Furious Artillery Duel Flares on Okinawa Battle Line
Weather
FORECAST: Variable cloudlnut
with showers tonight. Satur
day, partly cloudy nd slight
ly warmer with showers In
higher mountains. Temp.
Blrheit Yeiterdar 60
Lowest this Morning .
Ttls, m., today .
M....43
Free.
Jl
Fortieth Year
99 HIGHWAY HAS
OREGONIANS T OLD
Sister State Highway Com
mission Backs Medford
Route as Inter-region Link
Sacramento, May 18 U.P.)
The California Highway Com
mission has instructed Highway
Engineer George T. McCoy to
inform Oregon highway repre
sentatives that California favors
designation of U. S. Highway 09
from Weed, Calif., to Ashland
Ore., via Yreka, as part of the
Interstate Highway System
Commission Chairman C. H. Pur
cell said today.
Purcell said that so far as he
knows the Oregon Highway
Commission has taken no action
on the question. An alternate
route, through Klamath Falls,
has been proposed and if the
two states fail to agree the ques
tion will be submitted to the
U. S. Public Roads Administra
tion, he said.
Representatives of the Red
wood Empire Association, the
Yreka Chamber of Commerce
and the Oregon Pacific Highway
Association appeared before the
commission today to present ar
guments in favor of the Weed
Ashland route.
Those appearing included O.
O. Steele, of the Yreka Chamber
of Commerce, and Sen. Randolph
Collier of Yreka.
KILLER DOG PACK
Miami. Fla., May 18 U.R)
The dog pack which attacked
and killed Mrs. Doretta Micko
Zinke was wiped out -by rifle
fire today, as their owner was
held for a preliminary hearing
on manslaughter charges.
Acting at the request of Joe
Munn, owner and breeder of the
vicious Pit Bulldogs, sheriff's
officers shot eight of the dogs at
the quarantine kennels, then
went to Munn'i shack where the
rest of his more than 20 dogs
were kept.
Officers said Munn called the
dogs a "bad breed" and said they
ihould all be killed. The pack
attacked and mangled Mrs. Zin
ke Wednesday night. -
BASEBALL
American
Boston
Chicago .
Ferriss and
and Tresh.
Garbark; Hayes
Maj. Bill Bowerman Arranges
Surrender Of 4,000 Germans
Describing the mass surrender
of 4000 German troops in an
Italian battle sector, Major Bill
Bowerma.i, former athletic
coach for Medford senior high
school a.. J now with the Tenth
Mountain Infantry division, re
centl wrote to Mrs. Bowerman,
who resides at the family home,
S08 Whitman avenue.
Major Bowerman war acting
as battalion commander on the
day the event -took place, and
thus happened to be one of the
main participants in the surren
der. He ordinarily is regimental
supply officer for the 86th infan
try regiment.
"Day before yesterday I had
quite an experience," the major
wrote, "I got a report from a
partisan (Italian) that there were
100 Germans IS miles behind
our lines who wanted to surren
der, so I got my driver and jeep
and away we went We drove
about six miles up a steep moun
tain pass then out Into a beauti
ful mountain valley containing
half a dozen Alpine villages. As
we drove through the small
towns crowds of citizens would
rheer and throw all kinds of
flowers into the jeep.
Talk To Lieutenant
"We finally reached the vil
lage we were looking for and
there I talked with a German
lieutenant. His men, about So
of them, were standing around.
It seemed that he could not move
without orders from higher
headquarters. I finally made out
that their colonel tad been cap
Medford
United Pit
Sam Hayes, Noted
Radio Newscaster
Is Grounded Here
Sam Hayes, known to thou
sands in past years as the Rich
field reporter, expected to leave
Meoford this afternoon for Sac
raments,' Calif., after having
been grounded here since Wed
nesday by poor flying weather.
In his party were Lee Woods,
writer and co-worker, apd B. K
Hopkins, pilot.
Hayes, now engaged in a cam
paign to have cities and other
governmental units and organi
zations select "living memorials"
to honor war heroes, was to
have spoken at Klamath Falls
and Eureka, Calif., Wednesday
and in Reno Thursday. Parks,
swimming pools, recreation cen
ters and other projects of this
nature should be selected to
honor dead rather than statues,
monuments and similar memor
ials fashionable in past years,
Hayes told Medford people dur
ing his visit here.
Hayes now broadcasts for food
companies on three different
networks.
U.S.
RULES MODIFIED
Washington, May 18 U.R)
Censorship Director Byron Price
today severely modified the
press and radio code, removing
many restrictions on news in this
country, Europe and the Atlan
tic.
Restrictions continued in a
new code apply largely to the
Pacific and 'static war zone.
Price said that every provision
continued In force "is based sol
idly and sensibly on visible se
curity requirements related to
the war with Japan."
In keeping with the shift of
war emphasis to the Pacific,1 he
explained, the Office of Censor
ship also has reduced its censor
ship of mail and international
communications across the At
lantic. It has cut its personnel
from a peak 14,500 in 1943 to
9.999 on April 30. By August,
the force will be reduced to less
than 7,000;
VALLEY FROST SEASON
IS REPORTED NEAR END
The frost season in the Rogue
River valley is now nearing the
finish, Frost Observer Ray J.
Rogers reports. The season offi
cially ends May 31st, but May 10
to ..5, has long been regarded as
the unofficial date. Clarence
Pankey, a veteran orchardist re
calls but two or three times
when frosts occurred after those
days.
Rogers reports the current
rains are slightly retarding pear
de . el- pment, and spraying.
Pears are beginning to set and
there is some drop, particularly
among the Winter Nellis.
tured by the partisans. We sent
one man to another village to
liberate him:
"I told him that I was there to
take t'-.em back to the American
lines and take their weapons.
He Uld me he could not move
without orders from his general.
(The colonel spoke perfect Eng
lish). Then I asked to see his
general and away we went again
through a deep Alpine forest
until we reached a castle on a
lake.
"There it was very much like
a movie scene. All of the Ger
mans were meticulously tailored
and groomed. The general's of
fice was a large room and there
were staff officers all over the
place. The general (by interpre
ter) informed me that he had not
100 but 4,000 troops in that area.
So I went with him to look over
his troops in all the little vil
lages. It was quite a deal.
Disarming Arranged
"We finally arranged that his
troops would keep their arms
and the next day I was to send
men to disarm the partisans,
then tl. i Germans would move
down and be turned over to our
commander. It was all quite sim
ple. This isn't a very good ac
count of it, but it was a rich ex
perience." Major Bowerman left Medford
three years ago for army duty
and trained in Colorado for two
years with the mountain divi
sion. Two of his former stu
dents, Sgt. Wilson Church and
Sgt. Marc Jarmin are serving
wilb hint in Iht mountain unit.
Full Leased Wire
MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 18,
ALLIES CONSIDER
Men Who Used Prisoners as
Guinea Pigs May Face
Indictment; More Taken'
London, May 18 (U.R) The
United Nations war crimes com
mission was revealed today to
be considering the indictment of
leading German physicians and
scientists for the deaths of thou
sands of persons in nazi "human
guinea pig experiments.
Victims of ruthless human
vivisection and experimental in
jections were slave workers and
political prisoners seized in ter
ritories occupied by Germany,
investigators for the commission
said.
Two groups' of investigators,
one Czechoslovak and one Pol
ish, were slated to leave London
for the continent today at the
invitation of Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower to investigate
charges against the medical pro
fession In Germany.
Mora Taken
The disclosure came as the bag
of accused German war crim
inals and nazi sympathizers grew
steadily. Latest to fall into the
allied net were said to be:
Lt. Col. Otto Skorzeny mas
ter German spy, liberator of
Benito Mussolini and wanted as
a war criminal for plotting the
assassination of Gen. Dwight D.
iMscnnowcr and other allied
leaders.
Leni Relfenstahl German
actress and one time close friend
oi Adolf Hitler.
1 Heinrich Hlmmler, No. 1 nazi
war criminal, remained at large.
' Lieutenant-Colonel Skorzeny.
wanted for an attempt to assas
sinate Jiisenhowef. was caDtured
at an unidentified spot in Aus-
lr" Py the American seventh
army May 13.
Captured German a sent, said
Skorzeny and other high nazi
agents filtered through the
American lines In British nnl.
forms in six command ear. rfnr.
ing-the Ardermes' counter-offen
sive.
SALE ANNOUNCED
Sale of the bulldlne at 22a.22S
West Main street to Carroll S.
and Lotus Gray, Medford. was
announced today by W. E.
Thomas, trustee for the estate
of his grandfather, the late I. W.
Thomas. Sale prica was $11,000,
i nomas stated.
The brick bulldlne. erected In
1907 by I. W. Thomas, Is now
occupied on the ground floor by
Stamper and Goff Brothers hard
ware store and on the second
floor, by the. Oregon Rooms,
managed by Mrs. George Warner
for more than 20 years. It has
zs-foot frontage and Is 140
feet long on the ground floor
and 120 feet on the second floor.
this floor containing 16 rooms.
It Is understood that the Grays
have purchased the building
merely as an Investment and
that the present tenants will
continue to occupy the structure.
The sale was handled through
the Carl Tengwald agency.
HORATIO ALGER STORY
Ely, Nev., May 18 (U.R)
C. Kinnear, who began his
mining career 34 years ago as a
common . laborer in Nevada
mines at Goldfield, has been
elected vice president of the
Kennecott Copper Corp., one of
the three largest copper mining
companies in the United States,
lt was announced today.'
SIDE GLANCES
B?
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Pfc. Frederick Wood declaring
that he is so Joyful to be home
from the war that he's celebrat
ing by doing all the cooking for
his wife.
Clarence Winetrout quoting
figures of such size that a black
board wasn t big enough to hold
all the zeros.
Ralph Koozer admitting that
the best way to find out what
goes on Is to stay home and just
read the newiDapcrs.
" g-S ZTa-zr . 5-' United Press Full Leased Wire
, -- 1 , , -
S1ETTI1S SEEKS
10 SPEED JOB OF
Heads of 4 Commissions of
United Nations Called Into
Conference by Secretary
San Francisco, May 18
(U.R) A United Nations' con
ference Committee today
unanimously approved, 42 to
0, the principle of giving the
General Assembly of the pro
posed world organisation
power "io discuss and make
recommendations" on any mat
ters affecting international re
lations, subject to certain spe
cific exceptions.
San Francisco, May 18. (U.R)
Secretary of State Edward R.
Stettinius, Jr., today called the
heads of the four commissions
of the United Nations conference
to his apartment to discuss ways
of speeding up the work of draft
ing the chapter for a world
security organization,
The commissions are ready to
begin public sessions at which
decisions of their subordinate
technical committees will be de
bated and cleared for final con
ference action. The first such
meeting is scheduled for tomor
row, on judicial organization.
Limitations Talked
The big five have been study
ing ways all week to speed the
work here and to bring the con
ference to a reasonably quick
close, Stettinius was expected to
convey the big five ideas to com
mission heads.
Those ideas include proposals
for limiting the time a delegate
can . speak, limitation on the
numbar of times delegate can
speak, and combining similar
amendments for purposes of de
bate. June S is currently regard
ed as a tentative very tentative
deadline for ending the con
ference.
The four commissions are the
major units into which the con
ference has been divided. They
in turn have been broken down
into 12 committees in which the
technical work of drafting a
world charter is done.
Meanwhile, it was understood
that no Russian reply on the
regional issue has yet been re
ceived. A big five meeting was
called off at the last minute yes
terday because no instructions
had arrived from Moscow and
as of noon (PWT) today no new
big five meeting had been sched
uled. Former Camp White
Soldier Killed In
Action On Okinawa
Second Lt. George Weiner.
stationed at Camp While for a
time with the 383rd Infantry of
. aotn Division, was killed in
action on Okinawa, according to
information received here by
M.. and Mrs. Mark Goldy, Berk
eley Way, friends of Lt. and
Mrs. Weiner. While here the
young man was a staff sergeant
and he received a field promo
tion during the action on Leyte.
While the Werners were in
Medford they resided at the
C-ldy home and Mrs. Weiner
served as secretary in Mr.
Goldy's office. Information on
the officer's death was received
from ..Irs. Weiner's parents who
reside in Chicago. The widow Is
now there with her parents.
26 DIVORCE SUITS
FILED DURING MAY
So far during May, 2t suits for
divorce actions have been filed
in Jackson county, according to
the county clerk's office records.
This is more than one per day.
Some of the suits have been filed
by men In the military services
who have been bn overseas duty
for several months.
Filing of suits to quiet title
continues in a steady manner
though exceeded the last few
weeks by the divorce suit wave.
Titles to much of the land along
Rogue River recently purchased
witii a government patent, in
cludes a clause providing dam
age suits may be filed only for
the improvements on the land
but not for the land itself, in
case of flooding.
SWEDEN, JAPAN BREAK
London, May 18. U.R The
Swedish domestic radio said to
day that Denmark has broken
relations with Japan and the
puppet Chines government at
tanking.
1945.
rOl - i
'P0- :rv i
ftp tto
Essex-class carrier, USS Franklin,
dive bomber. Picture shows debris
Carrier Franklin Will Make Comeback
From Worst U. S. Ship Disaster of War
By Joseph L. Myler
United Press Correspondent
Washington, May 18. (U.R)
Big Ben has come back from the
most terrible U. S. ship disaster
in this war and will fight again
on borrowed time.
Behind her in the bloody Pa
cific, where for IS hours she was
a flaming funeral pyre for
heroes, she left more than 1,000
casualties as the price of her
survival-. It was -the heaviest
price thus far paid by an Ameri
can fighting ship, in World War
II. It was twice the cost of the
entire battle of the .Coral Sea.
Poised For Strike
Big Ben Is the USS Franklin,
27,000-tdn Essex class carrier.
An hour after dawn' on March
19, as she stood 60 miles off
Japan, she ' was ' as proud and
trim a warship as ever rode the
waves. She was a carrier divi
sion flagship poised to strike
with other -units of Vice Adm.
Marc Mitscher's task force 58 at
remnants of the Japanese fleet
in the inland sea.
A few minutes later, .because
one Japanese dive-bomber got
through, she was a volcanic
chaos of bursting bombs, flam
ing gasoline, and exploding rock
ets and gun ammunition.
By nightfall she counted her
heroes high in the hundreds, her
dead at 341, her missing at 431,
and her wounded at more than
300.
Big Ben's story can be told
now because ' she came back.
After steaming 12,000 miles
under her own unquenchable
power, Big Bon, unrecognizably
seared and battered and mangled
Is home at long last in a berth at
the Brooklyn (NY.) navy yard.
CITES REPORTER
Washington, May 18 (U.R)
The house world war veterans
committee headed by Rep. John
E. Rankin, D., Miss., today cited
a newspaper reporter for con
tempt because he refused to
divulge some of the sources of
news stories he had written.
The reporter, Albert Deutsch
of the New York newspaper PM,
said he had received the Infor
mation given him in "strictest
confidence." He rejected the
committee's demands on grounds
of "professional ethics and per
sonal Integrity."
The committee is investigating
published charges by Deutsch
and others that veterans do not
receive adequate care In veter
ans administration hospitals.
SIGNAL DEPOTTO BE
BUILT AT SACRAMENTO
Washington, May 18 (U.R)
The war department today auth
orized construction of a new
signal depot near Sacramento,
Cal., at an estimated cost of
about $7,000,000. The construc
tion will Include four ware
houses comprising 1.000,000
square feet of space, 1,000,000
square feet of open storage, a
rail yard, shops, buildings and
quarters.
. . i -3 NO. 49.
(Acm Telephotot
operating approximately 60 miles from Jap coast, Is victim of attack by Jap
hurled in the air as the great ship is wracked by blasts, while fire-fighter
race away to dodge explosions.
There she will be made whole
again.
Jap Lands Lucky Punch
The Japanese bomber, its ap
proach undetected, caught the
carrier at the moment of great
est vulnerability when Its planes
were being launched, its gaso
line lines were full and flowing,
and its bomb and rocket stores
exposed.
From the time the enemy's
two 500-pound armor-piercing
bombs found their marks until
the agony was over. Big Ben
took enough punishment to kill
a hundred ships, enough to
wreck a city.
In the hours of her ordeal,
200,000 pounds of the carrier's
own bombs, rockets and ammu
nition blew up, and an estimated
12,000 gallons of high octane
aviation- gasoline either burned
In cascades of flame or exploded
In volcanic eruptions.
Of the ship's complement of
more than 2,500 sailors and men
of air group 13, many scores
died In a flash. Other hundreds
were blown Into the sea, where
many drowned. Fire, fumes and
smoke trapped and killed still
others below decks.
Many Saved
Heroic rescue work, brilliant
seamanship, and incredibly effi
cient damage control operation
saved many hundreds. The exact
number of survivors remains
undisclosed because the navy
does not want the enemy to
know just how many men the
Franklin carried.
But at least 708 of the crew
survived to sail the carrier from
the scene of disaster, and other
hundreds of sailors and airmen
were removed and kept in the
Pacific.
The Japanese reported Big
Ben sunk, and the navy admits
that "she should by all accounts
have gone to the bottom."
But Big Ben refused to die.
For seven hours packed with
deeds of heroism unrivaled in
this war she lay dead In the
water. For nine hours she had
no communications, no electric
ity, no drinkable water. For 15
hours fires burned in Niagaras
of flaming gasoline at first; In
smouldering, fume generating
pockets at the last.
. Hear Jap Shore
Before Big Ben came to life
again and shook off the tow
lines of friendly ships, she had
Fire Five Women
At Camp White
For Fraternizing
Camp White, Ore. Four fe
male civilian employees current
ly working in the Clothing and
Equippage Shop at this Installa
tion and one in another depart
ment, were dismissed from their
jobs for fraternization with Ger
man Prisoner's of War, Colonel
John R. Young. Post Commander
announced today.
In making the announcement.
Colonel-Young stated that the
civilian employees had been re
moved from the positions they
held after repeated warnings
against fraternizing with Ger
man prisoners.
' Fraternizing with prisoners of
war." Colonel Young stated,
"will not ba tolerated at . this
camp, "
drifted within 38 miles of the
Japanese home island of Shi
koku. At one itme, a time of hor
ror for men trapped below
decks, she listed 20 degrees and
seemed to be on tha verge of
capsizing.
But Big Ben refused to die
because her skipper, 47-year-old
Capt. Leslie E. Gehres of Coro
nado, Calif., said "I won't aban
don this ship"; because her crew
would not be cowed by death;
because her officers and men,
those that lived, did all the right
things at the right times.
Before the March battle, Big
Ben had destroyed 199 enemy
planes, 148,500 tons of enemy
warships, 275,000 tons of merch
ant vessels, and for extra mea
sure three Japanese destroyers
and four cargo craft.
450 STUDENTS IN
MUSICALFI
AT
Approximately 450 students
of Grants Pass, Ashland and
Medford high school participated
In a music festival at Medford
senior high school Thursday and
some 350 took part In a colorful
concert that evening presented
at the gynHMnrttim; by massed
groups' from all three schools.
Guest directors were Karl Ernst,
school music supervisor of Port
land and John Stehn of the Uni
versity of Oregon and these
musicians served as critics dur
ing the day.
With Mr. Ernst directing, the
girls' chorus of 104 voices sang
three numbers and he also di
rected the mixed chorus of 124
voices in a group of three num
bers. The 52-piece orchestra, un
der the direction of Mr. Stehn.
present two numbers and the
143-piece band was also directed
by the university musician for
a group of three numbers.
Appearing also on the evening
concert was a vocal number by
students from each school cho
sen by Mr. Ernst as the super
ior number offered by that
school during the day for criti
cism. Representing Medford
was Its mixed a cappella choir,
while both Ashland and Grants
Pass were represented by their
girls' sextets. The Ashland senior
high school band, chosen by Mr.
Stehn as the outstanding band of
the day, played in the evening
concert.
A special feature of the day
was a concert given at 1 p.m.
by a woodwind ensemble from
the University of Oregon. This
provided a pleasant rest period
for the high school students.
Final echo of the day was pro
vided by a group of Medford
students who made a round of
friendly serenades through the t
town. I
Music directors of the various
high schools are Nora Lunde.j
vocal, and I. A. Mlrick, instru- -mental,
Ashland; Cloyd Riffle, j
vocal and Martin Trepte, Instru j
mental, Grants Pass; Mabel Nan-1
sen, vocal and Sydney bouck.h
instrumental, llcdlord, (
10TH MY MEN
SLUG MY INTO
Tokyo R e p o r t s American
Fleet Out of Marianas for
New Blow at Empire.
Guam, May 18 (U.R) A great
artillery duel of unprecedented
fury in the Pacific war flared
along tha Okinawa battle line to
day as 10th army forces slugged
their way, yard by yard, into
the three wrecked bastion towns
of Naha, Shurl and Yonabaru. -
Tokyo reported without sup
porting allied evidence that a
powerful American fleet steam
ed out of the Marianas last Sun
day or Monday, presumably for
new forays against the Japanese
empire.
Inside Bastions
' Front dispatches indicated U,
S. ground forces now were bat
tling inside Shuri and Yonabaru,
as well as in Naha, where ma
rines of the sixth division ex
panded a hard-won bridgehead
across the Asato river.
The enemy had reported earli
er that American troops broke
int Shuri, the inland anchor of
the Japanese defense line lying
midway between Naha on the
west coast and Yonabaru on tha
east.
Nowhere were tha Americans
making big advances. Fiercely
resisting Japanese, supported by
the heaviest concentration of ar
tillery ever assembled by the en
emy in tha Pacific war, limited
Yank gains to yards and feet.
Front dispatches said marine
deep inside Naha wera cracking
fanatic Japanese resistance
there. But later reports said the
leatnernecKS in Naha ware
"pinned to many positions," and
that only small amounts of
equipment had crossed the Asato .
river at the edge of the city.
Artillery Busy
Shells from big Japanese and
American guns crashed cease
lessly into the lines of struggling
infantrymen strung out along
tha five-mile coast-to-coast bat
tlement. East of Naha, tha first marines
and two army divisions the
77th and 98th attempted to
awing the American flank south
ward. The 77th was attacking Shurl
while the 86th stormed Yona
baru. A Tokyo broadcast, referring
to tha purported U. S. fleet
movement out of tha Marianas,
said "although it Is not definitely
known whether it is directed to
ward the Okinawas or not, its
activities require a rigid watch."
By United Press
As the bloody battling con
tinued across the southern end of
Okinawa, more heavy air blows
against tha enemy's homeland
were disclosed.
The 21st bomber command an
nounced that four of Japan's
largest oil supply plants had
been "rendered inoperative" in
a raid by 400 Superfortresses on
southern Japan May 10.
A delayed dispatch from a task
force off Japan revealed that
carrier planes delivered a "50
per cent knockout blow" on a
hitherto unknown aircraft as
sembly plant In north central
Kyushu last Monday.
Detailed reports on yesterday's
second big B-29 fire raid on Na
goya, Japan's third largest city
and Its greatest aircraft manu
facturing center, still awaited
reconnaissance photogra phs.
Crewmen reported all of south
ern Nagoya, Including the huge
Mitsubishi aircraft works and
the dock area, was left In flames.
On Mindanao in the Philip
pines American troops were re
ported closing in on Valencia
and its two-strip airfield after a
six mile advance along the Sayre
highway. To the north other
forces met stiff Japanese mortar
and artillery fire In a push
south. The two forces were 31
miles from a juncture.
16-YEAR-OLD HELD ON
AUTO THEFT CHARGES
A 18-year-old Medford boy
was remanded to the county
Juvenile officer yesterday when
he plead guilty in justice court
to a charge of auto theft, accord
ing to a report on file today.
JAPS SAY SUBS SUNK
By United Press
Tokyo radio claimed Thurs
day that Japanese Air Units
sank two Allied submarines off
the eastern roast of Java May
10 and 11. The broadcast was
heard by United Press, San
Francisco.
Seventh War Loan Drive
"E" Sales to date 1150,811
Quota $1,067,000
Total Sales to Date
$440,769
Quota 82,087,000