Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, January 14, 1945, Image 1

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Medford mail tribune., January 14, 1945, Image 1

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1945)

Page of 12 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (2.6 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Page of 12 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page Texti Weather UhTIm 4 MAIL TRIBUNE Want Ad Way Quick Results At Small Cost Tribune Forecast! Partly cloudy Sunday aan4 Monday, colder Sunday. Tamp. High yeitcrday ; 5 Lowttt this morninr 44 Preclp. past 4 hour .21 of inch United Press FuU LmwI Win United Press FuU Leased Wtr Thirty-ninth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 194 o NO. 249. m OPERATIONS OFF COASJTOF ASIA Carrier Planes Destroy ;0r . Damage 286 Jap Ships, ; 703 Planes. By United Press i ' Official secrecy shrouded further operations of Adm. Wil " Ham F. Halsey's third fleet off Asia Saturday but' it was dis closed that 286 Japanese ships and 703 warplanes have been de stroyed or damaged by the naval force's carrier planes in sweeps through the western Pacific and the China sea. ' Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz gave no hint of where the next American blow might fall. His latest communique merely re ported new raids against the Kuriles in the Pacific Wednes day and Thursday while Halsey's airmen were blasting four enemy convoys off the Indo-China coast, some 3000 miles to the south. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Philippines forces meanwhile pushed their Luzon lines 20 miles south of Lingayen gulf. Forces reached the Agno river line near the town of Bayam M bang, 87 miles northwest of Manila, while Japanese broad - casts said preparations to defend the capital had been completed. At Bayambang the Americans were only 43 miles from Clark. airfield. Tokyo predicted a major battle soon on the central Luzon plain against the U.'S. forces, whose patrols have already crossed the river defense line at some undis closed points. MacArthur an nounced that gains of four to eight miles were hammered out along both banks of the Agno on the northwestern flank. Enemy broadcasts intimated that U. S. bombers and fighters were now using the Lingayen airfield and asserted that British fleet units were aiding the Philippines operations. Other broadcasts had indicated that the Japanese fleet might steam out to challenge the Amer ican Marauders in the South China sea, who have virtually L. blocked sea-lanes from Japan to - southeast Asia and the Philip pines. Tokyo also said that B-29 Superforts had joined the as sault on Indo-China, bombing Saigon Friday night a few hours after Halsey's carrier planes at tacked. Tokyo radio further claimed that three B-29s had flown over central Japan Saturday after noon without dropping bombs The bin bombers aDoeared over I the Tokyo- Kokohama area, Japan said. There was no con firmation of the enemy reports. Japanese air units, in a heavy raid on U. S. shipping, lost 20 planes in a night assault which caused minor damage to the ves sels. Nimitz' brief communique on the Kuriles raid said that Torish ima Retto, southeast of Para' mushiru, as well as Siribachi and Kurabu Sakl on Paramushiru were hit in th latest air strikes Tl With U. S. Forces in Germany, Jan. 11 (Delayed) (U.PJ Some Americans were killed and oth ers wounded on Wednesday when a formation of 12 B-17 Flying Fortresses dropped S00 bombs from 15,000 feet on tne American occupied German town of Weiseiler, eight miles west of Duren. It was the second time within a month that American troops on the western front were bomb ed accidentally by their own planes. U. S. 30th division troops at Malmedy suffered the same experience around Christmas time. The area of Weiseiler was pockmarked with 83 craters when the bombing was finished. The possibility was suggested that the pilots mistook the Inde river, which flows through wet seiler, for the Roer river, which marks the U. S. 9th front in the Duren sector. Manila Harbor Graveyard for Jap r-:-"JE"f If- I ' (Acme Ttlephotof Dramatic proof of effectiveness of Navy carrier raids on Manila Bay Is provided In this recent photo of th great anchorage with more than 50 ships sunk or Immobilized as result of our air raids. Waterfront instal lations and shore line fuel and ammunition dumps have a'o felt weight of Navy's blows as Tokyo broadcast reported a second American task force has arrived In "the Lingayen Quit combat zone." U. S. Navy photo. Y POLISH; AND EAST PRUSSIA DRIVES Third Offensive in Slovakia Underway Report4-Ber' lin Seen As Goal London, Sunday, Jan. 14 U.K The red army has. opened Jts winter offensive in south-central Poland, - crashing 25. m i I e s through nazi lines to within 70 miles of industrial southeastern Germany, Marshal Josef Stalin announced last night, and uer- line said that virtually the entire eastern front was blazing into action. ' Major, bitter fighting, the en emy said, was developing along the 600-mile front from the Bal tic sea to the Balkans. The red army also has opened a full- scale offensive in East Prussia, Berlin said, and a Romanian communique confirmed enemy reports that a third big drive was underway in Czechoslova kia. At the same time, other ac tions were ' reported on four widely-spaced fronts three' in Poland along , the Vistula river from 30 miles south of Aarsaw to the Carpathians, and the fourth around the Baltic port of Memel. London observers saw these actions as presaging the .greatest red army offensive of the east ern war an offensive which Moscow dispatches have termed 'possibly the last winter often' sive and one wnicn tne Moscow press has said may wind up in Berlin.. Little more than 24 hours aft er Berlin first announced that the red army's winter offensive was underway, Marshal Stalin confirmed the report in an order of the day. . BY LIQUOR QUIZ Salem, Ore., Jan. 13. U.R) Democratic State Senator Thom as R. Mahoney of Portland today accused Gov. Earl Snell of ask ing for a probe of the state's Waterfill and Frazier liquor pur chase because he "had a bad case of jitters." Both Mahoney and Democratic Senator Lew Wallace, also of Portland, opposed the Investiga tion of the state liquor commis sion on grounds that It was "not necessary," and that provisions were not made for Democratic representation on the investigat- ini committee. The legislature was In week end recess until Monday when heavier work calendar if ex pected. The governor's message and tne liquor controversy nign lighted last week's sessions. , mm WAR BULLETINS - Washington, Jan. 13 (UP.) . Tokyo radio reported today that three B-29 Superfortress bombers, had flown over cen tral Japan this afternoon with out dropping any bombs. Th broadcast, heard by th FCC, said th first plane flew over th Nagoya area and that the other two appeared over th Tokyo-Yokohama nil about three hours later. It was possible the plana ' were , on :rconnaiiane. ; . London, Sunday, Jan 14 UI.R) Th Exchange Telegraph agency reported in a Bengal dispatch today that both Brit ish and American planes join, d Saturday in a 10-minut blasting of Maadalay that was described as probably th big gest assault by th eastern air command of any objective in Burma. ; . -. . . Rom, Jaw 13. (U.R) Ca nadian troops of . th British Eighth army angaged a "sis able German force" at the base of the spit separating the Commacchio lagoon from th Adriatic sea, and captured 40 prisoners and left 20 enemy dead on th field, allied head quarters announced today. (A BBC broadcast heard in London said the Canadians had wiped out a whole com pany of Germans in the fight ing)., . . PORTLAND G. I. IS GIVEN 25 YEARS Y THEFTS Paris, Jan. 13 U.R) An American soldier, on trial at the army's mass court martial of GI's charged with stealing cig- arets and selling them to the blackmarket, testified today that he was threatened with a rubber hose unless he signed a confes sion. Sgt. Walter G. Thorsell, Port land, Ore., charged with Sgt. Frank C. Pozzi, Chicago, with stealing 375 packages of cigarets from post exchange rations, said "Undercover Agent Bruno. Gaz- zati" threatened to beat him "with a rubber hose" if he didn't admit stealing cigarets and other articles and selling them at a Paris cafe known as "the bucket of blood." Gazzatl, following Thorsell on the stand, denied Thorsell's state ment. Both Pozzi and Thorsell were sentenced to 25 years of hard labor, the lightest given since the trials Involving 182 men and two officers- began last Tuesday. Pozzi also Insisted that his confession was obtained un der duress. - SURPLUS TOOLS SOLD Haynes, Cal., Jan. 13 (U.R) Thousands of dollars of picks, shovels, wheel barrows, screen and chicken wire and other farming equipment declared sur plus by defense plant corpora tion today went over the govern ment auction block to hundreds of farmers in this community, Shipping A J- "ya4E . ft. V 100 HUN U-BOATS PROWL ATLANTIC BRITISH REPORT London Doubts Adm. Ingram Claim : Bombs ' Launched From':' Submarines London,, Jan. 13 (U.R) De spite punishing allied blows,, the nazis still ' are able to operate as many as 100 U-boats in the Atlantic, constituting a contin ued serious menace to allied sea supply lines, British naval cir cles said tonight. , However, insofar as is gener ally known here, there Is no evi dence that the Germans ever have attempted to launch flying bombs from submarines, despite Vice Adm. Jonas H. Ingram s warning that it was "possible and probable" the U. S. Atlantic coast would be hit by V-bombs launched from U-boats. At the same time, naval ob servers . pointed out, such a bombing . remains within the easy range of possibility Inas much as there are no serious technical barriers. The same might hold true for long range rockets which require even less equipment for launching. There is also a general ten dency here to doubt the state ment attributed to Ingram that the nazis have 300 submarines in the Atlantic. British naval spokesmen and commentators are more inclined to believe that Germany's overall subma rine strength is 300 force that probably would permit from 00 to 100 underseas craft to be ac tually operative at one time. To keep a force of 300 U-boats within the Atlantic operating zone, a total force of annroxi mately 1,000 submarines would be necessary, one spokesman said, and added that Germany's submarine strength at its peak was 1,500. E Washington. Jan. 13. U.R)- The War Labor Board ruled to day that beer Is essential. It told the Teamsters' Union (AFL) that If it did not end strike at three St. Paul brew eries, the board would refer the matter at once "to the president for appropriate action. The union, engaged In a juris dictional strike at the Yoerg, Schmidt and Hamm breweries, had told th WLB earlier that it would not end the stoppage because, it asserted, beer making Is not an essential Industry. The closing of ' the St Paul breweries, the board neia "threatens substantia! interfer ence with th war effort." YANK MOTORIZED PATROLS WITHIN 87 Jap Front and Flank in Luzon Penetrated by Gen. Krueger,s 6th Army. Gen. MacArthur's . Headquar ters, Philippines, Sunday, Jan. 14. (U-PJ United States 6th army forces, in an eight-mile advance, have swept 20 miles into northwestern Luzon at the middle of the American invasion front, it was announced today as front dispatches also report ed a six-mile penetration of the Japanese eastern flank. The advance was made by motorized patrols and carried the Americans to within approxi mately 87 miles of Manila. The patrols reached the north bank of the Agno river, first main barrier on the road to the road to the Philippines capital, Gen. Dougras MacArthur's dally war bulletin announced. (Tokyo indicated the river line already had been crossed, saying that Japanese forces were "Intercepting" American troops "trying hard to drive to the south bank of the Agno.") The American east flank, striking southward from the in vasion beach head now broad ened to 26 miles, overran the towns of Santa Barbara and Mapandan, both highway Junc tions. Mapandan Is 7 Vis miles inland"' from Sari Fabian,' and Santa Barbara is four miles , The drive was cutting iiil roads leading down to the ii vasion front from northern Lu zon through the Caraballo moun tains. - MacArthur announced - that warplanes had destroyed 50 Jap anese coastal vessels Wednesday near the port of Vigan, on the northwest coast of Luzon, 98 miles north of the American lines. Yesterday's bulletin had reported that 46 Japanese ves sels were sunk or damaged Thursday by naval units attack ing the San Fernando area, 64 miles south of San Fernando. Front dispatches meanwhile reported that the extreme left flank of Lt. Gen. Walter Krue ger's armies, who now hold some 200 square miles in north western Luzon, was extended along the gulf coast to Rabon, six miles north of San Fabian. Rabon is 26 miles around the gulf from the westernmost American positions at Labrador. CONNALLY DENIES ANY. INTENTION TO 'GAG' SENATE Washington, Jan. 13 (U.R) Chairman Tom Connally, D., Texas, of the senate foreign re lations committee, said tonight that he had no intention of "gag ging" the senate when he ex pressed hope that members would refrain from offering resolutions and from discussions "which would disturb the deli cate international situation." Connally explained that in his Thursday statement he sought only to discourage "caustic criti cism" of America's allies pend ing the expected Roosevelt- Churchill-Stalin conference. His explanation came as re sentment mounted In the senate against what had been interpret ed as his attempt - to shut off debate on foreign policy. Many senators have expressed surprise and chagrin over Connally's no discussion, no resolution request and had made it plain that they did not Intend to abide by lt. WAR EFFORT PROGRAM Los Angeles, Jan. 13 (U.R) Radio station KFWB announced tonight Its entire 19-hour pro gram time next Wednesday will be devoted to war effort pro gram that will stress the need to work or fight for this war "is not j-et won. ' CLEVELAND POWER PLANT PUT UNDER .R. Swift Action Ends "Wildcat" Strike "Work Or Be Fired" Ultimatum. Cleveland, Jan. 13. U.R) The army on orders of Presi dent Roosevelt, seized control of the Cleveland Electric Il luminating Company today and restored full power service to this vital war ' manufacturing center with a "work or be fired" ultimatum to 400 striking CEI employees. The strike, a "wildcat" afair precipitated by a union shop steward who refused to accept a change in his work schedule, was slowly paralyzing war pro duction and was threatening to black out virtually an entire five-county area around Cleve land with a population of 2,000, 000 persons including 300,000 war workers when Mr. Roose velt Interceded. Col. E. A. Lynn, chief of the Cleveland District Army Ord nance Department, marched In to the CEIs main office In the downtown section here, accom panied by a staff of eight offi cers and carrying a U. S. flag, and posted the president's seiz ure notice on the premises. . It was the fastest White House action in a seizure case and re flected Mr. 'Roosevelt's grim' de termination to let nothing inter fere with the war timetable, Acting Secretary of War John J. McCloy. in announcing the presi dential order, condemned the strike as "a direct violation of law and labor's no-strik pledge" and said it showed "a callous dis regard of their (the strikers) obligations to their country . . Col. Lynn immediately called upon all strikers to return to work on tho next regular shift and warned that those who did not do so would be "Immediate ly referred to the state director of selective service for reclassi fication in event he holds an oc cupational deferment." - FARM MACHINERY SHORTAGE TO CUT 1945 FOOD CROP Washington. Jan. 13. U.R) Government officials predicted tonight that only a miracle can enable farmers to maintain In 1945. the high wartime level of crop production, with a lag in farm machinery output disclosed as the latest threat to the food program. . Frederick B. Northrup, chief of the materials and facilities branch of the War Food Admin istration, reported ' tonight that production of farm machinery in November dropped 20 to 25 per cent behind schedule. The War Production Board is expected to forward within a few days esti mates of December output show ing an even more serious lag. If this year's farm machinery program is met, farmers would get about the same supply avail able during the last crop year. However, Northrup said it now appears that many items will reach farms too late for seasonal use. Important spring planting and tillage equipment Is among the lagging items, 0011 SAYS WEAK E By United Press .The Japanese Dome! Agency announced that a "slight eartn- quake" struck the central area of Honshu, main horn island, at 3:35 a. m. Saturday, causing a "little damage to small number of houses," it was reported by OWL QUAK BULLETINS - Corvallis, Ore., Jan. 13. (U.R) The University of Oregon trimmed the Oregon State Bea vers, 51 to 44, in a renewal of the annual "civil war" series between the two teams, with the Webfeet leading by a wide margin throughout the second half. The contest started fairly even, with the score tied three times in the first half, but with three minutes to go, Hayes and Hamilton of Oregon made' two baskets to put the Ducks ahead, 23 to 21, at the half time mark. Bemie McGrath, star Oregon State guard, was high point man for the game with 18, while Del mer Smith of Oregon was the best scorer for his team with 11 points. Seattle, Wash.. Jan. 13. (U.R) Washington University's pow erful Huskies, only unbeaten team on the northern division of the Pacific coast basketball conference, maintained their winning pace tonight defeating Idaho Vandals, 60 to 41. Berkeley, Cal., Jan. 13 -(U.R) -The University of California's hopes of defending the' Pacific Coast. Southern Division basket ball championship were shat tered tonight by a resurgent UCLA varsity which led throughout a rough and ragged game to win 37-26. 46-21; Southern Oregon Conference: W. L. Pet. Medford ....... 3 0 1.000 Klamath Falls 1 1 .500 Ashland .. 1 1 .333 Grants Pass 0 3 .000 Saturday games: Medford 46, Grants Pass 21. Klamath Falls 39, Ashland 28. Medford High's basketball team ran their winning streak to 10 straight games by chalking up a 46 to 21 victory over Grants Pass in a Southern Oregon con ference game here last night. It was a rough contest despite only 13 fouls called on Medford and eight on Grants Pass. Neith er team lost a player via the foul route although Riebel, Cave man center and captain, had four called on him in the first half. Jerry Ross was the big gun for Medford, punishing the hoop for 15 points, followed closely by Dick Fawcett with 13. Jack Lutz paced Grants Pass with nine, Lutz scored the first point of the game when he tipped In a free throw and Fawcett slipped In under the basket for a shot and Grants Pass wasn't ahead from there on out. Fawcett, Wat son, Ross, Larry Hayes and Darr rell Riggs all hit the hemp to build up a 13 to 5 Medford lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second stanza Medford ran lt up to 24 to 8 with Ross collecting seven counters during the period. Best Grants Pass could do was three gift tosses. With two minutes of the third period left and the Tor nado ahead 37 to 11, coach ai Simpson sent in an entire new team but gradually he replaced them with regulars In order to further development of his start ing five. Third period ended 39 to 11, Medford. The game got rough in the final period as Grants Pass tried vainly to close the gap although referees F. L. Flink and Norman Sting were liberal on foul-calling in that quarter. Medford collect ed only seven points during the period while the Cavemen rang up 10. Klamath Falls evened their scries with Ashland when they beat the Grizzlies 39 to 28 in Ashland last night. ARMY GETS MACKEREL San Francisco, Jan. 13 (U.R) Packers of California sardine, mackerel and horse mackerel to day were ordered by the war food administration to increase their "set-aside" orders for the government to full 100 percent of each canner's pack, effective at midnight tonight. THIRD ARMY CUTS ENEMY'S LIFELINE ARDENNES FRONT Panzer Forces Rocked , As Bulge Narrowed By New Offensive. Paris, Sunday, Jan. 14 (U.R) Allied armies opened a su preme offensive Saturday to wipe out the Ardennes salient and gained up to three miles in a two-way drive seeking to cut of Field Marshal Von Rund stedt's panzers at the base of the bulge while U. S. 3rd army tanks crashed across the enemy's lifeline at two points southwest of Houffallze. Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's forces at the same time drove within 5Vi miles of a junction with the 1st army in the waist of the wedge and the converging lartlllery blasts of the two armies also blocked off a stretch of the German's - escape road east ot Houffallze. Thousands of Germans of -the 5th and 6th panzer armies, rock ed by shells and with their col umns torn for the first time by strong forces of allied planes, reversed their field in a disor ganized scramble to get out of the pocket by secondary roads. At least 100 tanks and other vehicles in the milling mass were destroyed by planes alone. Other and -oma)ler pocket were forming farther west as the new allied attacks spread around 80 miles ot the bulge perimeter. One waa in the Champion sea, 12 miles southwest of Houfaliie, where the 3rd army, gaining up to three miles on an eight-mile front, moved within two 'miles of British forces striking south after mopping up the toe of the salient. Fighter-bombers ranged east and northeast against huge Ger man columns which had run the Houffallze gauntlet .and carried out attacks on "something like the Normandy scale," pilots re ported In reference to the piling up of the German 7th army in its retreat across France. Von Rundstedt now was try ing to run his armor through St. Vlth, keystone of the entire bulge front and objective of the new allied drive across the base of the salient HOOD RIVER CALM AS NISEI RETURN DESPITE 'LEGION Hood River, Ore., Jan. 13. (U.R) Little notice was apparent today in Hood River valley at the return of three Japanese Americans to 1 h a i r former homes, irwKpf American Le gionafrbrts ii organize a "citi zens committee" to oppose their return, . Ray Sato, Sat Nojl and Mln Asai arrived by train from un designated sections of the coun try, except Sato, who had been working in a war plant in Cleve land, Ohio. The three were the first to return here under the recent order by the western de fense command permitting such rehabilitation. Portland, Ore., Jan. 13 (U,R Ted Hachlya, 25-year-old Portland hotel owner, was back in his hotel office today con vinced that people of the north west bear no ill will toward Jap anese Americans evacuated from this region after Pearl Harbor. San Francisco, Jan. 13 (U.R) Four wounded Japanese-American veterans of the famous 44ilnd combat team now under treatment at Fitzslmona General hospital near Denver, Colo., want to go home after their dis charge "and work in peace like any other American" without being molested. The war relocation authority in San Francisco released the story of these veterans of the Italian campaign today.