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FORECAST ^ a, a -, Fair today and somewhat warmer with M1 Ml B -A A A ■ A A A A a ^ A * * REMEMBER §^3~ „ mnntttw ®Ktr pearl harbor AND BATAAN _ __WILMINGTON, N. C., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1944_ . FINAL EDITION Vanks 1 oro South Of Manila; Chui 5 Exiled Polish Regime; Sc s Three Wedges Into Reich -- *-. Y _ “W# _ . _ _ *---* 4 Russia Aided InDemandFor New Frontiers Prime Minister Draws Map For Changes In Reich Borders LONDON, Dec. 15.—Iff)—An thony Eiien told the House of Commons today that by mixing into the Soviet-Polish disagree ment "we have, if you like, burne.-! our fingers.” LONDON, Dec. 15.—(/P)— Prime Minister Churchill dumped overboard the pres ent Polish exile government today, backed Russia’s de mand for a new Western frontier, and drew a map for Central Europe in which Ger many would lose vast tracts of her northern and eastern territory. In an historic address, he sug gested a ''practical” approach by the United States to Poland’s fu ture and, inferentially, to that of all Europe, and disclosed a my sterious misfire in plans for a new meeting with President Roosevelt and Premier Stalin. Rivalling in world significance dramatic “blood, sweat and tears” pronouncement which rallied Britain four years ago, Churchill bluntly made these main points today in the House of Com mons: Poland must accept Russia’s de mands for a western boundary run ning along the old Curzon Line, in dr: the loss cf Lvov. Poland, with British-Soviet back ing. would be free to expand to the wes • taking over all of East Prus sia south and west of Konigsberg, including once-free Danzig, and en tontinuecl on Page Two; Col. 3) MIN HELD FREE OF OBLIGATION TO ATLANTIC CHARTER B' LOUIS P. LOCHNER LONDON Dec. 15— iTP)—Joseph * . should be the most pleased man in Europe today. Winston Churchill freed him from any moral obligation to adhere to ,ne Atlantic Charter, offered the northern tip of German East Prus s'a to the Soviets, proposed “com pensations ’ to Poland which would enable Russia to garner a sizable snee of Polish territory, and sent met s chickens home to roost in e sense of moving vast popula ■y, m gigantic “Voelkerwander tungs. huirchiii technically remained ohm the provisions of Article ,,ne of the Atlantic Charter in "■t he sought “no aggrandize ent. territorial or otherwise,” for teat Britain, bur he disclosed no Jhitions about approving terri desires on the part of his ,P?r Poland, acceptance of Chur 1 s proposal would mean esta isnng herself formidably as a ,°llc Sea power, for in addition . her excellent port of Gyndia ‘p "ould gain Pillau and Danzig, cf h-1' Puss‘a ‘t would mean gains Polish and German terri anci an increase of her ports 'Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) STETTINIUS silent ^retary Promises Frank Statement On Policy Washington, Dec. 15. — (&) — Jrelafy of State Stettinius pro today *q give a frank state i„i,r soon on American policy “n respect to British and Rt s “1" m.oves in Europe. anv‘e tinius backed off answering p; news conference questions on -nd saying he had only frag te 'ai'-v reports of Prime Minis Churchill’s speech this morn ] “ an(i had not had time to ana Me it. said the whole Polish ques ‘ ,ls tied up with Churchill’s , ech. William Player of the New rJnP°st-’ Asked the Secretary if . - United States’ attitude depend 011 Churonill’s speech. tUinius refused to comment. Patch s Men Reach Goal After 500-Mile Campaign PARIS, Dec. 15.— (A1) —Three divisions of the U. S. Seventh Army drove into Germany’s industrial Palatinate today at three points along a 12-mile front, four months to the day after they stormed the Mediterranean shore and began chasing the Germans 500 miles across France. The first to make the crossing was the 103rd Division, NAZIS FIGHTING IN DESPERATION Allied Advance Held De layed By Last Ditch Stand By EDWARD KENNEDY SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EPEDITION ARY FORCE, Paris, Dec. 15.—UP— Three months ago today the U. S. First Army broke through the mail' Siegfried Line defenses south of Aachen and it appeared that with the Reich’s formidable crust ol steel and concrete penetrated, a rapid drive to the heart of Ger many was in prospect. Today, the First Army is battling on the Roer river bank a bare 15 miles from the point where it breached the Siegfried Line. The U. S. Ninth and British Second Ar mies also are through the line in the Aachen area. Farther south, the U. S. Third Army is fighting inside the Sieg fried Line and close to the Rhine, the Seventh Army is across the frontier and its artillery is assault ing the West Wall. But there is no prospect of a rapid thrust toward Berlin—unless the whole German military struc ture should come crashing down and there is no indication such a collapse is imminent. There is no baffling mystery about this turn of events. It is sim ply that Germany, straining and heaving like a dying giant, has mustered enough strength and will power to keep on fighting after all visible chance of winning has gone. Every town behind the Siegfried Line has been turned into a for tress. Every forest has been filled with minefields and cut by trenches big enough for tanks to move in. Improvised pillboxes have been built in the rubble and even after towns are lost snipers left behind harass the advancing Allies. That is Why the First Army’s advance has been slowed to an av erage of scarecely more than a mile a week in the past three months. If, on penetrating the Siegfried Line, the First Army hact r-f"ci ent supplies for a lightning blow before the Germans installed such defenses behind the line, it might have reached the Rhine. But sup (Continued on Page Three; Col. 8) "which pushed across at 1:05 p. m., against sporadic opposition nortt of Climbach and four milts wtsi of the French frontier city of Wis sembourg in the northeastern cor ner of Alsace. Forty-five minutes later the 45th Division crossed the border along wooded ridges at an undisclosable point, but in the same general area. Ten minutes later, the 79th Di1 vision burst the Lauter river line at the frontier near Scheibenhard, nine miles east of Wissembourg, and plunged into the fastnesses ol Bien Wald forest on the Rhine plain some 11 miles west of the Baden province capital of Karl sruhe. A late front dispatch said the vanguards of Lt. Gen Alexander M, Patch’s divisions, which moved up to the frontier while the Sieg fried Line’s guns were singularly silent, had come under fire of the fortifications and were pressing against outpost bunkers and pill boxes. Other elements of the 103rd Di vision, overrunning at least seven towns in their path, were within a mile and a half south of Wissem bourg, standing at the entrance of a gap leading into Germany. Forces of the 79th Division smashed into Lauterbourg, at the east end of the invasion front be tween the Vosges and the Rhine, and were fighting within 10 miles (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) -V 3,000 Tons Of Bombs Shatter Ludwigshafen; Hannover, Kassel Hit LONDON, Saturday. Dec. 16.—(4*) —More than 500 RAF Lancasters blasted Ludwigshafen, 65 miles east of the Saarbrucken front, with more than 3,000 tons of bombs last night after some 1,200 American bombers and fighters had pounded the vital rail hubs of Hannover and feassel with 2,000 tons of ex plosives in a daylight assault.. Four of the U. S. Eighth Air Force’s bombers and two fighters were missing from the attack. Meanwhile RAF Lancasters es corted by Spitfires bombed a boat pen at Ijmuiden, entrance to the North Sea canal running to Ams terdam in northern Holland, and Italy-based American Fortresses and Liberators hit supply and oth er targets in Rosenheim and Amstetten in Germany, Linz and Salzburg in Austria and rail yards at Innsbruck, northern terminus of the Brenner Pass route. More Older Men Slated For Draft In February WASHINGTON, Dec. 15.— OP' — Selective Service, announcing a “much larger” proportion of older men will be inducted after Feb ruary 1, tonight sent out instruc tions implementing the Govern ment’s “produce or fight” edict. It ordered that registrants in the 26 through 38 age bracket whose job shifts are not in the best in terests of the war effort should be put in 1-A and placed near the top of the list tor a '-uon. Draft boards were directed that when these' registrants are put in 1-A after leaving essential jobs they should be made available for service **in the ssine msnner <is registrants who leave agriculture.” This would make them available draft regulations. In leaving to local boards de termination as to which changes will aid in prosecution of the war, the agency made it clear that in some °cases a switch may be ap roved even though consent of the board was not obtained prior to a move. It also moved that men who changed jobs before December 12 are excluded from the new pro vision for clearance through local boards. The memorandum instructed boards o “give greater deferment consideration to registrants 26 through* 37 who are engaged in war production or in support of the war effort, than those engaged in activi ies not supporting immed iate prosecution of the war.” Implementing a directive of the Office of War Mobilization and Re conversion, the revised regulations provide that regis'rants who are now in war industries ‘‘must stay on or run the risk of losing their ! occupational deferment classifica tion.” The memorandum said regis trants of lesser skills in war plants ! “may be found more important to I the war effort than those of great er skills in other ac ivities not in direct support of the war effort.” While the primary aim of OWMR Director James F. Byrnes’ direc tive of last weekend is to curb labor turnover in critical war pro , grams, Selec'ive Service pointed up the need for replacements for the armed services: “Estimates of available men ln . dicate that the armed forces’ calls after February 1 cannot be filled substantially from men aged 18 through 25. The larger number of American divisions now actually engaged in combat, the continuing pressure against the enemy has ' increased the requirements for ] (Continued on Page Three; Col. 2) Russian Army Smashes Into West Slovakia Drive Aimed At Cutting Off Germans In Eastern Area LONDON, Dec. 15.—(^*)— The Red Army invaded west ern Slovakia today, crossing the frontier 34 miles north west of besieged Budapest in a bold operation aimed at cut ting off German troops in eastern Slovakia and break ing open the roads to Vienna, 115 miles to the west. Hurdling the Ipoly river frontier, the Russians seized the Slovak town of Ipolysag (Sahy), a half mile beyond and 87 miles east of Bratislava, Slovak capital, a Moscow communique announced. The stroke by Marshall Rodion Y. Malinovsky’s Second Ukraine Army also was likely to draw out into the open again a compact fighting force of 25,000 free Czecho slovak troops which not long ago were driven out of their headquar ters at Banska Bystrica, 46 miles north of Ipolysag, Without relaxing his grip on Budapest, two-thirds of which was encircled, Marshall Malinovsky skirted the northern edge of the 27,000-ft. Borzsony mountains and reached a road leading downhill into the plains stretching west ward to Bratislava and Vienna. The German east Slovakian stronghold of Kassa (Kosice) lies 113 miles northeast of Ipolysag, and other Russian forces steadily were cutting into the southern side of this great Axis salient. Without mentioning the battle around Budapest, one-third of which already was destroyed ac cording to a Paris radio report, Moscow said that Russian forces driving toward the central and eastern Slovakian frontiers had swept through 31 more localities, including the rich iron, coal and . manganese center of Szendro, 20 ] miles north of fallen Miskolc. , _v_ SFA ACCELERATES COAL SHIPMENTS TO THIS SECTION By ALLEN J. GREEN (Star-News Washington Bureau) WASHINGTON. Dec. 15. — Of ficials of the Solid Fuels Admin istration announced today that or ders had been issued to accelerate coal shipments into Wilmington to relieve an impending shortage of fuel. The order, they said, will result in 50 to 60 carloads above the nor mal monthly average moving into the city this month. It does not, however, constitute an increase in the city’s quota which, like the rest of the Nation, was cut to 90 per cent of last year’s total. SFA conducted an investigation after complaints of a shortage had been made by city officials and found that shipments to Wilming ton from the coal fields were be ing delayed. A second investiga tion in the area is scheduled for January. City Manager A. C. Nichols, City Attorney W. B. Campbell, Executive Director H. R. Emory of the Wilmington Housing Author ity and Rep. J. Bayard Clark were the leaders in the campaign to end the shortage. •1 *-» PHILIPPINE ISLANDS SAN FERNANDO LUZON TO TOKYO CAMP JOHN HAY 2000 M,‘ FORT STOTSENRURG FORT McKINLEY CLARK FIELD ■ NICHOLS FIELD IRA | CAVITE NraseL _ > $ Pacific Ocean LU'ANG MINDORO\j K ^>. SAMAR racuitA pANA1 PALAWAN Sufu Sea TO SINGAPORE ZAMROANGA. >M500 MILES . # ^ MINDANAO O 100 ,**• Mindoro island, due south of Lugon, lies only 150 miles from Manila, Its capture will give American air power a chance to strike at the Japs on Luzon. U. S. Can Pound Luzon From Bases On Mindoro By MORRIS J. HARRIS WASHINGTON, Dec. 15.—(IP)—American landings on Mindoro island in the Philippines places MacArthur in one bold stroke within deadly range of the grand prize of Luzon and Manila. The daring thrust has lopped off about half the 315 air NIPPON REPORTS THREE NEW RAIDS BY SUPERFORTS By the Associated Press The aerial invasion of Japan by American Superfortresses hit three areas, including Tokyo, Friday (Japanest time), the Tokyo radio said, labeling the forays “nuisance raids” and reiterating threats against Yank airmen. The sky giants stabbed twice in small force at Tokyo, dropping in cendiary bombs, said the uncor# firmed broadcast. It was recorded by the Federal Communications Commission. Three Superforts appeared over the capital in the first thrust, about 3:30 a.m., said the enemy report, and a single plane attacked about two hours later. It added that there was “hardly any damage” from the raid. The Osaka-Kobe district on the east coast of Honshu, principal homeland island, was visited by a single B-29. which did not drop any missiles, Tokyo reported. Govern ment monitors were unable, be cause of atmospheric conditions, to catch the name of the third area under attack or observation. There was no claim that any of the raiders were shot down during the day’s activity, nor was there (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) 'line miles between Leyte and Manila Bay. If American air power can be established on the southern shores of Mindoro, Luzon and all that it contains will be in stone's throw distance to U. S. flyers. Another key to the recapture of the Philippines, Corregidor island in the mouth of Manila Bay, also comes into easy air distance when a hold is established on Mindoro. The Mindoro landing will beyond doubt throw further consternation into the Yamashita forces of Japan seeking to stay MacArthur. The American has advanced deep into territory held by the Japanese. That he has done it proves he be lieves he has the power to maintain it and that very fact will be a further smashing blow against Japanese determination to carry on the fight throughout the islands. From a position on Mindoro, United States forces will be in a position to deal with the Japanese island-to-island route by which the enemy reinforces his troops on the Leyte battleground. Despite the supreme efforts of American naval and air forces the Japanese have filtered a more or less steady stream of reinforce ments south through the chain of islands and waterways to Leyte. Sixth Army Hits Beach1 v With Scant Opposition MacARTHUR’S HEADQUARTERS, Philippines, Dec 16._(iP)—A naval-borne U. S. Sixth Army force crossed the Philippines and gained a virtually bloodless beachhead on Mindoro island, within 150 miles of Manila, Friday morning (Philippine time), Gen. Douglas MacArthur disclosed today. The daring amphibious break spanning the heart of the __ * Japanese - dominated Philippine* 224 JAP PLANES FIRED ON LUZON \ __ 90 More Craft Strafed In Two Day Fighter Sweep U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEAD QUARTERS, Pearl Harbor, Dec 15_ (/Pi —American carrier planes destroyed a total of 224 Japanese aircraft in a two-day smash at Lu zon island in the Philippines, De cember 13-14, and bombed anc strafed 90 more enemy planes or the ground, the Navy announced to day. Today’s communique revised yes terday’s report of 91 planes de stroyed in these forays, adding 132 to toe toll of enemy aircraft knock ed' from toe skies or blasted or the ground by fighters and bomb ers. Most of the enemy’s 100 airfields on the island, on which Manila is situated, were. swept in the raids The tactical purpose of toe first full power carrier blow at Luzor since November 24 apparently was to wipe out as many as possible of the air reinforcements which the Nipponese have been able to bring (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) sevenIwejtar OFFICERS NAMED FOR U. S. FORCES WASHINGTON, Dec. 15.— (.*) - Seven officers —top field and fleet commanders and the over-all Ar my and Navy chiefs—were boosted swfitly today to new five-star rank. President Roosevelt signed legis lation authorizing “Admirals of the fleet” and “Generals of the Army,” and quickly sent the names to toe Senate. They are: For the new Navy rank—Admiral William D. Leahy, the President’s personal chief of staff; Admiral Ernest J. King, commander in chief of the Fleet and chief of Nav al Operations; and Admiral Ches ter W. Nimitz, commander in chiei of the Pacific Fleet and of the Pacific Ocean areas. For toe new Army rank—Gen eral George C. Marshall, chief oi staff; General Douglas MacArthur. commander in the Southwest Paci fic; General Dwight D. Eisenhow er, Allied commander in Western Europe; and General H. H. Arnold, commander of* the Army Air For ces. The Senate acted as swiftly as the White House, approving -th e nominations unanimously withoul even referring them to committee, despite scattered questions on the wisdom of the move. Senator Russell (D Ga) told the Senate he thought it “perfectly ab surd” to create a “super rank tc (Continued on Page Two; Col. 7) Second Meeting Of The \Big Three* Planned After Inauguration Of FDR WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 — W — A second Roosevek-Churchill-Stalin conference at last has been ar ranged—for late January or learly February. Dictating the need for it were new demands on both sides of the Atlantic for consultations at t o p levels and grave concern over di vergent courses of Allied diplo macy. The principal factor governing the time apparently is President Roosevelt’s schedule. It calls for a fourth term inauguration on Janu ary 20. The meeting will be held soon thereafter unless world events force a change in plans. The place is expected to be somewhere out side the United States. Disclosure of the decision for another meeting follows weeks of discord, some under the surface, some in the open, over Allied poli cies toward Greece, Italy, Poland and other areas once infested by Nazis. While there has been evidence of progress toward restored harmony, the size of the problems was such as to call for the personal atten tion of the Big Three. In addition, they have numerous other issues of war and peace requiring their attention—perfection of t h e Dum barton Oaks security plan, for in stance. Among signs that some of the Allies are approaching a greater degree of agreement, at least bi laterally, was Churchill’s an nouncement to Parliament today that Britain was swinging toward Russian views on Polish boundary and population problems, i It followed a greater measure of accord achieved by Britain and the United States over Italian politics. Furthermore, Secretary of State Stettinius promised a statement soon of America’s views toward British and Russian steps in Eur ope. Stettinius may accompany the President to the forthcoming con ference. While the decision that the meet ing will be held soon af.er the in auguration helped allay some un easiness over thrends in Europe, Churchill’s pronouncement on Po land produced a none too favor able reaction in the Senate. Chairman Connally (D-Tex) oi the Foreign Relations Committee said it meant another Roosevelt ChurchilbStalin meeting was nec essary because America “must be consulted” on European bound aries. jt eSlcUJXiOllCU. XUl tiiv- iMuvx *x,^**»~ — east-west corridor through the archipelago which will give them access to routes leading to the coast of China, the supreme com mander said. Swarms of carrier-based planes that day and the day before scourg ed virtually every Nipponese air field in the farflung archipelago, destroying more than 200, perhaps 300, enemy aircraft. MacArthur called it a 600-mile advance but did not disclose the route. The air-line distance from eastern Leyte, where the Ameri cans first landed October 20, to the southern tip of Mindoro is about 260 miles. The difference suggests that the American force took a cir cuitous route southwestward around Mindanao island. The corridor, which MacArthur said cut the Philippines in two for the Japanese, evidently was es tablished with the generous help of guerrillas who seized strong points and airfields and wiped out several Japanese contingents on islands ly ing directly between Leyte and Mindoro. Although enemy forces attacked the Mindoro-bound convoy several times, they were surprised as to the landing place, and U. S. losses were negligible, MacArthur report ed. rom the Mindoro convoy, com manded by Rear Adm. A. D. Struble, Associated Press Corres pondent Murlin Spencer reported the surprise was so complete that lights ashore were burning bright ly when the Yanks moved in for the landing just before dawn. Three hours after the first as sault waves hit the beach the Ar my took over, still without encount ering resistance from shore. The convoy ships, protected throughout by Read Adm. Russell S. Berkley’s close covering force and Seventh Fleet carriers under Read Adm. T. G. Ruddock pulled away for the return voyage. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 7) AMERICANS DRIVE [ i NORTH TO ORMOC ; SEEK NEW BATTLE GENERAL MACARTIIUR’S HEADQUARTERS, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 16. —(TP)— Troops of the U. S. 77th Division, sup ported by heavy artillery, drove northward from Ormoc today for an inevitable head-on-clash with the large body of Japane . caught in the Ormoc corridor of the north western Leyte island. The enemy’s main supply depot, a mile north of Ormoc, was in American hands after a bitter struggle. At the northern end of the cor ridor the U S. 32nd Division tight ened its pressure on the hemmed in enemy force, the only one of any size remaining on Leyte. Although the Nipponese already had suffered 82.554 casualties, more than naif of them dead, in the futile effort to hold Leyte, It was believed the corridor forct numbered many thousands. Ameri can casualties in the reinvasion of the Philippines had reached 10, 409, including 2,176 killed. japsTaSTgasping V Radio Reporter Says Foe Will Come Back Soon SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 15.—(tP) ! —Royal Arch Gunnison. 'Mutual Radio reporter in the Philippine*, 1 broadcast tonight that Gen. Mas Arthur’s invasion of Mindoro Is land, adjacent to Luzon on which Manila is situated, “left the Jap anese gasping.” "However,” he added, “the land ing is too close to Manila to es pect that Japan will take this blow without a terrific comeback.” He quoted Lt. Gen. Walter Krue ger. Sixth Army commander, as saying “we must take chances when the chances appear worth the risk.” Guerrilla activity on Mindoro in the past months made the land ing comparatively easy. Gunnison said.
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Dec. 16, 1944, edition 1
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