American Spearhead Threatens Vital German Transport Hub
?a mm
. Weather
Mebford
RIBUNF
BEING MADE IS
Forecutt Increasing clontflnnt
tonight; light rain Saturday; -UghUy
warmer Saturday.
Highest yesterday IT
Lowtit this morning t 1$
!T
United Prni Full Uutd Wire
United Press Full Luud Wire
Thirty-ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1944
NO. 2
Duren, Biggest Barrier Be
Nazis Planning Robot Bomb Attack on U. S.
New Landing Curbs Japs
fore Cologne Dangered by
Forces Probing Rhine.
s
amps,
L
SAY PREPARATIONS
SEEN INNORWAY
Concentration of Craft Now
Going On; New York, Phil
. adefphia Hinted Targets.
London, Nov. 17 (U.PJ A
Stockholm dispatch to the London-
Dally Mall said 'today that
the Germans were concentrat
ing submarines and surface ships
equipped with robot bomb
launching platforms in Norway
preparatory to attempting rails
on the United States.
The dispatch quoted "high
neutral sources" as saying that
the Germans planned to launch
their Jet propelled V-l robot
bombs from the decks of the
vessels "against such targets as
New York, Philadelphia or
towns farther inland."
- - Warning Earlier '
A Joint U. S. army-navy
statement issued to Washington
earlier this month warned that
such submarine or ship-based
attacke might be attempted by
a desperate Germany.
The Daily Mail dispatch said
It was known "beyond dispute"
that the Germans have concen
trated "very considerable" num
bers of submarines and other
vessels in' harbors at Narvik,
Trondhelm and Bergen on the
west coast of Norway.. '. .
Bergen was believed to te the
uerman neaaquaners, uie uia
patoh said,' with ' a crack sub
marine commander, formerly in
charge of undersea attacks on
Allied shipping from bases at
Brest and Lorlent in France, as
signed the task of directing, the
new offensive. . .
.Large numbers of specially
trained submarine staff officers
reached Norway recently, the
dispatch added, while naval at
taches returning to Berlin were
quoted as saying:
"Look out for our new sub
marine offensives. They'll be
superoffensives that will take
everyone' by surprise."
Could Launch Many
Though only a small number
of submarines so far have been
equipped to launch robot bombs,
the dispatch said, the. substan
tial number of missiles which
they could fire would make the
hazardous trans-Atlantic voyage
worthwhile.
The dispatch said the sub
marines and ships would operate
a considerable distance offshore.
The V-l bombs used by the Ger
mans against Britain were be
lieved to have an extreme range
of 200 to 250 miles, but this
could be increased by enlarging
the fuel capacity. They carry a
ton of explosives. ,
The Stockholm correspondent
claimed to have "first hand
knowledge" that the Germans
had fitted vessels of the West
falen class to fire a large num
ber of robot bombs. "
TWO "fliers- KILLED. .
Colorado Springs, Colo., Nov.
17 (U.PJ Two members of a
combat crew from the Pueblo
army air base, Colorado, were
killed last night when a four
mortored bomber crashed one
mile west of Peyton, Colo., it
was announced' today- by Col.
W. D. Tipton, commanding of
ficer of Peterson Field.
BRIBE TAKER SENTENCED
Oakland. Cal., Nov. 17 U.PJ
A. L. (Red) Vollmann, former
executive of the state farm pro
duction council found guilty of
soliciting a $5000 bribe, today
was sentenced to a term of one
to 14 years in San Quentin prison
after Superior Judge Edward J.
Tyrrell denied motions for a new
trial and probation;
SIDE GLANCES
B?
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Ruth Boyd maintaining that
she had been an interested news
paper reader ever since the age
of six.
A. S. (Rosie) Rosenbaum.
champion war bond salesman,
preparing for the coming Sixth
War Loan drive.
dubs f itted With
Latest Photo
I w
(Acmt Radio-Telephoto)
As world pondered reports that Adolf Hitler was 111 or mad or had left
by submarine for Japan, this photo was released In Sweden oy a Ger
many agency with caption stating It "showed Hitler (left) at Ma head,
quarters on Sept. 25 as he greeted Leon De Orelle. Belgian Rexlst leader
who received the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross." Photo radioed from
Stockholm
Germany Using Airmen, Tars
To Bolster Faltering Army
London, Nov. 17 U.PJ Ger
many, her .warships and planes
virtually wiped out, was re
ported rushing sailors and air
men into the front lines as in
fantry today to bolster her fal
tering armies against what may
be the final Allied offensive in
the west.
European dispatches said the
Reich appeared to be facing its
gravest military crisis of the
war at a time when civilian mor
ale was ebbing to a new low as
result of Adolf Hitler's pro
longed silence and . increasing
evidence that Gestapo Chief
Henrich Himmler has succeeded
him as fuehrer of Germany.
Reports believed reliable
reached Madrid that gestapo
F
WEST'S SENATORS
Portland, Ore., Nov. 17 (UP.)
One of the big tasks facing
the Pacific northwest, says U. S.
Senator-elect Wayne L. Morse,
is the problem of creating jobs
and ' wealth after the war, and
one way to help solve it is for
western senators to hang togeth
er. "We must have a greater un
ity among .the western senators
back in Washington in order to
get the eastern part of the United
States to recognize the industrial
importance of the west," Morse
told the Association of Oregon
Counties at the opening session
here yesterday.
"I plan to spend as much time
as possible in Washington visit
ing various departments and
agencies that have jurisdiction
over various job-creating and
"Wealth-creating projects with a
view of keeping them informed
of the industrial possibilities of
the -northwest.
- U. S. Senator Guy Cordon,
who spoke briefly, also stressed
cooperation.
' Dr. Victor P. Morris, chairman
of the Oregon committee on post
war readjustment and develop
ment. Hflirl that an pxnanHinff
private enterprise system would
be necessary to bring about the
northwest.
today's closing session were the
Prominent on the program for
election of officers and adoption
of resolutions on proposed new
legislation.
of Hitler
agents were arresting hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of army of
ficers and civilians in a desper
ate, effort to stamp out defeat
ism in the army and on the
home front. "
A German forces program
broadcast by the Nazi-controlled
Oslo radio quoted Hitler's news
paper Volkischer Beobacher as
saying that every German sol
dier was . receiving extensive
training in street fighting, per
hays as much a precaution
against revolution as in defense
of their homeland against Al
lied armies.
Richard D. McMillan, United
Press war correspondent with
the British 2nd army, said mem
bers of the Luftwaffe fighting
as infantry already had been
encountered in Southwest Hol
land. They were shifted to the
ground forces when no more
planes could be found, captured
airmen told the British.
Unconfirmed reports con
tinued to circulate that Hitler
was gravely ill, mentally de
ranged, dead or had left for
Japan or some neutral haven.
The first election by Ameri
cans on the west coast was held
at Sonora on August 1, 1849.
Christmas in November For
Doomed Three-Year-Old Lad
Cheyenne, Wyo., Nov. l7-U.PJ
Neighbors from down the
street and across the nation,
planned a Christmas in Novem
ber today for three-year-old
Nubbins Hoffman who waited
excitedly for a Saturday night
Santa Claus and a Sunday party
at the side of his lavendar crib.
The mortally 111 youngster,
whom doctors say may not live
until the regular Christmas,
watched impatiently today while
his bespectacled, brown haired
mother readied the front' bed
room where Nubbins will be
guest of honor at the party
Sunday.
Nubbins' father, Marshall H.
Hoffman, is a baggage employe
of the Union Pacific in Chey
enne. '
Sympathetic strangers tele
phoned offers to send their per
sonal physicians to Cheyenne
to treat the boy whose own doc
tor says he may not live until
December 25 because he suffers
a sarcoma of the bladder which
has spread to his kidneys and
induced life draining hemorrhage.
Launcning smites
TOTAL 16 SHIPS,
REVISEDR E PORT
Japs Lost Light Cruiser, .4
' Destroyers in Sunday's
Attack by Yankee Planes.
Pearl Harbor, Nov. 17 (U.PJ
American carrier planes sank 16
Japanese ships, including a light
cruiser and four destroyers, in a
smashing attack on Manila Bay
Sunday, a recapitulation of the
battle results showed today.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz,
revising the reoort of U. S.
1 pilots that their bombs and tor
pedoes had hit a sizeable force
of Japanese shipping, announced
that every vessel listed as hit
was sunk.
The other ships, cargo vessels
or oilers, had been reported sunk
or blazing but now all were
known to have sunk, he added.
Allied Headquarters, Philip
pines, Nov. 17 (U.PJ Tropical
downpours slowed the American
offensive on Leyte today, but
other invasion troops 900 miles
to the southeast completed the
occupation of one of the prin
cipal Mapia islands off New
Guinea and were mopping up
enemy remnants on another, ,..
- Gen. Douglas MacArthur re
ported . in -a, supplement to his
Philippines communique that
American troops crushed the last
resistance on Pegun island in the
Mapia group yesterday, less than
24 hours after landing in the
tiny archipelago 145 miles north
west of Biak.
Eliminate Japs
Remnants of the Japanese gar
rison on nearby Bras island were
"being eliminated," MacArthur
said. The two islands had been
used by . the Japanese to flash
warnings to Halmahera, the
Philippines and possible the
Dutch East Indies that American
heavy bombers from the New
Guinea area were heading in
their direction.
MacArthur said the American
24th and 1st cavalry divisions
on Leyte were "tightening their
grip" on perhaps 3,000 Japanese
troops in the Limon area of
northwest Leyte in the central
Philippines, an indication that
encirclement of a reinforced
enemy regiment had been com
pleted.. .
Vichyite Killed By
Group Of Youths
London, Nov. , 17 (U.R The
Paris radio reported tonight that
20 armed youths yesterday broke
into Annecy prison, seized Paul
Marion, former Vichy propagan
da minister awaiting trial as a
collaborationist, and killed him.
(Acmt Ttlephoto)
Propped amidst his toys, little Forest
"Nubbins" Hoffman, 3, prepares to
have his Christmas party on Nov. IS
In his Cheyenne, Wyo, home be
cause his doctor and family fear ha
won't live until Dec. 2S. The boy has
been bedridden for more than a
QenUuUke" incurable bladder all'
aunt.
YEAR OF SERVICE
FOR ALL YOUTHS
President Wants Legislation
This Winter For Universal
Peacetime Training.,.
Washington, Nov. 17 U.R
President Roosevelt said today
that he hoped congress would
act this winter on legislation to
provide for one year of peace
time service to the country by
young men.
The President has endorsed
such a proposal before. Under
questioning at today's news con
ference he said there was not
much time in the present ses
sion of congress to do much work
on it, but he did have hopes
of something being accomplish
ed in the congress which meets
in January.
Always for It . .
' Saying that he had been for
universal training right along,
Mr. Roosevelt declined to be
pinned down on whether he
thought this training should be
military. His basic Idea, he said,
was that every young man be
tween 18 and possibly 23 should
give at least one year of service
to his government.
Whether the plan should ap
ply to young women, too the
President saidrwas another-mat-ter
and would depend on the
legislation Itself.
Asked flatly whether he
thought the training should be
military, the President Instead
of answering directly posed sev
eral questions of his own, ask
ing whether instruction in cook
ing or carpentry could be . con
sidered as military training.
He said that training after
the war would accomplish a lot
just in teaching many boys how
to keep clean, how to brush
their teeth. '
Training Need Shown
The President said the apall
ing number of selective service
rejections for physical reasons
in this war had shown the moth
ers of the country that knowl
edge of this type in their boys
was highly necessary.
He pointed out that the boys
of the civilian conservation
corps did not have military
training, but benefitted greatly
nevertheless and that a program
tailored along these lines would
mean that in case of war we
would have a much larger per
centage of boys who could de
fend their country.
Told that some factions want
ed to carry out the training pro
gram in the national guard in
periods of two or three months
a year or in weekly drill periods,
the President said flatly it will
not work.
Meanwhile, Catholic church
and peace organization officials
went on record against peace
time conscription.
BOAKE CARTER OF
Hollywood, Nov. 17 0J.R)
Harold T. H. (Boake) Carter, 4B,
who rose from a $25 a week re
porter to become one of the na
tion's top news commentators,
died last night of a cerebral
hemorrhage, 12 hours after his
daily radio broadcast.
Carter was born in Russia of
English-Irish-Welsh ' descent in
1898 and became a naturalized
American citizen in 1933. He suf
fered a stroke about 3 p. m. yes
terday and succumbed at 9 p. m.
at Hollywood hospital, his phy
sician, Dr. Elmer Belt, said. '
The newsman had been suffer
ing from a kidney ailment for
about a week and while .he had
complained of a pain in the
abdomen, attendants at Holly
wood Roosevelt hotel, where he
was staying, said he had told
them he was sure it was some
thing minor. -
There were 32,731 apple-bear-lng
acres in California In 1943.
PHILIPPINES
'
rz z - MiniiArw
ww . v muw
X V
- m
CO
Anhtn
. Sta .
J "6
American troops have landed on Mapia Islands to wipe out Japanese
station there which sent warnings when land-based C. S. bombers took
off from New Guinea to smash enemy bases in Philippines or other is
lands. Mapias' position Is shown here in relation to Leyte Island.
Desperate Home Front Drive
Seeks 200,000 Able Bodied
Washington, Nov. 17 4U.R)
The White House, in a move
timed with the great new Allied
offensive in Europe, today
nrfuH m HesnftrntA homA front
drive for 200,000 "able bodied
men, willing to do hard wont"
to assure Allied troops enough
munitions to carry them to Ber-
TOKYO-SI
OVERLAND ROUTE
IS JAPANESE AIM
Chungking, Nov. 17 (U.B
Japanese forces have occupied
Ishan, 45 miles northwest of
Lluchow lh Kwangs! province,
and are striking out for" the
Indo-Chlna border In what ap
peared to be a determined at
tempt to complete an overland
Tokyo-to-Slngapore route, It was
disclosed today. -
Competent observers said the
Japanese stormed and captured
Ishan as part of their strategy
to push Chinese forces west
ward, away from the route of
advance Into Indo-Chlna.
Many other Japanese columns
are driving westward and north
ward from the Hunan-Kwangsl
railroad In a general movement
designed to clear the path south
ward. .
Japanese troops now have
covered approximately haf of
the 400-mile stretch from Wwei-
lin. in north central Kwangsi
province, to Langson, first
major town msme tne inao
China border. -
FDR Sarcastic Over
Public Assistance
In Cabinet Choice
Washington, Nov. 17 (U.PJ
President Roosevelt today gave
the press and radio of the United
States ironic andor sarcastic
thanks for picking what he said
were five complete new cabinets
for him.
He was asked about the report
that Postmaster General Frank
Walker wants to leave the gov
ernment. (The report is that Wal
ker would be succeeded by
Democratic Chairman Robert E.
Hannegan.)
With a smile Mr. Roosevelt
said that through the press and
radio he had been offered five
complete cabinets and none of
them had the same people on
them-.
The press and radio, he ad
ded, have been awfully good
about- this and he wanted to
thank them all.
Hurley Hinted As
. . . Envoy To China
Washington, Nov. 17 U.PJ
President Roosevelt said today
he had decided upon his choice
as new U. S. ambassador to
China, and authoritative sources
Indicated the new diplomat
would be Maj. Gen, Patrick J
Hurley, one-time Republican
secretary of war under President
Herbert Hoover.
' STATUTE MILES
. . .. I I
, , '( O BOO'
. - ' OUArA
: -a- -
V. S. TROOPS LAND ON
MAPIA ISLANDS.
AS
j l r? papiia
(Acm TehDhotoi
Un.
Scarcelly an hour after Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower started
six Allied armies, totaling 1,500,-
000 men into the Reich, War Mo-
Washington, Nov. 17 U.R)
Gn. Dwight Eisenhower, in
a broadcast from his European
headquarters Sunday, will iell
the American people of the
urgent military need for more
artillery and artillery ammuni
tion. The Elsenhower message
wilt be heard on the Army
' Hour, which is broadcast each"
Sunday from 12)30 to -1:30
p. m. (PWT).
blllzatlon Director James F.
Byrnes issued a blunt warning
that unless the manpower is
found to spur lagging war pro
grams, he would .halt all recent
ly resumed civilian production.
"Much of the manpower trou
ble is due to the mistaken be
lief on the part of some people
that the war is about over,"
Byrnes said. "Two hundred thou
sand additional able bodied men,
willing to do hard work, could
break the bottleneck In the crit
ical programs and shorten the
war."
Byrnes directed the heads of
the army, navy, maritime com
mission, war manpower commis
sion and War Production Board,
to make immediate Investiga
tions and then hold a joint con
ference to plan a concerted at
tack on the bottlenecks.
COnOlEOSMITH
Lynchburg, S. C, Nov. 17
U.R Sen. Ellison D. (Cotton
Ed) Smith, 80, colorful states
man of the old south, died of
heart disease today at his Tan
Kiewood plantation home a few
weeks before completing his
sixth full term in tho United
States senate.
The senator visited his fam
ily doctor two days ago. ac
cording to his son, Farley
Smith, and had been pro
nounced "in good physical con
dition." Smith arose as usual this
morning, greeting members ' of
his family and appeared cheer
ful. The end came about 10
o'clock in his bedroom.
He celebrated his 80th birth
day on August 1, a month after
he was defeated for re-nomination
in the South Carolina, pri
mary by Sen-elect Olln D.
Johnston.
Known throughout the coun
try as "Cotton Ed,". Smith had
been a member of the senate
for 36 years. - -
MISSING IN PLANE :
Elko, Nev., Nov. . 17 (U.PJ
Lee Cox, San Francisco airplane
distributor, and a.woman, identi
fied as his secretary, . Marlon
Johnson, were missing today and
it was feared their light airplane
had crashed in -the rugged couii;
try west of here.
A 270-day food .reserve .for
each soldier overseas and a 90
day reserve for each one In this
country Is maintained by the U.
S.-army
Paris, Nov. 17 (U.PJ Ameri
can 1st army pacemakers of the
six-army grand offensive against
Germany smashed eastward two)
miles today through the Cologne
plain road center of Greesenlch
to a point 11 miles east of Aach
en, six west of bomb-pulverized
Duren, and 28 miles from the
Rhine. '
Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges'
headquarters anonunced that the
1st army drive was making
"good progress" on its second
day. It overran several more
German towns and villages stud
ding the defenses behind the
breached Siegfried line, but only
Gressenich, 10 miles east of
Aachen, was identified.
Duren Threatened '
The Yankee spearhead prob
ing the Rhineland defenses al
ready was directly threatening
the vital transport hub of Duren,
the biggest barrier between the
Americans and Cologne. "
Most of the German garrison
had evacuated Greesenlch dur
ing the night, raising the possi
bility that the nazi command
was pulling back to a new de
fense line perhaps even the
Rhine before the powerful on
slaught of the 1st army and the
American 9th army.
, Above Hodges' left flank, how
ever, the Germans threw in
their first counterattack against
Lt. Gen. Wililam H. Simpson's
adjacent 9th army, spearheading
it with Tiger tanks supported by
infantry. '
Four other allied armies were
on the march along a 400-mile
front from Holland to the Swisa
border, promising an early an
swer to the question of whether
the Germans were going to fight
a showdown battle west of the
Rhine,
British Reach Maaa -
Lt. Gen. Sir Miles C. Demp
sey's British 2nd army fought to
the banks of the Maas river in
southeast Holland and began
shelling German soil above the
1st and 9th army sectors.
Lt. Gen. George S. Fatton'e
United States 3rd army drilled;
alowly but steadily into the out
skirts of Metz and advanced
northeastward toward the rich
Saar coal basin on broad front.
The American 7th and French
1st armies battered their way
toward the upper Rhine valley
in the Vosges sector behind Ger
man demolitions indicating
general withdrawal.
BALTIMORE GETS
Y. NAVY GAME
Washington, Nov. 17 (U.i
The Navy announced today that
the Armv-Naw football ffama
will be played at Baltimore mu
nicipal (Ma.) stadium, on Dec. 2.
A navy department statement
said further arranromAnta havi
not yet been decided upon but
win oe announced later.
The stadium in Baltimore, the
Navy said, is the Navy's "nor
mal" home field. ' -
The Baltimore stadium, where
many of the Navy games are
played, will hold 63,000 specta
tors compared with the 18,000
that can be accommodated at
Thompson stadium at Annapolis,
where the game had been sched
uled. . .
Dorsey Trial Set
For November 21
Hollywood, Nov. 17 (U.PJ
District Attorney Fred N. How
ser, recovering from an acute
shortage of witnesses, today said
he would start the assault trial
of trombone tooting Tommy Dor
sey, his beautiful bride, and
Gambler Allen Sml)er Novem
ber 21.
Most of Howser's cards were
down on Antonio Icaza who flit
ted briefly across the Hollywood
firmament as Panama' only
movie actor north of the Troplo
of Cancer before he was return
ed by Immigration men.
"We are making every effort,"
Howser said, "to return Icaza.
the chief prosecution witness,
from Panama. We are offering to
pay Icaza's expenses to return
here by air."
Radio Highlights
Washington,1 Nov. 17 (U.B
President Roosevelt will official
ly launch, the- 114,000,000,000
sixth war' loan drive with a
radio address at 7 p. m. PWT
Sunday over f.ie four major net
works, it waa announced today
4