mm
M
A
LA
Weather
colder toulfht, Partlj cloudy
- Xucfday.
Temp.
Blghtit yetterd&r CI
Lowest this morning , 41
PreelpiUtlnn part 24 hn .7
Thirty-ninth Year
OFFENSIVE FROM
Germans Report Reds Lash
Out Westward in New
: Drive From Breig Section
( London, Feb. 8 4U.R) Ger
man broadcasts reported tonight
that Marshal' Gregory K. Zhu
kov's army had broken across
" the Oder river northwest ot Kus
trin, less than 38 miles from Ber
lin and established a bridge
head on the west bank of the last
natural barrier before the capital.
London, Feb. 5 (U.R) Mar
shall Ivan S. Konevs red army
was reported by the Germans to
day to have launched a new of
fensive from a bridgehead across
the Oder river some 200 miles
southeast of Berlin in an appar
ent bid to outflank this last na
tural barrier before the capital.
The German high command
said powerful Russian forces had
lashed out westward from a
springboard in the Breig area of
the Oder's west bank midway
between Breslau and Oppeln and
violent fighting was going on in
the heart of Silesia.
30 Miles From Berlin
The nazis also acknowledged
officially that Marshal Gregory
K. Zhukov's. army had clamped
strong assault arcs against
Frankfurt and Kustrin, twin
bastions of the Oder . defenses
east of Berlin- .... -
Moscow broadcasts and dis
patches said the soviet vanguard
was "about 30" miles from Ber
lin, that Frankfurt and Kustrin
were "closely invested," and that
heavy fighting was going on in
the eastern suburbs of Frank
furt. "The red army now has crash
ed into Germany along a front
of 360 miles, although steadily
mounting resistance and a thaw
which has turned the fields into
bogs has slowed the soviet ad
vance,'' one Moscow broadcast
said.
In Strong Force
With a 100-mile stretch of the
Oder line under assault and
soviet forces reported battling
for a- river crossing 32 miles
W northeast of the capital, Konev's
forces were said by the nazi com
mand to have ripped into the
Silesian defenses beyond the
Oder in strong force.
"On both sides of Brieg," a
German communique said, "the
enemy from his bridgehead on
the Oder launched attacks sup
ported by strong forces. Heavy
fighting is in progress here."
A supplementary report by
Ernst von Hammer, nazi military
commentator, said K o n e v's
forces had reached the area of
Grottkau, 12 miles beyond the
Oder, the same distance south of
Brieg, and 32 miles south-southeast
of Braslau.
A successful drive by Konev
from the general area of Breslau,
' ceupled with a likely swing to
the northwest, would flank the
Oder defenses and either roll
them up or neutralize them, pos
ing a direct threat to Berlin in
case the Oder line should hold
against the frontal onrush of
Zhukov's forces.
Physician Released
From Jail At Santo
Tomas Prison Camp
Santo Tomas Internment
Camp, Manila, Feb. 5. (U.R)
When the flag of the United
States was raised over this in
ternment camp this morning,
one of the happiest spectators
was Dr. Theodore Stevenson,
former missionary in China and
head of the camp medical staff.
He was in the camp Jail when
soldiers of the First cavalry di
vision poured into the grounds.
His confinement, he said, was
ordered when he refused to tes
tify that anything other than
f tarvation was the cause of some
recent deaths.
As a free man Dr. Stevenson
watched his former Jailer, Lt.
i i Col. Hayashl, move out of the
camp at the head of a small
detachment of troops after re
leasing hostages unharmed.
"This is a great day . . . this
is a great day," Dr. Stevenson
said.
MEDFORDeM i
United Pim-Full
Starved Internees Cry Hysterical Welcome
As Liberating Yankees Enter Santo Tomas
University Internment Camp In Manila Area
By Frank Hewlett
(UP War Correspondent)
Manila, Feb. 3. (U.R) Some
3,700 thin, hungry allied civil
ians, 2,500 of them Americans,'
cried a hysterical welcome to
liberating American troops at
the Santo Tomas University in
ternment camp tonight.
Among them was my wife,
Virginia, from whom I parted
on New Year's eve of 1942 to go
to Bataan with Gen. Douglas
MacArthur. She insisted on
staying behind in Manila as a
nurse in Santa Catalina hospital.
I found her there today, re
covering from a nervous break
down. Doctors said she would
have fully recovered now if she
had had sufficient good food.
Though never a big girl, her
weight has dropped to 80
pounds, but I found her in excel
lent spirits.
Japs Quickly Routed
The Japanese were routed
quickly from most of the build
ings in the camp area.
Troops of Brig. Gen. William
C. Chase's mechanized flying
column surrounded the build-
AT SECOND ILL
IN AACHEN AREA
Paris, Feb. 5. (U.R) Ameri
can first army troops cracked
into the second wall of the Sieg
fried line fortifications below
Aachen today. Enemy reports
said powerful allied forces to
the north were moving up for an
imminent offensive coordinated
with the red. army drive on
Berlin.
German broadcasts, all uncon
firmed thus far by allied spokes
men or front dispatches, said the
U. S. ninth and British second
armies had opened a heavy bar
rage across the Roer river be
tween,' Julich ' and Duren, IS
miles northeast of Aachen, " "
Overture To Drive
The shelling, Berlin said, was
believed to be the "overture" to
a new offensive on that front.
The Nazis also predicted new
allied attacks on the northern
wing of the British second army
on the Ma as (Meuse) river front
between Roermond and Nijme
gen. Far to the south, American
and French troops stepped ' up
their nutcracker offensive
against the shrinking German
pocket west of the Rhine around
Alsace. Field dispatches said the
Nazis were in full retreat across
the Rhine, fleeing through an
eight-mile corridor below Col
mar under a storm of bombs and
shells. More than 2,500 pocketed
Germans surrendered there in
the last 36 hours.
Giant East,
FRANCE
Milt
J- JjjjujSr muff jjllis '
,f jT HOLLAND J . Omi f M)gL W
fata P M...m. eNtm . ' JOf?
Sledge hammer blows from east and west pound Germany with 1000-plane fleets ot American heavy bombers
dropping their enormous bomb loads on military objectives to the heart of Jittery Berlin. The Russians are
storming twin defense points ot Kustrin and Frankfurt, 30-odd miles east of Berlin, as Stettin waa reported
iracuaud by Ujs Otrmaro. On the west tront the First and Third Armlea were on the move with a drive a'
6chleten carrying them ball-w ay througb Ibe Siegfried Uu.
LMMd Wire
MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1945
Ing, but hesitated to use ma
chine guns or other automatic
weapons for fear of hitting the
civilians.
- The civilians, nonetheless,
shouted encouragement and ad
vice from the windows of the
besieged building. They included
many women and children.
(Hewett,' in a later dispatch,
said a truce was arranged under
which the 221 internees were re-'
leased unharmed and the Jap
anese' force of 65 men under
. The internees were so over
joyed at the arrvial of the Amer
ican troops that they insisted
on lifting them to their thin,
emaciated shoulders and carry
Colonel Hayashl was permitted
to leave the university area un
molested.) ing the - soldiers through the
buildings. . , ...
' ' V. P. Man Liberated
' Robert Crabb, another mem
ber of the former United Press
staff in Manila, his wife and
two children, were among those
set free. '
(A special' announcement from
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's head
quarters said the names of the
rescued internees would be re
leased to the press and radio
"as soon as they are tabulated.")
Chase, after a personal inspec
tion of the concentration camp,
described conditions as "most
pitiful." Most of the internees,
he said, were suffering from
malnutrition and were "practi
cally skin and bones." i
'- :"jt would . break . your . hear!
to look at them," he said.
HS urged that first priority
should be given food and medi
cal supplies for the internees.
(A broadcast from Luzon said
great motor convoys with doc
tors, Red Cross staffmen and
enough equipment. to build a
large - hospital were waiting
north - of Manila to enter the
city as soon as bridges were re
stored. They also were bringing
12,000 letters and other mes
sages to the internees, the broad
cast said.)
Chase's flying column, con
sisting of a small force of tanks,
Jeeps and troop-laden trucks,
shoved off at 1 a. m. this morn
ing on a reckless dash over a
seldom-used, rough road into
Manila from the northeast. The
toughest fight of the day came
at Novaliches, 10 miles from
the capital, but brushes with
the enemy were frequent all
along the route.
Lt. Col. Haskett Conner, Jr.,
of Wakeman, Ind., led this spec
ial force, which undertook the
mercy errand on special orders
from Gen. Douglas MacArthur,
who ordered them to take any
risks to get through to Santo
Tomas, liberate the civilians and
then protect them until stronger
forces could be brought up.
Strangely, the nearer we came
to Manila, the lighter the opposi
tion was.
We sped past Del Norte, Ma
nila's greatest cemetery, then
into Avenue Rizal. .
We moved down avenue Rizal
West Blows Hammer Germany
TV ALA XT .
several blocks. Civilians mob
bed our vehicles, cheering and
offering us portions of their mea
ger food supplies. They passed
out iced water, beer, and liquor.
The women were weeping while
the men saluted and children
squealed in delight.
Delirious Reception
But the Santo Tomas recep
tion was even more delirious.
A grenade hurled from the
Jap guardhouse at the entrance
to the prison camp delayed us
until tanks were brought up.
Creeping along the buildings
for what seemed an eternity, an
other correspondent and I reach
ed the main buildings where the
windows were filled with ex
cited faces. The internees were
yelling so loudly we couldn't
distinguish anything they were
saying.
We entered the building and
were mobbed. The women kiss
ed us and then these thin,
starved people lifted us on their
shoulders an honor that should
have been reserved for Conner
and his men. But Conner's forces
were still busy outside killing
Japs. .
I found a little girl who could
answer the question which was
foremost in my mind. She told
me where I could find my wife
and kindly offered to accom
pany me to the hospital where
Mrs. Hewlett was held.
It was a reunion after years
about which I do not want to
Ltninkv, - -i. -'- ' ;',---
The Americans here have suf
fered terribly since last June,
when the Japanese forbade them
to purchase food from the out
side. Conditions have been espec
ially bad in the last two months,
The ration has not been more
than 700 calories a day.
RESPITE SEEN IN
Hanford, Cal Feb. 8. flJ.R)
The U. S. weather bureau pre
dicted "light showers" today for
northern California as farmers
and government agencies pre
pared to assess crop and live
stock damage caused by flood
waters resulting from last
week's four-day rainfall.
A 'brief break in the rains
over the week end gave swollen
rivers and creeks a chance to
subside and emergency crews an
opportunity to repair burst or
threatened dikes. It was believed
that a "two-day heavy rainfall
would be necessary again to
bring the river levels to danger
ous stages.
Hardest hit by the downpour
were Tulare and Kings county
In the San Joaquin valley. Other
areas reporting high waters
were Sacramento, Woodland,
Roseville and Knights landing.
HUSJIA
(Acmm TtUnhoto)
FACES DELAY IN
Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee Votes to " Start
Closed-Door Quiz Tuesday
Washington Feb. R am
The senate military affairs com
mittee voted today to hold closed
Hearings on the pending "work
or else" bill, thereby delaying
senate action on the pnntrnvpr.
sial measure at least a week.
Committee Chairman Elbert
D. Thomas, D., Utah, said the
hearings will beein tomorrow.
He said he doubted that they
could be completed this week.
uniy specifically invited wit
nesses will be permitted to tes
tify, he said, in an effort to
speed final committee action on
the bill.
Some Rebel
The decision to hold hearings
was the result of a rebellion hv
several members against the
speed-up program of Thomas
ana other administration lead
ers on the committee.
The committee nearly ap
proved the bill last Friday, but
then a reaction set in asalnst
the procedure.
The first witnesses will be
Secretary of War Henry L. Stlm
son. Undersecretary nf War RoK.
ert P. Patterson and Secretary
a ht - n . .
ut nHvy james t orrestai, Thom
as said. t
Strong bi-partisan opposition
still threatened to result in dras
tic revision of the bill before it
is finally passed by the senate
or even perhaps in substitution
of some voluntary plan, how
ever. ; -
GALLICANO TAKEN
BY YANK TROOPS
Rome, Feb. (U.R) Fifth
army troops have reoccupied
Gallicano, captured in the Ger
man counterattack in ' the Ser
chio valley sector last Decem
ber, headquarters reported to
day. Active patrolling continued
elsewhere along the fronts.
Other slight advances were
reported along the Serchio
river in the renewal of opera
tions at the Fifth army's west
flank.
Despite mist and waist-deep
snow in some sectors, Fifth army
raiding patrols continued intense
activity and me t considerable
resistance which resulted in cas
ualties to both sides. x
Several clashes between pa
trols were reported in the area
southeast of Bologna.
MLVElADAS
New York, Feb. 5. (U.R)
Flaming oil spread over the New
York harbor early today after a
collision of two tankers, setting
fire to both tankers and to a
Liberty ship. At noon, 12 were
known dead, 20 were missing,
and 80 were injured.
The ships were identified by
survivors as the tanker Spring
Hill, a Liberty ship named Ber
nard Carter, and a Norwegian
tanker Dlvi.
The fire was brought under
control 00 minutes after it start
ed. Police said at least 60 In
jured had been taken to hospi
tals. M'ARTHUR STAFF CHIEF
WOUNDED IS JAP CLAIM
' By United Press
Ouotins a "Lisbon diinatrh "
Tokyo radio said Monday that
Ma). Gen. Richard Sutherland,
chief of staff to Gen. Douglas
MacArthur, "was seriously
wounded while Inspecting the
Luzon front on Jan. 30."
The broadcast was recorded
by United Press at San Francisco.
Fribune
United Praia Full Leased Wire
Old Glory Flies Over Luzon
WM.ximm ipii j,,,,!,........ fa. v., . . i mum 4
j$&r$ ' It.
Holated proudly over Dagupan City Hall as elvlo functions are
restored under American protection. Old Glory waves once more
above Luson soil.
FATALLY KNIFED;
TOWNSMAN HELD
A murder complaint charging
James Alexander Wolf, 63, with
the death of Percy Harold
James, 44, as the result of an
altercation early Sunday morn
ing in front of the Gold Hill Ho
tel at Gold Hill, will be filed by
the district attorney's office to
day, according to District At
torney George . W. Neilson.
Wolf is held in the county Jail
pending justice court arraign
ment. James, according to the report
of the state police and sheriff's
Investigating officers, died of a
wound in the right groin from a
sharp instrument presumably
a knife allegedly held in tho
hand of Wolf. The blow severed
a main artery and James bled
profusely before death.
Met on Street
According to reports gathered
by Sergeant M. W. Ruch of the
state police, and Deputy Sheriff
Vern Smith, the two men met in
front of the hotel about one
o'clock Sunday morning and en
gaged in an argument, Wolf ob
jecting to being the object of
Jests by James and others. Dur
ing the exchange the fatal blow
was struck It further developed
the two men were acquaintances
and no bad blood previously ex
Isted between them. District At
torney Neilson said Wolf had
been the butt of considerable
bantering by others.
Following the affair James
collapsed and died in a few mm
utes, according to witnesses.
The Perl ambulance removed
James' body and Wolf was plac
ed under arrest.
Both men were employed by
the Pacific Portland Beaver
cement plant at Gold Hill
James was employed on the
power dam of the Company In
Rogue River, and Wolf as sec
tion of the company railroad
maintenance crew.
Family Survives
James Is survived by his wid
ow and two children, a boy 15
and a girl 13. He resided on the
north slope of Blackwell Hill
near Gold Hill.
Wolf has been a resident of
various parts of this county
since 1933. He has a grown fam
ily. His wife is in Oklahoma. A
son was killed in an auto acci
dent near Gold Hill last Novem
ber. No time has been set, but an
lnqtt-st will probably be held
late today.
NO. 268.
E
IN WEEK OPENING
, Salem, Ore., Feb. 8. (U.R)
Business before the Oregon le
gislature today was strictly rou
tine, with only a few non-controversial
bills up for final pas
sage, and the number of bills
introduced were down to a low
for this session,
A total of 499 bills had been
introduced up to the weekend
recess, and today only two made
their appearance in the house,
one of which was the contro
versial measure which would
change the basis of taxation on
public and private carriers in
the state.
Some Exclusions
The bill, the result of a lengthy
Interim committee report, ex
cludes farm trucks and some
municipal busses, but would
establish a gas tax on most other
carriers, collecting the tax on
the basis of miles traveled.
Action on most of the contro
versial measures which are
ready for final debate and pass
age has been deferred to later
in the week. One of the reasons
is the absence of members ot the
house and senate fish industry
committees, who are in Olympia
today to meet with similar
Washington groups.
Floor debate is due as a spe
cial order ot business tomorrow
on the tax study resolution re
quested by Gov. Earl Snell. lt
will come to the floor with a
"do adopt" recommendation, in
cluding the tax experts' provi
sion which the senate had earlier
decided to delete.
On Wednesday the senate will
vote on the controversial "civil
rights" bill, which would pro
hlbit the refusing of public ac
commodations to a person be
cause of race, color or creed.
STORM CONDITIONS IN
MOUNTAINS OF COUNTY
General storm conditions pre
vailed over the mountain areas
of Jackson county today, with
snow falling in the higher levels.
according to the California Ore
gon Power company weather re
ports. Rain, accompanied by
wind prevailed in the Prospect
and Butte Falls sections. No re
port was received today from
Fish Lake, due to the telephone
line being out of commission.
It was presumed storm condi
tions were the cause. A rather
heavy fall of snow was reported
in Klamath county.
SOUTHERN PART
OF CITY STILL
3,700 Imprisoned American
and Allied Civilians Freed
With Arrival of Yankees
Manila, Feb. B. (U.R) Aveng
ing American troops seized con
trol ot virtually all the northern
half of burning, starving Manila
today after freeing 3,700 im
prisoned American and allied
civilians and capturing the presi
dential palace.
The First cavalry and 37th in
fantry divisions stabbed into the
heart of the Philippines capital
from the east and north and
NAMES LATER
Washington, Feb. 5. UR)
Names of American internees
rescued In Manila will be
transmuted to Waahlngton by
the army and releaaad here by
the war department as rap
idly as they can be complied.
No names had been received
up to noon today, and the war
department doubted that any
would be received until to
morrow or later. - .
rapidly were mopping up the
last enemy pockets north of the
Paslg river, which bisects the
city.
Japs Wreck Docks
South ot the 200 to 300-yard-wide
river, several thousand
crack Japanese marines were
blasting and burning docks,
warehouses, bridges and other
vital installations preparatory
to what may develop into a last
man stand in the southern half
of the capital.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, at
last reports, was waiting- impa
tiently in the northern suburbs
for the bridging of one last river
for a' triumphal entry into the
city he was forced to abandon
to its fate three years, one
month and three days ago.
(A CBS broadcast from Luzon
said President Sergio Oamena
and Resident Commissioner Gen.
Carlos P. Romulo landed at a
Luzon airport from Washington
Sunday and headed south to Join
MacArthur in his return to Ma
nila.) j .
Fa!1 Conceded '
(Radio Tokyo conceded short
ly after S a. m. today that' the
Americans had entered Manila
from the north and east in forces
outnumbering the Japanese gar
rison.) The 3,700 American and Brit
ish civilian internees were res
cued by a mechanized flying col
umn of the First cavalry divis
ion at the Santo Tomas Univer
sity concentration camp in the
heart of Manila Saturday night
after a spectacular 100-mile ad
vance in 36 hours.
Virtually all of the buildings
in the camp area, including the
Infamous, ancient Bilibid prison,
had been cleared of Japanese
by last night. The Americans
fought literally from room to
room for some of the buildings.
Police Seised
Other elements of the first
cavalry division pressed on to
the north bank of the Paslg
river and seized the Malacanan
palace, former residence of the
American governors general and
later seat of the Quezon govern
ment. The 37th Infantry division en
tered Manila from the north at
6:30 a. m. yesterday and by
early afternoon was within a
few hundred yards of a Junction
with the first cavalry units ot
Santo Tomas.
The infantrymen overran the
Grace Park airfield In the north
ern suburbs of Manila. Though
pitted by American bombs, lt
was expected to be repaired
quickly. At least one artiUery
observation plane already has
landed there.
Both the First cavalry and
37th divisions met only sniper
and machine gun fire in their
advances Into the capital, but
fierce fighting was expected
when they attempt to force the
Paslg to clean out the remainder
of the city.
"It may be a hell of a Jqb,"
one high officer said. "It may
be several days before we have
the city cleaned out, but the
Japs have no chance now."
TO BERLIN .
By United Press
The nearest distances to
Berlin from advanced allied
lines today:
' Eastern front 32 miles
(from point on Oder north
west of capital, by German
report).
Western front 296 miles
(from point southeast of Nl
megen). Italy 530 miles (from point
north of Ravenna).