Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 27, 1945)
BATTLE FOR OIL ONE OF BIGGEST Br Lyle C. Wilson United Press Correspondent Copyright, 1945, by United Press Inside Germany, June 27 (U.R) One of the great untold stories of World War II Is the "battle for oil." It was a top secret operation which began May 12, 1944 and continued for exactly 12 months. Engaged in it were more than 500,000 American air force men and their 5,700 planes. The most significant aspect of the fantastic story is that it is being repeated now In general outline against Japan. The same strategical considerations and the same methods of operation which were unbelievably suc cessful against Germany already are being developed In the Pa cific theater. Japanese industrial targets will disintegrate under that at- FLOOR SANDING and FINISHING Refinishing Our Specialty S. H, FRALEY Phone 2661 Better Care For Babies, a Warmer Weather Idea Maybe baby's fretful and upsets tho whole- household. The stinging itching torment of minor skin trouble can be the cause. Diaper rash tortures baby, but Mexsana, soothing medicated, powder brings oooling relief. Family favorite for minor rashes. Costs little. Get Mexsana. BREAD IS AT ITS SSST ALL WAYS.. .WHEN IT'S LA KOiMTA 535 20-Pe. 32-Piec. 45-Plece Pastel pottery in the prettiest shades imaginable . . . desert land, tea bine, sunny yellow, aquamarine. Highly glazed for shining beauty. So low in price yon can use it every day bnt io pretty yon '11 want it for company, too. Tanks of Sixth Marine Division blast enemy as they move through the rubble of Naha. capital city of OH oawa, to broaden their bridgehead across Asao River Inside the city almost to the shores of the East Chins Sea, Bridges shown were blasted by retreating Jans. Marine Corps photo. tack Just as targets did in Ger many. Began In 1944 The complex story of the "battle for oil" begins in Febru ary 1944 when the United States strategic air force commanded by Gen. Carl A. Spaatz and the Royal Air Force bomber com mand hit the German luftwaffe a stuning blow. In six days, Feb. 20-28, the entire allied air force was concentrated on the German aircraft industry. Our airmen had determined that deep day light penetrations into Germany were not feasible until the Ger man airforce had been knocked out. Those six days stopped Ger- 0.95 11.15 'Marines Push Throuqh Noha Citv Ruins 4ft X?-" . .i" ..wsrx 72 1- . man plane construction for a time. The time was long enough for the allied air forces to obtain mastery of the air and they never lost it. The storm broke over Ger many's refineries in May, 1944. It continued in terrible blasts of high explosive and incendiary bombs until the Germans quit. I have just returned from, visit ing some of Germany's greatest refining areas. The great instal lations in the port of Hamburg are masses of twisted pipe, bro ken retorts and rubble. The enormous Leuna plant in central Germany simply does not exist any more. Refineries Smashed Brux, Politiz, Schloven, Blech- hammer all are blasted to bits. There were 36 prime refinery or synthetic manufacturing targets in all. In May 1944 those plants produced 1,344,000 metric tons of gasoline and lubricants each month. By January, 1945, pro duction had been cut to 36 per cent of normal. It was down to 24 per cent in February. Late last March under the precision bombing of the United States strategic air force production had increased to 29 per cent. The Germans are sturdy folk and they were repairing their plants as the fliers knocked them out. But it was an uneven contest. Repair materials were short. Manpower was shorter. By mid April of this year as the great German war machine was run ning down, production was cut to 7V4 per cent of the 1,344,000 metric tons a month of which the plants had been capable. Germany's refineries by then were producing only 4 per cent of their gasoline capacity, 1 per cent of their kerosene capacity, 8 per cent of their diesel ca pacity. Taken Underground Germany was through. She tried to go underground with her refineries as she had with her airplane industry. At Eben see a great underground refinery was built. It actually had pro duced 24,000 tons of synthetic oil when the war ended. The plant was built into a mountain with elaborate air conditioning equipment. But the Job was too great for the enemy. Putting the whole industry underground was an impossible task. Jjev (Acme Telephoto) Plant managers became dis couraged as the Americans de veloped their attack on oil. As plants were knocked out they were put under almost daily photo reconnaissance. Time after time German workers would re pair the great refineries, un tangle twistings of pipe, patch the retorts, get steam under the boilers. This could be done sometimes in a matter of weeks if no effort was made to repair the buildings themselves. At Rhenania and elsewhere the refineries actually kept stand-by of repair workers in barracks near the plants. They sometimes were more numerous than the workers in the refiner ies themselves. When the Amer icans came over, repairs were begun before they had returned to their bases in England or France or Italy. Plant Blasted 16 Times The great plant at Leuna was attacked 16 limes in 10 months from May, 1944, to the end of the war. On May 28, 1944, the 8th air force, knocked out the synthetic gasoline plant at Roth ensee. The plant was out of pro duction three weeks. It resumed production June 20 and made 50 tons of synthetic gasoline that day. On the afternoon of June 20 the 8th airforce re-appeared over Rothensee. This time the plant was knocked out until De cember, 1944, when it resumed production at a rate of 12,000 tons a month. On January 15 the 8th air force called again. Thereafter Rothensee ceased to be a factor in oil production for the luft waffe. The story of Rothensee is typical of all of them. When the war ended Ger yan's refining and synthetic In Bedford Branch 0ffi of Tli. United States National Bank 27 BRANCH OFFICES IN OREGON dustry was a wreck. Three weeks before the surrender there remained in all the ex panse of Hitler's reich only two production targets and seven storage targets which were con sidered worth attacking at all. T Washington, June 27. U.R) The army is expected to lower the number of points required for discharge from 85 to between 78 and 80 in the next few weeks, it was reliably reported today. At the same time members of the house military affairs com mittee said they anticipated no change in the army regulations qualifying men for automatic discharge on reaching 40 years of age. They also said that the army will stand on its demands for 7,000,000 men to lick Japan. If one group is relieved of service the pressure will mount for re lease of other groups, they said. However, the army itself has made it clear that some time soon the number of points need ed for discharge will be further reduced. . New Soap Won't Leave Tub Rings Cincinnati, (U.F) Rings around the bathtub, the bane of house wives since American families stopped scrubbing themselves in galvanized tubs will be ban ished by a post-war soap that isn't soap at all. Chemists of Proctor & Gam ble Co. call their new product a "soapless soap." In hard, soft or salt water, the soap result of 10 years' research cleans, but leaves no tell-tale rings. Soap experts said it was done by juggling molecules. Dr. Brougher Will Wed Ex-Parishoner Glcndale, Cal., June 27.,-flJ.R) Dr. James Whitcomb Brougher, Sr., 75-year-old Baptist clergy man and newspaper columnist, tomorrow will marry Mrs. Mar garet Townsend Wood, 55-year-old widow whom he first met when she was a parishioner at White Temple Baptist church, Portland, Ore., where he was pastor. ACCUSED CAUFORNIAN UNDER ARREST HERE William Nick Schmlttroth, wanted by California authorities on burglary and parole violation charges, was arrested by sher iff's officers yesterday in the south end of the county. He is being held in the county Jail awaiting California officers. He signed a waiver of extradition, sheriff's officers said. ' Closing time for Clnssined Ads 6:30 a m. Too Late to Classify 12:15 p m USE BECAUSE THEY ARE... Easy to Obtain! Convenient to Use! Inexpensive! You do not have to be a customer of this bank to obtain a Bank Money Order. Enjoy the ease and conven ience of sending money anywhere by this modern and economical method. Bank Money Orders are Issued by the Untied Stales National Bank In any amount up to $300. Remember, the name of the purchaser appears fin the receipt. PFC. LUNSMAN OF OF 96TH KILLED A wire received yesterday from the war department by Mrs. Marjorie E. Lunsman stated that her husband, Pfc. Harvey H. Lunsman of the 96th Infantry Division was killed in action May 22 on Okinawa. Pfc. Luns man, 25, had been overseas eight months and before induc tion was an employee of Timber Products company. The soldier is survived by his wife, one daughter, Sharon Lee; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Har vey H. Lunsman of Oakland, Calif., and a brother, Cedrlc, 9. He attended school in Oakland. Mrs. Lunsman and daughter make their home here with her sister, Mrs. Juanlta Brenner, 728 King street. Cordless Electric Iron Heated From Element In Base Detroit (U.R) The house wife's "postwar dream" of a cordless electric iron, free of dangling and entangling cords, has become a reality. A go-ahead signal has been given by the war production board to the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Co. to begin production of the iron, which the company recently perfected. "The cordless electric Iron Is an entirely new kind of iron," according to H. W. Burrltt, pres ident, "and represents the most important development in this field since the invention of the original electric iron." Operated without a cord, the new iron draws instant heat from a thermostat controlled electric safety base, and retains the heat for considerable time through a sponge-like heat ab sorbing plate Inside the iron. A micro heat control unit governs the exact temperature required for any fabric being ironed, and instlres safety even if left unat tended while connected. One of the chief features of the cordless electric iron la a "silent watchman" regulator that prevents overheating and elimi nates the fire hazard, which through defective and unattend ed ordinary irons accounts for $2,000,000 of damage every year, Receptionist Plans Necklace of Teeth Camp Maxey, Tex., (U.R) Miss Ruth Grant, receptionist in the dental clinic, has a bracelet of wisdom teeth extracted from soldier patients. The dental surgeon once asked Miss Grant to hold a private's hand while he performed the ex traction. He found the plan worked wonders, so he continued it. And now the receptionist is planning to make a necklace and ear screws from wisdom teeth, Wednesday, June 27, 194S MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE THRES F Fire at 7:18 p. m., yesterday did considerable damage to a residence occupied by Clarence English, 113 Laurel street, and owned by E. F. Bigham, Fire Chief Roy Elliott said today. Cause of the blaze is unknown but is under Investigation, ac cording to Elliott. The conflagration had a good start by the time the fire de partment was called and burned throughout the lower part of the house, through the front part of the upstairs and the roof. Elliott said there was no Insurance on the furniture but the house is understood to be insured. The family was home when the blaze was discovered. THE GRANGE Griffin Creek Grange The quarterly birthday party will be held by Griffin Creek Grange members following the regular session July 3. The party will be a picnic dinner at 7 p. m. for Grangers and their families and each family is asked to bring table service. A patriotic program will be given under the direction of Lec turer Isabella LeVander. Closing time for Clssiined Ads 8:30 i m Too Late to Classify 12:13 p m FINE MUSLIN, PRESHRUNK, A LIBERTY-TYPE COTTON PRINT WASHABLE This frock personifies "Oh what a beautiful morning" with its crisp sheer appearance and its myriad of bright garden flowers. Exquisite stitchery traces its loveliness down each side of the button-down front panel. Tiers, etched with stitchery and banded with spanking white lace-work, cross the bodice three times and the skirt once for good measure! The smart skirt is flared yet gives a pencil-slim look. In love ly new spring pastels. Sizes 10 to 20. $7.95 PAY LESS AND DRESS BETTER M. M. DEPT. STORE "E" Bond Baying Shy One Billion Washington, June 27. (U.R) Total sales in the seventh war loan stood at $20,791,000,000 to day but E bond buyers were a billion dollars away from their $4,000,000,000 goal. The gigantic total was primar ily the result of corporation sales which reached $14,121,000,000 according to latest reports. That was more than twice their orig inal $7,000,000,000 goal and more than the overall goal of $14,000,000,000 for the entire drive. Closing time for Classified Ails 1:30 a m Too Late to Clasilfy 12:15 p m. Quickly eases the pain or your money back. e 10c, 50c or $1.00 at all drug counters Mrs. Alice Stewart Cannon POWER HEALER On Highway 99, Route 4, Box 260-C, Medford Same Healer Previously in Ashland 214 SO. RIVERSIDE PHONE 4757 MIMBIR F.D.I. CM
