Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current, August 15, 1944, Image 1

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Herald and news., August 15, 1944, Page 1, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextiniifiR Ann rosin. ifFR lAm .v.iyiw leroreWW MEM "if Rfo)fo) A M b lA I I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ' ; i ..... ' ( , s IWS Trarii! nu -1' I IUM L.IIU U II fit Tfifi Shunt n-CaHCtule Wonderland KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1944- Number 10237 Where Allied Forces Spectacularly Opened New Invasion Front ... . g. FRANK JErlKino J loniwullcd landing In thWn" ., (HI t km- V'r.."u .,orul ,nd nnvo 'rlrmnm Mw..y. fearful STSL fronU. now have hi (ronl on tliolr hiiniut - b. ' . L Berlin radio, as reported I hy LOnaoii, ., . -unco of Ifll Mediterranean landing. i tout ercic, iuhk . atot by the Germans, appei flave met surprisingly IMIo awillon. Here w NO air resistance, cirdln to Ihe (Jl.oiilclic". Antl Srill (Iro ni IlitWr than ex !r (iuhtlim seems bbe roodMt, as compared Willi K other landings, it.. ...nnlltnr UMI. flivnr kit. (or once, with clciir skies Wlrac. t . , ViirDff .m thi. itnrmans? limtiivu '. it i f n,.,n ni.m in have ttn drawn northward, to meet I. ihrmt around Paris. Yet tyhavc known lor momna ma. itIll ...nnnn Inn.llnif Willi kslng. They have hud PLENTY flume to gel reaiiy. tin plain truth seems to oc A Hftlcr lust HASN'T MEN fOUGH. ... ffilindlniis wero mndo along the Riviera coast, to the rait patmoum oi tno miotic, im L-.I ...,llm. iiiia nf Ihf "H IlilUIIU vui.vj, . fcitorlc routes (or Invasion of pope (rom the smith, stroicncs fothward (rom Marseilles. British General Mnltlnnd, nl 4 commander In tlio Mcdltcr inin nui. "riiii" tiiirnnitn ta Ihlnin .in uiUI. tiin.t.lll..r1 nrmlp. fJvincing (rom Normnndy. nncn uicso armies mmi TranM ...lit l.n.. I,.... nrnx. 'P.IVU Will IIIIVU UUVH rolly liberated from the Got-Iewu, TRAPPED 7TH Nazis Squirm In Hot Pocket As Pincers Points Narrow 'HE comparative en no with M.M.l. 4t. I II.... ln niuvil lliu 1UIIU1I1K Itl'Ullin lu ti u t .. ii.i Ae Germans may be gutting out pi u ui rruncc as swuiiy un wii. as to mui, oniy iimo an tell, IN the Normandy pocket, Von '.KliiKo's 7th German army Is "Killing lor lis me. inowb ol thlj mighty battle Is scarce as "' IS wruiCIl, OUl VOn fklUKUB wapc routo has been narrowed Id 0H Ihnn ir.., . iiHiii tun iiuiua. Ho is mui tU8 morning to be "'ii!lng In reinforcements wncrc they aro coming from, ''no l surrounded till but 10 le, not being apparent) but ra dispatches assert thut tney in. j i cclu mvo troops," eain as a roar guard sncruicc n eKort to savo his best "0PS and lll ormnr i. t.ha.11 havo t0 wat 8 Nttl Wei 'to learn whether his army idejtroyod, as wo hope. EISENHOWER says today: "The M-TnftW1" Normnndy) held B..L00 L0NG a"l underestl micd our stroniith." innt i i . ... It I. iV ?'y8 a Dad mistake. LVr ot the high com- Wind to AVOID ll.., mllnl,n. 1 i what high commands arc . ".isenhowpr'. . i n . i llrptiolt.. o k a i, c ill II has km"?8 1 ', bellcf that Hitler S?uefals?d," 100 mnny. ol:1,ls TE Hubs I mm MAM ieBIehSthPI,st' Rtorm across M ur.1 S .rlv,cr' lh0 last mnjor N E,,. SslDC 0 b"twcon thorn ''win lTsia; Thy 81-0 o1- lh5h th "rontl Snd 8 highway Mi,ur' thD.mn"hy, bog-strewn guard. ?. 1BH?" c"iinlry that Eordc? 8t Prssla's southern a'o inchlnu l. Jtraltow Ti Wl,raIw nnd to hmL 0 y aro mothodlcally '"C&M1 trnppod 'THRdui ' ' 1 nows frT SCQn no 1'0.cont nd ..V',,!;01" the small nnntral letlln. n,tlons' They must SNfo itSgnalmMt frightened A i-ugo rour (Map on Pag Tour) SUl'HKME IIKADQUAHTEHS ALLIED EXPEDITION AHY KOHCE. Aug. 15 M' our al lied armies beat forward siinul- nniw.ll, V 1.1 n I uhinn nu Miriiii. lnltrlH nn llln tl-lllllM.rt riormlin seventh army today, narrowing the escape gap nt Pnlnlsn lo 10 miles, and ciincniiiK conirui ui roads lending south from tho Normandy pocket. Hundreds of prisoners wero selrcd, Field Marshal Gen. Guenther von Klugc's units again clogged roads leading east ward In desperate daylight at tempts to wriggle out and he throw In "slave" rcln(orccmont."i to hold us suicide rear guards. Tank Avalancha Lt.i Gn. George S. Paltort, I.....H.... ll.n ll.lrrl Amnrlrnn army, nil northward within eight miles of the Kalnlse. Canadians driving south were wiinm it miles of that town on tho east ern edge of the trap. ; A IlrllUV. nuiilnnchn of tllllKS and men on the opposite end of Ine pocKei nnmniL'rcu winuu a mllo of Condo-Sur-Nolrcau, ,i n front ri-tinrter declared "tho roof of the German escape corridor west of r aiaiso appcorca In hn rnllnnslnfl." Condo is IS mil. wnl nt Vnlnljin. Tlie U. S. first army on the British right advanced in a uum nn a rnl nVlnnHllltf tlC yond Mortnln, seizing hundreds upon hundreds o( captives. U. S. troops captured La Forte itfnnn i milpc nnt nt Dom(ront. winning control over escape ave nues to me souwi. The Falnlso hatch was block' cd by a rain of bombs and artll lory shells, ripping withdraw Ihh t-. n- I nnllimnt How many of Von Klugc's forces of tuu.uuu to auu.uuu men (Continued on J'ago 1 nrcc; 1 Mil.. I ltwlr Th'" Ly-nSj V m''"m' o sol -4 VA c Aon. i ITALY "r FRANCE " f, V i vi ,.u..rt.u,h jff j $.!, y Aibi iii. U.5 It I cJ 2zZ?&fr s,.Ari,.t VinF'l9T. sr 3SSsl l.dorl.u M0nrSoro,COB. V1 ' 4? 5 vj KtfZr' rlTfUnn Hyiwy AsAV ( Rom. 1 75 Mil.. rlni9l'l liana 1 I ij 11 j - i V AlsrijJ "f ir, ftAoeto T Bsrlln ' roita I rTCIRMANVOUNl) flKMQ sV . ... .. .l . r..... iili InHiv b a nlahtv D n vca d eirs Pr i ve ' Qnlo nd Ago itust SoiFB" pposiffSoirii ' By EDWARD KENNEDY t t ROME Aua. 15 (AP) Mony thousands of men from the army of Fronee and the battle-hardened American and British divisions of Italy poured out upon the beaches of south ern France today and struck several miles inland in an almost bloodless invasion. -crn r.ui.ws . ( . j ! Un (mm tho enemv's thinned Meet nq scant opposition, enner on me 3--"- ---- .- . - and bomb-riddled defenses, the allies established a fourth major war front against Hitler, by securing firm beachheads along a broad section of the Rmero between Marseille and the Italian frontier. ' ' ' . ., i .j (DNB in a Berlin broadcast, said aiuea troops "V?" T : . l 1 of St. Tropee, at St. Raphael and at Cap d'Antibes, all m a 32-mile, stretch of coast on 7 . . K - j .1 :j .. 1 twnn Tnulnn and Nice. The number and both sides or Cannes ana onom miuwuj .... j. . , j n -j strength of employed forces cannot be compared with the landing in Normandy, said DNB. No turtner landing or supply tcci . - - - -- --- v--- TJ. . .. . ' ' j .....J..h . td ki,nhiil .aid. bv ths uthuMS The landing torces were amazea, sunopv - - . The great staD uo ine - unaer belly of Europe," bringing the battle for France .to full fury, was backed by more than 800 smpsone of the biggest fleets ever to churn the waters of the Mediterranean, which Mussolini once called his own, and by great. air power. - . TWA ifnnnc OWHPTYIPH nSllftre -.""?. .Til -1. .11 .1 1 .,n tnn avnuiM nnrDna ui liiirv- Aug. (-- " r-""t"7 -M-fnr thpater in southern t ranee --"rr" , S.r, WAR BULLETINS REDS ASSAIL NEW GERMAN POSITIONS ROME d lata toaay. .. njnt of sconnB a ereat - fao S PWT) said- victory which might speedUy re- P .Wmid.mo?ninPgW.n A Jt to eraUon of most or w.r. proceeding ueerfaUr "" "H-e ay of France is in be- eordlng to achedul. again.t onlT . fighting on its own soil Haht oround opposiUon and no J"B s t it nnntrv - ... I 111 I txic tr opposiuon. . with au its traditions of victory The supporting air b o 1 b e behind it. Remember 1918," was operation was also successfully the lihging declaration of the Muhtd." . 1 . i.,- nUiof nf hn Invn. . buiiuumiuv, ... wi-- - ," ,': ! . '- sion'force. Gen. Sir Henry. Mait- rome, Aua. ia (-)" land wnson. 1 ; . - I - allied I - Un.1.' nnnnaiffni mvuiaw suniwiiiw.". w- . -- forces which landed in southern . striking after, sunriser Seven France today has not neon !" waves of lnianiry spiaaneu tied but reports published in ashpre in the first two nours 1 1 1 b ... I BT1 . I nitart fHAIninilllt nniHTIIVRS Xjonuon omg w . m. .- 1 duu actMu j . PUBLIC POWER EETS Fight Gone From Germaiis, Prisoner Interview Shows Farmers Favor Wage Ceilings Growers attending a meeting In Tulelako last night, sponsored by 1110 1UI01BKO urowuin, ca prcssed their desire for establish ment OI wage ouiiiiik" iwi Auin labor in the basin nroa. rpunir nm inlnlnd Klnmnth county growers in petitioning lor a nunriiiK . on mo H'uHurai which has 1 been tontallvely set for Allgusi at nriurrm. Wnnn lflhnn hntirHtt nf OrCIIOn and California will conduct the Joint hearing, at wnicn Dotn em ployers ana muur u uvmu. ri...Hn. nt Ihn nlnn is to es tablish equalized wage scales on tno tarms aim huv"" .i--, rating, in the emergency period ahead A .n.nl.iltnn nnnmlntf the PIV actmcnt by congress of proposed legislation 10 rni" h""'" power projects to the generation . . 1 n ..I in nrpvnnt them from constructing lines for distributing power proquw. was passed by the city council Monday nlgnt. There was some argument among the council, but a 3-2 ' I.n1n Ihfll V,f nO nil 111 cheap power would stimulate competitive private enterprise and produce a better palanced economy in the Pacific North west Councllmen Bussman and (Continued on Pago four) . Brennan-Cahoon Submit Low Bid Bronnan and Cahoon, princl ... I...I... nn thA Klnmath pill UUHII11V..1..0 . - , - Falls Marine Barracks, were low bidders today on a f'" rango at tho barracks. Their of fer to build the elaborate range for $91,593.85 was referred to Washington by Lt. John M. Bab cock, naval officer in charge of construction. i . Other bids were: Clifford A. Dim" Klamath Falls $92,329.50, nnd M. O. Bessonette, Medford, $95,135. - ' By HERBERT MATTHEWS WITH AMERICAN FORCES IN SOUTHERN FRANCE What I wanted to Know, iirst hl nn upo nlanding with allied droops llin Prnnrh rnnst today. WBS nihv tho Germans did not put un n ficht. They had ample coastal de fenses, gun emplacements and wonderful hill positions behind tho beacnes. Cn T umnt etrnidht tn the-uris oners' . cage where 125 Jerries Soldier Reading Rules Relaxed WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 OP) mw. .nnin insktiriK that Ameri- can troops be allowed, full access to political news, speedily passed today amendments modifying 11. nn.ntnnninnriii nrovisions Uiu ... (" -(-.-n--- of tho soldier voting law under which the army ana navy uovt banned numerous books and magazines and some newspapers. . Senator Green, elections com mittee chairman, said the revi sions would permit the sale at army and navy stores of any ennnno tYlHCTn7inA nr DnOK in general circulation in the United States subject only to tne uiu its of available transportation. Blood and Guts" Ration Disclosed as Leader of Brilliant 3rd Army Campaign were eathered. . It didn't take lnne tn find out what was wrong rpV.n. tiioen't anv fiffht iPft 1T1 llicic them. One master sergeant said he knew the army in northern France had been broken. For three months he had-reaiizea the war was lost, he said. "There's no reason" to fight, he' added, "for whom should we fight?" "You mean you are not fight ing for Hitler any -more?" . I asked. "Thai'. It " ho ronllpH "Anv- way we have got nothing to fight with." Their dejection contrasted re markably with the happiness of me f rencn. All nt tha nnTUn, nf nurcnnc I talked to near the beach and in the first town we captured acted as if some dreadful night mare naa miea iruin ineni. In that town a crowd gath- C1CU niUUUU II4C) OV.Vlll(, Ml" v could speak French,- and told me tneir woes iiuie 1000, many humiliations. "Whnt rtn vnil thinlr' nf Tip Gaulle around here?" I asked. 'Wi urn nil fnr Dp Gaulle." a spoKcsman answerea. "And rUrniiH?" T oqirnrl "Giraud too." thev answered. floBrtu 4Vlov mount- tnou uiaro VAV-CIA A J UIJ 1IIWU11 V J . W V.. W nnti-Vich v. ' anti-collaborationist. Onu sroun near the beach said wistfully, "Monsieur, wa; are happy : to see Americans, but .it gave us a little heartache not to see me r rencn come in. - Jacob L. Devers as the com mander were described tonight 1 Tk. wiinU aaen. as incwiB". " " . , tion is under .the direction 01 Gen. Sir Henry Maitiand wii. allied commander in the Mediter ranean, and Devers is his deputy. WITH THE CANADIAN FIRST ARMY IN FRANCE. Aug. W) Zc r.l vaneed to within a mile of Fat with great rapidity at many nigra. oinnii n 1 25-mile stretch of the Riviera between the great port of Marseille and Nice. They encountered only the weakest opposition, for enemy Jfnnnn V.nr4 VlAOn mil VAli 7fH hV uucuaca iio t-"- - j five straight days of a powerful air offensive. Shortly before dawn a large n! Unmn nnmhal fftPPH Hpcnpnrt- ed into the rugged hills which By HOWARD S. COWAN Representing the Combined American Press ARY FORCE COMMANDPOST IN NORMANUx, Aug. jo mi Gen. Dwignt u. r.isciiuuwt. .. nounced today that Lt. Gen. George S. P a t c ,n Jr, u Blood and uuis oi i Ian and Sicilian campaigns, is . ,1 .ImnrMII third leading vim -...y.. ",v. army which has driven rough shod over tno ucriimi.a ... er Normandy and Brittany. Spectacular Sweep a i a ....... i . thn third army had effected ho cutof I of the Breton p?nlnsu 1 and help- cd close a trap u;; " -,", .1. ... mill, n Rnectncu- scvenin hiiiij j- ;rm , - lar sweep northward from Lo T'French division of armor . t-i .Torn HPS Lje under nr.B. . ,lle9 cterc, wno j i" - vr,' . from Lake Chad In Africa,,, is fighting With Fatten. . j h nnouncement ol Patr t l . - rnnnH nnmn fit If1 T 11 ions. tUlllii'".." , V T I p.- was revealed that u. uen. Omar N. Bradley is mo all commander of Ihe newly- tormcd 12th U. S. army group and Lt.'Gcn. -Courtney - n. Hodges has taKon nrauiuor mer place as commander of the . .i ii aimw. The first AmericHii i..i.7rf and third armies are included in tho 12tn U. o. army S'""!" Elsenhower said that Patton lind been on tho marching wing iu. imnrinn snearhead driving to envelope the Carman seventh army ...'. PATTON PROMOTED WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (VP) The senate confirmed today the promotion of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr., to the permanent rank of major gen. eral a few hours after disclo sure of his leadership of ihe American third army in Nor mandy and Brittany. The chamber acted on the unanimous reeemmendition of Its mllilary committee, The supremo commander added that that was wnere rauuu m longed. The announcement confirmed in4Kina mnt. pvervone. in- ninHincr thn Germans, naa ...nnn Tt namp nt. n nress con1 ferenco' in which Eisenhower -.-.-..ImJ thn eitnntinn in one aVlllllll.li im-vi ...w - - n ivia uinr'B most, critical ne- uj. In.. thA rcnrmnns. nut I tuua .v.. v.w - ; Eisenhower warned against ex pecting that tlie end. wouia .n i,v b mnttpr nF weeks.i.' . "This week is marking a very definite climax in one pnwse ui mo uiisia.- e that has been in effect since D-Day, the general said, jusi ..,..' Ill V. ,Un nn.iilt In thn wnai wm uu inv. .v-avi - tntnl nn nnn enn sav. It Is Ulll VVJV1.1 w.. . v - certain that German torces con -.iJ nn nlll front nTO IHK i .m.nl hug nn. In the 111 A DUV1I1V. MV...V...O. campaigns lying ahead numbers of such tactical victories must be won because, even ,it we realize our fondest . hopes in. a (Continued on ragp tout; vaneed to within edge rise from the cSIstline and went a so today on the : ?r" ?g into a grapple with the German of he Germans last e,pe gap defendrs for possession of key from their Normandy pociteu communication points and com- mandine vantage points. T.ONDON. Aug. 15 UP) Tne The invasion was accomDan- supreme hour has struck. ied by the signal from the German radio saio iis i rencn national commiiree, ana is the hour when we must throw I jjiied commanders to all French i4n hattla the last little .ounce men-to rise- up against their af strength." German oppressors and indica I i; n,.M thot thA urAll-nrcnn. IblVJlld ITU. UI". . A-..- ized underground army of south- The Berlin radio saio loaay ern 1! ranee nan responded. iun...Bnn. nt members of the Srnrcslv a Shot - French underground" had been Scarcely a shot was fired at arrested in a surprise roundup, the big transport planes and The underground announcement gliders which put the air-borne was recorded by NBC. troops down, and the first re- turning pilots of the massive - LONDON Aug. la ur;- .ay- ugnter piaue hvjicch wihvu v.wv forces of German infantry and ered the invasion said not a sin- tanks COUnterattaCKing jloaT..j Bie euciuy uiaun v.pi'""" in the area east 01 i-raga. - cany ujicmuu.. in in - , v.. to-I T.otnr whpn Liehtnlnes en- BufD ""j.-ta . nnn. the countered the first German puiieu by .""-". :n.H nlanps: tn be seen, three Messer soviet commumvivio j-. 1H wor. hnt Howr, with. out loss. . ' An allied spotter plane flew 60 miles inland without sighting a single enemy troop concentra tion. . - . --..') While allied bombers struck Incessantly at objectives inland, (Continued on Page Three) : I.': By DANIEL DE LUCE :vz 't MOSCOW, Aug. 15 (JPh-Rui-J sian forces started attacking freshly dug German entrench-1 ments today in front oi . urav. . jewo, two miles south of the ; East . Prussian border,'. , after cracking the steel and concrete. forts around usowiec ana win- -ning a bridgehead across' the Biebrza river. . - Gen. G.- F. Sakharov threw. -the full ' offensive might of his - second w n t e iussian army t group against , thei Germans tempts to reorganize ineir jTon- -tier line just below .the JIasur ian lakes. v ' ; ,,A. thundering, bombardment; from' the air supported- the red army attack. . ..-' '' ' ... "The waters of -the - Biebraa ran dark'red with enemy blood : today," a front dispatch to I. vestia said. Zakharov smothered a. series of tank counterattacks with his high-powered -drive .. and struck directly in the rear ,. of large enemy forces; tied up., in . the Suwalki triangle (which . East Prussia annexed in -1939) by Gen .Ivan unemiaKoysiiy a divisions.; :" ."- . . ' ;- ' A German lonuiea - wu three to six miles in depth lay littered with fire-blackened nazi tanks and wrecked field guns behind Zakharov's vanguard. : .1 tonight. 2000 Planes Hit German Points . r-KTTrr Antf IS- ff At iivmwui a- v-. . , rv least 2000 American and British heavy bombers were hurled to day against Germany, Holland and Belgium while other hun dreds of planes from Italy and JIiBianv. ..v - - p. , on the nazis in the paths of the invasions ot nortnern ana suuui- C. n n At least 19 German air force t Heup's Mill at I Hambohe Burns. Fire yesterday afternoon) de stroyed the Western Pine 'mill at i Harhbone, - near .McCloud, n-nmtin hv A P. HPlltl Of V1 11 ., V,T"-V 1 ' - ' Klamath Falls.- Damage was es timated in excess ot ?vu,uuu.- The blaze started near two die sel motors and quickly spread ' through the 50,000-foot capacity plant. Vigorous fire-fighting prevented' the blaze irom spread ing to 2,000,000 feet of lumber in the yards or to the surround ing camp buildings. It is understood Heup plans to rebuild the mill, if possible. WEATHER August 15. 1944 ' v. ' Max. (Aug. 14) 78i Min. 43 V Precipitation last 24 hours..: v.00 Stream year to date ! Normal 12.28 Last year 1T.8S , , Forecast: Clear . Yank Bombs From China Smack Vital Formosa Port Turner to Be North Bend CO. Announcement came today from North Bend that Lt. Comdr. B. M. Turner has been named commander , of the naval air station there. He will suc ceed Capt. S. P. Mahoney, who is retiring from active service. T.t Pnmitp. Tnrnpr is nt nrps- ent serving as executive officer at the Klamath Falls naval air station, coming here from Pas co, wash. His successor nere has not been named, Baseball Scores AMERICAN LEAGUE R. H. - E. Chicago 1 2 i New York 3 T 0 . Haynes una Tresn; Kiioer ana nvmjB.y. t iMiniriiu .KmiK ' rlA . r ...lai .ft .A Rnitnn ':!!""!!!!"!. L. - ..5 t 1 0 v.... ..?. ' Li.i... rot rn.. nt sinrl Wagiwi.- . ... . .... ... t I " By J. B. KRUEGER Associated Press War, Editor TTnrmnsa. anchor on Japan s bases and non-operationai sia- . " water routes and only Uons were deluged with around "erm,Zr nortn of the PhiliP- knock out what is lett ot niuers Y.vT ' stiipll's v. .,nit hnfnre the enemy can China, Gen. Joseph StuweUs marshrh.is remaining strength headquarters announ for all-OUl support OI me uea- j." ." .-". , i perate German ground forces. the gland's main ports comple. liiciivvv. ' J j which have virtually neutralized Halmahera island at the south- nnrl .AnnnQltA (TlH nf the evil niiw t't . - , Dl.llln.ina. Ti n A If S t TfiKBO were hit ana tnree ireiBiucia were sunk in the narrow water way between Formosa and the Land-based heavy.- bombers stabbed -again "at Iwo Jlma in the Volcano Islands some 600 miles from Japan, said radio Tokyo. .- ;; ; '' ' " (.' ! Twenty -two Liberators , at tacked the Japanese fortress yesterday and were engaged by fighters, the unconfirmed ene my report declared; Two bombers-were downed,, it added, j Halmahera. big Japaneserheld island lying between alligd forces on New Guinea and tne southern Philippines, has been Everybody Knew It Was Coming SUPREME HEADQUAR- . . t n r Tn T-vT7i TvY TERS, ALliiBU j!,At-jiij-TIONARY FORCE, Aug. 15 . (p)The invasion of southern France was perhaps the worst kept secret of the war. Thousands of - Frenchmen and Americans knew it was coming. Correspondents . . in Normandy and Brittany were nnn. lonllv nalrpft nhnllt it: both by Frenchmen and GI's.- , Tne question whs hiuuiiu hid first asked by Frenchmen in towns, which had been cap tured. . The French under ground probably was told of the impending invasion and they told everybody else. effectively' neutralized under 'a rain or. air-Dorne expiuaiyca. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's com munique today said: ... :. "The flexioiiity oi tnis greas base is now gone. The- enemy s .ii.d.u. at Malmnhpra and. at contiguous intermediate bases are practically- neutraiiou, -i" . ! . 1.. lnt.l. maritime iorces wubw i"- -dieted and his, ground" troops immobilized in their present po sitions." ,- . ." ' Hi ' Explosion ana rire . ' Great fires and explosions) were touched off . during three great attacks; spread over about two weeks. Halmahera , is . 200 miles west oftNew Guinea and son miiec south of Mindanao, southernmost ' of-1 the Philip pines, MaCArtnurs ' greav. w- jective. Like- the Marianas,, it ! is nart of Japan's inner defenta ; line. . "". -:'-..I,.'iv'.V Chinese forces lniensiiieo. tacks on Japanese who took ..Innn. 4nm thnm lnt. W.eH and heavy.fightlng was general in- tne area.: xne Jal""'"cT trying'to close a gap hi the Han- . kow-Canton railway south ot Hengyang, the Chinese are bat. tling to prevent tjfat by reUIf ing the city.