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100 Jap Ships, 396 Planes Destroyed; Battle Still Rages
CARRIER FORCE
Weather
Medford
RIBUNE
rorecisti Cloudy tonight and
Saturday. Little chance In
temperature. Temp.
Highest yesterday 64
Lowest thli morning 8
Precip, past 24 h"lirM , , .2S
F
United Press Full Leased Wire
United Press Full Leased Wire
Thirty-ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1944
NO. 173 tf
Raiders Swing West to Hit
Pescadores Islands; Tokio
Makes Fantastic Claims.
Closest Raid to Japan
it
Pearl Harbor, T. H., Oct. 13
(U.R) A great air-sea battle wa
reported still raging over and
round Japan s Island fortress ot
Formosa today in the third
straight day of a smashing Amer
ican carrier strike that already
has cost the enemy 100 ships
sunk or damaged and 396 planes
destroyed.
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz' Pa
cific fleet headquarters an
nounced that warplanes from a
fast carrier task force of the U.
S. Third fleet probably the
famed Task Force 58 bombed
and strafed Japanese shipping,
airdromes, shore installations
and supply dumps on Formosa
Wednesday and Thursday, in
flicting widespread damage
ashore in addition to the enemy s
shipping and plane losses.
Hit Pescadores
In the Thursday attack, the
raiders swung out west of For
mosa to hit the Pescadores is
lands for the first time since the
war began.
Radio Tokyo broadcast a run
ning commentary on the stun
ning American assault, adding
the still unconfirmed report that
giant B-29 Superfortresses from
China had joined in the Formosa
bombardment.
Tokyo broadcast fantastic
claims of heavy damage inflict
ed on the attacking fleet and
said that the American raiders
still were hammering at the is
land today.
A terse navy communique
made no mention of American
warship losses, but said that 45
carrier planes were lost in the
two-day strike. Some of the Yank
fliers apparently were rescued.
Small groups of Japanese
planes struck continually at the
American armada all Wednes
day night, repeatedly trying to
bomb or torpedo the carriers.
American night fighters bagged
three of the attackers and anti
aircraft gunners knocked down
at least eight more.
1000 Jap Captives
Drown When Ship
Torpedoed, Claim
By United Press
Tokyo Radio said today that
more than 1,000 English and
American prisoners of war
aboard a Japanese ship were
missing and presumed drowned
after the vessel was attacked by
an American submarine off Cape
Bataan in the Philippines.
The broadcast, recorded by
United Press at San Francisco,
said the action occurred Sept. 21.
"Out of 1.250 enemy captives
on board, 172 were rescued by
the Japanese, but most of the
remaining prisoners are missing
and presumed to have drowned,"
the broadcast said.
SIDE GLANCES
By
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Bill Hulen, former popular
sports ed for Ye Tribune, get
ting a byline in the Portland
Journal.
Gov. Bricker Due at 5:45
For Rear Platform Talk
Jackson county residents will
have their first glimpse tonight
of a candidate for a high nation
al office in the November elec
tion when Gov. John W. Bricker,
Republican candidate for vice
president, arrives In Medford via
private train and pauses here
briefly. He will make a platform
appearance and speak for a few
minutes.
The train Is scheduled to ar
rive in Medford at 5:45 p. m.,
according to Southern Pacific
officials. Arrangements have
been completed for a group of
G. O. P. leaders from Jackson
county to board the train at
Grants Pass and be with Bricker
until they disembark at Med
ford. Gov. Bricker spoke in Eugene
Thursday night and is making
appearances at Roseburg and
Grants Pass on his trip south.
Aboard the special train will be
Senator Guy Cordon, candidate
to succeed himself as U. S. sen
ator. He will appear at the G O.
P. headquarters tonight at 8:30
o'clock. Cordon had formerly
been scheduled at 8 o'clock.
Brieker's western tour follows
shortly on the heels of his run
ning mate, Gov. Thomas Dewey,
whose itincrar included cities
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(Acme Tclephato)
Hundreds of carrier-borne American planes, ranging within 200 miles of
Japan, struck at the Ryukyu Islands In their boldest attack of the Pa
cific war, destroyed 89 planes and sank or damaged 68 ships. The
attack failed to bring any Immediate response from the Imperial fleet
and only feeble resistance from the air.
Roosevelt Skirts Questions
On World Organization Plan
Washington, Oct. 13 (U.R) President Roosevelt said today it
was too early for him to commit himself about the power which
should be granted to the United States delegate to the projected
United Nations security organization.
BRITISH EIGHTH
Dome. Oct. 13 (U.R) British
8th army forces rolled back the
German Adriatic flank on a
broad front today as American
5th. army troops, attacking be
hind a blazing aerial barrage,
fought furiously to break open
the. Nazi hill defenses south of
Bologna.
Breaking the 10-day deadlock
that had stalled their advance to
the rim of the Po valley, the 8th
army veterans swung forward In
a general offensive that gained
ground everywhere except on
the narrow Adriatic coastal strip.
Washington, Oct. 13 CU.R)
President Roosevelt. told his news
conference today that he is talk
ing about plans for additional
speeches beyond the Oct. 21 date,
the president said it depended on
what the questioner meant by
nlans. but that he was talking
I about it.
r . - ,'.-. ft.
', vi
John W. Bricker
on the other route of the South
ern Pacific.
w
AM
The president thus skipped an
opportunity to answer questions
posed by Sen. Joseph H. Ball. R.,
Minn., leading republican sup
porter of the administration's
world organization plan.
Asked at his news conference
what high officials of the big
three would meet to thrash out
questions left unanswered at the
Dumbarton Oaks security con
ference, Mr. Roosevelt said he
did not know.
The tentative outline of the
new United Nations organiza
tion was revealed on Monday
with some unresolved Issues
which United States officials
said would have to be settled on
a "higher level." Just what the
"higher level" will turn out to
be has not been decided, the
president indicated
He said, however, that the
matter would be Ironed out as
rapidly as possible.
CALIFORNlORUIT
Washington, Oct. 13 (U.R)
The Interstate commerce com
mission announced today that
beginning midnight tomorrow a
36 hour embargo will be Imposed
on the loading and shipment of
California fruits and vegetables.
The ICC said that the prohibi
tion would expire at noon Mon
day. War food administration offi
cials said the embargo was ord
ered to relieve a shipping space
congestion, particularly at San
Francisco, and because of a
freight car shortage. They said
that while the weekend ban was
only tern orary it might be re
peated from time to time until
the end of the marketing season
for fresh produce.
1J591BSENTEES
A check by the county clerk's
office today shows that 1,159
absentee ballots have been sent
to Jackson county residents In
the armed services. The major
ity of these were mailed to over
seas points. '
Two dozen ballot applications
were received today, chiefly
from soldiers stationed In this
county, with a few from Hawaii
and other distant points.
Final day for mailing GI bal
lots is Friday, Oct. 27, ten days
beiore the election day, Nov, 7,
REQUEST BALLOTS
RIGA CAPTURED
BY RED FORCES
STALINJEPORTS
Last Major Stronghold of
Germans in Baltic Pocket
Falls to Russians.
London, Oct. 13. (U.R) The
2nd and 3rd red armies of the
Baltic front have stormed and
captured Riga, capital of Latvia
and last major stronghold of the
German forces trapped in the
Baltic pocket above East Prussia,
Premier Josef Stalin announced
tonight.
The armies of Gen. Ivan Mas
lennikov and Gen. Andrei I.
Yeremcnko joined in the final
storming of Riga, against which
they had been closing from the
east an south while other Rus
sian forces drove to the Baltic to
pin the Germans in that area
against tin sea.
324 Gun Salute
Stalin ordered the two armies
saluted with 24 salvoes of 324
guns, an honor reserved for the
greatest red army victories.
The fall of Riga broke the
main core of German resistance
in the Baltics, promising an early
cleanup of the pocket and the
libciatio.. of big Soviet forces to
join In the already developing
drive against East Prussia.
"Troops of the third Baltic
front with the direct cooperation
of the troops of the second Baltic
front.Mcveloping their successful
offensive, today captured by
storm the capital of Soviet Lat
via, the town of Riga, important
naval base and powerful strong
hold of German defences in the
Baltic, Stalin said.
JUNIOR ELEVENS
E
Medford-Klamath Falls B foot
ball teams which were to have
played this afternoon on the
Medford football field was post
poned due to travel conditions,
Lester Harris, high school prin
cipal, stated today.
Harris also said that the entire
covered grandstand at the Med
ford stadium will be reserved
for the Klamath Falls-Mcdford
game, scheduled for Friday, Oct.
20. Those desiring reserve scats
are asked to contact the hgh
school office prior to game time
as this will do away with con
siderable confusion the night of
the game.
Jinx Day Brings
Good News F or
Soldier's Mother
This Friday the 13th brought
good news instead of bad to
Mrs. R. A. Bolts of 312 South
Central avenue for this morn
ing a wire from thn army adju
tant general said that her son,
Sgt. Herbert R. Botts, is alive
and a prisoner of war of the
German government. The ser
geant was declared missing in
action as of "D" day, June 6.
and since then Mrs. Botts had
had no word of him until this
morning.
Sgt. Botts is a paratrooper
and had been stationed in Eng
land from November of last full
until the Invasion date. He
went Into the army In March of
1942.
The wire from the adjutant
eeneral stated the news of Sgt.
Botts came through the interna
tional Red, Cross.
Aachen better known to most person In pre-war .days as Alx-La-Chapelle faces eomplete ru'n following
Oermw dIiance of American surrender ultimatum. Famous as headquarters of Charlemagne, the htatorto
city contains a 1148-year-old cathedral and a Uth Century Town Hall. Hundreds of American guns have al
ready begun the systematic destruction of the city
Aachen, Battered, Blazing
Ghost City Seen From Air
Editor's Note: Bert Brandt, Acme News picture! cameraman.
made two flights over besieged Aachen In the artillery observ
er plane. In the following dispatch he describes the doomed
city.)
By Bert Brandt
Written for The United Press
Aboard Observation Plane
over Aachen, Oct. 12 (U.R)
Charlemagne's capital once
called Aix-La-Chapelle Is a
dead city, its fires blazing un
attended and unhampered, but
it is far from destroyed.
I flew over the city twice
once shortly afternoon and now
as dusk Is setting in without
seeing a single person or ve
hicle in the cily's streets.
There was only one fire burn
ing at noon. Now there are 12,
one sending up black smoke and
the other 11 white.
Destruction Everywhere
Everywhere there are signs
of destruction, many of them
dating back to heavy bomber
raids which preceded the Amer
ican drive across western Eur
ope. It would take a lot more
than the artillery pounding and
dive-bombing the Americans
have given Aachen in the last
two days to destroy a city this
size.
Lt. Don Piatt of Portland,
Ore., who is flying me, slipped
down to an altitude of 300 feet
above the city to allow me to
photograph the bomb damage.
No shots were fired at our slow
moving Cub.
Once we saw four puffs of
German Flak behind us but
they were firing apparently at
a flight of Lightnings above us.
No One Seen
We flew along the railroad
track which divides tho American-held
suburb of Forst from
the city proper but I saw no one
below. To the northeast as dusk
settled, Gorman tanks and In
fantry could be seen trying to
form a counter-attack. They
were taking a pounding from
American artillery.
From an altitude of 50 feet
over another section of the
front around the city I photo
graphed doughboys climbing on
tanks, ready for a new advance.
Aachen was considerably
damaged but not as much (i I
expected.
It is an eerie feeling to tea a
city which held 160,000 in peace
time without a soul moving any
where. Aachen U ghost city,
Allies' Big Guns Razing Aachen
AIMER DEATH
DUE TO DRUG, IS
FOUND IN TESTS
Oakland, Cal Oct. 13. (U.R)
A formal pathologists' report to
the Alameda county coroner's
Jury said today Aimee Scmple
McPherson, famous Los Angeles
evangelist, died of shock and re
spiratory failure "due to an over
dose of a barbatol compound"
sedative.
"Contributing to the ahock
was the terminal hemorrhage in
the adrenal gland ov r the right
kidney," the report added. It was
presented to the coroner's Jury at
an Inquest called after a half
filled bottle of sedative t.'iblcts
was found in the hotel room
here she died here Sept. 27,
Verdict Today . .
The verdict of tho coroner's
jury was to be announced later
today.
Dr. May Ruth Holdt of West-
eri. Laboratories company pre
sented the findings of laboratory
tests on Mrs. McPherson's vital
organs and stomach contents.
She said 1.05 grams of barbatol
were found in the .body.
This was enough to have a
serious effect on a well person
as well as on a person in her . ..i
dition," Dr. Holdt said.
She. said Mrs. McPherson ap
peared to have been suffering
some time from a liver disor-c
Barbatol, uhe testified, is a
"respiratory and mental depres
sive" which causes forgetful r.ess.
She saU it was p ilblc that a
person taking it "might forget'
how much ho had consumed and
continue taking it beyond the
danger stage.
Radio Highlights
Today Claire Booth Luce
from Chicago, 7:00-7:30 p. m.
(PWT) NRC; Orson Welles in
behalf of President Roosevelt at
e.55 f. ro. irwiJ kbc,
Acmn Telephnio
ATHENS WRESTED
FROM NAZ
BY GREEK FORCE
Cairo, Oct. 13 (U.R) A re
surgent army of patriots has lib
erated Athens, It was announced
officially today, ending a 42
month Nazi occupation of the
ancient Greek capital and fore
shadowing the imminent allied
occupation of all Greece and the
eastern Mediterranean Islands
German troops who marched
triumphantly Into Athens on
April 27, 1041, after crushing a
tiny Greek army and an out
numbered British expeditionary
force in 21 days, abandoned the
city and Its neighboring seaport
of Piraeus. They fled northward
under savage attack by planes of
a Brit-ih carrier force standing
offshore In the western Aegan.
7th Capital Lost
First official accounts of the
liberation of Athens, the seventh
allied capital wrested from the
German grip since tho start of
the Anglo-American and Soviet
summer campaigns, gave no de
tails of tho nnrtisnn attack.
It was Indicated, however, that
the main German garrison had
been withdrawn from Athens
and Piraeus several days ago.
sparking a patriot uprising that
swiftly overwhelmed the weak
enemy rear guard left to cover
the retreat.
An allied communique Issued
In Rome several hours earlier
revealed that low-flying British
warplanes. launched from escort
carriers bombed and strafed two
large concentrations of German
shipping concentrated near the
Port of Khalkls.
Destroy Small Boats
The British destroyed many
small boats, which apparently
were trving to make a run alnng
the coast to Salonika with troops
and equipment evacuated from
Athens.
News of the capital's libera
tlon touched off wild demonstra
tions among the large Greek
colonies In the Middle East. In
Alexandria, 50,000 Greeks
swarmed Into the streets for a
juhulant victory parade.
Thousands of Greek flags ap
peared on balconies and roofs
throughout the city and Greek
restaurant owners throw open
their doori to the celebrant.
ENJOY FIELD DAY
BLASTINGJANKS
Estimate 64 Detroyed In
Concentration Northeast
of City; Mopup Advances.
Supreme Headquarters, AEF,
Paris, Oct. 13 (U.R) American
troops swarmed in from north
and east toward the heart ot
Aachen against soft and spotty
resistance today while to tho
northeast U. S. artillery and
rocket-firing planes had a field
day blasting German tanks
massed for an expected attempt
to relieve the city.
"The Aachen picture looks
pretty bright," a 1st army head
quarters spokesman said lata to
day. Weather Aids
The drive to clean up Aachen
began in crisp, perfect weather
when shock troops struck across
the railroad into Aachen proper
from the Forst-Aachen district.
Later another force moved In
from the north, and tonight front
dispatches said the "mopup" of
the city was proceeding satis
factorily. The shell-swept corridor be
tween the American positions
northeast of Aachen was nar
rowed to half a mile today as the
doughboys moved In from both
sides, and the battle to close lt
and put the final seal of doom
on tho Aachen garrison still was
going on this evening.
Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges'
headquarters announced that
American guns and planes de
stroyed an estimated 64 German
tanks concentrated northeast of
Aachen yesterday and was hav
ing another field day today.
Counter Hindered
The mauling evidently blocked
or delayed the expected counter
attack In force by the massed
German armor, but a 1st army
headquarters spokesman said it
still was anticipated "at any
time now."
Of one battalion of 43 Tiger
tanks attacked yesterday, only
eight were left, while another
group of 35 tanks had only six
In action after yesterday's air
artillery pounding.
Dispatches from the British 2d
army front said a new attack
in Holland toward the Meuse
rived had been broadened to
four miles and had carried for
ward nearly a mile west of Vcn
lo and southeast of Overloon.
British Near Venraln '
The advance put the British
forces within two miles of the
strategic communications hub
of Venraln. Opposition was de
scribed as "not too heavy," but
the advance was slowed by for
est tangles, soggy marshes and
mlno fields.
A front report said the Ger
mans apparently had given up
any thought of cutting off the
tip ot the Nijmegen salient and
there was evidence of a move
ment southward toward Aachen.
The Canadian 1st army ad
vanced more than a mile south
of the Schclde estuary and
reached Savoyaardspaat,
TO BERLIN
By United Press
The shortest distances to
Berlin from advanced allied
lines today:
Western front 298 miles
(from point near Nijmegen.
Unchanged In week.)
Russia 315 miles (from
Warsaw. Unchanged in
week.)
Italy 540 m 1 1 e t (from
point south of Bologna. Gain
of iive miles In weskj
m