Churchill Calls on Germany, Japan to Abandon War
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MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1945
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NO. 253.
DEFENSE PIERCED
ILERKAPITAL
2nd White Army .Overruns
Fortress City of Modlin,
Other Towns,' Villages.
London, Jan. 18 U.R) Mar
thai Stalin's fast-breaking win
ter offensive was reported' to
day to have crashed into Ger
many some 2S0 miles southeast
of Berlin and to have blasted
open the way for a flanking
drive to the Baltic aimed at cut
ting off east Prussia.
. Moscow advices said the red
army was believed to have brok
en across the Polish frontier
Into German Silesia and to be
advancing swiftly within ess
than 80 miles of Breslau, Siles
ian capital 225 miles from Ber
lin.; To the northeast, Marshal
Konstantin 'K. Bokossovsky's
second White Russian army
broke through the German de
fenses north and northwest of
captured Warsaw, overrunning
the fortress city of Modlin at
the confluence of the Vistula
and Narew rivers, the trans
port center of Przasnysz, 53
miles north of Warsaw and 17
below east Prussia, and more
than 1,000" other towns and vil
lages. Rokossovsky's five-day offen
sive had smashed the German
defenses across the corridor be
twen the Vistula and east Prus
sia, opening the way for a push
up to the Danzig area - which
would isolate all east Prussia
and neutralize the bitter Ger
man defense of t h e homeland
province.
Both Modlin, 19 miles north
west of Warsaw, and Przasnysz
were described by Stalin in an
order of the day announcing Ro
kossovsky's new successes as
"Important centers of communi
cations and strongholds in the
German defenses."
A United Press report from
Moscow said Konev's advance
on the Silesian frontier had cut
the lateral communications be
tween the German armies in
the Krakow area and those flee
ing Marshal Gregory K. Zhu
kov's first White Russian army
to the north.
Berlin acknowledged the loss
of Czestochowa and said the
Russian captors were advancing
due west, but a nazi military
spokesman claimed the Russians
"will find that their offensive
will become entirely different
at the German border."
Forest Products
Laboratory Asked
Salem, Ore., Jan. 18 U.R
A forest products laboratory in
connection with Oregon State
college would be established at
Corvallis under provisions of a
bill submitted to the senate to
day by the forestry committee.
Lost Sterling Boy
Returns To Home
It has been reported that
Bobby Davis. 8-year-old boy who
was lost from his parents in
Medford Tuesday, has returned
to his home on Sterling Creek
In the Little Applegate.
COB MEET POSTPONED
Cub Pack 6 has postponed its
regular meeting, scheduled for
tonight, until next Thursday
night when it will be held at the
Washington school gmy. This
move was taken because of the
paper drive in which the mem
bers are participating.
SIDE GLANCES
Br
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Wilton White relating the
peculiarly onery habits of a cow
acquaintance.
Vic Milnes startling Ken
Grant by passing out the infor
mation that Grant planned on
treating everyone at the junior
chamber banquet to cigaretei,
First Pictures Of Luzon Invasion
L -4
z
American tanks, mobile guns and infantry sweep on through Luson town of San Jacinto as
they bound forward unchecked and apparently unchallenged across the groat central Luson
plains, gateway to Manila. Photo by Stanley Troutman, NEA-Acme photographer for War Picture
Pool. i
I JJMb rTrtrivr ikvvfet4v s - - v,.xw
Y
BULGE SHOULDER
Luxembourg Attack Beats
Forward in Teeth of Nazi
Mortars, Machine Guns.
T
LAW IS FAVORED
8Y EOOD CHIEF
Marvin Jones Says Agricul
ture Facing Serious Man
power Problem of Own.
Cautiously advancing on this camouflaged Jap pillbox, these American infantrymen make sure
no living resistance is left Inside after they knocked out the machine-gun that faced road to Lu
son village of Manao. Photo by Stanley Troutman, NEA-Acme Photographer for War Picture PooL
GROUND FORCES
LOST 332,912 ON
WESTERN FRONT
Washington, " Jan. 18 U.R)
Secretary of War Henry L. Stim
son announced today -that U. S.
ground forces alone suffered
332,912 casualties on the western
front from D-day on June 6 to
January 1.
This total, which includes
losses during the most severe
period of fighting in the Ger
man's Ardennes offensive, rep
resents 54.562 killed, 232,672
wounded and 45,678 missing,
Stimson told a news conference.
Stlmson said the Germans
have suffered great losses in the
past week.
U. S. ground force losses for
December on the western front,
Stimson said, were 74,788. These
included 10,410 killed, 43,554
wounded and 20,815 missing. He
added that most of the missing
probably had been captured.
The secretary said that the
American 106th division, in its
gallant stand during the battle
of the bulge suffered 8,663 cas
ualties more than half a divis
ion's normal strength. Of these
416 were killed, 1,246 wounded
and 7,001 missing.
CLIFFORD ALVIN BEATTIE
DIES EARLY WEDNESDAY
Clifford Alvin Beattie passed
away early Wednesday morn'
ing in a local nursing home. He
was born July 28, 1871, in Sul
livan county, Ind., and was a
member of Masonic lodge 19,
Fort Collins, Colo.
Funeral arrangements are in
charge of Perl funeral home and
will be announced later.
Jap Officials Leave Manila
As Loss of Capital Looms
By United Press
The early fall of Manila to
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's ad
vancing forces was suggested to
day in field reports from Luzon
that the Japanese have begun
evacuating key personnel by air
from the Philippines capital.
While Admiral William F.
Haisey's third fleet maneuvered
behind a curtain of radio silence,
news of furtive northward
flights from Manila by Japanese
FEWER DEATHS IN
Deaths in Jackson county dur
ing 1944 totaled 478, according
to a partial vital statistics report
under preparation by Dr. A. E.
Merkel, county health officer.
This figure was 27 less than in
1943 when the total was 505.
Five principal causes In 1944
were:
Heart and circulation, 256;
cancer and tumors, 43; accidents,
62: respiratory, 23, and early
infancy, 21.
In 1943 the same principal
causes were;
Heart and circulation, 243;
cancer and tumors, 67; accidents,
55; respiratory, 43, and early in
fancy, 23.
Dr. Merkel explained that
tuberculosis, not long ago one of
the leading death causes,
dropped in 1944 to 14th on the
list, making the Jackson county
rate. 15 in 100,p00 population.
While in the state it was 30 in
100,000 and in the nation 40 per
100,000 people.
transport planes reached MacAr
thur's headquarters.
It was believed the Japanese
were evacuating high military
and possibly civil leaders to
northern Luzon or even For
mosa, although enemy broad
casts have insisted repeatedly
that a desperate defense of Ma
nila would be made.
Only 65 miles north of the
Philippines capital, American
armored and infantry forces
were reported massing for a new
southward lunge expected soon
to carry all the way to the great
Clark field air center 25" miles
away.
The latest headquarters an
nouncement disclosed a 17-mile
spring by American forces on
the northwest flank of the Lin-
gayen beachhead, widening the
foothold to 65 miles and sealing
off the Pangasinan peninsula.
Tokyo reported new B-29 Su
perfortress "nuisance" raids on
the Japanese capital, the Osaka-
Kobe area and Korea, but said
no bombs were dropped. The
planes apparently were on re
connaissance.
Tokyo also reported forma
tion of a new all-powerful Jap
anese political party and hinted
it might be used as a club to
force the resignation of Premier
Gen. Kuniakl Koiso. .
Paris. Jan. 18 (U.R) Ameri
can Third army forces crashed
into the southeastern shoulder
on the deflated Ardennes bulge
today in a new attack across the.
Sure river in the area of Diek-
irch, 15 miles north of Luxem
bourg City.
Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's
attack in northeastern Luxem
bourg some five miles from the
German border brought virtu
ally ail of the thin Nazi crescent
in the Ardennes under the fire
of the American First and Third
armies.
Second Army Gains .
To the northwest, the British
Second army broke into Ger
many at a new point. Lt. Gen.
Sir Miles C. Dempsey's troops,
stepping up the pressure on the
German pocket west of , the
Roer, gained up to two and a
half miles and seized Susteren
and Echt above Sittard. They
stabbed across the border direc
tly east of Susteren.
"Elements at MaJ. Gen. Ray
mond O. Barton's Fourth divi
sion and Ma. Gen. Stafford L.
Irwin's "Red Diamond" Fifth
division Jumped off at 4 a. m.
today In the new Luxembourg
attack, , ,
They forced the Sure river de
fense line from the south some
where near Dieklrch and beat
forward in the teeth of a storm
of German mortar, machine gun
and small arms fire.
On the opposite shoulder of
the salient, , other American
troops put a squeeze on St. Vith
in the concerted effort by the
First and Third armies to Jolt
the Germans back to the start
ing line of their winter offensive.
Nails Stubborn
Closing in on the town which
is the anchor point of the Ger
man penetration into Belgium,
American columns had St. Vith
two-thirds encircled from the
north, west and southwest at
distances ranging from five to
eight miles.
Robert W. Richards. United
Press war correspondent, re
ported in a dispatch written on
a hilltop overlooking the Sure
river and Diekirch that Third
army units again today "wit
nessed what once was a familiar
sight German forces falling
back toward the Reich border,
which here was only three and
a halt miles to the northeast."
Sherman tanks dotted the
snow-blanketed hills, and their
75's threw shell after shell into
Diekirch and 30-caliber machine
guns kept up a continuous chat
ter.
BURMA ROAD OPENING
WON'T BE CURE-ALL
Chungking, Jan. 18 (U.FD
Opening of the Ledo-Burma
road, expected soon, will not
mean that an unlimited quan
tity of supplies will pour into
China from India, Ma). Gen.
Robert B. McClure, chief of
staff of U. S. forces in China,
warned today
Washington, Jan. 18 (U.R)
War Food Administrator Marvin
Jones today endorsed work-or-be-
drafted legislation which would
cover all men between 18 and 45
not now in the armed forces.
He said the measure, which
the committee hopes to send to
the house tomorrow or early
next week, would not affect the
Tydings amendment which pro
vides for deferment of men es
sential to agriculture,
"But I wouldn't want the Tyd
ings amendment used as a smoke
screen," he said, "and neither
would you. It is right to screen
these men carefully to see that
those deferred under the amend
ment are clearly engaged in
farming." v
Problem Faced
Jones said agriculture faces
serious manpower problems. The
same tvoe of young men needed
by the armed forces are neeaea
in many phases of agricultural
wnrlc. he Raid.
''-The committee had planned tc
draft a bill today providing pen
alties for any of the estimated
18,800,000 selective service reg
istrants 18 to 4a who refuse local
board requests that they take, or
stay In, essential war Jobs. It de
cided during a two-hour morning
session to delay action, however.
Agricultural organ 1 z a 1 1 o n
spokesmen have opposed any
form of national service, fear
ing lt might result in further de
pletion of already-short farm
labor pools. They have protested
actions already taken to reduce
the number of farm deferments
SUBS ADD 24 JAP
VESSELS TO TOLL
Washington', Jan. 18 flJ.R)
U, S. submarines have sunk 24
more Japanese ships, including
four combat vessels, the navy
announced today.
The four warships were a
destroyer and three escort ves
sels. The others included three
transports, five tanks and 12
cargo vessels.
These sinkings raised to 958
the total of Japanese ships sent
to the bottom by American sub
marines.
The maintenance of the high
rate of sinkings evidenced the
advantages derived from Ameri
can seizure of bases closer to the
enemy's homeland and its lines
of supply to its purloined em
pire.
Air Priority for Roosevelt Dog;
All a Mistake Officials Declare
Washington, Jan. 18 (U.R)
Everybody seemed to agree to
day that the transcontinental A
priorlty airplane ride taken last
week by Blaze, 115-pound bull
mastiff destined for Col. Elliott
Roosevelt's actress-wife, Faye
Emerson, was a mistake. But If
Chicago, Jan. 18 (U.R)
Actress Faye Emerson, wife
of Col. Elliott Roosevelt, said
today she was positive that
her husband had not request
ed a priority for a dog ship
ped to her In Hollywood from
Washington by army trans
port. "It must have been a
mistake," she said and de
clined further comment Mist
Emerson stopped her be
tween trains.
anybody knew how Blaze got
his priority, they weren't talking.
MaJ. Geo. Harold L. George,
commander of the air transport
command, announced that an in
quiry into the Incident showed
"an error of Judgment" had
been made. Measures would be
taken, he added, to "correct pro
cedure so that similar mistakes
would not occur in the future.
White House Secretary Steph
en T. Early and Secretary of
War Henry L. Stimson both had
already commented that it was
a mistake.
The incident also drew some
congressional attention. Rep
Clare Hoffman, R., Mich., called
the attention of the house to it
by reading a letter from a sol
dier who had been on duty in
Australia (or three years with
out relief, and then commenting:
"I wonder what he would
think if he knew that three men
who might have been his bud
dies were put off a plane be
cause someone thought it was
necessary to bring in a dog from
Europe."
Victory May Be Distant
But No Longer In Doubt
Prime Minister Asserts
London, Jan. 18 (U.R) Prime Minister Churchill declared to
day that the Ardennes battle had been turned into "an ever-
famous American victory" which he believed "is more likely to
shorten this war than lengthen it.
Speaking before the house of commons, Churchill called upon
Germany and Japan to abandon the war unconditionally, reiter
ating the unconditional surrender formula, and said "nothing"
would induce the allies to enter into negotiations with the enemy
before that surrender occurs.
OVERWHELMING FORCES WITH ALLIES
"Both in the west and In the east," he said, "overwhelming
forces are ranged at our side. Military victory may yet be distant,
It certainly is costly but it is no longer In doubt."
Appealing for allied unity In the war's final phase, he asked:
"Can we achieve that complete unity and that new Impulse
in time to achieve decisive military victory with .the least pos
sible prolongation of war's misery or must we fall into Jabber,
paDei ana aiscora while victory is still delayed?"
Churchill told the house of commons that American losses in
repelling Field Marshal Karl Von Rundstedt's counteroffensive
had been 60 to 80 times those of the British and that the engage
ment was "the greatest American battle of the war."
Revealing that Britain has 67 divisions at the front between
670,000 and 700,000 troops he declared that the United States
has put twice as many troops into the field against the Germans,
presumably between 1,300,000 and 1,400,000 men.
BULGE BATTLE MAY SHORTEN WAR '
"I do not hesitate today to give my own opinion," Churchill
said, "that the decisive breaking of the German offensive In the
west is more likely to shorten this war than to lengthen It.
"This is the greatest American battle of the war and will be
regarded, I think, as an ever-famous American victory."
Churchill promised that unremitting pressure would be main
tained against the Germans "on the whole eastern and western
fronts and on the long front in Italy," but emphasized that "mili
tary victory may yet be distant."
Tribute To Reds
He paid tribute to the red
army attack in Poland and East
Prussia, saying:
Marshal Stalin is very punc
tual. He would rather be before
time than late in combinations
of the allies."
In a full-dress review of the
war, Churchill said:
1 British troops "by the skin
of their teeth" foiled an Elas
plot to establish a "Trotskyist"
regime with totalitarian liquida
tion of all oppenenta.
2 The allies will enforce the
Yugoslav regency agreement
even If King Peter persists in
his veto.
3 Britain has no Intention of
accepting Italy as a partner on
a par with the United Nations.
4 Britain has no need of
Spain despite her recent over
tures for a place In the post
war European structure.
S German forces will with
draw or be expelled from north
ern Italy "any time now."
Peter Warned
He said King Peter must "quit
stalling" on the regency agree
ment drawn up by Prime Min
ister Ivan Subasic and Marshal
Tito or the monarch would be
"left in the lurch."
Peter rejected the agreement
earlier this month on grounds
that he believed he should have
some word in the selection of
regents who would rule pend
ing a plebiscite to determine
whether the people of Yugo
slavia wished him to return as
king.
Churchill said Peter has a
"matter of days" in which to
change his mind.
Churchill said he and Premier
Stalin agreed on a joint policy
for Yugoslavia at their confer
ence in Moscow late last year,
but he denied that the questions
of division of territory or post
war spheres of interest were
raised or discussed at the meet
ing. Red Greeks Lashed
Churchill lashed out violently
at Greek communists, charging
them with plotting to establish
a totalitarian state. He remain
ed totally Intransigent toward
Greek leftists and proclaimed
his complete faittvin the policy
followed by his "government In
Greece.
His defense of Britain's con
duct in Greece was expected to
precipitate a bitter debate by
labor members. Churchill ap
peared to be deliberately baiting
his critics.
He charged that Elas forces
had executed 1,200 to 1,500 hos
tages, most of them with knives
and axes. A British officer re
ported Elas troops had murdered
groups of 15 to 20 hostages and
thrown their bodies in ditches,
he said.
Thousands of other hostages
were dragged along the roads
and many were left to die, he
said.
"Tell me the old, old story,"
Interrupted Communist William
Gallagher. "We have heard all
these lies before."
Commies Fear Truth
"I am reading you facts," re
plied Churchill. "You don't like
them. I am telling you the truth
and you fear truth." '
In Greece, he said, Britain's
policy has been to support or
establish the most coherent and
substantial government machine
that could be found to deliver
available food, maintain toler
able conditions of law and order
and hold elections at the earliest
possible moment.
"I have never been connected
with any large enterprise of
policy on which I was mora
sure in mind and conscience of
the rectitude of our motives, the
clarity of our principles and the
vigor and precision of our suc
cess of our action than what w
have done In Greece," he said.
Charging that Greek com
munists had plotted to seize pow
er when the British withdrew,
he said:
"Of course, lt Is not against
the Germans that they were try
ing to fight to any extent They '
were simply taking our arms,
lying low and awaiting the mo
ment when they could seize
power and make Greece a com
munist state with totalitarian
liquidation of all opponents." -
BLACKW GI'S
TO BE EXECUTED
. Paris, Jan. 18 (U.R) Fly
American . soldiers who stole
"huge quantities" of gasoline
from the army, sold it on the
Paris black market for as much
as $60 a gallon and lived in lux
ury on the profits have been
sentenced to death, the army an
nounced today.
' Col. Clarence Brand, staff
Judge advocate of the Seine sec
tion, said the death sentences
first meted out in the army
black market scandal were
handed down by a general
court-martial on specific charges
of desertion in time of war and
conspiracy to steal army gaso
line. Brand refused to reveal names
and addresses of the condemned
men. Other members of the gang
will be tried this week, he said,
while army undercover agents
Intensify their drive to round
up the remainder of the offen
ders. One of the condemned men,
Brand said, had "two apartments
and several mistresses."
DISTILLERY BUY
Salem, Ore., Jan. 18 (U.F9
Purchase of the Waterfill and
Frazier and Shawhan distilleries
by the Oregon and Washington
liquor commissions in 1943 will
be investigated by a five-man
Oregon legislative committee it
became evident today after the
Oregon house of representatives
alcohol committee endorsed a
resolution providing for the com
mittee. The resolution, already pass
ed the senate. It is expected to
pass the house.
Meanwhile the education was
readying bills which will ask
for some $5,000,000 in additional
funds for Oregon schools. In
creased state aid would help re
lieve the shortage of teachers,
proponents of the bills believe.
A series of bills were submit
ted to the house Judiciary com
mittee. Three of them, brought
in by the secretary of state's of
fice, concerned motor vehicle
laws and were largely admin
istrative, giving the department
larger authority in license regu
lation violation cases.