Weather
forecast Sunday: Partly cloudy,
light ihowen, UtUe change In
temperature. Temp.
Highest yesterday SI
Loweit thig morning SB
Precip. to 5 p. m- eiter day....T
Oh Tha
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United Press Full Lsuad Wlra
United Press Full LtiHd Wlra
Thirty-ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1944
NO. 233. J
T
WITHIN 24 M. OF
HISTORIHEDAN
Yank Counter -Attacks on
South Flank Gain Air
Power Exerted
, Paris, Sunday, Dec. 24 U.R)
The German wehrmacht, in
newly announced gains up to IS
miles, has swept within 24 miles
of the historic Sedan gap and
Imperilled the allies' Namur
Luxembourg supply road but
counter-attacking American
forces have advanced several
miles in a drive against, the en
emy's south flank, it was an
nounced last night,
- Simultaneously, allied air
power fell in strong force on the
German legions Saturday and
preliminary ' reports indicated
that the planes, flying in perfect
weather, may have struck a blow
comparable with the havoc
spread through the retreating
enemy armies in Normandy,
Allied headquarters issued
two reports Saturday on de
velopment of the eight-day-old
German winter offensive, modi
fying the 48-hour time lag on
front news. The newest reports
apparently included events over
night Thursday and early Fri
day; . The loss of the Belgian road
control points of St. Vith and
Stravelot near the center of the
50-mile break-through area was
confirmed and German spear
heads to the southwest were dis
closed to have reached the
Marche area in a 10-mile ad
vance from La Roche and Libra
mont in a 15-mile drive south
west from Bastogne.
Libramont is eight miles south
of St. Hubert, reached by the
enemy earlier; 17 miles from the
French frontier and- 24 miles
from - the Sedan gap, through
which the Germans invaded
France in 1870, 1914 and again
in 1940.
The new gains extended two
more German penetrations in
the American 1st army's orig
inal line to i roughly 40 miles,
the enemy having driven that
far earlier in the St. Hubert
area and beyond Stavelot. Libra
mont is 17 miles inside Belgium
along the line of21 miles Ger
man sweep across the entire
breadth of Luxembourg. -
Marche lies . astride the big
.Namur - Luxembourg highway,
which is augmented, by a rail
road running farther to the west.
There were indications that the
Germans had not yet reached
Marche itself, however. Front
dispatches Said the Germans had
cut an offshoot road between
Hotton and Soy, five and eight
miles northeast of Marche, and
were offering stiff resistance to
American counter-attacks south
of this road.
U. S. ground forces have al
ready scored their first major
defensive victory against the
eight-day-old enemy drive, pre
venting the Germans from Join
ing two spearheads 40 miles in
side Belgium, when wave after
wave of Flying Fortresses, Ma
rauders and fighter planes roar
ed in to blast enemy tank col
umns, fuel dumps and road Junc
tions. The luftwaffe also arose in
great strength in an attempt to
sustain Field Marshal Karl Gerd
Von Rundstedt's offensive and
tangled with allied fighters and
gunners in swirling dogfights
that cost the enemy at least 100
planes, by initial accounts.
Pilots reported that the en
emy's attack columns provided
the best targets to come within
their sights since the Germans
streamed in ragged retreat
through the Falaise gap in Nor
mandy and lost the better part
of an army to allied bombs and
guns.
On the less favorable side of
the crucial western front pic
ture came indications that the
1st army, after important time
saving stands, had lost both St.
Vith and Stavelot. Belgian road
control points near the center
of the front.
As of Thursday noon, allied
headquarters was maintaining a
48-hour time lag on reports of
developments, German tanks
r .,...1..,-. ....... or- : ,,v,.,.f v,
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ALONG THE RHINE French officer, leading a patrol, Is under fire as he reconnoiters along the Rhine, pistol in hand. German
fire is coming from farther up the river on same (French) side, and from across the river beyond the building on far right, which
knarks the Swiss boundary. Haze obscures Nazi troops crossing river in distant background. This action took place near the French
City of Huningue, but officer escaped being hit
TO GREEK PEACE
OFFERS DELAYED
Athens, Dec. 23.-(U,R) Brit
ish officials disclosed today that
an answer to ELAS peace terms
will be delayed until' at least
Monday, although Lt. Gen. Ron
ald M. Scobie and his staff of
ficers have spent hours discuss
ing the lengthy ELAS counter
proposals received l?st night.
At the same time two Greek
government leaders suddenly
turned cool toward a previously
favored proposal for a regency
to end Greece's three weeks of
bloody civil war, asserting that
the main hope for peace lay in
the use of armed force neces
sarily British.
The British reply originally
was scheduled to be drafted to
day, but officials indicated that
it had been referred to higher
authorities and that it will not
be prepared until Monday or
later.'
Greek Premier George Papan
dreau, who has studied the un
published note, told a press con
ference today that "the only sit
uation is military pot politi
cal," and heatedly demanded dis
armament of the leftist ELAS
forces.
The new ELAS offensive In
northwestern Greece drew an
urgent appeal from Gen. Napo
leon Zervas, leader of the EDES,
for. British help in his territory.
Although this apparently was
not forthcoming, Papandreau ap
peared, to welcome the EDES
into -the government camp by
defending vigorously their fail
ure to disarm In accordance with
orders issued to all guerillas by
the British command.
BULLETIN
Iowa City, la., Dec. 23 U.R)
Showing an unexpected surge
of power in the second half, the
Iowa Hawkeyes took their mm
straight victory tonight and nip
ped Notre Dame's winning
streak at five games, 63-46 be
fore 8,500 fans.
After a slow start in the first
period the Hawks began to hit
the basket with deadly accuracy
and at half time had a 28-25
lead.
had battered Into previously en
circled Bastogne and swept on
15 miles westward to St. Hu
bert, 23 miles from the French
frontier and onlyt 29 miles north
east of Sedan and the Meuse.
Four flights of C-47 transports
dropped supplies to troops in the
Bastogne area Saturday, indicat
ing that our forces were still
holding out in or near the city.
(Another ominous note was
the return to the air on the
Radio Luxembourg frequency on
a broadcasting station which
identified itself as the "German
radio," giving Germans news re
ports In the German language
and adding a note in Luxem
bourg dialect. The FCC said the
station did not identify Itself as
the Luxembourg radio, which
had not been heard since Tues
day night.'1
Battle Weary Nazis Captured
Si ,Y T
rw;.
in
IS: X 1
(Acm Telepholo)
Battle weary German soialers, among the last to surrender during battle
of Hurtgen Forest which ended after several weeks of war's bitterest
fighting, find safety in American Ninth Division prison ut war cam;
near Jungersdorf, Germany. Signal Corps radlo-teiephoto.
OF STATE DAIRY,
LI
Salem, Ore., Dec. 23. U.F9
Reorganization of the existing
"patchwork" laws pertaining to
agriculture generally and to the
dairy industry in particular will
be recommended to the state
legislature in January, E. L.
Peterson,, director of the agri
culture department said in his
message to the legislature, re
leased today.
Evidence seems to be suffic
ient, the message said, "to war
rant that all dairy products be
required to be pasteurized. In
any event, our present legisla
tion on pasteurization needs cor
rection." The confusion concerning the
fluid milk standards might be
removed by legislative action,
Peterson declared. Positive def
inition of such standards and
positive specification of author
ity for enforcement were rec
ommended. An overlap In the duties of
the agriculture and state health
departments was shown in the
message, and Peterson said that
his department had offered full
cooperation to tnc health agen
cies. .
Mckenzie pass closed
Salem, Ore., Dec. 23. (U.R)
McKenzie Pass, between Eugene
and Bend was closed today, due
to heavy snow over the route,
State Highway Engineer R. H
Baldock announced.
Iftw
U !:i A.
JAPANESE FORCE
ON LEYTE DRIVEN
TO FINAL STAND
' Allied Headquarters, Leyte,
Sunday, Dec. 24. (U.R) On Ley
te, It was announced that the
last Japanese remnants pocket
ed east of the Ormoc corridor
had been wiped out and that the
77th division had driven west
to within 11 miles of the enemy's
last west coast port of Pamom-pon.-.
It was disclosed that a seventh
American division MaJ. Gen.
Joseph M. Swing's 11th airborne
division was in action on Leyte.
It pushed west, forming part of
the trap in which the Japanese
26th, division Was caught below
Ormoc when the 77th made an
amphibious landing on the west
coast Dec. 7. The bulletin said
the 11th airborne had entirely
cleared its sector southeast of
the Ormoc corridor.
The bulletin reported that
3,788 enemy dead were counted
on Leyte Thursday, along with
nine prisoners, running to 16.661
the number of enemy dead
counted on the island In the past
eight days.
Fighters supporting ground
operations on Leyte destroyed a
lugger and five barges off the
west coast, presumably trying to
slip in and rescue some of the
fleeing Japanese.
Filipino Guerrillas operating
on Pansy Island west of Leyte
were revealed to have captured
the north coast town of. Caplz,
z7 WEATHER FAVORS 1 00 JAP PLANES
MICHIGAN FLYER
LIFTS SCORE OF
(By United Press) -
At least 35 German planes
were shot down by the 56th
Thunderbolt fighter group com
manded by Col. David Schilling
of Traverse City, Mich. Schil
ling's fighters were attacked at
one time by five German fighter
formations totalling 200 to 250
planes in all, but the enemy
were able to make only one at
tack against the U. S. bombers,
It was unsuccessful.
Schilling himself shot down
five, giving him a total of 33i
enemy planes destroyed in
Europe, 23 in the air and 10V4
on the ground. It is the highest
score for any U. S. fighter pilot
still active in this theater.
Near Trier, the 364th fighter
group led by Col. Roy Osborne of
San Antonio, Tex., knocked
down 20 German planes in 20
minutes without loss to them
selves. Dogfights raged from 25,.
000 feet altitude to Just above
the snow-covered ground, return
ing pilots said.
Bomber pilots reported that
they -crossed France beneath a
solid cloud bank, but that over
the battle lines the clouds were
broken.
Pilots of the U. S. 9th (tactical)
air force reported to headquar
ters that "this weather is Just
what we are waiting and pray
ing for," and at least 1000 sorties
or more were expected to be
flown by the 9th's medium and
fighter bombers. ,
First results of the day In
cluded 29 enemy planes downed,
12 tanks and armored vehicles
and 30 motor vehicles knocked
out.
"We caught vehicles stretched
at 75 to 100 yards intervals as
though they were expecting
something, and we divebombed
them and finished them off by
strafing," Capt. Carroll A. Peter
son, Grand Rapids, Mich., report
ed after flying over one area.
TOKYOllDCAST
SAYS SHIPS LOST
(By United Press)
Tokyo, heard by the United
Press in San Francisco, claimed
that its warplanes had sunk
eight American ships and dam
aged 12 others In a series of
raids from Wednesday through
Friday off Leyte, Mindoro island
and in the Sulu sea.
Off Mindoro Tokyo claimed
to have sunk four transports and
two cruisers or destroyers and
damaged five transports, one
cruiser, one cruiser or destroyer,
and two unidentified warships.
Off eastern Leyte the enemy
claimed to have sunk a trans
port and damaged a large air
craft carrier and one identified
warship. A transport was claim
ed sunk and another damaged
in the Sulu sea.
ALLIES, 236 HUNS
PLANESDAMAGED
Record Number of Sorties
,Rake German Offensive;
Rail Centers Hit
London, Sunday, Dec. 24 (U.R)
Allied warplanes flew 5000 sor
ties yesterday blasting and shoot
ing up traffic on the German
counter-offensive front, and they
shot down or damaged a record
total of 236 nazl planes as per
fect flying weather favored the
allies for the first time in four
days.
A British-based striking force
of 400 heavy bombers and 700
fighters assailed seven teeming
German transport centers behind
the front while 650 medium
bombers of supporting tactical
commands in France and Bel
gium added their destruction
against unidentified targets.
Allied supreme headquarters
announced that other fighters
and fighter bombs of the 9th air-
force flew 3000 sorties against
the German front, while the
tactical command added another
360 sorties.
British-based heavy, medium
and light bombers added to the
total, raiding other transport tar
gets during the day and night.
The greatest total of enemy
planes was shot down by the 9th
alrforce, which destroyed 101
enemy aircraft, 94 in the alt- and
seven, aground, Anothef 22 nazi
planes were probably destroyed
and 29 were damaged. The 1st
tactical command destroyed
seven.
Early reports indicated that 14
American medium bombers and
14 fighter bombers were lost
The heavy bombers hit rail
way yards at Kaiserlautern, Eh
rang and Homburg, all rail
points feeding the German at
tack, and other road and rail
Junctions between Coblenz and
the Belgian border. Fighter-es
corted RAF Lancasters also Join
ed the attack, bombing Trier and
other German Rhineland trans
port centers.
STATE POLICEMEN
CONFISCATE STILL
Waren Adoulph Jones. 78
route 4, bov 114, on Spring
street, was arrested Thursday on
a charge of operating a still at
his residence.1 He was brought
before Judge William P. Tucker
where he entered a plea of guilty
and was given a 90-day suspend
ed jail sentence. The court order
ed his equipment confiscated and
destroyed.
A state police officer was In
vestigating a game case in the
area and stopped to talk to Jones
on the case. The officer became
curious over smoke coming from
a padlocked building and ques
tioned Jones about lt. He then
admitted operation of the stili,
the state police report said.
A 10 gallon crock contained
mash, apples and peaches and
about 1V3 quarts of liquor had
been run off, the report stated.
Jones admitted he ran the still
about twice a month prior to his
arrest.
Jack McCoy, 16, of route
Ashland, rode his motorcycle
into me side of a logging truck
at the intersection of South Cen
tral and Ninth street Saturday
nigni, according to Deputy Cor
oner Carlos Morris, who took
him to a local hospital In the
i.ongcr-morris ambulance.
was reDorted in ho mrhrinn
from a compound fracture of the
rignt leg. Morris stated.
Cause of the accident was not
Immediately determined, but Mc
Coy was thought to have been
traveling Rt an excessive rate
speed, Morris said.
of
Allied Supreme Headquar
ters. Paris, Dec. 23 (U.R)
German armor has reached
Librimont. 13 miles southweat
of Bastogne, and Mohrat, six
miles southwest of Bastogne.
it was announced tonight.
RUSSIANS CLAMP
See-Saw Battles Rage to
Gain Budapest Berlin
Claims Victory.
London, Sunday, Dec. 24.
(U.R) Russian troops, clamping
a huge pincers on Budapest with
renewed offensives northwest
and southwest of the city, yes
terday encircled almost three-
quarters of the besieged Hun
garian capital and hammered to
within 109 miles of Vienna.
Hundreds of Russian and Ger
man tanks and planes were lock
ed in see-saw battles around the
city as the Red army strove to
close the Nazi garrison's escape
gap which was narrowed from
35 to 30 miles. .
While the Soviet high com
mand, according to Berlin, hurl
ed 18 infantry divisions in battle
southwest of the city alone, far
to the north the Germans claim
ed a decisive defense victory
against Russia's winter offensive
lh Latvia where fighting today
raged into its fourth day.
Marshal Rodion Y. Malinov-
sky's 2nd Ukranian army
brought about a three-fourths en
circlement of the capital by
smashing the vital enemy defense
line in the 3,000-foot, 18-mlle
long Borzsony mountains north
west of the city between the
Danube river and the Czechoslo
vak town of Sahy (Ipolysag) on
the Hungarian border.
Advancing 13 miles across the
mountains from their last report
ed positions, the Russians reach
ed the Ipoly river which runs
into the Danube at a point ii
miles northwest of Budapest.
The advance carried Malln
ovsky's troops Into the Batislava
plain leading west to Vienna and
Berlin said that the Soviets al
ready had advanced five miles
westward to force the Uaran
(Hron) river and establish two
bridgeheads on its west bank,
104 miles from Vienna.
BUS DIVES INTO
RAVINE, 42 HURT
Salinas. Cal.. Dec. 23 (U.R)
A Greyhound bus plunged Into
a KS-fnot ravine near Fort Ord
last night, killing one soldier
and Injuring 42 other perons,
five possibly fatally, the Cali
fornia highway patrol reported
today.
Excepting two civilians and
the driver, all of the injured
were soldiers highway patrol
headquarters said.
IN B-24 TRAGEDY
Muroc Field. Dec. 23 U.R)
The army today announced the
names nf 10 men missing when
their B-24 plane crashed on the
side of rugged Mt. Sterling near
Eagle Rock, Friday night, while
on a routine training mission.
Because of the desolate coun
try, sheriff's office and army
searchers have been unable to es
tablish that there were no sur
vivors, but all men are presumed
dead.
CHICO TAVERNS FINED
Sacrai.iento, Dec. 23. (U.R)
Gilbert McNeil, Sacramento dis
trict office of price administra
tion director, today disclosed that
nine Chico tavern owners have
delivered checks payable to the
U. S. treasury to cover over
charges on beer and whiskey
drinks.
ON MANILA FIELD
Land Based Attack Crush
ingEnemy Resistance
On Leyte Disorganized
Allied Headauarters. Ijtvtn
Philippines, Sunday, Dee. 24..
(U.R) U. S. warplanes blasted.
Clark field pear Manila Thurs
day in apparently the heaviest
assault On that nrpt, hv nlanM
the Far Eastern air forces, it
was announced today.
A majority of 100 Japanese)
planes caught on the ground
were destroyed or damaged.
aigni oi nine Japanese planes
which rose to challenge tha
Americans were shot down.
The Manila area has been at
tacked steadily by American
carrier-borne planes since Sep
tember, but Thursday's attack
appeared to be the heaviest
staged by land-based planes. Tha
last carrier strikes were Dec. 13,
14 and 13 during which 102 Jap
anese ships were destroyed of
damaged and 269 planes destroy
ed and 192 damaged on Manila
and otner parts of Luzon.
Clark field Is 46 miles north
west of Manila. The nearest'
known American air bases ara
on Mindoro Island, 188 miles
south of Clark field, and at
Leyte, 354 miles southeast of
Clark field.
The dally allied war bulletin
sum mat mere was no ground
activity on Mindoro, but that 20
Japanese planes were destroyed
and two probably destroyed over
that island on Wednesday,
On Leyte, the communique
said that Japanese remnants in
the Ormoc corridor and east of
it had been completely destroy
ed and that 3,788 Japanese dead
were counted on Thursday. Nina
prisoners wera taken.
The American 77th division,
advancing west from the corri
dor, was reported within 11
miles of the enemy's only escapa
port of Palompon, which wag
under steady fire from long
range artillery.
Enemy resistance was disor
ganized and only a fraction ot
the army which once numbered
approximately 50,000 men could
hope to escape Leyte In small
boats.
MaJ. Gen. Andrew D. Brace's
conquerors of Guam and Ormoo
were slashing westward along
the secondary highway linking
the west coast of Leyte with tha
shattered Yamashita line to tha
DEATHliTSMAN
IN LOCAL CAFE
W. McVey, 76, died Saturday
evening while eating in Bar
ney's Cafe, 27 South Riverside,
according to Carlos Morris, de
puty coroner.
McVey Is said to have been a
resident of Eagle Point, where
he was employed as a school
bus driver, Morris said.
Cause of death was thought
to have been a stroke, the de
puty coroner said.
McVey is known to have ona
son, C. L. McVey, living in Big
Creek, Calif.
Noted Dead
New York, Dec. 23. (U.R)
Charles Gibson, 77, artist and
creator of the famed Gibson girl,
died today after a heart attack.
At his bedside was his wife,
Mrs. Irene Langhorne Gibson, a
sister of Lady Astor. Mrs. Gib
son's beautiful hair and slender
waist were said to have been
Gibson's inspiration for the pin
up girl of the gay 90's.
Gibson was stricl-en In mid
September at his home In Bar
Harbor, Me., and was flown to
his New York home by army
transport.
Jackson County salts ta data
In the Sixth War Loan art
"E" Bonds ...
"E" Quota .
1613.912.50
$800,000.00