Greatest Battle of War Rages Along Wide Russian Front
115 RED DIVISIONS
FLUNG INTO EIGHT
Weather
Forecast: Showers tonlfht and
Tuesday, snow In mountains.
Colder tonifhu
Temp.
Richest yesterday . 3
Lowest tola morning i 41
Medford
HBUNE
IS BERLINJLAIM
United Pi u full Luud Wire
2 Jnited Press full Umd Wire
Thirty ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY; JANUARY 15, 1945
NO. 250.
German High Command Re
ports Bitter Fighting On
East War. End Aim
I 1 H'NAmCHA,N' I 1 War I I r ,)B) aMrth
team "Sk. Vii OmUintdar f? Wbwyfafniiif
lTHA,lAND , ..iloTy
WV STATES J 1 comitim IQtNECtr g
' ... , , ' ' (AcmeTelephoto)
Highlights of one of the most spectacular weeks of action on the Pacific front are dramatically depicted Is
this map review of the week's activities. American carrier-based planes battled Japanese forces otf Indo
china. BOO miles west of Luzon, where General MacArtbur's troops were Tl"ht"g toward """
Tokyo Jitters Mount as Yankees Press
Successful Campaign in Philippine Islands
By United Press -
Tokyo betrayed mounting war
jitters over the successful Amer
ican campaign in the Philippines
today. Hinting that Premier
Gen. Kuniaki Koiso may be
forced to resign while reporting
new air blows against the Japa
nese islands bastion of Formosa.
The enemy-reported attacks on
Formosa presumably by planes
of Adm. ' William F. Halsey's
rampaging third fleet coincid
ed with important new gains on
Luzon where Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur's Liberation forces pour
ed across the strategic A g n o
river and sent spearheads to
within 80 miles or less of Ma
nila. 200 Plane Attack
; At least 200 U. S. carrier
planes raked Formosa's airfields
and communication lines, Tokyo
said, in the fourth major strike
this year to prevent the Japa
nese fro mmoving air and troop
reinforcements southward to em
battled Luzon.
The broadcasts Indicated that
the 3d fleet, under radio silence
since it wrecked 38 enemy ships
in attacks alone the French In-
oo-umm coast last rnaay, naa
swung north from the south
China sea for the new Formosa
attacks.
Japanese army headquarters
IN SALEM PRISON
PAYS FOR SLAYING
Salem, Ore., Jan. IS (U.R)
Henry William Merten, 32, and
Walter Lome Wilson, 35, died
today In the first double lethal
gas execution conducted in Ore
gon. They died for the hold-up
slaying of Ralph Dahlen, 27, Oak
Grovs, early In the morning of
July 22, 1943
Merten was the first to die,
entering the gas chamber at 9
a. m. The gas hit his face at
9:03V4 and he was Dronounced
dead at 9:07 a. m. He had -no
comment for newsmen, walked
unaided to the death chair and
died bravely. -
After the gas was cleared
' from the chamber, Wilson enter
ed unaided at 10 a. m. The gas
hit his face at 10:06 and he in
haled deeply Intentionally. He,
was dead a minute later.
Wilson was smiling as he sat
down in the chair and displayed
no emotion. He told newsmen
in his cell .ie had no belief in re
ligion but had no objection to
it for others.
Neither of the men asked for
chanlains before their deaths.
The tvo men were arrested
In Santa Monica, Calif., on Sep
tember 11, 1943, after the slay
ing for which they were con
victed. Danlen was shot on July
22 of that year, when the two
Lmen held up a roadhouse be
tween Portland and Oregon
City. They entered the place at
about 1 a. m. and Merten, ner
vously brandishing a gun, shot
Dahlen before a word was spok
en,. police repgrjf, say.
Issued a communique reporting
that the carrier planes bombed
numerous airfields and commu
nications facilities and also straf
ed and bombed Taichu, Shoka,
Takao and other villages for four
and a half hours from 8:30 a.
m. to 1 p. m. (Tokyo time). Five
of the raiders were said to have
been shot down and another
damaged..
Follow Supeiforts - ,
The - enemy-reported carrier
raid came on the heels of a B-29
Superfortress strike on Formosa
yesterday. Liberators from the
Philippines hit the island strong
hold Thursday night
The possible resignation of
Premier Koiso was indicated by
the ominous tone of the Tokyo
broadcasts a tone similar to
that Immediately preceding the
ouster of Gen. Hidekl.Tojo fol
lowing American conquest of the
Marianas last summer.
The official Dome! News
agency reported significantly
that "factions" in the nation's
ruling circles were clamoring for
a "bold and unprecedented po
litical renovation" and a "second
political reformation." A Ger
man broadcast later said Koiso
presided over a full cabinet ses
sion after reporting "on the sit
uation" to Emperor Hirohito at
an audience in the imperial
palace.
The shattering of the Japanese
Agno river line on Luzon, prob
ably the strongest natural de
fense line north of Manila, start
ed optimistic predictions that the
Philippines capital would be in
American hands within weeks
rather than months, as original
ly estimated.
30 Miles Inland
The doughboys -already have
pushed some 30 miles inland
from Lingayen gulf more than
a quarter of the distance to Ma
I
TO
II
Robert N. (Babe) High, enter
ed a plea of guilty to obtaining
money under false pretenses and
was given a sentence not to ex
ceed 18 months in state prison
by Circuit Judge James W.
Crawford. High, held in the
county jail for several months,
has been Involved in a number
of check cases, while acting as
the local representative of an
insurance company. He was in
dieted by the October grand
Jury.
High was Involved about 10
years ago with his brother and
another man in an arson case
and received a four years' sen
tence in state prison. The charge
was burning the Balfour-Guth
rie barn near Ashland for the
Insurance. The case attracted
state-wide attention at the time,
FISH RESERVED
Washington, Jan.. 15. (WO
The war food administration to
day ordered packers to reserve
for the government their entire
production of California pilch
ards. Pacific mackerel, and Pa
cific bars mtckeieL- -
nila while widening - their
beachhead along the gulf itself
to 45 miles.
Japanese resistance, partic
ularly in the path of the push to
Manila, continued negligible and
Filipino guerilla leaders report
ed to Gen. MacArthur's head
quarters that a large portion of
the enemy garrison in central
Luzon had withdrawn to the
mountainous northern portion of
the Island. ; " ' " .
A front .dispatch disclosed,
however, that U. S. toops at the
northeastern tip of the beach
head had been halted by mortar
and sniper fire three miles short
of the enemy's Rosario airfield.
PRIORlTYSYSTEM
IS
Washington, Jan. 15 U.R)
War Mobilization Director
James F. Byrnes today laid
down a priority system designed
to control the selective service
induction of an estimated 200,
000 men tn the 26 through 29
age group who will be with
drawn from essential war pro
duction programs.
' The pattern is based on a yet-
undisclosed list of essential ac
tivities and is designed to "mini
mize as much as possible the ef
fect on ' essential activities,
Byrnes said. ' '
He said Maj. Gen. Lewis B.
Hershey, national director of se
lective service, has been request
ed to notify local boards to fol
low a five-point priority system
when they begin reaching into
the pool of deferred young men
to meet increased calls from the
armed services.
Dividing war programs Into
"critical" and "essential" activi
ties, Byrnes said men should be
taken in this order:
1. Registrants not employed
in any of the activities on the
special list of essential activities.
2. Registrants engaged in rela
tively unimportant jobs in the
"essential but not critical activi
ties" and registrants who may
be replaced "without difficulty.'
3. Men employed in relatively
unimportant jobs in "critical
war programs and registrants in
such programs who may be re
placed without difficulty.
4. Registrants engaged in rel
atively more Important jobs in
"essential but not critical activi
ties."
5. Registrants engaged In more
important jobs in "critical ac
tivities."
Jolson Suffering
Infection of Lung
Hollywood, Jan. 15 (U.R)
Musical Comedy and Film Star
Al Jolson was in the Cedars of
Lebanon hospital today for ob
servation for a lung Infection.
JoUon's physician, Dr. Frank
S. Dolley, said there was no In
dication Jolson's condition would
J becoao critical
E
T
Outrider Columns of First
and Third Armies Meet
Near Transport, Center
With V. S. First Army,
Belgium, Jan. IS. (U.R)
American troops broke into
Houffaliie today and at last
report were within five-eighths
of a mile of the center of the
town.
Paris, Jan. 15 (U.R) Ameri
can tanks and infantry stormed
the near defenses of Houffalize
today and a dispatch from Lt,
Gen. Courtney H. Hodges' head
quarters forecast the early cap
ture of the Belgian base which
once was at the center of the
collapsed Ardennes salient,
Houffalize was invested on all
sides, and assault forces of the
1st and 3rd armies were closing
in for the kill, with one spear
head driving down the main
highway from Liege to within
mile and a half . of the key
transport center.
Columns Meat
A few miles to the northwest,
outriders of the 1st and 3rd
armies met for the first junction
of Hodges' and Lt. Gen. George
S. Patton's troops since the first
phase of the German offensive
which split the lzth army group
wide open.
United Press Correspondent
John McDermott reported from
Hodges' headquarters that two
1st army columns were shoulder
ing in toward Houffalize against
stiff German resistance. By
early afternoon one had struck
down the trunk highway irom
the north almost to the outskirts
of the town, and McDermott said
that "there is a good possibility
It will fall soon.
The German garrison, ringed
bv American troops and armor,
was fighting desperately, and
fragmentary units were trying
to filter through the U. S. lines
and escape over the thinly
guarded back roads to the east,
Nasi Transport nit
Hodges' artillery was shel
lacking the German transports
milling around in the battle
7nnk nnrl eenerallv falling back
to the shelter of the Siegfried
Troons of the 30th division
were battling inside Thirimont,
four miles southeast of Maime-
dy, where the bitterest name
of the 1st army front naa Deen
for more than 24 hours.
This battle was holding up the
push down Into the northeastern
shoulder of the salient by
Hnrlees' left wing.
While the 1st army columns
oicrn aiuireina down uiruus"
Wilbrin and Dinez to the norm-
Am nnnroacnes ox iiuwi
desperate German counterblows
below the town arove mo vu
guard of the 3rd army out of
Noville, five miles south of
Houffalize, only a few hours aft
er the town was captured. -
Ice, snow, bitter cold, and fog
which prevented air support
slowed down the concerted
drives by the 1st, 3rd. and Brit
ish 2nd armies which were
squeezing the Germans out of
the salient. -
Divinity Student
Is Held For FBI
City police today held Alton
finlM Mann na. anas timer n.
Manning. 18. who gave his occu
pation as a divinity student, at
request of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. The youth was
nicked ud at 1039 South River
side avenue Sunday, the police
report taid.
ui mi mm
Break-Through Casualties:
American -7 40,000
German - - - 90,000
Washington, Jan. 15. (U.R) American losses in the zone of the
German break-through in the Ardennes totaled nearly 40,000, Sec
retary of War Henry L. Stimson announced today.
The figures covered the period
offensive began, to Jan. 7.
Of the total, 18,000 are listed
these presumably were captured.
In the same period in that sector
were captured and the German killed and wounded were estimated
at 50,000 making a total of 90,000 enemy casualties.
Stlmson's announcement stressed that the figures were based
on preliminary reports, and that it would be some time before an
accurate accounting could be made.
American casualties for the period on the entire western front,
embracing the First, Third, Seventh and Ninth armies, totaled 52,-
594.
These included 4,083 killed,
ing.-
Estimates of German losses
fronts were not available.
SALVAGE PAPER
DRIVE EXTENDED
The Jackson county paper
drive has been continued until
Thursday evening, E. H. Hed
rlck, superintendent of city
schools announced today.
'The drive which got off to a
slow start several days ago is
progressing favorably," Hedrlck
said, "with many rooms in Med
ford schools doubling their
,tas over last year's drive.
'Paper is a war must" Hed-
rick stressed, and Medford citi
zens are urged to call any school
near their residence for a picK-
ud of paper by school children.
The superintendent said that
twine will be furnished by the
schools and that Roosevelt
school will remain open tonight
to receive bundles. Any other
city school will stay open at
night If notified In advance by
phone that paper wi" De
brought In for the arive.
RtDorts through rriaay inai-
cate that at the present rate of
collection several cars of paper
will be colected by the end of
the drive.
Coleman Recovery
, Slow But Steady
Cnuntv Judge J. B. (Blin)
rnleman. who has been confined
to his home with Illness the past
three weeks, Is making steady
though slow Improvement. The
attending physician reports re-
coverv is lust a matter or com
plete rest and relaxation ror a
few more weeks, before he can
return to his desk.
Key Rail Yards
Suffer Damaging Air Blows
London, Jan. 15. U.R) More
than 600 Liberators and Fort
resses., escorted by nearly 700
Mustang and Thunderbolt fight
ers, struck damaging blows to
day against four key rail yards
in southern Germany as a ioi-low-up
of RAF night attacks on
shrinking Nazi oil supplies.
A communique from strategic
air force headquarters said the
huge American armada struck
shortly after noon at rail yards
in Ingolstadt, 45 miles north oU
Munich; at Augsburg, 35 miles
northwest of Munich; at Reutiin
gen, 20 miles south of Stuttgart,
and at Frleburg, 40 miles south
of Strufegurf.
from Dec. 15, when the enemy
as missing and the majority of
approximately 40,000 Germans
,
27,645 wounded, and 20,866 miss
on the Seventh and Ninth army
-
Threat of Draft
Sends Thousands
.To War Industry
By United Press
The threat of work or fight
legislation has had almost as
much effect in getting men to
transfer to war industries as a
draft would and thousands of
workers have jammed U. S. em
ployment offices throughout the
country to sign up for war r.ork,
a survey revealed today.
Many major war production
centers reported the heaviest
increases in war job seekers
since D-Day and in Wisconsin
alone, more than 11,000 appli
cants janr-.ed USES offices with
the greatest Increase reported in
war-busy Milwaukee.
By United Press
Middle westerners sloshed
through snow today as new flur
ries spread a snow blanket rang
ing from one to 30 inches in
depth over the central states.
Temperatures ranged from
normal to above normal. The
outlook was for clearing
throughout the mid-west tonight,
with little change in tempera
ture.
Snow and rainstorms now In
the Ohio valley will move to
night, with snow expected In
the northwestern states and rain
in the mid-Atlantic region, the
Chicago weather bureau report
ed.
The Dakotas registered an
average of 15 degrees above
zero, while Oklahoma points re
ported temperatures in the mid
thirties. in Germany
Meanwhile, the air ministry
announced a renewal of the al
lied air assault against nazl
rocket-launching sites in Hol
land and reported for the 57th
day since last Nov. 15 that
"enemy air activity" had been
directed during the past 24
hours against southern England.
Similar announcements of
German rocket and buzz bomb
attacks have missed only 19 out
of the last 76 days. . '
A dispatch' from advanced
Ninth air force headquarters re
vealed that the Luftwaffe now
has at least four types of Jet
and rocket-propelled aircraft in
operation over- the western
front. " .
ORGANIZED LABOR
BATTLE
AFL Spokesman Says Man
power Shortage Due
to Frozen Wage Levels
Washington, Jan. 15 U.R)
Organized labor formally open
ed its campaign against national
service and work-or-fight legis
lation today coincident with the
start of what appeared to be a
drive for imposition of a statu
tory 48-hour week in essential
war industries.
Chairman Andrew 3. May, D.,
Ky., of the house military affairs
committee, urged- prompt enact
ment of a work-or-fight bill with
provisions to put all essential
war industries on a 48-hour-
work-week basis. He said In an
Interview he would offer this
proposal as an- amendment to
his bill to force all 18-45 year
old men into essential jobs on
threat - of induction into the
army.
Lewis G. H 1 n e s, legislative
representative of the American
Federation of Labor, meanwhile,
told the house military commit
tee that present manpower
shortages were caused principal
ly by frozen wage levels in cer
tain plants.
He said wage increases in
plants where production speed
ups were needed would have no
sufficient Inflationary effect be
cause they would involve rela
tively few plants and, in the
main, products bought by the
government.
Albert Hamilton, Vienna, Va.,
farmer, appearing for the Social
ist party, ilso attacked May s
work-or-fight bill. He said the
manpower problem did not Jus
tify a labor draft, that voluntary
recruitment methods had not
been exhausted, and that a man
power draft was an "un-demo-
cratic' device wmcn wouia
hamper production.
IN HOTEL ROOM
Walter F. Cornwall, 80, of
Portland, was released on $50
bail Sunday night after being
booked at the cltj jail early Sun
day for assault and battery on
Mrs. Arlene Grant, 1005 West
Main street.
Mrs Grant reported to police
she accompanied Cornwell, an
acquaintance, to his room at a
local hotel late Saturday upon
his invitation to have a drink
and that after an argument, he
struck her several times and
threw her Into the hotel corri
dor. She was bruised and scratch
ed and several teeth were
knocked out.
Draft Board Clerk
Escapes Clutches of
Would-Be Kidnaper
Twin Falls, Ida., Jan. 15.
(U.R) AH roads leaving Twin
Falls were under fight police
check-up this afternoon as city,
county and state officers con
ducted a wide manhunt for a
motorist who attempted today
to kidnap pretty Leona Rae
Hughes, 23, draft board clerk.
Defying a knife which the
man pulled from his pocket,
Miss Hughes foiled the kidnap
effort by switching iili the igni
tion of his car, swiftly opening
the door, tumbling to the pave
ment and screaming loudly.
She suffered cuts and bruises
in the fall.
London, Jan. IS. (U.R)
Marshal Ivan S. KonsVs red
army, spearheading what the
Germans called a record so
viet offensive en a 600-mlle
eastern front, captured the
Polish city of Kielco today la
its drive toward German 81-lesla.
London, Jan. 15. (U.R) On
of the greatest battles of the war
raged today along a virtually
unbroken front from Lithuania
to Yugoslavia, with possibly
3,250,000 Russians and Germans
locked in at least nine closely
synchronized struggles.
"Bitter fighting has flared up
on the entire front," the German
high command reported.
The Russians already were
calling their great winter offen
sive the march to Berlin. Nazi
military spokesmen warned that
the red army "intends to end
the war."
Aim At Krakow -
So far Moscow had confirmed
only Marshal Ivan S. Konev'a
push across the frozen plains of
south - central Poland, aimed
squarely at the great Nazi de
fense bastion of Krakow and the
rich industries of German Sile
sia. ,
But Berlin said the red army
offensive had raced to both
ends of the front, with sledge
hammer blows so near each
other that it was difficult to de- -termlne
where one attack left
off and another began.
Nazi propagandists said the
Soviets had flung 115 divisions,
plus more than 15 tank corps,
into four fronts alone, while a
United Press dispatch from Mos
cow figured German strength in
Poland at 100 divisions. .
.On the single new front re
ported by Moscow, Soviet dis
patches said the Germans had
been unable to rally, and the
Russians Were Tolling westward '
at. a clip which threatened to
split the Nazi armies in Poland.
Many Battle Zones
The German high command
said the main battle tones, from
south to north, were Budapest,
the Danube valley northwest of
the Hungarian capital, the Hun-garian-Slovakian
border area,
the Krakow -front, the Pulawy
region of the Vistula valley 66
miles south of Warsaw, the Mas-
nusze area 33 miles below War
saw, the Vistula-Bug . triangle
north of the Polish caoltal.
Soviet bridgeheads across the
Narew on either side of Fulutsk
north of Warsaw, and a broad
front in East Prussia.
The Nczi command claimed
that 175 Russian tanks had been
destroyed "In the great winter
battle between the Carpathian
mountains and the Niemen." 82
in the Narew bridgehead and 51
in East Prussia.
A Moscow dispatch said Ko-
nev's offensive was expanding so
rapidly that lt was impossible to
tell whether the red marshal's
ultimate objective was Germany
itself, the capture of Krakow,
the seizure of the Katowice steel
and coal basin, or the flanking
oi Warsaw.
The Germans already were re
ported falling back toward the
Czestochowa-Katowice line to
cover the Silesian frontier of the
"holy soli" of Germany itself.
Cocherham Infant
Succumbs Despite
Incubator Effort
A two and one-half nound
daughter, born to Mr. and Mrs.
Dean Cockerham Saturday
morning at a local hospital, died
Saturday night. Hospital attend
ants stated Saturday that lt was
put In an incubator and given
special care but held slight hope
mat tne tiny, premature Infant
would live. It was the first child
born to the couple.
Services for the infant, named
'Judith Ann, will be held in the
Conger-Morris chapel at 10:30
a. m. tomorrow with the Rev.
Henry Orth officiating. Inter
ment will be In Siskiyou Me
morial Park.
The parents reside at 822
South Holly street. Grandpar
ents are Mrs. -Gladys M. Johns
ton, Dayton, Ore., and Mr. and
Mrs. Matthew H. Hlntzen of
Medford.
U. P. IN ROME
Rome, Jan. 15 (U.R) The
United Press began service to
five of Rome's ten newspapers
today when allied restrictions on
the Italian press were lifted. Un
til today news was furnished to
the Italian papers by the psycho
logical warfare board exclusively.