Medford mail tribune., February 27, 1945, Image 1

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United Press Full Leased Wire
Thirty ninth Year
Mitscher's Fliers Hit 233 Jap Planes, 31 Ships
FALLING PLANES
FILL TOKYO'S SKY
Huge Koizumi Aircraft As
sembly Plant Near Capital
Knocked Out by Bombs.
Br Lloyd Tupling
United Press War Correspondent
Guam, Feb. 27 (UP.! Amer
ican earner pilots, battling
against heavy aerial opposition
in adverse weather, destroyed or
damaged 23? aircraft and 31 ves
sels and small craft Sunday and
Monday In a great strike against
the Tokyo area that knocked out
the huge Koizumi aircraft as
sembly plant, it was disclosed
today.
Airmen from Vice Adm. Mark
A. Mitscher's carrier task force
destroyed Japanese planerat the
rate of 25-to-l in this third raid
on the Japanese capital within
nine days. j
Stiff Opposition " j
E. G. Valens, United Press
correspondent aboard Adm. Mit
scher's flagship, reported our
fighters met stiff air opposition
east of Tokyo and south of Cho
chl. He quoted returning pilots
as saying they fought through
"a skyfull of falling planes."
Hundreds of tons of bombs
were dropped .into the center of
the snow-covered' Koizami plant,
which turned out a substantial
percentage of the total produc
tion of Japanese combat planes.
New reconnaissance evidence
showed that 90 per cent of the
nearby Ota assembly plant was
rendered incapable of further
production for the time being In
the Feb 17 attack.
Nina Planei Lost
Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
reported in a communique that
75 per cent of the Ota plant
40 miles northwest of Tokyo
has been destroyed by combina
tion carrier and Fortress raids.
Additional portions of the plant
were damaged.
Nine fighter planes and four
pilots were lost and two Amerl'
I. can light naval units were dam
aged during the strikes.
By E. G. Valeni
United Press War Correspondent
Aboard Adm. Mitscher's Flag-
shin off Tokyo, Feb. 25 (UP.)
A Hellcat division from this car
rier, giving ' the residents of
Tokyo an exhibition of Ameri
can aerial teamwork, barrelled
through dozens of enemy forma
tions around the capital today,
shooting down at least five Japa
nese planes.
Then the four pilots made a
brazen sightseeing tour over
East Tokyo, down the length of
Tokyo bay and through heavy
antiaircraft fire over the huge
Yokosuka naval base.
The division was led by lean
Lt. Cmdr. R. R. Hedrick, who
shot down one Jap fighter and
smashed through its trailing col
umn of flames to knock two
more out of the sky.
Lt. William L. (Flip) Gerner,
former Texas A. and M. football
star, destroyed a plane going in
L for a landing Ens. Tom Mitchell
of New Rochelle, N. Y., chalked
up his first kill when he burned
a "frank," then blew up a dive
bomber on the ground.
Lebanon and Syria
Join War On Nazis
By United Press
Lebanon declared war on Ger
many and Japan today, a few
hours after a like action by
Syria and the formal approval
of Egypt's declaration against
the Axis.
Standards of weights, meas
ures, and length vary all over
China.
SIDE GLANCES
By
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Harvey Field declaring that a
certain brand of cigars put his
head In the clouds.
Elithe Crawford deciding that
husband Joe's name appears in
this ,column too fiequefltly. .
Poland To Get Upper Silesia
Much Other Nazi Territory
Churchill Informs Commons
London, Feb. 27 (U.R) Prime
Minister Churchill said ' today
that Poland will be given Upper
Silesia, Danzig, the greater part
of East Prussia, and a "long
Baltic sea front."
To compensate for territory
yielded to Russia in the east,
Poland also will receive such
additional German territory
east of the Oder river as may
be decided at the peace confer
ence, Churchill told a packed
Commons.
Part of East Prussia
He said Poland would be
granted the "greater part of
East Prussia to the west of
Koenigsberg," indicating that
Russia may retain the capital of
the "Junkers province.
'In the important German in
dustrial province of upper-or
southern Silesia which Church
ill said would go to Poland lie
such manufacturing centers as
Oppeln, Hindenburg, Gleiwitz,
and Beuthens.
Poland's eastern frontier, he
reaffirmed, .would be the Curzon
line as drawn by an Allied com
mission in 1919 and "including,
of . course, the exclusion of
Lwow from Poland."
Churchill said he had re-
c e i v e d "perfect assurances"
from both President Roosevelt
and U. S. Secretary of State Ed
ward.. R..Stettinius. that the
United States bad no objection
or complaint to steps Britain
has taken in Italy.
Defends Policy
"I am not prepared to accept
2,500 PLANES IN
AT
London, Feb. 27 (U.R) More
than 2,500 American and British
warplanes carried the war deep
into Germany for the 15th
straight day today, unloading a
great weight of bombs on the
nazl rail centers of Leipzig.
Halle and Mainz.
Gen. James H. Doolittle's U
S. 8th air force set the daylight
bombardment in motion before
mid-day with a 2,000-plane strike
into central Germany at Halle
and Leipzig.
Japs Massacre Defenseless Filipinos
Her are the brutally butchered bodies of 80 to 100 Filipino civilians
men, women and children who were taken to a vacant lot in Manila and
ipeared, bayonetted, hacked and shot to death by madly-savage Japa
nese. The Japs have oeen killing countless dcIens'-'cM Filipino ana
UsnUe tl&t been turned lota s "(iagtluneral pyre," Blgoai Corps photo.
nv r A T T
V- jgteii' Xi-J- vv M-,ruU Leased Wire
MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27,
suggestions from any quarter
that Great Britain has fallen
behind other .victorious powers
in taking a generous view to
ward or that we nourish any de
sign of power politics," he said.
Churchill said the United
States has "entered deeply and
constructively into the life and
salvation of Europe."
We have, all three, set our
hands to far-reaching engage
ments at once practical and sol
emn," he said in concluding his
summary of the Crimean con
ference. "United, we have the unchal
lengeable power to lead the
World to prosperity and free
dom. The great powers must
seek to serve."
He spoke for an hour and SO
minutes, broken by an hour for
lunch.
E
With all workers and commit,
tees named and final plans in
order, Jackson county is ready
for the opening of the Red Cross
war fund annual drive Thurs
day, according to B. E. Harder,
general . chairman. The county
quota of $54,000 is the same as
last year, Harder states. Two
million dollars is to be raised na
tionally. -
Mr. Harder has established
headquartrs at the Chamber of
Commerce building and is equip
ping committee workers with
supplies for the drive. Any dis
trict chairmen who have not
yet called for their supplies
should do so at once, the chair
man stated.
. "The 1945 campaign is of the
greatest importance," according
to Colby Chester, national drive
chairman, "not only because
American forces overseas are
reaching their peak, but because
as we come another year nearer
the war's end, men and women
in military service need to know
that Red Cross is staying right
with them, up to and beyond the
day of peace and victory."
(Acm Ttltoholo)
IS
I BY TAFT
E
Solon Would Limit Authority
of Agency to Impose Ceil
ing On Number Employed
Washington, Feb. 27 (U.R)
Amendments limiting the war
manpower commission's author
ity to impose employment ceil
ings were offered today to the
senate's manpower bill.
Two amendments were Intro
duced by Sen. Robert A. Taft,
(R., Ohio).
One would terminate WMC
authority to impose ceilings Dec.
31, 1945, instead of at the end
of 1948 as proposed by the sen
ate military affairs committee.
The other would prohibit
WMC from setting ceilings on
newspapers and news gathering
organizations below the number
of workers employed during any
month of 1944.
The senate delayed the second
day of debate on its amended
version of house-approved "work
or else" legislation for three
hours to consider and approve
the conference report on a bill
giving the insurance business a
moratorium from the anti-trust
laws.
Sen, Harold H. Burton ( R,.
Ohio), said the house-approved
bill is "dangerous in its present
form." The house bill would
force all men from 18 to 45 Into
either combat service or essen
tlal war Jobs under penalty of
$10,000 fine and live years im
prisonment. ,
Burton argued that lt would
Impose work-or-fight rules on
one-third of the nation's labor
force men from 18 to 45 but
would not touch two-thirds com'
prising women and males outside
those age limits.
CIVILIAN TIRE QUOTA
TO REMAIN UNCHANGED
Washington, Feb. 27 (U.R)
The Office of Price Administra
tion announced today that the
civilian share of new tires and
new cars for March would be
the same as for February
1,600,000 tires and 2,000 cars.
Mac McCullough, rationing
chief, said that stocks of tires
on hand are "grossly inadequate
and we face the coming warm
weather with the knowledge
that production will be unable
to meet the demands." '
Carson City, Nev., Feb. 27.
(U.R) Construction of a mem
orial to the late Senator Key
Pittman of Nevada at a cost of
$100,000 was provided in a bill
which Sen. William F. Dressier
introduced by request in the
upper house of the legislature
today. ' ff 13
Jap Deportation Memorial
Discussed At House Hearing
Salem, Ore., Feb. 27 U.R)
More than a dozen persons fav
oring a house memorial asking
congress to deport Japanese
aliens and disloyal citizens after
the war appeared at a hearing
before the house resolutions com
mittee last night.
Chief dissatisfaction with the
memorial was that it provided
for no immediate action in keep
ing Japanese away from the west
coast.
G. R. Fry, of the Hood River
American Legion set the tenor
of the discussion by saying that
the Japanese should be "quar
antined" to eliminate the causes
of potential disorder.
"We should not have before
us faces which incite us to vio
lence," he said.
The memorial (H. J. R. 7) was
introduced by Rep. Vernon Bull,
La Grande, and he was eager to
do so, he said, contrary to some
reports which, he said, had stat
ed he did It only because there
was no one else.
The measure, In its present
state, call (or deportation of U
1945
Oregon Legislators Against
Asking Congress For Limit
On Federal Income Tax Levy
Salem, Ore., Feb. 27 (U.R) ,
The Oregon legislature today
started on its first payless day
after the defeat of a resolution
favoring a 25 per cent limit on
federal income tax.
The Income tax resolution.
which was killed yesterday, 48
to 10, with an indefinite post
ponement by the acceptance of a
majority "do not pass" commit
tee report, asked congress for
repeal of the 16th (income tax)
amendment and substitution of
the "22d amendment" limiting
income taxes to 25 per cent.
Curb on Spending Aim
John Hall, chief proponent of
the resolution, said that it was
a movement in the direction of
stopping the "wild spending" of
the present administration and
that experience had showed that
a lower tax with a broader base
brought more revenue than did
an unlimited tax.
ERANIA LINE,
E 43 MILES
London, Feb. 27. (U.R) Mar
shal Stalin announced tonight
that the red army had broken
through the defenses of central
Pomerania and smashed 43 miles
westward into the heart of the
German province.
Marshal Konstantin K. Rokos
sovsky's second White Russian
army wheeled westward from
the old Polish corridor and
plunged within 29 miles of the
Baltic coast in a drive to trap
the German defenders of eastern
Pomerania, northwestern Poland
and the Danziq free state.
New Red Spurt
The red army offensive, quiet
since the western onrush to the
Oder, erupted in blitzkrieg pat
tern again with Rokossovsky's
four-day spurt at a pace of more
than 10 miles a day.
Six hours after the German
high command acknowledged
the Pomeranian break-through
Marsha Stalin Issued a special
order of the day confirming the
Nazi report.
He said Rokossovsky's forces
"broke enemy resistance" in the
Pomeranian border area near
the Polish corridor town of Ko
natzyny, and in four days swept
throueh a number of German
towns, kevs to the defense of
Pomerania.
The nurest Spanish spoken in
South America is said to be that
of Bogota, Colombia.
Japanese aliens and those who
have demonstrated dual citizen'
ship or disloyalty.
Ex-Gov. Walter Pierce cited
figures on the Japanese birth
rate and said that even if the
Japanese lose the war they will
be back again "in 25 or 50 or
100 years."
He said he wanted the me
morial passed to show that the
Pacific coast was united and if
he had the chance, he said, he
would write a measure that
would ''really raise the roof."
A suggestion was made during
the hearing that it should in
clude all aliens, Japanese or oth
erwise, but it was discounted by
Rep. Bull, who said the Oregon
constitution drew the "color
line" and that the Japanese prob
lem was the really serious one.
Virtually the only voice
against the memorial in the
crowd of more than 200 was
that of Wendell Bamett of the
Farmers Union, who discounted
the birthrate figures and said
that the question was "bigger
than Oregon."
NO. 286.
Tax limitation would create
the possibility of putting more
money into "venture spending,"
Hall said.
Motives Questioned
Rep. E. R. C. Frlsbie, Baker,
questioned the motives of back
ers of the movement saying
that "it was proposed by Pub
lisher Frank R. Gannett and
other wealthy men and pro
moters. "The result of this movement
would be economic chaos," Frls
bie said. He asked where the
money would come from to pay
the costs of government, the in
terest on the national debt and
the debt itself, and social secur
ity payments.
The benefits of the measure
would be only In the upper in
come brackets, Frisbie said, a
statement echoed by Rep. Joseph
Harvey. Portland, who said that
lt came "straight from Wall
street."
Horseless Godiva
In Promenade On
Hollywood Street
Hollywood, Feb. 27. (U.R)
Minus her horse, Lady Godiva
dashed through Hollywood, in
cluding the police station, today.
Things started when a nude
woman-, about 50 years old, was
reported promenading along the
sidewalk at Hollywood boule
vard and Highland avenue, in
the heart of Hollywood.
. Police rushed a prowl car to
the intersection and there was
the woman, as advertised. And
with a large audience.
She was hastily bundled into
blanket, against her wishes.
and carted to the police station.
As she was being questioned, she
broke away shed the blanket
and dashed past the booking
desk, through the detective bu
reau and to the front door.
At the door she was stopped
again and taken away for ex
amination by psychiatrists. Au
thorities said she probably
would be given Into custody of
her daughter, who could give
no explanation for her mother's
cavorting.
TO COMBAT
TOO SOON. CLAIM
Washington, Feb. 27 (U.R)
Nearly all 18-year-olds inducted
into the army are trained and
sent overseas fot combat duty in
considerably less than a year's
lime, it was learned today at the
war department.
Questions on the subject were
prompted by Sen. Robert A.
Taft's announcement that he
would call for a war department
explanation of why men, only 18
were being sent into combat
with relatively brief training.
The Ohio Republican cited the
case of Pfc. Robert R. Pogue ol
Cincinnati who was reported
Kinea in action on the western
front about seven months after
his induction. Taft said Pogue
was given only 17 weeks' train
ing before going overseas.
Most 18-year-olds, it was said
at the war department, are filter
ed into infantry units as replace
ments for battle casualties.
Under normal circumstances,
an official said, the minimum
time between induction and
assignment to combat Is about
26 weeks. This time Is alolted
as follows:
Three weeks post-induction
furlough, one week at the re
ception center, 15 weeks at a re
placement training center, two
weeks furlough, one week In a
staging area, two weeks on board
ship bound overseas, and two
weeks In a replacement pool at
the war zone.
Disorganized Germans
Race Across Rhine to
Escape Danger in Rear
Paris, Feb. 27. (U.R) American tanks and troops stormed the
Erft river line eight miles from Cologne today and field dispatches)
indicated the Germans were fleeing in disorder across the Rhine.
The entire German battle screen on the Rhlneland plain was
dissolving into a confused, chaotic mass before the scythe-like
sweep of the American First and Ninth armies.
Armored and Infantry forces of both armies were on the Erft
and perhaps across it on a broad assault arc west and northwest of
Cologne, and Other Ninth army elements to the north swept for
ward 10 miles in as many hours to the rim of the Ruhr valley.
. COMMUNICATIONS DISORGANIZED
Indicating that German communications on the battlefield had
broken down completely, Lt. Gen. William H. Simpson's Ninth
army headquarters announced that a strict security blackout had
been imposed on the army's forward units until further notice.
High-ranking officers with the First army on the Erft expressed
the belief that the Germans were abandoning their entire line west
of the Rhine in a race to escape the horde of American mn and
armor closing in on their rear.
Many officers predicted, however, that the Nazis would leave
a doomed rear guard in cologne to fight a suicidal delaying action
in the ruins of what once was Germany's fourth city.
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Four Allied armies sweep
ahead on 150-mile section of
western front, reaching points
within eight miles of Cologne.
Germans were believed abandon
ing their entire line west of the
Rhine in race to escape Amer
icans closing in on their rear.
HALF OF 1W0 JAPS
NOW BLOCKED OUT
Guam, Feb. 27 (U.R) U. S.
marines were reported today to
have knocked out half the Jap
anese garrison of 20,000 in the
nine-day battle of Iwo Jima, and
their commander said the island
would be captured "in a few
more days."
The marines had battled
across both Iwo's air fields and
were within a little more than
a mile and a half of the north
coast. The drive toward the
north coast threatened to split
the Japanese defenses.
Lt. Gen. Holland M. Smith,
commandant of marines Jn the
Pacific, said after a visit to com'
mand posts on Iwo- that the pro
gress of the campaign had been
"satisfactory." In high spirits
after his tour, he said:
"We expect to take this island
In a few more days."
Spent Bullet Lands
On Floor Of Home
In Victory Housing
A bullet fired from a .22 cali
ber gun through a window into
an unoccupied room at the home
of Mrs. Homer Stephenson, 612
Victory street, was found on the
floor of the room yesterday ac
cording to police.
Officers investigating the call
from Mrs. Stephenson declared
the bullet must have been fired
from over the top of the next
row of houses. The bullet hav
Ing spent itself entered the room
at a downward curve and land
ed on the floor, they said. The
room was that of Mrs. Stephen
son's daughter; who was away
at the time the bullet careened
through the window.
Police were unable to -locate
the person who fired the, shot
Cologne Under Fire
The First army's big guns al
ready' were lobbing shells into)
Cologne, and tank columns fan
ning out through the Rhlneland
were sweeping up hundreds of
prisoners hourly. By late after
noon today's bag of captives on
the Ninth army front alone had
reached 1,500.
On the northern flank of the
offensive line, armored and in
fantry units of the U. S. Ninth
army outflanked and all but en
circled the industrial city it
Muenchen - Gladbach, western
most of the Ruhr factory towns.
Panic and confusion were re
ported sweeping the German
ranks and field dispatches said
German civilians and police
were fighting side by aide w'th
Nazi regulars In the front line
before Muenchen. -
INFORMATION FOR
MEET'S PROMISE
Interesting and comforting in
formation for relatives of pris
oners of war or persons listed aa
missing will be given at a meet
ing sponsored by the Jackson
County Red Cross chanter Thurs
day night at the courthouse audi
torium, Red Cross officials stated
today.
Mrs. Fred Rankin, chapter sec
letary, and Mrs. Marrs Gibbons,
chairman of the Home Service
corps, will report on a meeting
held in Portland yesterday at
which 12 repatriated prlsoneri
of war spoke. In addition Mrs.
Harry Holmes, chairman of the
home service committee, will
soeak on the services of the Red
Cross for prisoners of war and
Mrs. O. A. Eden will give in
formation on the French under
ground movement received at
meeting conducted by a leader of
the movement who recently vis
ited Oregon.
At the Portland meeting were
Lt. Col. Joseph B. Kavanaugh
of the American prisoner of war
Information bureau and Capt.
Ragnar Barhaug, in charge of
the group of repatriated men.
Reports at the meeting here will
oresent Information on the func
tions of the prisoner of war of
fice, on the finding of missing
ersons and on the general con
ditions which prevail in prisoner
of war camps.
Mrs. Rankin reports that the
fortjand meeting, attended by
thousands of people, was a thrill
ing affair with the men some
times able to give relatives first
hand information of servicemen
now prisoners in various oarta
of the world. The repatriated
men are from both German and
Japanese camps.
About 55 persons from Jack
son county have been listed a
orlsoners at various times since
the outbreak of the war and
seven are officially known to
have been liberated.
STRIKElPOTED
BY CIO
Detroit, Feb. 27 (U.K The
United Automobile Worker
(CIO) union local 3 executive
board today voted to end a strike
of 13,500 members at the Chrys
ler Corporation'! Dodge mala
plant. ' '
Mike Novak, local 8 president,
said the board's decision will be
presented to the membership at
a meeting tonight. ,