Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 1944)
Weather Us The MAIL TRIBUNE J Want Ad Way Quick Results At Small Cost Tribune Foraeait: Sunday partly cloudy; IHUe clung in temperature. Temp. Highest yesterday 42 Lowest tbU morning ,.. 29 Precipitation United Pri Full Luud Wire United Pratt Full Leased Wire Thirty-ninth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1944 .- NO. 221. jffliil E NAVY BASE AND CITY UNDER AERIALAJTACKS No Washington Confirma tion; More Dead Admirals of Enemy Listed. . Washington, Dec. 9 (U.R) Ja pan reported an American B-29 Superfortress "raid" on the in land sea area of Japan, site of the great Kure naval base, to- , day and said that two other B-29s appeared over Tokyo, one dropping incendiary bombs. Tokyo also announced the death in action of 13 admirals, many of them presumably in the great October battle 'of the Philippines sea, bringing" to 67 the number of Nipponese ad mirals who have been killed or died of illness, since the start of ' the Pacific war. There was no confirmation of! the Japanese reports of new B-29 raids against Japan, hit in strength 12 times thus far by Superforts operating from China and Saipan, in the Marianas. It was possible that the planes which struck the Seto Naikai (inland sea) area might have been searching out crippled units of the Japanese fleet which escaped after the Philippines sea battle, in which American forces sank or damaged 58 warships. The inland sea lies between the main home islands of Hon shu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The naval base is on the southwest coast of Honshu. - As recorded by - the FCC, Tokyo said that the two sorties over Tokyo early this morning were followed about an hour lat er "by a raid on the Seto Naikai coastal area for about one hour." , Although the broadcast termed it a "raid" and did not say how many planes participates, a later ' broadcast said it was "a lone B-29 from a base-in the Marianas that made a reconnaissance flight for about an hour." Tokyo claimed no bombs were dropped but failed to explain its earlier report that the area had been raided. "That the enemy is making raids in this way with a very small number of planes, night and day, is indicative of the fact that they are aimed at a war of nerves," Tokyo said. The enemy reported that one B-29 flew over Tokyo at 3 a. m. (2 p. m. Friday EWT), scatter ing incendiaries and that about 9:30 another appeared, but did not bomb. Tokyo announced that head quarters of the Yokosuka naval station, largest Japanese home 'base, announced the deaths in action of four vice admirals and nine rear admirals. The office of war information said that in creased the number of enemy flag officers lost to 67. Among the latest killed was Vic Adm. Hideo Yano, former chief of the navy press section. It was assumed all were killed after October 4 since on that day Yokosuka announced the deaths of seven other admirals in previous actions. Tokyo Identified the other dead officers as Vice Admirals Takehisa Tsujimura, Yasunoshin Ito and Ichimatsu Takahashi and Rear Admirals Senzaburo Tono muta, Rinzo Kurosaki, Kakuo Kisjiigawa, Saburo Ashina, Migi Horiuchi, S h i g e r i Takeshita, Iwao Oka and Masayasu Tsuji and Surgeon Rear Adm. Yokichi Odajima. Mighty Armada Saipan IslaricT, Dec. 9 (Via navy radio) (U.R) Approxi mately 900 tons of aerial bombs were spread across Japan's is land fortress of Iwo Jima in the Volcanoes Pearl Harbor day when the largest number of Lib erators and B-29 Superfortresses ever assembled in the Pacific for a Joint operation teamed with U. S. warships in a heavy five-hour bombardment of the enemy base, i ' . Twenty-eight Lightning fight ers flying a greater distance than ever flown by Britain-based fighters attacking Europe join ed the bombers, cruisers and de stroyers of the Pacific fleet for a mighty five-hour and IS min ute assault against the Japanese stronghold. The warships alone blasted the island lor one hour. turn Pictured through the nose of a Tokyo-bound B-20 Superfortress, Fujiyama, sacred mountain of Japan, marks toe course of the giant olanes on their way to bring death and destruction to the production centers oi . NiDDon. .. - 'v. ' NAVY ESTIMATES 5 YEARS MORE TO CONQUER NIPPON : Boston, Dec. ' 9 (U.R) The navy estimates it will fake' five more years of fighting in ' the Pacific before the Japanese are defeated, Regional Director Wal ker Mason of the war- produc tion board told the WPB's con ference of labor officials here tcday; ' He said that a European vic tory will "have absolutely no effect on arms and armament for the navy ... so great is their of fensive program against Japan." He -quoted the navy as saying the "astronomical amounts of ammunition that are being used in the Pacific war have just nicked the skin." ' . Mason added that If more and more ammunition is not poured into the European and Pacific fronts, men must be substituted, he said the navy , is planning on 30.new carriers in 1945 and that these will require 3,000 new planes. . STATE HORT. HEAD Hood River, Ore., Dee. 9 (U.R) C. C. demons of Medford was today elected president of the Oregon Horticultural society and Medford was named as the site for the 1945 meeting. , Other officers chosen were: Wendell Bartholomew ; of Eu gene, first vice president; A. P. Mohr of Hood River, second vice president; Leonard Carpenter of Medford, third vice president; O. T. McWhorter of Corvallis, secretary - treasurer, and Ray Reter of Medford, Lyle Mclsaac of Parkdale and Howard S. Mer riam of Eugene, trustees. PLUMP ICS GET SPECIAL REDUCER Washington, Dec. 9 (U.R) The army has authorized special low calorie balanced rations to help Wacs reduce, warning that "dietary habits acquired in the' training period may persist, causing undesirable obesity," the Army and Navy Journal dis closed tonight. The war department Issued a table of "range of ideal weights for women of 21 and over" to help Wacs who have settled down to sedentary activities after their hard initial training CANCEL HORSE MEET Los Angeles, Dec. 9 (U.R) Meeting of the California horse racing board for Wednesday Dec. 13. has been cancelled. Superfortress V iew of Fujiyama MiSKSB v!,"SS!SiSS?f ! BULLETIN Berkeley, Cal., Dec. 9 (U.R) The University of California varsity basketballers downed a fast Coast Guard Pilot team 40 31 here in one of the three games played tonight. The Bears boosted their lead from' a half-time score of 18-16 as Jim Farrell, center, hopped 13 points for high scoring place. In the No. 2 and 3 games of the night,' the California Junior varsity fell before, a strong San Bruno naval depot Club 39-33 and the Gallileo high school quint drubbed the Bear Cubs 28-23. PEELER ARTICLES BASIS OF SUIT BY UNION CHIEF San Francisco, Dec. 9 (U.R) Libel suits totaling $600,000 were filed here today against Columnist Westbrook Pegler, King Features Syndicate, Inc., and 10 newspapers by Harry Bridges, International Long shoremen's and Warehousemen's Union chief, and three- other ILWU officials. . The suits charged the San Francisco Call-Bulletin and' the Oakland Post-Enquirer with publishing alleged libelous arti cles writen by Pegler on Sept. 26, and contend the defendants refused to make any retractions or corrections. -Each of the plaintiffs, includ ing Louis Goldblatt, Michael P. Johnson and Harry Wilson, sec retary of the Harry Bridges Victory committee, are asking $150,000 damages. RUSSIA BLASTED Moscow, Dec. 9 (U.R) T h e Moscow newspaper Pravda to day attacked William L. White's forthcoming book about Russia as "the usual standard product from the fascist kitchen with all the usual aroma of stupid slan der, ignorance and frank hatred." (The book, entitled "report on Russia," has not yet appeared, but an American magazine re cently published excerpts from it. The book was a report on a recent trip to Russia which White made with U. S. Chamber of Commerce President Eric Johnston.) The article,, entitled "The Shady Traveler," was written by Davir Zazlavsky and charged that White "deceived" John ston. . j FIX BOUNDARY LINE Buenos Aires, Dec. 9 (U.R) Argentina and Paraguay have virtually concluded an . agree ment fixing their boundary line on the Pilcomtfyo River area, 't was announced today. WHITE'S BOOK ON ;i;:WaiSs U .-. n - BENEFIT OTHERS ' New York, Dec. 9 (U.R) Lady . blnt .Hc-od.'a. .husband; little confused by recent goings on in Manhattan's Sherwood forest of skyscrapers, stood loy ally at her side in felony court where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing $40,000.. "She's no thief," he ' said. "She's just too good and' kind. And she had too many respon sibilities." .- .,- -., Joseph Dunningan, a young defense plant worker, had no' idea that his 22-year-old wife, Madeline, was robbing her em ployer for the benefit of her fel low employes and her friends but rarely for herself, until she confessed to the district attor ney. Said the astonished district attorney: "Why, she's a Lady Robin Hood." Even more surprised was her employer, Oscar H. Gropper, head of a Fifth Avenue leather goods store, to learn that the handy man he thought he was paying $3 a day, actually -was being paid $15 a day, and that the $15 a week errand boy was getting $25. In fact, all his em ployes, thanks to the benevo lence of his bookkeeper, Mrs. Dunnigan, had had fat raises. And she had compiled a ljst of 50 servicemen to whom she sent little gifts from time to time se lected from his stock. Assistant District Attorney f'rancis X. Clark said that of all Mrs. Dunningan's alleged pecula tions ranging over two years, less than $2,000 had she spent on herself. She hadn't even raised her own salary. YULE GREETINGS TO COST G! $65 , With the Eighth U. S. Infan try Division, Germany, Dec. 9 (U.R) There is a $65 fine awaiting any American GI who says "Merry Christmas" to a German civilian, Lt. Col. Rich ard C. Croft of Greenwich, Conn., warned today. Croft,' division military gov ernment officer, was approach ed by a delegation of young Ger man women who asked that the strict non-fraternization rules be relaxed Christmas Day. "The same rules will apply to the Yuletide as any other day and that's a $65 fine for talk ing to enemy civilians," Croft said. WILSON CHOSEN Washington, Dec. 9 (U.R) Lyle C. Wilson, manager of the Washington bureau of the Unit ed Press, today was elected president of the Gridiron club. noted organization of Washing ton newspapermen. LADY ROBIN HOOD STOLE $40,000 TO T ON CAMOTES SEA Army Junction Nears Tropical Rains Hinder Ground Moves. ' Allied Headquarters, Leyte Philippines, Sunday, Dec. 10 (U.R) U. S. 7th division troops, advancing three miles up the west coast of Leyte, hammered to within two miles of a junc tion with the 77th division be low Ormoc yesterday in a drive that tightened the trap around several thousand Japanese of the 26th division, pinned against the Camotes sea, it was an nounced today. The men of the 7th, veterans of Attu and Kawajalein, cap tured the coastal village of Al buera, 8V4 miles southeast of Ormoc, after stiff fighting in which the Japanese suffered heavy losses, and trimmed the enemy pocket to approximately ten square miles. There was no estimate as to the exact number of Japanese trapped but headquarters said the force was expected to "run into the thousands." The left wing of the 77th, which made 'an amphibious landing on the west coast Thurs day to open the all-out Amer ican offensive, was fighting its way Into Ormoc, main Japanese defense bastion on Leyte. uen Douglas MacArthur's daily war bulletin" Aid not report on the progress of that drive, but it was believed the Yanks might be fighting in Ormoc proper. A renewal of torrential tropi cal rains- "greatljs slowed all ground movement," MacArthur announced, rendering, the ter rain almost impassable. The bul letin said, however, that the U. S. 32d division in that area was maintaining pressure on the Japanese, capturing a field bat tery and large ammunition and supply dumps. Saipan Island, Dec. 9 (Via navy radio) (U.R) Lt. Gen. Mil lard F. Harmon, newly-appointed commander of the strategic air force of the Pacific ocean areas, today said that the five and one-quarter hour assault on Iwo Jima island Pearl Harbor day was just a "curtain raiser" and named four high ranking officers who will get new assign ments as the result of formation of the new command. Harmon said the new com mand will absorb the organiza tion now headed by Maj. Gen. Willis H. Hale, commander of aircraft, forward area since May 1. Hale will take over a new assignment, as yet undisclosed, upon his return from leave In the U. S. . GOAL IS PASSED Washington, Doc. 9 (U.R) The Sixth War Loan was ap proaching the $15,000,000,000 mark tonight as the drive's third week ended. The treasury's war finance division reported total sales at $14,464,000,000, nearly half a million dollars over the $H,000, 000,000 goal, on the basis of re turns through Friday night. Individual sales reached $3, 187,000,000, including "E" bond sales of $1,248,000,000. ... LADY STAR LOSES Pasadena, Cal., Dec. 9 (U.R)-r The superiority of the sexes fin ally caught up with Mildred (Babe) Zaharias, America's fore most woman athlete, today when she wag ousted In the quarter finals of the Pasadena' men's city golf championship, 6 and 4, by Oscar Hoberg, Recreation Park. ESS i HI 1 FAC JDUCTION Replace Soldiers Released for Critical Jobs Under White House Order. Washington, Dec. 9 (U.R) Thousands of men in the 26-37 age group who are not now in essential war jobs will be in ducted to replace men released from the armed forces to man critical war jobs, the White House announced today. Director James F. Byrnes of the office of war mobilization and reconversion directed Se lective Service Director Lewis B. Hershey to increase the num ber of calls from this group and also to consider reclassification of men now occupationally de ferred who leave their war jobs Byrnes' directive was a move to meet manpower shortages which have been blamed in part for lags in production goals for several critical war items, in eluding ammunition of all kinds. It m e a n s resumption on a presumably limited scale of in ductions, stopped last May, of men In the higher age brackets. Maj. Gen. Hershey on May 11 ordered a stay for at least six months of inductions of men 26 through 29 who were "necessary to and regularly engaged in" a war or war-supporting activity. From 30 through 37 the test for deferment was whether the reg istrant " was merely "regularly engaged in" such work. The men called under Byrnes' new directive, according to the White House statement, will be Inducted not as combat replace ments, but to take the place of "men In the armed services who have been or may have to be released for war production purposes. STRIKE HIT Detroit, Dec. 9 (U.R) Pickets rlnoert Monteomerv Ward t uo. stores here tonignt as ine L-nrisi- mna rush ont underwav ioitow- Inc a rpnewnl nf odds: between thn unlnn ' rpnresentini! 2.200 employes and Sewell , Avery, chairman of ward s Doaro oi ai rprtnrs. nthni- dpvplnnments in 'this labor capital during the day in cluded a flat refusal of ia,ouu Fruehauf Trailer Co. workers to end a three-day strike despite nnnnnla from the Detroit army ordnance district, and a threat ened pre-Christmas st.ike of an liquor store employes within the area. Wnshlnuton. Dee. 9 (U.R) German submarines are now nnninnpH with new devices which enable them to remain submerged for longer periods than before and to penetrate ln in nrpnv hlthprto denied them, a joint Britlsh-A merican an- nnnnrnmnnt revealed tontcht. The announcement said snip nine lneps from German U- boats last month were again "very small" and the propor- tionato number ot u-ooats sunn was again "satisfactory." Deny Paris Report Franco Quits Post Paris, Dec. 9 (U.PJ The Span ish embassy today denied re ports circulated by Paris news papers that Generalissimo Fran cisco Franco had resigned, but Spanish Republican quarters here insisted the Spanish leader was facing a cabinet crisis. The Spanish embassy request ed the French foreign office to deny categorically all reports of Franco s resignation. The foreign office also announced lt had no information of a resignation, WARD, WAR PLANT War Bulletins By United Press Royal Arch Gunnison, Mu tual network correspondent, reported today that Gen. Doug las MacArthur and Philippines President Sergeo O s m n a have called upon all Filipino guerillas throughout the Philippines lo arise against th Japanese to help prevent fur ther reinforcement of the troops fighting on Leyte. Athens, Dec. 9 (U.R) Gen. Stefanos Serafis, commander-in-chief of the Greek Elas forces opposing the Greek government, has Issued assur ances that he still accepts or ders of the commander of British forces supporting tha government, it was disclosed today as peace moves In the Greek civil war , continued amidst unabated warfare in Athens. (The Paris radio said that leaders of. Greek political parties were to meet Satur day afternoon to try to find a solution to the nation's dif ficulties.) RUSSIANS CIRCLE BUDAPEST; BITTER London. Sundav. Dec. 10 (U.R) Russian troops, reaching the Danube river due north of Buda pest in a 37-mile deep break- thrnuch nf Nn?! ripfpnspia en, circled almost two-thirds of the Hungarian capital.. Both Moscow and Berlin Indl cated that a hittpr hnttln fnr Budapest and German tanks were ciasning in a manic strug gle for control of the capital's last communications. Moscow announced that three vital railrrtnrta lpnrilntf inin thp city had been cut In twin surges northeast and southwest of the city, and the Nazi garrison was len wnn oniy two escape rail roads and three highways, one of which was under fire, through a 35-mile gap between Lake Velencel and the Danube north west of Budapest. Pest, the larger modern sec tion of the city and site of the capital's administrative, shop ping and residential districts, was converted into a virtually isolated enemy bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Danube. Its OnlV Pnmmnnlpn Innn uinra seven bridges over the Danube to tfuua. . In a spectacular smash through a heavily-fortified enemy defense line northeast of Budapest along a 75-mile front, Marshal Rodion Y. Malinovsky's 2nd Ukrainian army advanced 37 miles to cap ture the town pf Balassgyarmat, 36 miles north of Budapest on the Czechoslovak border. The advance, in which more than 150 towns and villages were swept up, was announced by Marshal Josef Stalin as Ber lin said that Budapest was rock ing to the thunder of approach ing guns. BATTLE IS OVER With the U. S. 9th Army, Ger many, Dec. 9 (U.R) After seven days of almost constant attack, American Infantry today ended organized enemy resistance on one of the most extraordinary battlefields of the war the sports stadium and drained swimming pool on the west side of Julich. ' The price of admission was blood and death, and whether the Americans will attempt to hold, or'merely destroy, the German trenches and tunnels, is not known. German guns frown down on tho field from bluffs across. the Roer, and they have blasted the field area whenever the Americans moved. moreoolsTneeded Washington, Dec. 9 (U.R) Tho war production board said tonight there is an "urgent need" for production of 6,000 machine tools to meet the ex panded mortar and medium and heavy artillery ammunition program, NAZI CASUALTIES IN WINTER DRIVE OF ALLIES HEAVY Five Divisions a Week Lost; Enemy Resistance Stif fens on Long Front. Paris, Sunday, Dec. 10 (U.R) -U. S. Thirri nrmv fought into Saarbrucken indue, trial suburbs Saturday after nurung oacic lour counterat tacks against their Saar bridge, heads and the Allies' great win. ter drive was disclosed to have cost the Germans 152,000 casu alties in its first thrpp-uira the equivalent of five division a week. Ninth armv trnona rmtni.. the big Julich sports stadium after a wild. etsht-riAv hHi a swirling snow storm fell across the entire Rhineland front where the Germans ad mittedly had gained a tempor. ary stalemate, despite theif heavy losses. A snowfall nf hoi a foot was reported from tha u. o. Dirst army front. From the Dutch border to the Vosges mountains, German resistance mounted as allied armies crunched into the Reich's western defenses nn aso-miia front in the battle to which tha enemy had committed Its cnances oi existence. Expanding seven bridgeheads across the Saar on a 30-mila fronts Lt. Gen. George S.- Pat ton's Third nr-fViv pDnd,.i 14 big Siegfried line pill-boxes in advances up to two miles. Pat ton's pace slowed perceptibly as his troops came to grips with powerful defenses in the heart of the coal and steel valley. At one point, the fighting be came so tense that thunderbolt planes of the 19th tactical air command flew over an uniden tified Third army sector and dropped containers of blood plasma and blankets for tha treatment of wounded dough boys. The U, S. Seventh army on Patton's right flank also met more rugged defenses but man aged to advance two miles, reaching within five miles ot the Rhine palatinate border and capturing the towns of La Michelskopf, 12 miles northeast of Sarre Union, Binlng threa miles to the west and Bad Nied erbronn, the latter a famed re sort 6V4 miles south of the Ger man frontier. Gambshein, nine miles north east of Strasbourg, also fell as the Seventh army hewed through the old Maginot line, which in this sector has guns mounted on a 360-degree trav erse so that the Germans could bring many of them to bear. 'BLACK CAT' ACES E U. S. Pacific Fleet Headquar. ters Pearl Harbor, Dec. 9 (U.R) A group of the top plane com manders of the navy's famed "Black Cat" night-flghtlng Cata Unas were headhfg home today after so harrassing the Japanese that one captured enemy officer wanted to see the Yanks "new secret weapon." Sandy-haired Lt. Donald A, Dingwall, 29, of Coronado, Cal., and Tuckahoe, N. Y. air com bat Intelligence officer for tha squadron, who Is returning to the U. S. with five plane com manders, said the group Is be lieved to have accounted for more enemy shipping than any other flying boat squadron in this war 19,400 tons of ship ping sunk or damaged. - CHILLY FLYING London, Dec. 9 (U.R) Mora than 675 U. S. 8th alrforce war planes, defying a heavy snow storm and temperatures of 84 degrees below zero, attacked rallwards at Stuttgart and a big German airfield at Bobllngen, 10 miles southwest, with 1,000 tons of bombs today and shot down the only German fighter, plane met In the air. . ,
