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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1945)
Japs Lose 204 Planes In Third Attempt To Smash Okinawa Invaders Weather forecast! Partly elondy to cloudy tonifht and Wednes day. Occasional light showers Wednesday. Warmer tonUht, Cooler Wednesday. Temp. Hlrnest yesterday 71 Lowest this morning 33 Precipitation to ft a, m., none Tribune FORD POTTING ATTAWPILOTS Blazing Aerial Battles Rage Over 360-Mile Front; Big gest Hunting for Yanks. U-lted Press Full Leased Wire United Press Full Leased Wire Fortieth Year MEDFORD, OREroN, TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1945 NO. 22 Med 7 n Guam, April 17 U.PJ The Japanese air force lost 204 planes yesterday in a third un successful attempt to smash the American invasion forces off Okinawa, and today a huge fleet of Superfortresses blasted six enemy aircraft staging bases on the home island of Kyushu. Blazing aerial battles were fought between American and Japanese pilots in the skies along a 360-mile route between Okinawa and Kyushu. Navy gunners on ships ranging from gunboats to carriers of the Es sex class joined in the fight, front dispatches reported. All-Day Battle The battle lasted all day. Japanese planes trying desper ately to reach the U. S. fleet were sent hurtling in flames in to the sea. A United Press dispatch from Vice Ad.n. Richmond Kelly Tur ner's flagship said yesterday's battle offered some of the great est hunting of the war for Amer ican fighting men. It was Jap an's third try in 11 days to crip ple the U. S. fleet in the Ryukyus. In hitting Kyushu, southern' most of the enemy home islands, the B-29's sent the rapidly mounting aerial offensive against Japan into the sixtn straight day. Airfields Hit Splitting into six groups, the Marianas based Superfortresses plastered a half dozen airfields in northern and southern Kyu shu with demolition bombs rath er than Incendiaries which were heaped on Tokyo twice in the last 72 hours. The targets were the airfields at Kanoya, East Kanoya, Izumi, Kokubu and Nittaoahara, all in southern Kyushu, and Tachiarai in the northwestern section of the island. - ... All the airfields were known to have held planes which have been hitting at the U. S. sea, land and air forces In the Oki nawa area, some of them in suicide attacks. IN WLB DECISION Portland, Ore., April 17 U.B Northwest Pacific coast lumber workers will have no general wage Increase but they gained other important concessions to day in a decision by the west coast lumber commission of the national war labor board. The decision affected the Industry-wide case of the Interna tional Woodworkers of America, C. I. O. Thirty-five northwest pine lumber and logging employers situated in the Klamath Falls area in Oregon and in the Inland empire region of Washington. Idaho and western Montana, were affected. The decision granted union demands for check-off of dues, Initiation fees and assessments, a two-week va cation after five years employ ment, the contract clause re quiring 'contractors to comply with the principal employers' collective bargaining contract and provision for a 40-hour work week for all but power house employes and watchers. The wage rate for power-saw fallers and Juckors was set by order at $1.75 an hour in Klam ath Falls vicinity, and S1.67V4 in the Inland empire region. Cer tain Individual wage rate adjust ments In individual companies were allowed. Union demands denied Includ ed a general wage Increase, union hiring. Three-men crews for power saws, abolition of piece rates for power saws, com pulsory state workmen's com pensation and certain Individual Job classification wage rate In creases. LAKE CREEK MAN HURT AS TRACTOR EXPLODES A tractor being operated by Robert Lucas, 35. Lake Creek farmer, exploded yesterday afternoon, seriously Injuring Lucas He was brought to Sacred Heart hospital last evening and treated for second and third de gree burns. Lucas' attending physician stated this noon that he was rest ing fairly well and was expected to recover. j-,-r jb . .. (Acme Telephotot . President Harry S. Truman, In his first appearance before the Congress, assures the nation and the world that be will suDDort and defend the Ideals ot President Roosevelt "with all my strength and with all my taenn ' F.D.Rs Foreign and Domestic Policies Endorsed By Truman In First Conference Hrhlnolnn Anril 17 (IIP) President Truman in his first press conference today gave whnle-hpateri endorsement to tVii fnroitm and rinmestie nolicies prevailing at the time 'he took office. He said that he would not lift thn hnn nn horse racins and that he thought the midnight curfew had done a lot ot good for the morale ot tne country. He endorsed the Bretton Woods Inte. rational Monetary program that had been sent to Congress by the late President Roosevelt for approval. He also voiced full support for the Reciprocal Trade pro- eram. with its accompanying ex port-Import bank. To See Moloior w riicrlncpd that he planned n .on Snvlpt Fnreien Commissar V. M. Molotov while the Russian leader is en route to the united Nntlnnt meetine In San Fran ce,! Mr. Truman said Molotov was going to stop in Washington to pay his respects to tne presi dent of the United States. And Mr Truman added, he should. The president would not dis cuss any official appointments imrnWintf the cabinet or other top government personnel. Ha said, under Questioning that James F. Byrnes, former Wnr Mnhili7atlnn Director, was not going to the San Francisco conference. He's going back to South Caro- 2.400 STARVING L With 30th U. S. Division on the Elbe, Germany, April 17 CUR) More than 2,400 starving men, women and children mostly Jews were rescued from a prison train by the 30th divi sion near Farsleben, 10 miles north of Magdeburg, this week. The 30th overran a prison train of 48 boxcars In which the Germans had been transporting their slave laborers from Hann over towards southern Germany Sgt. Harold Jnntzen, New Al bany, Ind., and his squad killed or captured the nazis manning flak guns on the train, and then opened the boxcar doors. The prisoners poured out, hys terical in their freedom. They said they had eaten noth ing for six days ind had been penned In the packed cars with out food or water. Some already were dead in the cars, others were too weak to move. Some hobbled painfully on swollen feet as they staggered toward a nearby stream and be gan washing. Thirty-four of the prisoners claimed American citizenship. 'I'll Support F. D. R. Ideals-Truman . tr.,s- TRUMAN EARLY BIRD Washington, April 17 (U.R) President Truman is an early bird who goes to work when most of official Wash ington is reaching for orange juice.-- - - This was a sad fact for a lot of the White House person nel (and for some reporters too). Mr. Truman's work day starts about 8 a. m. The late president Roosevelt rarely started doing business before 10:30 or 11 o'clock. Una, Mr. Truman said of Byrnes, adding that when he needed Byrnes' advice he would send for it. In response to a further question, Mr. Truman said he had no plans for bringing Byrnes into the government. No Meeting Planned Mr. Truman said he would be very happy to meet the leaders of the fighting Allies, including Prime Minister Winston Church ill. Premier Josef Stalin. Gener alissimo Chiank Kai-Shek and Gen. Charles DcGau lie. He said however, that he had not initiat ed any steps toward any meet ings with them. His conference drew an all- time high number of reporters 348 into the circular presi dential office. The crowd over flowed out onto a side terrace and the room within 20 minutes became almost unbearably hot Mr. Truman stood up during the conference and answered the questions with a straight-forward directness that twice moved a number of the reporters to applaud- loudly a rare occurrence in a White House news confer ence. Mr. Truman said that he had asked Mr. Roosevelt's three sec retaries Stephen T. Early, Wil liam D. Hassett and Jonathan Daniels end Judge Samuel I Roscnman to stay at their posts and help train Truman's White House team. No S. F. Plans Discussing the United Nations LEND-LEASE ACT IS BY Washington, April 17. (U.R) President Truman today signed the lend-lease extension act. He said the lend-lease program "will be carried on until the uncondi tional surrender or complete de feat of Germany and Japan.' The president signed the legis lation shortly after he had con ferred briefly with members of the American delegation to the United States conference at San Francisco. 'Lend-lease,' ha said in a statement, "has been an effect ive instrument to help assure a complete united nations victory with the least cost in American and allied lives." conference that begins at San Francisco next week, Mr. Tru man said he had no plans to at tend the conference at any time He said he would stay at his desk here where he belonged. He said he planned, however, to welcome the delegates through a brief radio address on the opening day. In hard hitting phrases Mr. Truman said he had a compe tent delegation going to San Francisco to represent the Inter ests of this nation and that he would back them up from his desk at Washington. The questioning veered Into the domestl- field and Mr. Tru man was asked about reports that he would lift the ban oi horse racing. The president said flatly that he did not Intend to lift the ban Then someone In the rear jf the room wanted to know wheth er the same thing applied to the curfew, the brownout, and a number of other similar restric tions. Truman answered this by say ing that he thought they had done a lot of good for the morale of the nation and ought to stay in force. STAGE T London, April 17 (U.R) Stockholm dispatches today car ried the first authentic reports of mutiny in the German navy, whose revolt in World War I led to the Reich's capitulation. The mutiny apparently was on a comparatively small scale for the moment, but observers be lieved it may spread as Allied armies move to cut off the Bal tic coast from the rest of the country. The Stockholm Newspaper Da gens Nyheter said 12 German sailors arrived at the Swedish port of Strocmstad on ihe Katte gat aboard a naval patrol vessel and surrendered for Interment. The sailors told Swedish au thorities they lad overwhelmed their two officers, locked them up and fled from a Norwegian harbor, Dagens Nyheter said. SIDE GLANCES By TRIBUNE REPORTERS Claud Hoover coining a few new ones while extricating him self from a hip-deep barnyard mudhole. The draft board galsclimblng on the city hall roof for the 'steenth time to rescue a wren when trapped in the skylight Verl "Marconi" Walker let ting a little information on "FM" radio from a source that didn't know much about it. GRISLY EVIDENCE OF JAP SAVAGERY IS Massacre of Men, Women and Children Set New High in Wanton Sadism. Washington, April 17 (U.PJ Hundreds of men, women and children were massacred by the Japanese in Manila in an in credible wave of terror during the first two weeks of February the War Department said today. The Japanese killed their vic tims by shooting, bayoneting, burning, starvation,' suffocation and beating, the department said. Incredible Evidence The War Department released sworn first-hand accounts of American army officers and en listed men who saw and exam- Washington, April 17 (U.R) The Tokyo radio is broad easting stories of "Ku Klux Klan" tactics against Japanese-Americans in the west coast in attempts to discredit the coming San Francisco con ference and the proclaimed, principles ol the United Na tions, it was learned today. Dillon S. Myer, director of the was relocation authority, told the United Press by tele phone from San Francisco that "some damage already has been done" by the Japanese propaganda among the world's non-white population. ined 'hundreds of victims. Sworn statements of mutilated surviv ors, and captured Japanese docu ments obtained by Gen. Douglas MacArthur s headquarters. "This evidence proves the Japanese campaign of terror in Manila so Incredible by all civ ilized standards that the most thorough verification and docu mentation were necessary," the War Department said. Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, resident commissioner of the Philippines to the United States described the massacres to Con gress as the War Department was releasing its information. A captured Japanese battalion order dated Feb 8 said: How to Kill "When Filipinos are to be killed, they must be gathered into one place and disposed of with the consideration that am munition and manpower must not be used to excess. Because the disposal of dead bodies Is a troublesome task, they should be gathered into houses which are scheduled to be burned or demolished. The) should also be thrown Into the river." Such orders "unleashed wan ton savagery upon defenseless Manila," the War Department said. "Men between the ages of 15 and 60 were ordered seized and shot down," it said. "Execution parties moved from house to house with hand grenades, Dayo nets and torches. Hundreds were packed Into dungeons to perish of starvation and suffocation. Patients Bayonetted "Japanese soldiers massacred without mercy at Concordia College and De La Salle College and at the Red Cross building, where doctors and nurses and patients were indiscriminately bayoneted," the War Department said. "The evidence Includes grisly exhibiU of sadism. Babies were repeatedly stabbed and slashed with bayonets, even In their mothers' arms. Women and young girls were violated, their breasts amputated, and their genitals stabbed with bayonets. "Hundreds were bound and soaked with gasoline, or enclr cled with blazing fuel, Survlv ors report that the Japanese mocked and laughed at their vie tuns." One witness said ha discov ered the bodies of 70 men, wom en and children near the home for Catholic brothers. Women Mutilated "Soma of the women were Ike To Proclaim V-E Day Only On Job Completion Paris, April 17. (U.R) Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower will pro claim V-E day only after the last important German pockets on the western front have been wiped out. He served notice to this effect yesterday at an interview at his field headquarters with a group of visiting American radio corre spondents. The war in Europe is not like ly until allied troops, have occu pied Germany completely, he said. He doubted there ever would be a formal Nazi surren der. ILL F.D.R. FAILING AT YALTA MEETING London, April 17. (U.R) Prime Minister Churchill' told commons today that he noticed President Roosevelt was ailing at Yalta, and left him at Alexan dria with an "Indefinable sense of fear that his health and strength were on the ebb." At the Crimea conference, Churchill said In a tribute to Mr. Roosevelt, "his captivating smile and his gay, charming manner had I not deserted him, but his face had a transparency, an air of purification even. There was a faraway look In his eyes." Churchill spoke In commons of his personal regard and af fection beyond my power to ex press" for Mr. Roosevelt after attending memorial services at St. Paul's, where he wept open ly. Churchill said he received his last messages from Mr. Roose velt last Thursday. They "show ed no falling off In his accus tomed clear vision and vigor upon perplexing and complicat ed matters." Altogether, he said, he and Mr. Roosevelt had exchanged more than 1,700 messages. On the basis of these and his per sonal association with the presi dent, he "conceived an admira tion for him as a statesman, a man of affairs, and as a war leader. I felt the utmost confi dence In his upright, inspiring character and outlook." pregnant," his affidavit de clared. "On the body of one woman the breasts had been cut off. All of the bodies found were pierced by several bayo net wounds." Another witness, Identified as a captain In the medical corps discovered 48 bodies strewn along a small stream. Most of the dead had their hands tied behind their backs, he said. The affidavit of a sergeant who discovered the corpses of 45 women declared that evidence of assault was apparent. His affidavit also disclosed that children were found among this group of dead, all of whom had been cruelly bayonetted. Wallace Gives "Hell of an Answer" Says Sen. Wiley in Washington, April 17 (U.R) Secretary of Commerce Henry A. Wallace today told Sen. Alex ander Wiley, R., Wis., that he was "Just talking for a third world war" when Wiley object' ed to renewal of the Trade Agreements act. Wiley told Wallace that was "a hell of an answer." The clash occurred during Wallace's testimony before a senate small business subcom mlttce after the secretary had with continued authority for the called for renewal of the act President to reduce tariffs SO per cent. Wiley asked how Wallace would apply his theories to a specific instance such as shoe TWAR FLEET OF 1,191 SHIPS IS NAVTC PLAN Public Given First Glimpse of Blueprints in Appropri ation Recommendations. Washington. April 17. (U.R) A tentative navy plan for a post war fleet of 1,191 combat ships almost three times the size of the pre-war fighting fleet was presented to congress today. The public was given Its first glimpse of the navy's postwar blue-print as the house appropri ations committee recommended a $24,879,510,548 navy depart ment budget for the 1948 fiscal year Btarting next July 1. This was a slash of $452,655,104 from estimates previously approved by the budget bureau. Too Many In Navy Vice Adm. Frederic J. Home, vice chief of naval operations, was revealed to have told the appropriations committee that the navy expects to end tha war with 1,528 combat ships, rang ing down In size to destroyer escorts and submarines. Of these 337 obsolescent craft would be scrapped or used as target ves sels. While tha commutes mended approval of most of the navy'a requests, it sharply criti cized personnel doIIcv and ax- pressed the belief that there was entirely too much" commission ed and enlisted personnel "In Jobs normally filled bv civilian, hnth In Washington and throughout me country. It ursed Rerrtni-ir nl tha Navy James Forrestal to "take immediate measures to effect such curtailment both of white collar and servlcn nprnnnl a would bring the number of each wunin essential bounds." GEORGE JANTZER SELLS PROSPECT LUMBER MILL The Jantzer Lumher rnmnnnv mill at Prosncct hpffan niviri. tions yesterday under new own ership. Thomas Ross of Grants Pass and James f!ushlntf r,t nnlr. land, Calif., purchased the mill irom ueorge L.. Jantzer and Ed ward Pease and wlllmaniirar-t. ure fir and pondcrosa sugar nine. Annttt 2.1 mjn .Dr. Mnn nv. ed at the mill, which will be known as the Ross-Cushing Lum ber company. SGT. JACK YOUNG IS SAFE, FATHER LEARNS Sgt. Jack E. Young, who was reported shot down over Ger many recently, has been released from a hospital and Is in good health, according to a message received by his father, Ray Young, 327 North Grape street. No further details were given in the message, Young said. Sgt. Youngs' mother resides at 329 North Riverside. Wild coffee plants grow In southern and western Abyssinia in extensive forests, the supply being practically unlimited. Hearing Gash factory. In his home town of Chippewa Falls, Wis., Wiley said, a manufacturer told him that if tariffs wore reduced he could buy shoes abroad and re sell them here cheaper than he could make them. "How do your theories apply to that?" Wiley demanded "Won't they result In throwing American workers out of their Jobs and hurt American produc tion?" "Senator," Wallace replied. "I hate to hear you talking like that. You're Just talking for a third world war." "That's a hell of an answer," Wiley snapped. "You're getting cockeyed, that's what's tha mat ter with you." In LTti E RIPS NEW HOLES IN NAZIDEFENSE Germans Say Large -Scale Offensive on South End of Front to Link With Yanks. London, April 17. (U.R) Red armies perhaps 2,000,000 strong tore new holes In the eastern de fenses of Berlin along a 150-mile front today and one column was reported only 17 miles from tha Nazi capital. While armored forces fought near Eberswalde, 17 miles northeast of Berlin, two mora tank-supported Soviet divisions plunged' through the Nazi Una east of Letschin, 26 miles to tha southeast and 30 miles from tha capital, tha Germans said. Another German broadcast said tha Soviet attack at tha southern end of tha new assault front 'had "assumed the charac ter of a large-scale offensive" in itself, apparently aimed at link ing up with the American third army 80-odd miles to the west. Soviet paratroops dropped even closer to Berlin, but wera encircled and wiped out, Nazi broadcasts said. SAVAGE BATTLE, FOR MAGDEBURG Paris, April 17 (U.R) Amer ican 9th army tanks and Infan trymen broke Into Magdeburg from three sides today In a sav age battle for the last four Elba river bridges still standing on the road to Berlin, 60 miles to the northeast. United Press War Correspond ent Robert Vermillion reported In a dispatch from Magdeburg this afternoon that the Ameri cans were advancing rapidly through the flaming city after having broken tha back of tha nazi defenses In a fierce street battle. By la'.e afternoon the enemy defenders, 2,000 to 4,000 strong, had been herded back almost to the river edge and their resist ance was beginning to crack. Bridges Remain Vermillion said the nazis still had not blown up the four key bridges, raising the possibility of a major break-through that would spill the 9th army's full striking power across the Elbe on the direct road to Berlin. The battle for Magdeburg raged under an enormous pall of smoke and flame created by a four-hour American aerial and artillery bombardment. Long columns of American heavy tanks were rolling in toward the Elbe bridges, smashing down nazi barricades and clearing the way for the Infantry. The assault coincided with equally heavy American attacks on Leipzig and Nuerenberg, where other United States troops were striking furiously In the east and block the nazi to link up with the Red armies escape roads into the Bavarian redoubt. MORE CATTLE Denver, April 17 (U.R) There wera approximately 150,000 more head of cattle on feed for market April 1 in tha eleven corn-belt states this year than last, it was shown today in a survey released by tha federal bureau of agricultural econom ics. BASEBALL1 National St. Louis 1 T 1 Chicago S 4 0 Wilks and W. Cooper; Derring er and Livingston. American Boston 4 9 4 New York 8 J Cecil and Walters; Donjld and Garbark.
