Essen, Great Nazi Arsenal City Captured by 9th Army;
Yanks Race Eastward Less Than 63 Miles From Berlin;
Juncture With Russians Expected Within 24 to 72 Hours
MEDFOEDJtik
United Press
Fortieth Year
SAVAGE DEFENSE
IN SOUTH OKINAWA
STALLS INVADERS
Marines Take Sub Base On
Unten Bay; Crush Last
Resistance in Philippines.
Br Uniled Press
The American drive on Naha
In southern Okinawa stalled
gainst savage Japanese resist
ance today but invasion forces
continued gams in other sectors
with practically no opposition.
To the north the marines cap
tured a submarine base on Unten
bay in a mile and a half advance.
Torpedoes and mines were
seized but the Japanese had re
moved all submarines and other
craft. '
Gain Fine Harbor
Army troops opened the en
trance to Nakagusuku bay, one
of the best naval anchorages
south of Japan, by an amphibi
ous landing Tuesday on Tsugen
(Tsukata)alsland, about 10 miles
off the southeast Okinawa coast.
Only moderate resistance was
encountered and officers expect
ed the enemy to be cleared from
the island soon.
Other troops had . captured
almost two-thirds of the bay's
shoreline and Tokyo said Ameri
can warships already were oper
ating in the bay.
Troops of the 24th army corps
battled to crack the Japanese
defense lines four miles above
the Island capital, Naha.
In the Philippines, American
troops crushed the last organized
Japanese resistance on southern
Luzon and seized control of the
Sulu archipelago in the south by
occupying Jolo island.
Other troops landed on Busu
anga island, north of American
controlled Palawan across the
Sulu sea from Mindanao and
ended Japanese control of 3,000
lepers in the Culion colony.
American bombers from the
Philippines continued neutraliza
tion attacks on Formosa and
tank or damaged three ' more
Japanese cargo vessels in main
taining the aerial blockade of
China sea shipping.
Radio Tokyo, today identified
three American carriers, which
it claimed were sunk off Okin
awa Friday, as the Essex, the
converted carrier Langley and
the auxiliary carrier Hipper.
2 COitlATION
CASESSETTLED
Two land condemnation cases
scheduled for federal court in
Klamath Falls this week failed
to reach the Jury, attorneys for
both parties reaching an agree
ment which is now before Judge
James Alger Fee for considers
tion according to Otto Frohn
mayer, Medford attorney acting
for the defendant. Both were
the United States versus Car
ence C. Hard, the cases involving
two tracts of land used for the
marine barracks at Klamath
Falls and for a pipeline for the
barracks.
But one Jury was chosen, and
this contained the name of but
one resident of Klamath Falls
majority of the jurors being
from Medford and other parts of
Jackson county. Court was re
cessed to open in Medford in
June.
SIDE GLANCES
Br
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Jeanette Wlmer tactfully
pointing out to a reporter an
embarrassing error In a news
story.
Commander Harry Young,
forced to relinquish his Legion
commander chair to a guest
speaker, finding the rank and
file's bench a hard seat.
Larry Nygaard popping vest
buttons as a result of the advent
of an 8-pound grandson.
Full Leased Win
Back an Stand
tAcmt TeUphotoi
Blinking from glare ot cameramen's
flashbulbs, Joan Barry takes the
stand in Los Angeles court as star
witness (or tier infant daughter
Sarol Ann. In second trial of Baby's
paternity suit against comedian
Charlie Chaplin .
CITIZENS URGED
TO TURN IN-OLD
S
ftpplnnM A. Stncfff ffpnerfll
chairman for the United National
HnlMnff Hrlvi. In Jnrlfnn rnnntv
today urged everyone to turn In
their old clotnes tnis week m
n-dn, that Vio rtrlvo tnav hp
concluded by the first of next
week.
Stagg reported that the drive
Is progressing nicely and final
reports are expected to put
Jackson county "over the top."
rinthp rfmnnert In street recen.
tacles on streets of Medford will
be picked up each evening with
the final pickun from the boxes
to be made Monday morninc
AnvAna tun ft hnt nnt turned in
their clothing donations is asked
in rfennolt them in the boxes or
take them to one of the two re
ceiving depots. Humphrey's Mo
tors, 33 South Kiversme. or
Flchtner's Garage, Sixth and Fir
streets.
Stagg emphasized that It Is
nnt mfvnrv to clean wearing
apparel except underwear, shirts
and linen, wnicn snouia oe
washed but not necessarily
Ironed.
The Rotary club turned in a
fine collection of suits at their
T- mnnti n tT and threatened
lucnua; -o
to disrobe otter members who
do not produce suits at wcir
. uilna arcnrHtnff to E. C.
Corn, chairman of special events.
All schools and ciass rooms
that have not reached tne r
. nn th. rlnthins drive will
H 11 W L. v.. o
r.nntlnue the drive until tomor-
vw evening end schools win ac
cept the clothing until that time
E. H. Hedrick. superintendent of
city schools, stated today.
BARRED TO NAZIS
AHjlAtt Anril 11 (UP)
Sweden shut her doors to flee
ing Germans today in a move on
vlously designed to prevent Nazi
war criminals from slipping into
the country in the guise of refu
gees. German refugees who have ar
rived in the pa.it few days will
be reported unless they are
tn hp e-pmiine deserters
from the German armed forces or
In poor health, the Sweaisn gov
ernment'i decree said.
The action left Switzerland
hp nnlv neutral haven adjoin
ing Germany or German-occu
pied countries for German retu-
gees. A Bern Broadcast ian
nisht said Switzerland would
continue to welcome "the un
fortunate and innocent victims
of this war." '
I ft ti 1
Mf m
viz i y;
aaaa 5jfcwwtftfty assessa'
MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1945
HITLER SUCCESSOR
IS
Serious Split Among Nazi
Leaders, Report; Millions
Evacuated From Berlin.
London, April 11 OJ.PJ Evi
dence has reached official quar
ters in London that the nazis
are shoving aside Adolf Hitler,
possibly in favor of Gestapo
Chief Heinrich Himmler, the
Press Association said today.
"A serious split among nazi
leaders appears to be going on,"
the lobby correspondent of the
Press Association said. "Foreign
observers state Hitler now looks
to be a 'dying man.' "
' By United Press
April 20, Adolf Hitler's
birth, will be like any other
day in Germany, according to
radio reports.
BBC reported today that
there will be no holiday on
Hitler's 56th birthday. The
German minister of the inter
ior has ordered work to go on
as usual because of "war ne
cessity," the broadcast said.
The correspondent said the
nazis appeared to be "throwing
over" Hitler as the German dis
aster in the west grew almost
hourly. The dispatch did not
elaborate on the reports.
' Heads Gestapo
Himmler,, mentioned In ' the
dispatch as possible successor to
Hitler as supreme ruler in Ger
many, is interior minister and
commander of the German
home army In addition to head
of the dreaded Gestapo.
Himmler once before waa ru
mored to have become acting
fuehrer of Germany. That was
immediately following the abor
tive attempt on Hitler's life last
summer, but all evidence indi
cated that Hitler again had
taken over the reins following
his recovery from wounds.
Diplomatic sources gave seri
ous attention tothe Press Asso
ciation dispatch, since that agen
cy frequently is used to circul
ate information from official
circles.
Aerial' reconnaissance and
neutral reports, meantime, indi
cated that the Germans have
evacuated millions of civilians
from Berlin, once the world's
fourth largest city.
City Stripped
The city apparently has been
stripped for an impending siege
from the east and west.
Night reconnaissance fliers
said trains were leaving Berlin
under cover of darkness, pre
sumably moving out the last of
the civilian refugees or possibly
shifting troops south to the Alps
for a last stand.
A Berlin dispatch to the Zur
ich newspaper Dietat said sev
eral hundred thousand inhabi
tants had left the capital in the
past fortnight alone because of
the worsening food situation.
Only a bare trickle of food
has slipped through the allied
air blockade of Berlin, the dis
patch said. Even army rations
were said to have been cut se
verely. Milk was almost unob
tainable, even for babies.
Colombia in its colonial days
was known aa the Vice-Royalty
of New Granada. -
"Ball of Fire" Fighting Spirit
Needed Now By Japs, Togo Warns
By United Press
Jspanese Foreign Minister
Shlgenori Togo, In his first
speech since he resumed cabinet
osflce under Premier Kantaro
Suzuki, said Wednesday that
Japan's foreign policy "will now
dovetail perfectly into military
considerations.
Togo, regarded In Japan as an
expert of soviet relations, assert
ed that Japan was "fighting only
a war of self defense," and
aimed only at "universal peace
and concord of nations based on
Would-Be Glamor '
Girl Sentenced
On Check Charge
Hollywood. April 11 (U.R)
The desire of Jane Reinhart
Fletcher, 24, of Topeka, Kansas,
to be a "Hollywood glamor girl"
resulted today in her being jail
ed for 00 days on her plea of
guilty to cashing a worthless
check for $100 to buy -an ex
pensive gown.
Superior Judge Clement D.
Nye originally suspended a one
year term and placed the come
ly blonde on probation for three
years. When she failed to make
restitution, she was ordered to
serve SO days of her sentence
Daughter of Charles Edwin
Reinhart, chief clerk of the Kan
sas State Corporation Commis
sion, Mrs. Fletcher admitted she
got in with a "fast movie crowd"
and was living beyond her
means.
F
FREED BY YANKS
Paris, April 11. (U.R) More
than 4,000 French officers, per
haps a fifth or a sixth of France's
pre-war personnel, were liberat
ed on the night of April 6 when
American ninth army forces
overran prison camp on the
southwest edge oi feoest. - ' " "
MaJ. Forrest W. Creamer of
Jeffersonville (state not listed)
told about it today. He was the
first American officer to enter
the compound after the troops
captured it. '
Many of the officers had been
prisoners for five years. At least
800 of them made forced
march from Arnswald, northeast
of Berlin, to Soest, southeast qf
Hamm, when the Russians over
ran Pomerania. The distance is
more than 300 miles.
The prisoners told Creamer
they had had no medical atten
tion lately, not even during the
march from Arnswalde which
was made in subfreezing weath
er. They were on the road from
Jan. 29 to March 20. They slept
in the open on the way, and the
feet of many were frozen.
OLD C-C BUILDING
The 40-year old former Cham
ber of Commerce building on
Main street near the railroad
tracks, having out-lived Its use
fulness, has been sold by the
Southern Pacific Co. to a local
contractor and Is being com
pletely removed.
Exact construction date of the
building Is not on record but it
was built by the Commercial
Club of Medford about 40 years
ago on property owned by the
Southern Pacific.
The building, having been
used for civic purposes through
out the years, was vacated by
the Jackson County Chamber of
Commerce last year.
According to Southern Pacific
officials no plans have been
made for future occupancy of
the lot on which the building
stood.
equality," Tokyo radio reported
in a broadcast recorded by Unit
ed Press, San Francisco. -
"All Japanese must tackle the
war In the manner of the body
crashing special attack corps,"
Togo said. "Besides fighting for
the independence of greater
east Asia, we are striving for
our empire."
Togo said Japan's ' fighting
spirit "will be turned into a huge
ball of fire to bring about the
strength for the outcome, no
matter what difficulties lie
head."
TRIBUNE
United Press
OF
AUSTRIANS SAY
Russians Complete Occupa
tion of Remaining Districts
Door Open to Germany.
London, April 11 (U.R) An
Austrian broadcast said today
that the last three nazi-held dis
tricts of Vienna have been clear
ed, presumably completing . the
liberation of the Austrian cap
ital. Radio Sender Austria said the
Leopoldstadt (second) and Brl
gittenau (20th) districts, both be
tween the Danube river canal
and the river Itself, and the
Florldsdorf '(21st) district east of
the river finally had been lib
erated. Occupation of the remainder
of Vienna's 21 districts all
those west of the river and canal
was completed yesterday by
Marshal Feodor I. Tolbukhln's
Russian 3d Ukrainian army.
Escape Narrowed
A soviet front dispatch said
Tolbukhin had captured a cross
ing over the Danube canal into
the Leopoldstadt and Brigit
tenau districts.
Russian forces at last reports
were driving along the east bank
of the Danube less than eight
miles northeast of Florldsdorf.
They had narrowed the German
escape gap from Vienna to less
than JO miles, already spanned
by artillery fire.
The liberation of Vienna
would topple the strongest bas
tion athwart the back door to
Germany and the nazl last-ditch
defense zone in the Austrian and
Bavarian Alps.
ACTOR LOOKING
Regis Tomey, Hollywood
movie actor, and Bradley Page,
retired actor, left Medford this
morning for southern California
after a brief visit In the city.
Tomey Is in the cast of "Dough
girls," which played at the Cra
terian theater last night.
Tomey and Page came here
from Curry county, the former
having been a guest at the Page
ranch there for the past several
days. Both expressed themselves
as delighted with southern Ore
gon and Tomey Is hoping to pur
chase land in this area. Page
retired from the screen about
four years ago and since has
spent most of his time on the
Curry county ranch.
The men were registered at
the Holland hotel while in the
city.
AUTO ROLLS OVER ON
CRATER LAKE HIGHWAY
' A Pontlac sedan operated by
Mrs. Erma D. Perry, Shady Cove,
upset late yesterday afternoon
on the Crater Lake highway a
short distance from Medford
when a rear tire blew out, ac
cording to a report from state po
lice. The vehicle rolled over
one and one-half times.
Neither Mrs. Perry or her
mother-in-law, Mrs. Minnie Per
ry and five-year-old daughter,
Carrie, passengers In the auto,
were injured, police said, al
though the car was badly
wrecked.
CHORAL MUSIC PROGRAM
SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 27
April 27 Is the date ot the
concert of choral music to be
nrpipntpd bv music students of
Medford senior high school Miss
Mabel Nansen, music supervisor
stated today. The a cappella
choir and girls' chorus will be
featured in the program.
Chungking, April 11. (U.R)
More than 5,000 Japanese, in
eluding a divisional and regl
mental commander, were killed
in the battle of the Nelsiang dis
trict of southwest Honan, com
munique announced today.
Full Leased Wire
NO. 17.
235 COAL MINES
SEIZED IN EFFORT
TO HALTSTRIKES
Producers, Unionists Pre
pare to Ratify New Wage
Contract After Seizure.
Washington, April 11 (U.R)
Soft Coal Producers and the
United Mine Workers prepared
today to ratify a new wage con
tract estimated by operators to
mean an average daily raise of
$1.30 for miners and a $150,000,-
000 a year expense for the in
dustry. Negotiations for the two par
ties reached agreement last night
shortly after the government
seized 235 coal mines that had
been beset by wildcat . strikes
traceable in part to the uncer
tainty of the nearly six weeks
of wage discussions.
In Seven States
The seized mines were located
In seven states Pennsylvania
Ohio, Alabama, Virginia, In
diana, Tennessee and Kentucky
and for the most part were the
so-called captive mines operated
by steel companies.
Fuel Administrator Harold L,
Ickes was directed to operate
the 235 mines seized by the gov
ernment. He appointed the mine
owners as federal managers, or
dered the American flag run up
over the pits and the miners to
report for work tomorrow morn
ing. E
BEFORE ALLIES
IN ITALY DRIVE
Rome, April 1 1 (UP) Both
coastal wings of the German de
fenses In Italy swayed back to
day before concerted allied
drives which captured the La
Spezia naval base's" outpost of
Mnssa and gained two and a half
miles through three Po valley
towns.
The American 8th army storm
ed through Masa, German strong
hold 18 miles southeast of La
Spezia, and on the other side of
Italy the British 8th army's new
offensive across the Senio river
toppled Lugo, 28 miles southeast
of Bologna, Fuslgnano, four
miles northeast of Lugo, and
Cotignola, four and a half south
east of Lugo.
Gen. Mark W. Clark's 15th
army group was striking all
along the line In a bid to whit
tle down the German might in
Italy before it could fall back
to Join the homeland defenders
in a last hopeless stand.
Throughout the day yesterday
allied planes carried on their
greatest attach aince the inva
sion of southern France last
August. They flew 1,850 sorties.
LOUISIANA FLOOD
4
New Orleans, La., April 11,
(U.R) Helicopters carried iooa,
MniMno and medicine to thou
sands of homeless flood victims
in central Louisiana today as the
death toll from swollen streams
mounted to four.
Clarence F. Rowland, head of
the National Red Cross disaster
committee headquarters at Alex
andria said nearly 70,000 fam
ilies presently were affected by
the floods. Over 40,000, he said
had been evacuated already
Thousands of refugees were liv
Ing In tei" cities throughout the
stricken area and were being
fed from field kitchens.
Approximately 1,500,000 acres
of land were under water and
thousands of head of cattle had
drowned. ' " "
Americans Million Strong
Break Loose for Last Push
Toward Germany's Capital
BULLETIN
PARIS, APRIL 11. (U.R) THE NINTH ARMY'S HELL-OHW
WHEELS SECOND. ARMORED DIVISION IN ONE OF THH
MOST SPECTACULAR DRIVES OF THE WAR TONIGHT
RACED TO THE BANKS OF THE ELBE RIVER AT MAGDE.
BURG. 63 MILES WEST OF BERLIN.
THE ELBE IS THE LAST WATER LINE BARRINQ THI
AMERICAN ADVANCE UPON THE REICH CAPITAL.
THE SECOND ARMORED'S ADVANCE WAS ONE OF THB
MOST DASHING IN A CAMPAIGN THAT RAPIDLY WAS
DEVELOPING INTO SPEED RACE ALONG THE SUPER.
HIGHWAYS THAT ADOLF HITLER ONCE BUILT FOR THB
USE OF THE WEHRMACHT.
Paris, April 11 (U.R) The great German arsenal city of
Essen fell today in the wake of three American armies racing;
over the last 100 miles to Berlin at a clip that was expected to
bring a Juncture with the Red Army in the next 24 to 72 hours.
In a day of spreading Nazi military disaster that brought the
final collapse of the Wehrmacht measurably closer, the American
First, Third and Ninth Armies, more than 1,000,000 strong, broke
loose on what appeared to be the final drive for Berlin.
INVADERS FIND RESISTANCE DISORGANIZED
Vanguards of the Ninth Army in the north were 89 miles or
less from the capital early today and all three armies were pound
ing ahead against disorganized resistance.
Essen, Germany's greatest manufacturing city and the core o
the Ruhr valley industries, was captured by the Ninth Army's 17th
Airborne Division in an advance into the northern wall of the
Ruhr trap.
Home of the sprawling Krupp Works and the sixth largest
city in Germany, it was. the richest industrial prize to fall into
Allied hands. The German garrison, already more than 100 miles
behind the Berlin-bound American armies, offered only weak
resistance.
ESSEN FALLS SOON AFTER HANNOVER
Essen fell barely 24 hours after the Ninth Army's 84th Divi
sion had captured the big railway and factory city of Hannover.
Cologne and Frankfort-on-Main also in American hands and seven
more of Germany's 20 largest cities Harburg, Bremen, Dort
mund, Dulsburg, Disseldorf, Leipzig and Magdeburg were by
passed, under direct attack or lmmlently threatened by the Allied
sweep.
The swift capitulation of the Essen garrison was expected to
speed up the liquidation of the Ruhr trap, still holding possibly
120,000 Germans, and release powerful American forces to Join thai
march toward Berlin and a link-up with the Red Army.
, American Ninth Army troops on the northern wing raced five
miles beyond Brunswick to within 09 miles of the dying Nazi
capital.- The First Army was 114 miles from Berlin and the Third
Army 126 to 130 miles awayv on the basis of front reports lagging
hours behind the speeding American tanks. '
BEYOND ELBE BEFORE SATURDAY
'A dispatch from United Press War Correspondent John M
Dermott reported that leaders of the First Army tank forces ex
pected to be far beyond the Elbe and linked up with the west
bound Russians before Saturday.
German resistance before the Elbe was shattered completely
and nothing but undefended road blocks lay in the path ot the
charging First Army.
The link-up with the Red Army would split Germany In two,
seal the fate of Berlin and probably end all organized enemy re
sistance except perhaps In the "Islands of resistance" in the Bavar
ian redoubt, along the North Sea coast and In the Ruhr. ,
SOUTHERN END OF LINE RESISTS
Only at the southern end of the western battle lines were the
Germans offering any coherent resistance. There crack Elite
Guards Divisions fought tooth asd nail to slow the American
Seventh Army's drive across Bavaria toward the Nazis' boasted
"last redoubt" In the southern mountains.
In the north, Canadian troops plowed ahead through the Ems
river valley within 20 miles or less of the North Sea and' British
Second Army forces rolled up for Hamburg in a weakly-opposed
drive aimed at turning the Elbe line and lopping off all of north
western Germany and Denmark.
EISENHOWER IN DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT
The British advance on the coast prompted Gen. Eisenhow
er's dramatic announcement on the German collapse. In a special
message broadcast to German Njrth Sea port officials and work
ers, Eisenhower called upon them to prevent sabotage of the great
harbors and naval bases by fanatical Nazi demolition squads.
"In these last weeks of the war the future of your towns is
In the gravest danger from fanatics who may make a last-minute
attempt to make the ports unusable," ne said.
"The power of the men behind these fanatics Is crumbling. It
will be broken with the arrival of the Allied armies. Then your
ports will be used at once. It depends on what you do now which
will be the first port reopened."
7) VJV'-"
K-w'-CM, "'"I'M w S '
)OMMltr; VxMM7 ewimo (
JoiOONl , ftirL llMMchi , PISBlN
T HAMKfUHT fclsW. ' ff. jLftt
V F? J A?7 nunc IU KHltbo ; r
la w.v..v.vsr:S..-r' ; sohemi.
VjtUMwtli V i. ft.
ltJ'.itOTTGA.r X ; f
...J-. jf-WWrrflMSUO . BAVARIA y-J ,
FRANCI ; UUmf- , y I VI HNS ,
Resuming Its slashing drive toward Birlra, TJ. S. First Army pushes al
most to Nordhsusea lit mlln from the capital end U miles from Elbe
River. The Third and Ninth ArtnKe likewise thrust toward the Elbe
while, In north. American and British forces strike for Hamburg. Oo
0UrtAL9 Vld l fool, Nssle bat tit fiercely for BeUbronn, other bastions
3
K
TS MKKLIN.URO
(Arm Tefppfofe)
1