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-— t REMEMBER
Partly cloudy and slightly warmer to
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Yesterday's temperatures: SlIlAIIli I * *1 011 II
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__ _ AND BATAAN
yOL77—NOJMl--_ FINAL EDITION *
Germans Retreating Under First Army Blows;
Japs Report Yan^ Invasion Of Lingayen Gulf;
Admiral Expect /Xobot Attack On East Coast
Enemy Claims
Hint Of Great
Fight In Area
Allies Silent On Story Of
A Division Already
Landed
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 8.
<AP)_A Japanese broadcast
recorded by NBC and Blue
Network tonight said “ene
my forces which have invad
ed Lingayen Gulf are esti
mated to number one divi
sion.” leaving unclear wheth
er these troops were put
a hore there or were mere
ly aboard a convoy offshore.
'NBC after playing back the re
cording said the two possible
meanings could be read into the
report. In its original dispatch NBC
interpreted the broadcast to mean
an actual landing had taken place.
Some doubt was evidenced upon
the playback, and further attempts
to monitor Tokyo were unsuccess
ful due to atmospheric conditions.
Allied sources have not con
firmed the report.
Neither network recording speci
fied exact landing spots.
This report, strongly suggesting
the big showdown fight for the
Philippines is on in full fury, fol
lowed enemy broadcasts of the
past few days that 450 American
transports were moving toward
Luzon Island behind 70 warships
which dueled for two days with
Lingayen shore batteries.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s latest
communique told of aerial assaults
on central and southwest Luzon, in
cluding the Manila sector but
made no mention of air attacks on
the Lingayen scene, where the
Japanese originally invaded the
Philippines.
A landing in the Lingayen Gulf
area would put MacArthur’s men
anywhere from 110 to 150 miles
north of Manila in country suited
for mechanized warfare.
A division of men might be
i somewhere around 15,000 or more.
Tokyo's unconfirmed accounts
also included another, recorded by'
I NBC, that two big Allied convoys
fi have been sighted moving north,
one in the sea of Mindanao, the
i other south of American-invaded
■ Mindoro Island. The enemy said
| the second convoy consisted of
I more than 150 transports in addi
tion to escorting warships.
The enemy radio said there is a
Nu'Se assemblage of American
■ varships and transports in Ling
m *yen Gulf.
■ Claims were made that heavy
nave been inflicted on the
■ adcast, filled with con
aombast on the readi
of .Japanese forces on Luzon,
J'as beamed to the United States
lo) American consumption.
The report by the Japanese Do
mei news agency claimed without
•xplanation that the defenders al
Ieady have dealt a “staggering
(Continued on Page Seven; Col. 3)
-v
Japanese Reinforce Troops
^ Fukien To Bar American
Invasion Of Asia Mainland
CHUNGKING, Jan. 8. - tf>) -
bviously girding against any Am
*ncan landings on, the Asiatic
oast. the Japanese have landed
iresh troops in northeastern Fuki
province, the Chinese high com
""-and announced tonight
j delated announcement said the
aPrtese landed December 26 and
, Vancing_ inland captured the
,An °f Siapu. 70 miles northeast
enemy-held Foochow, but that
Cnmese counterattack January
"iced the invaders to retreat
0 bansha on the coast.
Tuesday and Wednesday
t, "an carrier-based planes at
" coed the islands of Formosa and
"iiia'A-a. guarding the China coas'
95 enemy ships and de
rr:,J-’ln2 Hi planes. Formosa is 15(
"" cs southeast of Sansha anc
"3v.a 500 miles slightly north
. l'le coast town. Other car
- -based TJ. S. planes on recon
q 5sance flew 700 miles down tht
H‘,na. coast between Foochow anc
opr.gkong.)
‘Tearful hyn’ At New Home
Sailor Paul McGarity greets his three-year-old daughter Lyn,
smiling now, as she and her mother arrived in Memphis, Tenn., to
move into their new home. When McGarity was unahle to find a home
for his family in Memphis, Mrs. McGarity snapped a picture of her
daughter crying. The Commercial Appeal published the photograph
and McGarity was flooded with offers of accomodations. Their home
is in Charlotte. N. C.
4Supply Force* Of 4-Fs
And Strikers Proposed
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8.—(UP)—A new branch of the
service—“a supply force” of 4-F’s, strikers and workers
guilty of wilfull absenteeism—was proposed in Congress to
day as legislative leaders prepared for swift action on stop
gap manpower measures which would mobilize the labor
force more fullv behind the fighting men.
__.-* The suggestion was offered by
rtep. wmiarii /
who explained that the force could
be used at the President's discre
tion for emergency jobs in war
plants or elsewhere
Men inducted into the new E.erv
ice, he said, would be issued reg
ular Army uniforms and would
receive Army pay, including de
pendency allotments, but would be
prrohibited fom collecting other
benefits.
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt told a
press conference meanwhile that
she favors a National Service Act
applying to women as well as men.
need for such a universal draft,
she said, “'has been pressed upon
us” by recent reverses on the
war fronts in Europe.
Both Houses of Congress appear
ed to be in substantial agreement
with the President’s request that
nurses be inducted into the armed
forces and that 4-F’s be placed
on a work-or-fight basis. But most
members balked for the time be
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 8)
NEW BILL WOULD
FINANCE HARBOR
FACILITIES HERE
Financing of the construction of
I public terminals and tobacco ware
houses for the Port of Wilming
ton by either the City or County,
acting separately or jointly, will
be possible if the 1945 Legislature
passes an act to extend the period
during which New Hanover county
and its municipalities may issue
revenue bonds, City Attorney W.
B Campbell disclosed yesterday.
'Both the City and County “have
been approached on this matter
but have made no commitments."
Mr. Campbell said. “However,
both want the authority so that m
the event they should determine
to issue bonds to cover the build
ing of the port facilities, they
would be able to."
Prior to 1943, a State-wide reve
nue bond act provided that any
city or county could issue revenue
bonds to construct any projects
named in the act. This covered
practically any facility that a mu
nicipality would require, including
stadiums, airports, and sewer sys
terns.
Mr. Campbell explained that
during'the 1943 session, “when the
New Hanover representatives tried
to extend the life of that act, look
ing toward the possible purchase
of the Tide Water Power Co.,
by the City, 'they were unable to
do so. All they could do was to
extend the facility provisions of
the State-wide act for the benefit
of municipalities in New Hanover
county, actually the City of Wil
mington. And this expires March
1, 1945.”
The purpose of the new bill spe
cially is “to give' the City and
County each authority acting sepa
rately or jointly, to issue revenue
bonds. Each may determine what
proportion it is desired to partici
pate in such an. issue,” he said.
Mention was made of a local
■ bond issue to finance building' of
tpe port facilities at a meeting
October 10 of the - Port Commis
sion, City Council, and Board of
• County Commissioners. Discussion
■ was also held on the possibilities
! of an allocation of State Planning
!
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
NavyPrepared
To Repel Nazi
Air Offensive
Admiral Ingram Tells Pub
lic Not To Become
Alarmed
AN EAST COAST PORT,
Jan. 8.— (UP) —New York,
Washington, or other East
Coast cities may be subject
ed to German robot bomb
attacks within 30 to 60 days,
Admiral Jonas H. Ingram,
commander-in-chief of the At
lantic Fleet, announced today.
“We know and feel that within
the next 30 to 60 days the Ger
mans will make some buzz bomb
attempts on New York or Washing
ton or other coastal cities,” he
said. “Let ’em come. We are ready
to meet the situation. My sugges
tion to the people of New York
and these coastal cities is not to
become alarmed. I want them to
know the Army and Navy are co
operating in every way possible
and have developed the best possi
ble defense.
“I don’t think there is anything
to worry too much about. They
might try to hit the Empire State,
may kill a few people and cause
some damage. But they won’t be
able to launch more than 10 or 12
robot bombs.”
The Navy Department tn wasn
ington tonight commented indirect
ly on Admiral Ingram’s remarks
by referring to a statement issued
last November 7 which said that
it was “entirely possible” but not
very probable that the enemy
would resort to such long-distance
attacks. Admiral Ernest J. King,
naval commander-in-chief, also had
termed robot bomb attacks “pos
siblebut not probable.”
In its November statement, the
Navy had said:
“It is extremely doutful that
such attacks could entirely elude
allied sea and air patrols. Reason
able measures are in force to pro
tect the country. However, as has
previously been stated with respect
to the possibility of sporadic ene
my air attacks on our shores, it
is impossible to insure that such
an attack will be completely trus
trated.”
The Eastern Defense Command
of the Army refused to comment
on the warning, but it was learned
that Civil Defense authorities all
along the coast were warned of
the possibility of robot bomb at
tacks a few weeks ago following
Swedish reports that the Germans
were massing submarines in Nor
wegian ports and fitting them with
deck devices for launching robot
bombs. These reports were con
sidered by many authorities at the
time as typical Nazi propaganda.
Announcing that he had taken
personal charge of the naval de
fense of New York, Washington,
and other coastal cities, Admiral
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 6)
Shipyard Counsel Protests
NLRB Lawyer’s Proposals
A brief clash over preliminary
motions by the senior attorneys
for the North Carolina Shipbuild
ing Co. and the National Labor
Relations Board, together with .the
calling by the latter of Percy F.
Halsey, shipyard vice president
and general manager, as first wit
ness featured the opening session
yesterday of the NLRB hearing of
unfair labor-practice charges in
itiated by the Industrial Union of
Marine and Shipbuilding Workers
of America—C. I. O. against the
company.
Before Trial Examiner J. J.
Fitzpatrick, veteran Midwestern
jurist and attorney who- ha’s serv
ed six years in his present capa
city, Maj. L. P. McLendon rose
to describe as “too shocking-’ a
proposal by William J. Aviutis,
NLRB attorney, that records, of
the present case be “consolidated’’
with those of a hearing in which
the same principals contested late
in 1942. Maj. McLendon, together
with J. C. Harmor, Jr., and Ken
neth Brim, who did not appear
yesterday, is a member of the
Greensboro law firm retained by
the shipyard.
After Examiner Fitzpatrick had
denied his motion as pointless,
since the previous case was closed
and hence subject only to judicial
notice as precedent source, Mr.
Avrutis explained that he had
hoped it would simplify the estab
lishment of background in the case.
A few minutes later, Maj. Mc
Lendon moved that the shipyard’s
counsel be given an amplified bill
of particulars, dealing in detail
with the 110 alleged offenses com
prising the Board’s charge. Mr.
Avrutis replied with some heat
that the shipyard was itself in
default in the matter of furnish
ing information, a statement which
Maj. McLendon retorted was
■grossly unfair.”
After listening to Maj. McLen
don’s explanation that “having the
charges disclosed one by one" by
the proponents’ witnesses would
cause delay in rebuttal, Examiner
Fitzpatrick denied his motion but
announceJ that the hearing would
(Continued on Page Seven; Col. 4)
- --- — ■ ■ - ■ ■ TT
Yanks Walk Through Shell-Torn Bastogne
- r"----—
American soldiers walk through a street in the shattered city of Bastogne where XT. S. troops held
out against the German counter-offensive in the Be lgium-Luxembourg area. This picture was made by
Byron H. Rollins, Associated Press photographer with the wartime still picture pool. (AP Wircphoto.)
Nimitz And MacArthur
Confer In Philippines
U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUARTERS, PEARL
HARBOR, Jan. 8.— (AP)—Adm. Chester W. Nimitz has
conferred in the Philippines with Gen. Douglas MacArthur,
it was disclosed today.
The Navy announced that the Fleet Admiral flew to
the Archipelago the last week in December for his third
strategic meeting with the Southwest Pacific commander.
-* It was Nimitz’ first meetirtg
with MacArthur since last August
when the general came to Pearl
Harbor during the visit of Presi
dent Roosevelt.
Today’s press release, issued at
a time when enemy broadcasts
and Allied air and sea operations
are focusing attention on the like
lihood of an invasion of Luzon Is
land, merely stated the two mili
tary leaders conferred “on various
matters.”
It can be assumed they worked
on a timetable for defeating Ja
pan.
Admiral Nimitz was accom
panied by Rear Adm. Forrest
Sherman, his chief of staff and
commander H A. Lamar, his aide.
Nimitz paid a courtesy call on
Sergio Osmena, president of the
provisional Philippines government
at his temporary capital at Ta
cloban on Leyte.
The developments emphasized
the close relationship between the
two five-star commanders, one Of
the Southwest Pacific, the other
of Pacific Ocean areas, in coordin
ating their efforts.
Nimitz and MacArthur first con
ferred at MacArthur’s advanced
New Guinea headquarters prior to
the leapfrog invasion of Dutch
New Guinea in the Hollandia sec
tor last April.
That was the operation which for
the first time in the war saw naval
units of the Nimitz command team
up directly with land forces of the
MacArthur command.
Last July matters of strategic
policy were discussed at Pearl
Harbor by President Roosevelt,
Nimitz and MacArthur.
These personal meetings have
been augmented by conferences of
the staffs.
Sherman took a delegation to
Hollandia last September which
carried along a plan for the Leyte
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 1)
MARCELOVA FALLS
TO SOVIET FORCE
80 Nazi Tanks Destroyed;
Reds Advance On
Vienna
LONDON, Jan. 8 —(UP)— Red
Army troops pushed four miles
along the nprth bank of the Dan
ube to within 90 miles of Vienna
today, while other Soviet forces on
the south bank of the great river
gateway to central Europe knock
ed out 90 German tanks in throw
ing back fresh enemy attempts to
break the siege of Budapest.
Troops of the Second Ukrainian
Army captured the north bank
town of Marcelova in a drive that
carried to within four miles of the
Komarno-Bratislava supply rail
road. At Marcelova the Russians
stood seven miles from Komarno,
big German north bank base. 59
miles from the city of Bratislava
and 90 from Vienna.
This drive to outflank German
columns hammering toward Buda
pest from the northwest and west
put the Russians 21 miles beyond
Nazi-held Esztergom, on the south
bank of the Danube and 19 miles
northwest of the Hungarian capi
tal.
Tire two armies fighting in op
posite directions separated by the
500-yard width of the river prompt
ed one German commentator, Col.
Ernst von Hammer, to say: “A
situation has arisen which is rare
in military history. Enemy armies
are passing each other separated
by the Danube.”
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
900 U. S. PLANES
HIT NAZI SUPPLY
German Traffic Reported
Badly Snarled In Bel
gian Area
LONDON, Jan. 8.—(.UP)—Four
U. S. heavy bomber formations
joined the battle of the bulge to
day for the first time in strength,
more than 900 American bombers
and fighters blasting enemy trans
portation targets from a point 15
miles northeast of Bastogne west
to Frankfurt on the Main.
Striking, at a German traffic jam
in the bulge officially described
as the worst in this war, the aerial
heavyweights heaped destruction
on two targets near the German
frontier, a third farther south just
across the Luxembourg border and
a fourth within 15 miles of Bas
togne, the heart of the German
salient.
The day’s raids marked the first
time that American heavy bombers
from Britain had raided the Bel
gium-Luxembourg area in strength
although once before in a critical
phase of the battle some forma
tions had struck equally close to
front line ground troops in the
salient.
Other formations in the raiding
fleet of 700 heavyweights and 200
esorting fighters smashed other
road and rail junctions in Germany
just west of the bulge and also the
large railroad freight yards at
Frankfurt, 130 miles due west of
Bastogne.
The raiders attacked in tempera
tures of 54 degrees below zero and
were unopposed by the Luftwaffe,
which apparently was grounded by
stormy weather.
Crewmen reported the weather
so rough and thick that at times
during the flight they couldn’t see
the wings of their planes.
Meanwhile, the U. S. Eighth Air
Force disclosed that six bombers
previously reported missing from
Sunday’s raids had been found
safe, lowering the toll for those
operations to three bombers and
Dne fighter still missing.
One high-ranking Eighth Air
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 7)
Jap Submarine Crew Tortures Americans
A fter Torpedoing Ship In Indian Ocean
(Editor’s note—The following
dispatch disclosing new Japa
nese atrocities was written by a
United Press correspondent who
subsequently lost his life cover
ing a B-29 raid. The dispatch
has just been released by cen
sors.
BY JOHN J. ANDREW
United Press Staff Correspondent
COLOMBO, CEYLON. July 17 —
(Correct)— (UP) —Twenty three
survivors of an American Liberty
ship, their sunburned bodies bear
ing scars from beating and bay
oneting inflicted by a Japanese
submarine crew who murdered
about 77 of their shipmates, told a
story today of two hours of hell
aboard tha enemy craft.
One phase of their ordeal ended
and another began when the sub
marine crash-dived while they
were sitting on its deck, their
hands bound behind their backs.
The survivors, finally rescued
and brought here, said the first
man taken aboard the Japanese
vessel from their lifeboats was
shot in the back and tossed over
board. The submarine crew then
formed a “line of death” and
systematically clubbed and bay
onetted the Liberty ship's surviv
ors.
The men brought here spent 36
hours in the Indian Ocean before
they were rescued.
The survivors included members
of the American Merchant Marine,
Army and Navy personnel and a
civilian. Their 10,500-ton Liberty
ship was bound for India from San
Pedro, Calif., with 41 merchant
seamen aboard, 28 Navy armed
guard members, one Army medi
cal surgeon and 30 Army and civil
ian passengers. They were 11 days
out of Australia, cruising at 11
knots just after sunset on July 2
when two torpedoes crashed into
the forward part of the vessel.
All hands abandoned ship.
Radioman Cullie C. Stone, 20,
rulsa. Okla., sent three SOS signals
oefore he left his post. They were
received by stations in India, and
[Continued on Page Ten; Col. 3)
Escape Route
Narrowed To
Six-Mile Gap
Two Key Road Centers Ex
pected To Fall To Re- r
surgent Yanks |
PARIS, Tuesday, Jan. 9.—*
(UP)—The Germans _ began
retreating on a 30-mile Ar
dennes fi’ont Monday after
grinding pressure by the U.
S. First Army which captur
ed nine more Belgian towns
and in synchronized advances
with the northbound Third
Army left the enemy only a
six - mile - wide coi'ridor
through the bulge ripped by
thousands of American guns.
The First Army, in gains up to
two miles, drove within five miles
of the Houffalize-St. Hubert road
and the Third Army, gaining three
miles at some points during the
day, reached within one mile of
that vital artery at a point to the
southwest. Paradoxically, the two
armies still stood 10 miles apart
due to their separate routes of
advance.
iwo Key roaa ceiueis in me
bulge appeared on the verge of
falling to {lie resurgent American
forces. Units of the First Army's
82nd Airborne Division battled to
the edge of Vielsalm, seven miles
south of Stavelot, along the west
bank of the Salm river. Infantry
on the east flank of the Third Army
drove to the Wiltz river just op
posite the Luxembourg junction of
Wiltz, 10 miles southeast of Bas
togne.
In one of the most formidable
artillery displays in modern his
tory, the Third Army alone had
been battering away for 12 days
at German positions and move
ments within the bulge with thou
sands of guns ranging from three
inches to eight inches in size. This
vast firepower was concentrated
on a 35-square-mile area between
Bastogne and Wiltz.
As Marshal von Rundstedt's
greatest winter gamble backfired,
Seventh Army Yanks eased the
threat along the upper Rhine by
chopping off the northern end of
the bridgehead above Strasbourg
and to the west cleared the vital
Hnguenau-Saarbrucken road.
French troops stemmed an at
tack toward Strasbourg from the
Colmar pocket to the south after
it had penetrated within 15 miles of
the Alsatian city while the enemy
bridgehead across the Maas m
eastern Holland was disclosed to
have been long-standing and not
a new threat.
While a blizzard blotted out di
rect air support on the Ardennes
front, the First Tactical Air Force
flew 970 flights in support of Al
lied counter-measures along the
Rhine near Strasbourg, inflicting
telling blows on the two German
bridgeheads.
Paced by three Panzer divisions
(Continued on Page Seven; Col. •)
-V
General Says Antwerp
Harbor Allows Allies
Ample Port Capacity
NEW YORK, Jan. 8.—UP)—Open
ing of Antwerp harbor despite
German sabotage attempts, plus
use of other Continental ports, has
given the Army Transportation
Corps “more than enough port
capacity” to supply our armies,
Maj. Gen. Charles P. Gross, Army
chief of transportation, said to
night in a speech prepared for s
radio broadcast here.
Speaking on the “Port Parade”
program, sponsored by the New
York port of embarkation of the
Army Transportation Corps over
station WNEW, Gen. Gross con
trasted the present supply silua
tion v/ith that of six monhs ago.
“Now we have Cherbourg, Le
Havre, Rouen and—most important
of all— Antwerp.” he said. "It is
a source of great satisfaction to
be able to say that Antwerp not
only is in operation, but also pro
vides us with more than enough
port capacity to do our job of sup
ply. In one month alone, we now
are discharging more than 1.000,
100 tons of supplies in our Con.*
tinental ports.” —