Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, March 13, 1945, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., March 13, 1945, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextYankee Vanguard Nears Vital German Superhighway Weather foreeaftt Cloudy tonight and Wednesday with light rain Wednesday mornlni and how era Wednesday afternoon. Little cnang In temperature. Temp. . Blfheft yesterday 52 Lowest this morning 32 precipitation past 24 hrs.( Jt$ T ARMY DRIVE Medford Tribune EXPANDS RIM OF E United Pr Full Leased Wire United Pru Full Lasd Wlr Thirty ninth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1945 NO. 298. ? Now Within Striklna Dis --T tance of Military Road Between Ruhr, Rhineland. . ' , . : . ftfv LARGE FORCE IN SHOWER JDF FIRE Planes From Saipan, Tinian and Guam Join in 2.CO0 Ton Incendiary Attack. Washington, March 13 (U.R) Hundreds of Superfortresses showered fiery destruction upon a third great Japanese city to day with an incendiary bomb at tack on Osaka. The Superfortresses attacked "in very large force," the 20th air force announced. That meant that Osaka's war factories got punishment comparable to that handed to Tokyo and Nogaya, both of which were hit by up wards of 2,000 tons of fire bombs. B-29's from Saipan, Tinian and Guam participated in the at tack. In 'Large Fore "Superfortresses from MaJ. Gen. Curtis E. Lemay's 21st bomber attack today (March 14 Japanese time) carried out, in very large force, an Incendiary attack upon strategic industrial targets In Osaka, Japan," an an nouncement said. "The mission was similar In form to the strike last Friday against Tokyo and Sunday against Nagoya, the 20th air force announced at the war de partment. B-29 aircraft partici . pated from Saipan, Tinian and Guam." The attack was the second against the important industrial city of Osaka. More than 300 B-29's hit Tok yo and Nagoya, and about the same number apparently went after Osaka. ! Br United Prs U. S. marines were closing the bloody campaign for Iwo today at Japan's front door while far to the south in the Philippines American troops were rapidly expanding their beachhead on Mindanao from newly-captured Zamboanga. Reconnaissance photographs at the same time showed the Japanese also suffered a severe set-back in their homeland. American Superfortresses were revealed to have destroyed more than 16V4 square miles in the center of Tokyo and 285 city blocks in Nagoya. The photo graphs showed that 15 fires were still burning in Nagoya eight hours after the 2,000-ton incen diary raid. Iwo In Mop-Up Stag S The 23-day battle of Iwo was nearing a mop-up stage with the marines of the fifth division gradually crushing the last pock et along the north coast. Less than 1000 Japanese remained to be wined out. In the Philippines, veteran American troops, who captured the administrative city of zam boanga, were fanning out rap idly in southwest Mindanao against only disorganized resist ance. The swift drive already had firmly established a beachhead three miles long and nearly two V miles wide. In addition to Zam boanga city, the Americans also captured four villages and two valuable airdromes. LT. "LOST" CHRISTMAS Belmont, Mass. (U.R) Lt. John T. Klrkness wrote, his wife how he didn't spend Christmas. Kirk ness explained he crossed the international dateline in the Pa cific about 20 minutes before midnight Dec. 24, and when he crossed the line, he lost a day, making lt Dec. 26. SIDE GLANCES TRIBUNE REPORTERS Isabelle Gault recalling French grammer to aid the Tribune staff. Jane McCarty, collector ol antique furniture, spuming the offer of an old county seat item Officer Walter Retaking giv ing newshawks a tip on how to find out what' going on in the world. East Coast Still Possible Target Aboard Flagship of Atlantic Fleet, Marchv13 (U.R) Admiral Jonas Ingram, commander of the Atlantic fleet, said today that the danger, of a V-bomb attack on the east coast was no less today than it was January 8 when he warned it was both "possible and probable." He issued his warning In a message to the United Press In response to an inquiry noting that the 60-day danger period which he forecast in his first warning expired March 8. TULE LAKE CAMP RUN BY JAPS IS LATE DISCLOSURE Washington, March 13 (U.R) ' Japanese internees at Tule Lake, Calif., segregation camp virtual ly controlled the center late last year and had created "quite a serious situation," according to Attorney General Francis 'Bid die. Biddle disclosed the situation in recent testimony before a house appropriations subcom mittee. Transcripts were releas ed today. "The Japs were practically running'the camp, from the point of view of expressing their loy alty, they were marching, they were bowing to the emperor, they had bugle -calls, they had all of the performances," Biddle said. "It was just a little Jap anese center." He said Jack Burling, depart ment of justice representative discovered the situation when he was sent out to administer the law providing for expatriation of Americans who specified their prime loyalties were to another land. . , "He found out who the lead ers were and he picked off the first 80 expatriates and called them out and put them in some of our internment camps, which at once broke up that situation," Biddle said. He told the committee the matter had not been reported or made public. "We have not emphasized lt," he said, "because we are trying to get it smoothly worked out." Jutland Tank Traps Are Dug By Germans B7 United Press The Swedish radio said today that German troops in Denmark had started digging tank traps near Aarhus on the east coast of Jutland. The broadcast, reported by the FCC, also said that a "ring" of German fortifications, begun last fall near Haderslev, south of Aarhus, were "now ready." It reported a detachment of armor ed cars had arrived at Haderslev, Washington, March 13 (U.R) President Roosevelt today endorsed the Luce-Celler bill to permit the immigration and naturalization of East Indians as "important and desirable" to "help win the war and to estab lish a secure peace." Jap Brass Hats Leave Luxurious Bombproof Shelters On Iwo Jima By SSgt. Alvin M. Joseph, Jr. Marine Corps Combat Correspondent Distributed by United Press Iwo Jima (Delayed) Some of the most luxurious living of this war is going on, ironically enough, amid the horror and desolation of battle-torn Iwo. A few lucky members of the 21st marine regiment discovered intact a series of ornately-furnished bombproof shelters which had evidently housed high-ranking officers of the Jap anese garrison. The bombproofs Into which the marines promptly moved were so well protected by oon trete and rock casements that they had scarcely been scarred by naval and aerial bombard ments preceding marine land JUNE 22 ELECTION IT Two Cent Cigaret Tax and Five-Mill Levy on Prop erty Favorably Reported. Salem, Ore., March 13 4U.R) Two appropriation bills totalling $515,000 and a bill providing for city and county planning commissions were due for final action in the Oregon house of representative today, while lit tle major legislation was sched uled in the senate. Attention centered on two tax proposals which will go on the ballot June 22, at a special elec tion, when it is authorized. The measures, a two-cent cigarette tax and a five-mill levy on prop erty, were reported out of the joint senate assessment and taxa tion and ways and means com mittees with "do pass" recom mendations. Only Two Questions The joint committees also ap proved the bill authorizing the election, but with the stipula tion that only the two measures be considered. . Still another bill approved provided for $8,000,000 for school support, instead of $5, 000,000 for two years. The two tax -measures are for schools and for the state system of . higher . . . education buildlrtg program. - The house yesterday passed 46 to 11 senate joint memorial 2, which petitions congress to establish a system of military training for young men. ... Election Chang ' The senate passed a bllj (S. B. 325) changing the manner of electing state legislators In Multnomah county to a position basis, under which candidates would file for a position instead of the present system of choos ing the five high men for senator and 13 for representative. The whole subject of reappor tionment and legislative district ing would be taken up by an interim committee under a reso lution (S. J. R. 22) given "do pass" approval by the senate resolutions committee. The senate gave final passage to a house joint resolution (8) memorializing congress to pass the Tydings bill amending the constitution to require the gov ernment to operate under a bal anced budget except in war years or periods of emergency. SKILLED MEXICANS NOT TO MIGRATE TO STATES Mexico City, March 13 (U.R) The ministry for economy today forbade skilled workers and peasants with productive lands to enroll as immigrant laborers to work in the U. S. Pers6ns able to work as "braceros" were confined to born Mexicans who . are unem ployed, peddlers, civil servants, small storekeepers; students dis continuing studies for economic reasons, servants or "poorly paid" shop assistants, the min istry stated. ings. The Interiors were un damaged. The occupants had left everything intact as if they had run away at the approach of the marine assault troops. The bombproofs are fitted out like Japanese apartments with panelled walls and sliding doors made of fine wood. Shelves and cupboards held food, magazines, a phonograph and records, ta bleware, and clothing. There were soft cots, upholstered chairs, writing tables and the usual furniture of a home. Running water and electric lights made it difficult to be lieve that just outside the bomb proof was not civilization, but a sandy stretch of volcanic ashes, camouflaging pillboxes, bunk ers, and a network of death dealing weapons. U: S: DELEGATE WILL BE FREE. IS Secretary Voices Promise at Meeting of Delegation Be fore S. F. Conference. Washington, March 13 (U.R) Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., today promised the U. S. delegation to the San Francisco conference that they would be free to pursue their personal views and convictions. He added that he was confi dent that they would "work as one team" in helping set up the world security organization the new League of Nations. -Hull Absent His statement was made at the first meeting of the delegation in Stettinius' office. All mem bers were present except Cor dell Hull, who is still convalesc ing in the naval hospital. The delegation conferred for an hour and then visited President Roosevelt at the White House. E ALLOTMENT FOR POST-WAR PUNS Washington, March 13 (U.R) The senate today approved an appropriation of $35,000,000 for postwar planning by cities ana states after beating down two at tempts to make it more. Sen. Robert M. 141 ronette (Pros.. Wis.), proposed an amend ment to the 1946 independent of fices appropriations bill which would have increased the figure to $75,000,000. It was defeated 42 to 31. La Follette then moved to amend the figure to $50,000,000 and was defeated again, 36 to 29. The senate then by voice vote adopted the $35,000,000 total proposed by Its appropriations committee. The fieure represents $5,000,- 000 outright grant approved by the house and a senate addition of $30,000,000 to be distributed to states and municipalities on a 50-50 matching basis. This and other issues nave threatened to delay the $3,145, 134,842 independent offices bill. Wallace Intrigued, Wants To Be Flier Washington, March 13. U.R) Henry A Wallace has become so fascinated by aviation in his new role of commerce secre tary that he intends "to learn how to fly," he disclosed today. Making his fifst appearance before a congressional group since he -became secretary of commerce, Wallace invited mem bers of a senate commerce sub committee to join him in mas tering the art of flight. He got no immediate acceptances. FROST OBSERVER DUE HERE ON WEDNESDAY Roy J. Rogers, federal frost observer, is due to arrive here tomorrow for his annual ' work in the Rogue River valley. Test ing of orchard thermometers which have been coming Into the county agent's office briskly the past week, will claim his first attention. Assistant County Agent C. B. Cordy reports pear tree develop ment in the valley Is now slight ly below normal due to cola weather. BOWLES SEEKS CEILING ON PUBLIC AMUSEMENT Washington, March 13 U.R) Price Administrator Chester Bowles today called for legisla tion to permit OPA to put price ceilings on tickets to movies, ball games, concerts and other amusements. Public amusement Is an Im portant cost-of-living Item In the average family's budget, Bowles told a press conference. Most Important in this group, he said, are motion pictures. Long lines of armored half tracks wait to cross th railroad bridge at Remagen, Germany, which was captured intact by 9th Armored Division, lit army troops. Just had removed tons of TNT that had been planted in th bridge by moved across to fan out in all directions from th ast bank. U. S. German Suicide Airmen in Efforts to Wreck Bridges By John B. McDarmott United Press War Correspondent Remagen Bridgehead, Ger many, March 13 (U.R) The Germans are flying what the Americans call "suicide mis sions" against the 1st army bridges across the Rhine in des perate efforts to cut the life lines to the Remagen bridge head. Today it can be revealed that In the last five days 135 Ger man planes have made "suicide" attacks on the bridges. Sixty six were shot down. Fourteen others disappeared in the clouds, trailing comet-like tails of smoke and flame. " Luftwaff Dwindles The 1st army men say ' the German air force must be on its last legs. That is tha only way they can explain its failure to STARS IN EFFORT TO SETTLE STRIKE Hollywood, March 13 (U.R) Stars, directors and writers got together today in hopes of set tling a -paralyzing two-day strike over 78 movie set designers. Nearly every major studio was shut down, Bored with twiddling their thumbs while the two A. F. L. unions contesting jurisdiction battled it out with the produc ers and the war labor board, the three groups formed a commit tee to find some ground for set tlement. Local 1421 of the painters' union was dismiting jurisdiction over the set designers with tne International Alliance of The atrical Stage Employes. An ap peal from National War Labor Board Chairman ueorge w. Tay lor was flatly rejected. Amateur Magician Stood Up Again In . Date With Darrow Chicago, March 13 (U.R) Claude D. Noble, Detroit busi nessman and amateur magician failed again today to keep a date with the spirit of Clarence Dar row. In keeping with a pact made with the great criminal attorney and agnostic before his death Noble went to a lagoon bridge in Jackson park. There at the spot where Darrow s ashes were scat tered he intoned: - "Clarence Darrow, I am here In fulfilment of our pact. If you can manifest yourself to me do lt now." - Then, with bowed and bare head, Noble waited. There was no answer. Noble recited the Lord's prayer in a firm but low tone and told the spectators: "I have failed to contact the spirit of Clarence Darrow but I will be back next year to keep my vow." It was the seventh time that Noble had tried and failed to contact Darrow's spirit. TWO FLIERS KILLED Glenview, 111., March 13 (U.R) Lt. ' Edward Cochran, Pratt, Kan., a flight instructor, and an aviation cadet were killed to day when a training plane from the naval training station here crashed near Wheeling, HI. Lt Cochran, former photographer for the Kansas City Star, is sur vived by his wife, Bcrle of Witchlta, Kans., and his mother, Mrs, A. A. Cochran. go all out to destroy the railway bridge over which the Yanks crossed the Rhine last week. Between 1 p. m. and 6 p. m. yesterday, 35 German planes Messerschmltt 109's and Focke Wulf 190's made 350 attacks. They tried hard to bomb and shoot up the bridges. (Front dispatches referring to "bridges" over the Rhine at the bridgehead tended to bear out German reports that the 1st army had two pontoon bridges across the Rhine to sup plement the. captured Luden dorff bridge.) They had to fly through one of the greatest concentrations of antiaircraft fire in history. Getting tangled up in it, even wnen it is on your side, drives home the idea of calling the Germans suicide airmen. It was Just 1 p. m. when I ob served, as our jeeo reached' the east bank of the Rhine, that the trip "was easy enough." The words were hardly out of ray mouth when the whole world seemed to cave in. Antiaircraft guns, machine guns, artillery everything cut loose around us. We dived out and hugged, the ground. ah the rest of the afternoon was an unbroken series of scrambles for shelter to avoid bombings, strafings, or shelling. BURGTARTAKES $141 AT YOUNGERS A. thelf entering through an alley window about 8:30 last night burglarized the Younger Appliance service company, 31 North Bartlett street, of $141.25. according to a report to city po nce. An aney aoor window was broken Just above the door knob and the burglar was believed to have entered from there, the police report stated. A few drawers In a file cabinet been pulled open and a drawer In a roll top desk had been opened, the report said. A draw er containing keys to a cash register had been opened and the money removed, the burglar overlooking $12.50 In nickels and dimes and considerable stamps. Two blank checks were also left behind, according to the report. Blood was found on the cash register and on the alley door, police said. 'Jan Valtin' Now With 24th Division With the 24th Infantry Divi sion in the Philippines, March 13 (U.R) Pfe Richard J. Krebs, who under the name of Jan Valtin wrote "Out of the Night,1 has Joined the 24th "Victory' division of the Philippines. Infantryman Krebs Joined the army as a volunteer In August 1943, and served with the 125th Infantry regiment In Texas be fore going overseas last year. Dead Unnoticed On Much-Used Bridge Paris. March 13 (U.R) Traf fic over the Ludondorff bridge at Remagen has been so heavy that the body of a dead German has lain on the span since last Wednesday when the 1st army captured the structure, it was disclosed at headquarters last night. The Americans have been so busy moving across to the east bank that no one had time to re mov th body. after American combat engineers th Germans, armored vehicles Signal Corps Radio-Tlphoto, LESS FOR NAVY Washington, March 13 (U.?J President Roosevelt asked con gress today for a 1946 fiscal year budget of $23,719,153,050 for the navy. This is a reduction of more than $4,000,000,000 from the figure for this year. ' The president also submitted a request for additional contract authorizations of $3,088,012,624 for the navy. About half of this, or $1,513,012,624, would be new authorizations. The balance would be continued from the current fiscal year. The request envisioned a navy during fiscal 1946 composed of approximately 3,389,000 men. Marine corps strength was set at 478,000 and the coast guard strength at 173,165. The request Indicated that the U. S. high command envisions full-scale naval operations In the war for at least another 16 months. The 1946 fiscal year ends on June 30, 1946. Total appropriations for the navy in the 1945 fiscal year were about $28,500,000,000. In 1944 the total was about $23,000,000,- 000. The White House said the principal reductions were ap proximately x $2,000,000,000 in previous estimates of the cost of the navy airplane program and a drop of about $4,000,000,0000 in cash required for the ship building program. BUS SERVICE HEARING SET FOR WEDNESDAY A public hearing on the appli cation of the Rogue Valley Tran sit company to provide bus serv ice to passengers between Med ford and Ashland will be con ducted by the Oregon Public Utilities commissioner tomorrow at the courthouse at 10 a. m. The application, recently amended, requests permission to operate busses over an alternate route, leaving U. S. highway 99 at a point approximately one- half mile north of Jackson Hot Springs, thence over old high way 99 through Talent to the junction of the old highway 99 and the present highway, serv lng all intermediate points. SS Riflemen Blast Bridge; Turn Guns on Own Comrades By Robert W. Richards United Press War Correspondent With U. S. 3rd army In Ger many, March 13 (U.R) Rem nants of a fleeing German con voy were half way across a Rhine bridge when nazl storm troopers blasted the structure Horses screamed and German soldiers shouted in panic as they were hurled into the air and fell together into the swiftly flowing river. The men who lived attempted to swim toward the east bank but SS riflemen, crouching in shelters, coldly picked them off one by one. This story was told to offi cers of the 4th armored division by a captured German captain, three luftwaffe pilots and 22 Ukrainians who had been mem bers of the wehrmacht. Each man talked Independently of the other and all recited virtually the same facts. The convoy of at least 200 hone-drawn and motor vehicles Paris. March 13 (U.R) U. B. 1st army forces advanced th Rmagn bridghad nai ly two miles eastward today, and Berlin said that la a nw assault boat crossing of th Rhine thr reached Koenigs wlnttr, ihr miles northwest of Honnel. ' First a r m r headquarter aid th Americans pushed within about two mile of th Ruhr-Rhlneland superhighwar through th Rhine valley cast of th bridgehead, and had thrown a pontoon bridge across th Rhine near th cap tured Ludendorff brldg. A later nail broadcast told of an amphibious push on Konigtwlnir, on th aast bank of th Hhln thre mil downstream from th last re ported American positions In th bridgehead. Paris, March 13 (U.F9 New American attacks from tha Remagen bridgehead gained up to a mile today and brought Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges' van guard within easy striking dis tance of the vital military super-' highway between the Ruhr and upper Rhineland. Allied broadcasts reported that a U. S. 1st army onslaught beginning early this morning had shoved out the rim of the pocket across the Rhine and lt now waa six miles deep and 11 mile wide. Bitter Struggle A broadcast nazl dispatch from western front headquarter said the battle of the Remagen bridgehead was the "most em bittered struggle of the entire) western front." The U. S. 9ta armored division attacked north east of Honnef, riverside city which had changed hands sev eral times In the last 100 hours, the enemy report said. To the southwest, the 1st and 3rd armies virtually completed the mopup of an estimated 23, 000 German troops trapped by the junction of the two armies on the Rhine last week. Lt. Gen. George S. Patton'a 3rd army cleaned out all but scattered remnants of German unit north of the Mosel river, and lined up solid on the rive between Coblenz and Trier ex ' cept for a six-mile gap. The Germans mounted two small but well organized coun terattacks against the eastern rim of the bridgehead. One by 200 tank-led troops was stopped cold. The other dented the 1st army lines in the hills east et Remagen, but the Americans re gained the lost grounds First army headquarters an nounced that Hodges' forces in 'the south end of tha pocket over the Rhine last night captured a high hill overlooking Hoennln gtn, five miles southeast of the captured Ludendorf bridge, and commanding a broad sweep of the east bank of the river. U. S. shock troops were fight, lng In the streets of Hoenningen and Honnef, at the opposite end of the 10-mile wide foothold east of the Rhine. CONFERENCE SET Carson City, Nev., March 13 (U.R) Date of the western gov ernors' conference, scheduled to be held in Reno, has been set for April 20 and 21, Gov. E. P. Carville announced today. began withdrawing toward the Kron Prlnz bridge, midway be tween Andernach and Coblenz, at 6 a. m., March 9. Fourth division tanks and ar tillery Intercepted lt only 200 yards from the bridge. Their fire destroyed the lead vehicles and threw the entire column into con fusion. Several vehicles reached the span and were half way across when Germans on the east bank set off prepared charges to de molish the bridge. The prisoners said at the time no Americana were within crossing distance and there waa no immediate ne cessity for the destruction. They charged that the reason the SS blew the bridge quicker than necessary was because Hie force attempting to cross had been ordered to hold west of the Rhine. "The SS saved their own skins and then murdered our comrade for attempting to do th same," one prisoner aaid.