Cmdr. John H.
Sandor. 811 W. 11th St., Walsen
burg, Colo.
The
(Acme Rtuho-Tclrphotot
Milling about In a 45th Division prisoner of war camp to southern France are the 946 Germans, Including 17 officers, who surrendered to Lieu
tenant Clarence E. Coggins (right) of Poteau. Okla., whom they had captured a short time before. The fast-talking, 24-year-old Oklahoman per
suaded the Nazi commander to "give up" by telling him that his men were surrounded, then took the surrender offer over to Allied headquarters
to make arrangements for the Germans to lay down their arms and come in their own vehicles.
BUCHAREST FALLS
INTO RED HANDS;
PL 0 BTiABLAZE
Russians Near Bulgarian
Border Moscow Fires
Victory Guns.
London, Aug. 31. U.R) The
Soviet 2nd Ukrainian army
drove southward from the blaz
ing oil fields of Ploestl- and en
tered Bucharest today, liquidat
ing the German forces in the
northern suburbs who had been
fighting their former Romanian
allies for possession of the capi
tal. Premier Josef Stalin's order
of the day announcing the
achievement significantly did
not claim the capture of the
Romanian capital, which has
been held by the Romanians
virtually ever since their king s
declaration of war on Germany,
but said that the Russians had
removed the "German threat
to Bucharest from the north."
The order also directed 24
salvos of Moscow's 324 victory
guns for the troops "who en
sured the safety of the Roman
ian capital."
Prior to Stalin's announce
ment, Bucharest was reported
in the hands of Romanian troops
loyal to King Michael, who sur
rendered Romania to the Soviets
last week and declared war on
the country's former ally, Ger
many. ,
In the drive down the eastern
Romanian plains, other Soviet
columns further cast reached
the border of Bulgarian-annexed
Dobruja and threatened to cross
the prewar frontier of Bulgaria
itself.
Behind them the Soviet troops
left chemical units working
feverishly along side Romanian
engineers to extinguish the blaz
ing Ploestl oil fields. Moscow
dispatches said the area for doz
ens of miles from the city was
enveloped in thick clouds of
smoke and flames and that hard
ly a street of the city itself was
untouched by fire.
The same sources said the
Russians made their drive on
Ploestl with unprecedented
speed in an attempt to envelop
the city before the Germans
completed destruction of the oil
fields. They arrived In time to
help Romanian troops and the
civilian population reduce and
confine the conflagration, Mos
cow reports said.
SIDE GLANCES
Bt
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Ruth Renkcn performing her
daily good deed.
T. Victor Williams pleased
that his endeavors to have the
Ft. Baker road called by its true
name of Camp Baker road arc
finally becoming effective.
Assistant Fire Chief Ed
Canooe reclining lazily In a
draped position over a fire truck
fender after a hard afternoon's
work.
Lone Yank Came Back-
ALEUTIAN BASED
LIBERATORS HIT
JAP NAVAL BASE
Washington, Aug. 31 U.R)
Aleutians based Liberator bomb
ers and Ventura search planes
struck at installations on the
big Japanese base on Paramu
shiro on Sunday, rounding out
a series of three attacks that
day on the northern Kurile
Island, the navy announced to
day. Only meager anti-aircraft fire
was encountered and all of the
attacking aircraft returned to
base.
Meanwhile, the American
aerial offensive against Japanese
bases In the central Pacific con
tinued without letup on Monday
and Tuesday.
Single Liberator bom b e r s
struck at Yap and Woleai islands
in the western Carolines on both
Monday and Tuesday. Anti-air
craft fire was described as i
meager.
Mitchell medium bombers hit'
the airfield at Nauru Island, on
the southern fringe of the Gil
berts on Tuesday, following up
a night attack by a Catalina
search plane.
Marine dive bombers and
fighters raked Mili, one of the
holdout enemy bases in the east
ern Marshals.
During the night of Monday
Tuesday, Liberators again hit
Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands,
north of the Marianas, where
on the same night Pagan Island
was bombed. The following day,
Pagan was hit again and fires
were started amid gun positions
and storage facilities.
KELLAND SPEECH
Washington, Aug. 31. AJ.R)
Rep. George E. Outland, D.,
Calif., today described as "cheap,
vicious, rotten and dirty" a
charge by Clarence Budington
Kclland, Republican National
committeeman from Arizona,
that President Roosevelt was re
sponsible for the Pearl Harbor
disaster.
Kelland made the charge yes
terday in a speech at Montpclier,
Vt.
Speaking In the house as
though addressing Kelland, Out
land said:
"If you believe what you are
saying, sir, you are a fool. If
you don't, you are a liar."
Democratic Leader John W.
McCormack, Mass., eachoed Out
land's denunciation of Kelland
and criticized Rep. Everett M.
Dirksen, R.. 111., for a speech at
i Old Orchard, Me., last night in
which he accused President
Roosevelt of using the navy to
get votes as "a new low."
GOOD CHAMPAGNE YEAR
Epernay, Aug. 31. (U.R) The
champagne Industry has suffered
little from the war and this
looks like another good vintage
year, according to wine-makers
in thii area,
With 946 Prisoners!
JULY'S FIGHTING
CAUSES GAIN IN
CASUALTY TOTAL
Heavy Fighting In France
Reason All Services To
tal 349,523.
Washington, Aug.. 31 OJ.R)
Late July's heavy fighting In
northern France caused a sharp
Increase In U. S. army casual
ties. Acting Secretary of War
Robert P. Patterson disclosed
today, swelling the total for all
theaters to 284,838 through Aug.
23.
This represented an Increase
of 23,249 over the total reported
a week ago, and Patterson said
the increase was "largely re
flected In the period of heaviest
fighting in northern France near
the end of July."
Patterson also disclosed that
the fighting In southern France,
from the landings on Aug. 15
through Aug. 24, had cost the
Americans 1.242 killed or mis
sing and 5,000 wounded rela
tively light losses which he said
illustrated German weakness in
that area.
Patterson's announce m e n t s
brought to 349,523 the number
of casualties thus far announced
here for all services since Pearl
Harbor. Navy figures for today
show 58,353 navy, marine and
coast guard casualties Including
23.544 dead, 20.701 wounded,
9,642 missing, and 4,466 prison
ers of war.
Of the army total, Patterson
listed 53,101 as killed, 142,688
wounded, 44,643 missing and 44,
408 prisoners of war. Of the
wounded, 60,314 have been re
turned to duty.
Patterson revealed that In
both northern and southern
France, Allied forces thus far
have taken more than 235,000
prisoners.
"Enemy dead and wounded
must greatly expand this figure,"
he added.
In southeastern Asia opera
tions since January more than
50,000 Japanese have been
killed, Patterson said, and "Jap
anese mortality from sickness
and other casualties must far ex
ceed that figure."
Japanese dead counted in cen
tral and south Pacific operations
now total more than 115,000,
Patterson said.
Broken Lock Causes
5,000 To Quit Work
Cleveland, Aug. 31. (U.R)
Production of aircraft bearings
was halted completely today
when 5.000 employes of the
Cleveland Graphite Bronze com
pany struck in protest against
the discharge of one worker for
breaking a 75-ccnt lock in the
plant's locker room.
The strike, latest of a series of
work stoppages at the plant over
minor grievances, brought Mat
thew Smith, International presi
dent of the Mechanics Education
al Society of America here from
Detroit by plane.
New York,Aug. 31 (U.R)
Cotton futures opened S to 9
point lower today.
ALL SET
SPEECH TONIGHT
Joplin, Mo., Aug. 31 (U.R)
Sen. Harry S. Truman, democra
tic vice-presidential nominee,
referring to the possible damage
to his party's chances should the
war end before November, said
he did not care what happens
along that line." ,
"rwnnt the war to end as
quickly as possible. I'm thinking
about those boys who are doing
the fighting," he said.
The Missourian held a press
conference here shortly before
he was due to receive formal
notification of his candidacy to
night at nearby Lamar, Mo., his
birthplace.
Unemployment, which would
accompany the end of the war,
he said, "always hurts the party
In power.
Truman, whose speech of ac
ceptance tonight was awaited
by political observers as a prob
able outline of his party's strat
egy for the fourth term cam
paign, said that plans should be
made immediately to combat
unemployment.
He said he would stick to the
facts in his acceptance speech
and added that the facts would
bear out his contention that Mr.
Roosevelt should be returned to
Washington. Truman said he
would "do a little hell-raising"
in his address, to be broadcast
by the four national networks.
The notification party arrived
in flag-bedecked Lamar this
afternoon. Half a dozen bands
were on hand from western Mis
souri and eastern Kansas towns
to add their music to the carni
val atmosphere which envel
oped this town of 3,000.
BILL TO SENATE
Washington, Aug. 31 (U.R)
The house today passed the re
stricted ways and means com
mittee version of the George de
mobilization bill after heating
down all attempts to liberalize
unemployment benefits and
broaden other provisions.
Passage was by voice vote
The bill now will be sent to con
ference with the senate, Inas
much as the house eliminated
senate provisions to authorize
unemployment benefits for fed
eral employes and to set up re
employment and retraining ma
chinery. I HONOR NAVY MEDICO
I Washington, Aug. 31. 'U.R)
Undersecretary of Navy Ralph
,' A. Bard today presented the dls
I tinguished service medal to
Comdr. James J. Sapero, medi
cal corps, for his development of
malarial control methods in the
south Pacific which "drastically
reduced" Incidence of the dis
ease. Washington, Aug. 31. U.R)
Loadings of revenue freight for
the week ended Aug. 26 rose
18,278 caxi to 909,74 cars.
BRITi: : CAPTURE
AMIENS. EN ROUTE
TO R0B01 COAST
Verdun Reported Evacuated
Tanks Cross Somme
As Nazis Reel.
(United Press)
The clandestine- radio station
Atlantic said the Germans were
evacuating the fortress city of
Verdun, 32 miles from the Lux
embourg border and less than
50 miles from the German fron
tier. Supreme Headquarters, AEF,
Aug. 31 U.PJ Powerful British
armored forces broke across the
Somme river line today, cap
tured Amiens and plunged on
toward Boulogne, Calais, and
the beaches of Dunkerque in a
fast-rolling offensive that threat
ened to overrun the robot bomb
coast within 72 hours.
Far to the east, two American
tank armies fanned out beyond
the shattered Aisne and Marne
river lines at top speed in twin
drives that unofficial reports
said had carried to within 26
miles of the Belgian border and
little more than 80 miles from
Germany.
Battle-hungry British Tom
mies, spurred by the prospect of
lifting the "rocket-siege" of
London within a matter of days,
ftwena across the Somme in a
burst of power that sent the I
Nazis fleeing in disorder from!
Amiens.
Vanguards of the British 2nd
army speared into the city early
this morning and at mid-day the
main force rode through in pur
suit of the enemy.
Tanks, guns, and troops were
reported pouring across the
Somme in an increasing tide and
headquarters spokesmen said
the new bridgehead on the north
bank was firmly established
early this afternoon.
Simultaneously, Canadian 1st
army troopers lunged Into the
Seine river port of Rouen and
thrust across the Dieppe high
way nine miles above Rouen In
a drive to seal off the channel
town, where a host of Canadians
found death and glory In the
great commando raid two years
ago.
"The all-onqucring Nazi hosts
are now shattered, hounded by
day and night, and they havei
lost all semblance of an effective'
fighting force," United Press
War Correspondent Richard D.
McMillan reported from the
British field headquarters. j
ihey nave only one Idea to
drag themselves somehow out of
the clutches of their fast-moving
British pursuers."
ENGLE BILL HITS
Washington, Aug. 31. (U.R)
Rep. Clair Engle, D., Cal., In
troduced a bill today calling for
the deportation after the war of
all alien Japanese and disloyal
Americans of Japanese descent.
Engle said his bill was direct
ed particularly at handling nllen
and disloyal Japanese held in
the Tulo Lake segregation cen
ter In his district.
"There Is nothing In the law
at the present time which sets
up the procedure for getting rid
of these Japanese who because
of their dangerous and disloyal
attitude have been segregated
and kept In the Tulo Lake
camp", he said. "If the war
should end tomorrow there Is
nothing now in the law which
would require or authorize the
federal government to remove
them permanently from this
country that is the purpose of
the bill."
CIO CHIEFS QUIT
Woonsockct, R. I Aug. 31
(U.R) Nine members of the Poli
tical Action Committee of the In
dustrian Trades Union of Woon
sockct have resigned on the
grounds that the PAC's policy
Is "detrimental to the best in
teresti of labor,"
War Bulletins
Moscow, Aug. 31. (U.R)
Donald M. Nelson, War Pro
duction Board chairman, and
Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Hurley,
reached Moscow today, en
route to China as personal
emissaries of President Roose
velt. They sold they planned to
spend several days here in
conferences before continuing
the trip to China.
Sen Francisco, Aug. 31
(U.R) The submarine U. S. S.
Trigger today flew a presi
dential unit citation flag pre
sented for "outstanding per
formance In combat during the
submarine's fifth, sixth and
seventh war patrols against
the enemy."
London, Aug. 31 OJ.R) The
Czechoslovak government in
London announced today that
almost all Slovakia now Is In
the hands of Csech patriot
forces.
The news was received by
a radio message from the field
commander of the Ciech
forces.
E
E
IS FADING FAST
Yanks Herd Foe Up Rhone,
French Near Spain; Nice
Captured.
Rome, Aug. 81 (U.R) French
armored columns, In a spectacu
lar 82-mlle sweep around the
Gulf of Lions, captured Monte
plelcr, Bczlers and Narbonne
and drove forward unopposed to
within less than 50 miles of the
Spanish frontier today, while
American troops herded the
remnants of the German 19th
army northward through the
Rhone valley Into the Lyon area.
Nazi resistance all along the
mediterranean coastline vanish
ed almost completely, and Amer
ican forces at the eastern end of
the long Invasion front captured
the famous resort town of Nice
without a struggle.
Only In the Rhone valley, his
toric invasion route to central
France and the Rhlneland, were
the Allied armies meeting ser
ious opposition, and it came
there from suicidal rear-guard
units fighting to cover the re
treat of the shattered 19th army.
U. S. 7th army troops drove
more than 11 miles up the east
bank of the Rhone, chopping
down Nazi stragglers in their
advance, and captured the Im
portant road Junction of Val
ence. A second column was con
verging on the town from Cha
bcuil, six miles to the southeast.
The fall of Valence carried
the American vanguards within
57 miles of Lyon, rallying point
for the scattered remnants of
the enemy's southern garrisons.
Denver, Aug. 31. (U.R) OPA
Administrator Chester Bowles
asserted today In Denver that
"the pinnacle of the pressure
group movement" ended last
spring, but pointed out that
there may be a resurgence of It
during the reconversion period.
There was a surge of business
men to Washington opposing
various phases of price controls
and rationing, but OPA has suc
ceeded In Its program generally,
he said. What the reconversion
period will bring, Bowles ex
plained, Is "anybody's guess
now.
Most of the nation's citizens,
he said, now are Informed on the
need for rationing and price con
trol measures, and that during
the last two weeks on a tour of
OPA field offices and local
boards, ho found "very little dis
satisfaction with the program In
general.
Washington, Aug, 31. (U.R)
President Roosevelt today nomi
nated Benjamin J. McKlnney
for reappointment as U. S. mar
shal for Arizona.
GERMANS SUFFER
400,000 SOLDIER
LOSS IN81 DAYS
Allied Armies Are Five Days
Ahead of Schedule, Re
port Reveals.
Supreme Headaunrters ACT
Aug. 31. (U.R) Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower, supreme allied com
mander, disclosed today that his
armies were more than f ivp Havs
ahead of schedule in their march
across western Europe and re
iterated that Germany could be
defeated this year if all on the
home and war fronts did their
duty.
Supreme Headntinrtnra AFP
Aug. 31. CU.Rk-Gen. Dwight d!
uioeiinuwur, reiterating nis be
lief that Germany can and will
be defeated hefnro vwd'o
declared tonight that the Gerl
man armies of northern France
have been smashed in 81 days of
fighting that cost thorn mr,r
than 400,000 casualties and a
vast store of planes, tanks, and
mechanized field equipment.
In an Official rennrt nhmiffA
to the Joint Anglo-American
cnieis or siati, Elsenhower said
his allied invasion forces have
met and defeated the cream of
the German armies and inflict
ed a "fearful beating on the Nazi
luftwaffe."
The equivalent of five German
armored divisions and 20 in
fantry divisions have been de
stroyed, and another six panzer
and 12 infantry divisions have
been "badly, cut up," his report
disclosed.
It listed the staggering total
of 1300 enemy tanks, 2000 guns,
and more than 20,000 motor ve
hicles destroyed or captured be
tween D-day, June 6, and Aug.
25, along with 3,545 enemy
planes destrpyed In air battles or
aground.
Among the enemy casualties
In the period, he said, were more
than 200,000 prisoners.
(The over-all German casualty
figures for the battle of northern
France contrasted with an offic
ial announcement In Washington
that U. S. army losses for all
theaters from the beginning of
the war through Aug. 13 totaled
284,838 killed, wounded, and
missing.)
He said 2,378 German air
craft have been destroyed In the
air and 1,167 on the ground. In
addition, 270 aircraft were prob
ably destroyed and 1,028 were
damaged In the air.
Enemy naval losses amounted
to some 300 vessels of all classes
sunk or heavily damaged by Al
lied action. In addition, a num
ber of enemy merchant ships
were sunk and the Germans
themselves scuttled numerous
naval and mercantile craft.
"The equivalent of five panzer
divisions have been destroyed
and a further sixth severely
mauled, including one panzer
grenadier division," his state
ment said. "The equivalent of
20 Infantry divisions have been
eliminated and a further 12 very
badly cut up and have suffered
severe losses. Included In this
total of Infantry divisions are
three of the enemy's crack para
chute divisions."
These divisions are In addi
tion to one parachute division
and two Infantry divisions
marooned In Brittany ports and
another Infantry division In the
Channel Islands.
Of the German casualties, over
200,000 were prisoners, includ
ing 135,000 captured since July
25.
"The German 7th army and
the newly-formed 5tli panzer
army have been decisively de
feated and into this defeat has
been drawn the bulk of the fight
ing strength of the 1st and 15th
armies," the statement said.
"Three field marshals and one
army commander have either
been dismissed or Incapacitated
by wounds. One army command
er, three corps commanders, IS
divisional commanders, and one
fortress commander have been
cither killed or captured."
CIO MEET OPENS
Los Angeles, Aug. 31 (U.R)
The Seventh Annual Stato con
vention of the California CIO
opened today with addresses by
Stato CIO Director Harry
Bridges and Steclworkcr James
G Thimmcs, state president,
X