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FORECAST ♦ <d ^ ^ Served By Leased Wires tlmtmjlmt iuitrmttg i>lar L—— _ _ State and National New ynTj^-NO. 115»_ WILMINGTON, N. C., TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1945 --ESTABLISHED 1867 * First Opens Large Scale Assault From Rhine, Two Towns Se^t-d, Bridgehead Is Expanded; Kuestrin Falls m Russian Drive On Berlin _- + _+_ ^____ Nazis Place Soviets West Of Oder Line $x Divisions Reported To Be Plunging Toward Reich Capital LONDON, March 12 —UP'— Kues triii, principal strongpoint in the Oder river defenses 38 miles north cast of Berlin, fe today to Mar shal Zhukov's First White Russian Army and German broadcasts said six Soviet divisions were thrusting toward the capital from bridge heads west of the river. Announcement of the capture of Kuestrin after a week of bitter street fighting was made by Pre mier Stalin in an order of the day which was the first Russian con firmation cf a smash toward Ber lin. The regular Soviet communique from Moscow repeated announce ment of the fall of Kuestrin and disclosed advances within nine nrles northwest of Danzig, which left only small isolated pockets of Nazis to be- mopped up in north eastern Pomerania. The Germans, usually well in ad vance of the Russians in announce ment of developments on the east ern front, lagged behind Moscow in reporting capture of Kuestrin. The Nazi defenders had to be Wasted out. of the citadel city on the Oder’s east hank where the Oder and Warthe rivers meet. Much of Kuetrin was destroyed, block by block, by Soviet dive bombers, artillery, mortars and flamethrowers. Berlin commentators insisted that the Russian attacks south of. Kuestrin and west of the Oder were not j'et a drive on Berlin itself hut were aimed at “extension of the Bussian bridgeheads and getting the Oder crossings out of range of German artillery.” . They said separate Soviet thrusts irom the bridgeheads had been merged “into a single attack on a broad front.” and were supported by strong air formations. "Our troops.” said War Reporter HugoMorero in a broadcast, “have to face a hurricane of fire from 70 batteries and incessant bombing. The enemy attacked 25 times in regiment strength with tank sup port and, although he breached our lines here and there, he did not succeed in breaking through.” Moscow did not confirm west ward attacks from the Oder bridge beads. With the fall of Kuestrin, which bad a ore-war population of 22, 000. Zhukov’s forces were arrayed along 120 miles of the Oder’s east bank form Crossen, 65 miles south east of Berlin, to the Stettiner Haff, the lagoon into which the rjvgr empties north of the besieged port -Meamvniie the Russians pressed tor heavy attacks on Stettin, Danzig and Gdynia. In an earlier order of the day. Stalin announced ' the capture of Tezew 'Dirschau), 19 miles south east of Danzig on the west bank of the Vistula river; Neustadt (We* jhevowo), 13 miles northeast of Gdynia, and Putzig (Puckt, a coast i°»n 12 miles northwest of Gdynia and 10 northeast of Neustadt. i The communique from Moscow ^closed that Marshal Rokossov s forces northwest of Danzig actually had sliced that territory into small sectors and had pushed , in eight miles of Gdynia with ne capture of Kolletschau. south 'll of the port, and Reschke, di Kctlv west of Gdynai. these forces also speared north P™ 10 topple Karwen on the Bal , c, coast 16 miles north of Neus and captured Quaschin, nine “'s no;'thwest of Danzig. Also taken was Seilistrau, three ,,1 s°ulh of Putzig and two from e bay of Danzig coast. This left ", fazis only a strip along the ,.s eight to nine miles wid^ and • .endmg 22 miles southeastward th/" ,?ellistrau through Gdynia to ' Th6dge o£ °anzig. R.riUs Dokossovsky’s Army and dm.n umy nnits moving north 1 both banks of the Vistula s Baltlc P°rt oi Stettin re da,. \r onher battering siege to ol,: ll!erc was no fresh news p g 1 lnu there from Moscow, tnv" ,Tly.;'cpor1s said the Red Ar dij.p„,d '"tacking Stettin from two fantr. with a1 least four in 1 31 trues and supporting ar (l°ntinucd on Pagc Two; Col. 2) Nazi Nabbed Rich prize to fall to Maj.-Gen. Hugh J. Gaffey’s rampaging 4th Armored Division of the Third Army in its drive north of Coblenz ivas Lt.-Gen. Edwin Graf von Roth drch und Trach, above, command er of the German 53rd Corps, and his whole staff. Rothkirch was in command of the Nazi force that encircled Bastogne during the De cember Belgian bulge. ARGENTINE BACK IN PAN-AMERICAN Move Interpreted As Indi cation of Improved Relations WASHINGTON, March 12.—(U.R)— Argentina today resumed the seat at the Pan American Union which she vacated two months ago when her relations with other American republics were at low ebb. The apparent change in Argen tine policy took place when the Argentine delegate, Rodolfo Gar cia Arias, minister - counselor of Embassy, attended a special ses sion of the governing board in hon or of Pedro Leao Velloso, acting foreign minister of Brazil. Leao Velloso is an official guest of the United States and today conferred with President Roosevelt. Garcia Arias’ presence general ly was interpreted as in line with efforts to improve relations be tween Argentina and the other American republics — one of the important developments of the re cent Mexico City Inter-American Conference. Argentina’s boycott of the gov erning board started in mid Jan uary when the board declined to meet her request for a special meeting of foreign ministers to study the “Argentine case.” The Buenos Aires government last Oc tober had protested that a “dip lomatic quarantine” was being set up and insisted the board should call the meeting.__ Yanks Begin Mopping Uf Japs On Iwc Foe Penned In North Tip Of Isle; Progress Becomes Slower GUAM, Tuesday, March 13.—(U.K —Fifth Division Marines, with fi nal victory in sight after three weeks of the toughest fighting oi the Pacific war, drove steadily yesterday against the remnants oi the Japanese main forces penned in the northern tip of Iwo island. It now was a mopping up job and the Marines were ordered tc slow their pace in order to save lives. Throughout yesterday, they made slow gains against desper ate resistance from Japanese whe faced death either by a last mar stand or by a plunge into the sea. To the right, the Third and Fourth Divisions had only one small enemy pocket to dispose oi aside from the numerous isolated strong points held by handfuls oi enemy troops. Naval gunfire and Army fightei planes continued to give the Ma rines support despite the exceed ingly small areas now left the Jap anese. Army fighter planes maintained the steady aerial attack on Chichi island in the Volcanos north oi Iwo. A communique announced thal Army Liberators had bombed Pa ramushiro and Shimushu islands in the sub-Arctic Kuriles north oi Japan and had started fires which sent smoke up 15,000 feet. Army and Marine planes bomb ed targets in the Marianas, Palaus and Marshall Islands. The slowed pace on Iwo was a sign that final victory was near, “In the first few days it was imperative to drive as hard as wt could because of our crowded, congested and valuable beaches,” Maj. Gen. Keller E. Rockey, com manding the Fifth Division, ex plained. “Now we are fighting slowly in the manner indicated bj the terrain but we are keping ur steady pressure.” Rockey praised the work of the tanks in Iwo and said they drove directly into strong points to fire point blank with their three-inch guns after going over terrair which looked impassable. “They took heavy casualties ir men and equipment.” Rockey saic of the tanks. “But they were right there when you wanted them.” He added that the Japanese still were fighting suicidally, their de fense aided by the rough coun try. Tokyo broadcasts admitted that the Japanese garrison now had been driven to the northern enc of the island and indicated thal there was little hope the remants could hold out long. r i Dortmund. Blasted i By 3,000 Planes I Swinemunde, Berlin Sea Outlet, Rocked Un der American Bombs In Close Support Of Red Drive On Reich Capital LONDON, March 12 —(U.R)— The RAF, in the heaviest single oblit eration attack of the war, dropped more than 5.600 tons of bombs on the Ruhr city of Dortmund today while a huge fleet of U. S. heavy bombers blasted the Baltic port of Swinemuende, one of Berlin’s out lets to the sea. More than 3,000 RAF bombers escorted by hundreds of fighters made the daylight assault on the Ruhr’s second city dropping the enormous weight of bombs in only 29 minutes, and thus eclipsing yes terday’s record when 5,000 tons were dropped in 30 minutes on Essen. The U. S. Eighth Air Force sent out a total of 1,300 heavy bombers and 750 fighters, of which 650 For tresses and Liberators hit Swine muende in the closest support yet given the Red Army. The other 750 heavies struck the important railyards keyed to the area of the Remagen bridgehead, around Frankfurt-on-Main. Targets of the British Lancasters and Halifaxes included steel works, engineering shops, freight yards and railroads leading to the West ern Front. The raid brought to over 22,500 tons the bombs loosed on Dortmund since the RAF Bomber Command began its attacks on the Ruhr. About 920 acres of the built-up area, or about 40 per cent of the city, had been destroyed in earlier attacks. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a letter to Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, chief of the RAF Bomber Command, reported that advancing Allied troops had found city ater city systematically shat tered by RAF and American bomb ers “with a tremendous effect on German war economy.” Tonight the German radio re ported bomber formations over northwest Germany and it appear ed that Berlin was due for its 21st consecutive nightly raid. U. S. Spokesman Named For Reparations Group WASHINGTON, March 12—(iP)—Dr. Isador Lubin, economist and statistician, was appointed today as American member of the repara tions commission. Created by the Big Three at Yalta, the commission will meet in Moscow in about a month to decide how Germany should pay for the COl r DEFERS WARD HEARING Move Will Postpone Case Until Fall; Refuses WLB Litigation WASHINGTON, March 12.— Two cases springing from disputed orders of the War Labor Board failed to get into Supreme Court today. The row over Government seiz ure of Montgomery Ward and Co. properties was, in effect, handed over to the Circuit Court of Ap peals when the Supreme Court declined a review at this time. This meant the case cannot reach the high court again before next fall. Both sides sought to appeal di rectly to the Supreme Court from a Chicago Federal District court decision that Army seizure of plants in seven cities was illegal. It was carried out by presidential decree to back up WLB orders. In the second case, the United States Gypsum Co. asked an in junction and a broad judgement ' to define requirements of an WLB directive of 1943 concerning its : Warren, Ohio, plant. , The court’s simple order gave • no reason for denying review, but ■ the government had contended the 1 case fell within principles of two ■ others in which the court had de clined action. In those cases It had . been held that the law does [ not provide for review of such . WLB orders, and that sufficient [ grounds for injunction were lack ing, the government said. ; Prominent in each set of WLB , orders was maintenance of union [ membership which requires the company to discharge an employe j who leaves this union. The Supreme Court split 5-4 in ruling against the northwestern bands of Shoshone Indians who i wanted $15,000,000 from the Gov ernment for taking their ancestral , lands in Iaho, Utah and Nevada. ; The majority opinion of Justice • Reed said the Congressional act . authorizing the suit narrowed the issue to the question whether the I Government had recognized Indian title to the lands in the 1863 treaty of Box Elder, Utah Territory. throughout Europe. The appointment immediately raised the question of what other countries would be represented on the commission, other tnan Brit ain, Russia and the United States. To this question the State Depart ment had no immediate answer. The United States expects little or nothing from Germany in the way of reparations but every oth er country which has been active ly engaged in the war with the Nazis and, particularly Russia, is looking to the Reich for assistance in rebuilding. It will be up to the commission to decide how much can be taken out of Germany in the way of supplies and industrial equipment and how much factories which may remain can produce for shipment to the devastated lands. There is no question of payment of money, apparently. The Big Three agreement at Yalta was that Germany should be “obliged to make compensation for this dam age in kind to the greatest extent possible. Lubin expects to leave for the Russian capital in about three weeks, the 48-year-old economist is a member of the White House staff on assignment as chief of the Statistical Analysis Division of the Munitions Assignment Board, working under the combined chiefs of staff. He returned only last week from the liberated areas of Western Europe where he survey ed immediate relief and primary (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) U. S. Captures Zamboanga In Speedy Drive Vital Airfield Also Taken In Push To Conquer Mindanao MANILA, Tuesday, March 13.— UPl—Veteran Yanks of Maj . Gen. Jens A. Doe’s 41st Infantry divi sion overran strong Japanese po sitions on southwestern Mindanao as they captured the civic center of Zamboanga and a strategic air field only 200 miles northeast of Borneo. Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur said in his communique today the Dough boys, who invaded the second larg est island in the Philippines Sat urday, 24 hours later were ‘‘over running strong steel and concrete pillbox and artillery positions with only minor losses.’’ MacArthur said the Japanese at Zamboanga, caught off guard by the amphibious landing, had not yet been able to organize their de fenses. The airfield captured was near San Roque, about four miles west of the Zamboanga governmental seat. The village of San Roque was seized along with four others shortly after the invasion. The Yanks previously overran a smaller airstrip, -Wolfe Field, in their lightning sweep from the in vasion beaches. The San Roque airdrome, considerably larger, is one of the best in Mindanao. There was no mention of fight ing for the San Roque airdrome, which has an airstrip 4,000 feet long, or enough to accommodate medium bombers. Associated t'ress correspondent Russell Brines reported the Jap anese were using mortars from hill positions with good effect, however. A headquarters spokes man said the Yanks faced moder ate machinegun and mortar fire as they entered the city center. The ground forces were support ed by both air and naval units which also attacked enemy instal lations on Basilan island, 12 miles south of Zamboanga. American heavy bombers swept the airfield at Jolo, main city oi the Sulu archipelago, southwest oi Mindanao. On Luzon, troops of the First Cavalry Divison and Sixth Infan try Division continued to advance on the front east of Manila. The dismounted troopers captured high ground beyond the town of Antipolo. Doughboys of the Sixth Division repulsed several counterattacks and smashed into the hills south east of Montalban. On the southwest Luzon front, elements of the 11th Airborne Di vision approached the shore oi Lake Tall. The 32nd Infantry Division, pushing through the mountains oi northeast Luzon, reached a point within four miles of Ealete Pass. Fighters and light bombers at tacked communication routes on the Balete Pass road. Others sup ported ground operations in all sectors, which included the 11th Corps area where the 38th Divi sion continued mopping up of the Zambales foothills. -—-.* Cologne Mayor Following capture of Cologne, Germany, by U. S. First Army, Lieut.-Col. John K. Patterson, above, of Riverside, Calif., was named to head military govern ment ruling that city of 800.000. SINGAPORE HIT BY SU FORTS Fires Still Rage In Nagoya After 300-Plane Assault WASHINGTON, March 12.—(U.P.)— India - based Superfortresses at tacked the Singapore naval base at the tip of the Malay peninsula today while fires still raged in the Japanese aircraft center of Nagoya at the other end of Japan’s em pire it was announced today. A medium sized force of the B 29s, drawn from Brig Gen. Roger M. Ramey’s 20th. (Superfortress) Bomber Command, made the at tack on Singapore and every plane returned to base, though the Jap anese claimed that two were shot down and another was damaged. Crews reported good results but some bombardiers had to bomb by means of precision instruments through heavy clouds. The Japanese offered only mod erate opposition with anti-aircraft and fighter planes. A Japanese broadcast heard by the Federal Communications Com mission estimated the attacking fleet at about 40 planes—an indi cation that 60 to 80 or more prob ably were engaged. Only “ex tremely light” damage was done, Tokyo said, and it was asserted that most bombs fell into the wa ter* It was the sixth raid on Singa pore which the Japanese captured early in 1942 after their sweep down the Malay peninsula. In pre vious attacks heavy damage had been done to naval and harbor in stallations. ‘ The Singapore attack came two days after a raid on Kualav Lum pur, on the west coast of the pen insula, and was part of the record breaking two-way attack on Japa nese targets that included record fire bomb raids on Tokyo and Na goya. Ruhr Factory AreaMenaced By Offensive Holding On River Bank Increased To Five by 11 Mile Area \ PARIS, March 12.—(/P)—'The U. S. First Army jumped off early today in the first big Allied as sault east of the Rhine, scored gains up to two and a half miles, and expanded its bridgehead to nearly five miles deep and 11 miles vviue. At least two more towns were seized, bringing to 23 the number captured on the east bank since the Americans charged across the Ludendorff bridge from Remagen Wednesday. The Germans said Lt. Gen. Hed ges had thrown 40,000 troops, in cluding two armored and two in fantry divisions, into the push which placed the Ruhr's factory cities in their gravest peril of the war. The greatest American advance was eastward. More than four miles almost due east of Remag en bridge, tanks and infantry seiz ed Ginsterhahn and Hargarten, slashed across a German lateral supply line, and pressed to within three miles of a super highway to the Ruhr. Previously, the Americans had driven five miles north into Hon nef on one main highway to the Ruhr, and were less than 25 miles from the southern region of the 60-square mile basin teeming with war factories. One counterattack was beaten back at Honnef today. Eleven miles south of Honnef, forces driving south fought into Hoenningen, six miles southeast of the Ludendorff bridge. Associated Press correspondent Don Whitehead said the attack rolled over the steep, wooded hills of the Westerwald in the black ness of 5 a.m. At first the Americans were met by small arms, self-propelled gun* and a few tanks, but later the Germans threw crack units into the line and began striking back with small counterthrusts. The Germans were hurled from heights east of the Rhine and to the south. This robbed them of di rect observation of their artillery fire, which was cratering the bridgehead and had scored a num ber of ineffectual hits on the Lu dendorff bridge, the Remagen life line. Boats shuttled men and supplies across the Rhine to lift some of the load from the bridge, and the Germans said Hodges had es tablished “many Rhine crossings” north of the bridge. Whitehead said that Hodges had so much power massed across the river that only a major counter assault could budge it. Oerman Droaacasis s am Americans also W'ere attacking northeast of Honnef, which l:e» astride one of the main roads to the Ruhr, and said the furioui fighting around Ronnef was 10 fluid that it was not known which side now held the town. Honnef is five1' miles north of Remagen, and is the closest ap. proach to the southern end of tho Ruhr. Enemy broadcasts predicted that soon Field Marshal Montgomery would lash out across the Rhino north of Wesel in a grand scalo offensive to clamp a giant pincera an the Ruhr. A news dimout settled over most if the Western Front, where for 150 miles along the Rhine, Gen. Eisenhower holds the initiative and las armies in position to cross at iny number of points. One enemy account said the Brit* sh Second Army was making ‘‘fran ;ic preparations” for a crossing letween the Dutch border and Em. nerich, nine miles to the east. Artillery duels raged across the •iver, the enemy said, as German latteries tried to knock off bal ince what the Nazis apparently >elieved would be a large-scale At* ied offensive. There was little news seeping hrough from the U. S. Third Army ront, where Lt. Gen. Patton’s orces drew up assault lines a mile rom Coblenz and to the west had iroken the once huge Eifel moun Continued on Page Two; Col. 2), Gen. Usher, HeroAndFlier, Takes Command Of Davis Command of the Army A i r Forces Personnel Distribution com mand's new installation at- Camp Davis, which . was designated re cently as a Redistribution station and a Convalescent hospital for AAF returnees, was assumed yes terday by Brig. Gen. George L. Usher, command pilot and veteran of two world wars. The general succeeded Maj. Don ald S. Joyce, who has held the position of commanding officer since the Army Air Corps took pos session February 1 of the former Antiaircraft Artillery base. Before taking over his new as signment at Camp Davis,. General Usher, for a short time, was com manding general of the Person nel Distribution Command with headquarters in Atlantic City, N. J. Prior to that duty he served in the South Pacific theater and. was commanding general of the 13th Air Force. Entering the Army 28 years ago, George L.-Usher started his mili tary career as a private in the New York National Guard, Field Artillery. Be worked h:'s way up through the ranks and in 1917, one year later, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. That same year, he was transferred to the Signa Corps and assigned to duty will the aviation branch. He flew in th< first World War,, both as an ob server and a pilot, and saw actio; in France. Later, he' served ii Germany with the Army of Occu pation. He was designated a com mand pilot in 1921. In 1943 ,h( was promoted to the rank of briga dier general. General Usher has received nu merous decorations. His first o importance was a campaign rib bon for the Mexican campaign o 1916 when he served under Gener al John J. Pershing. Among hi: other decorations are the Victor; Medal and the Army of Occupatioi ribbon from World War I. In this war, the general has beei awarded the Legion of Merit, th( Distinguished Flying Cross and th< Air Medal with several oak lea clusters> He also wears the Soutl Pacific theater ribbon. General Usher is no stranger h North Carolina. He was one of thi officers connected with the con struction of Ft. Bragg at Fayette ville, N. C, Prior to going overseas Genera (Continned on Page Two; Col. 3] , . . v • i . LeGrand Offers Junior College Bill; Mrs. Roosevelt Urges Veterans* Aid Rep. J. Q. LeGrand yesterday introduced in the House of Repre sentatives a bill enabling New Hanover county to establish and maintain a junior college, which was referred to the House Judici ary Committee Number One, and watched the Wilmington-‘sponsor ed State Ports Authority bill pass the House without a dissenting vote on its second reading. The day’s session of the Legislature was highlighted by the appearance of Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt who urged the State lawmakers to look forward to the day when the mass of World War II veterans come home in search of liveli hoods. From Raleigh, Mr. LeGrand ex plained that he had launched the junior college bill without waiting1 I for discussion in its home county because it was merely an enabl ing act and, in his opinion, suffici ently valuable to the community to make its passage in this session desirable. Stating that he would be glad to hear from any oppo nents of the measure, he added that this was the last local legisla ture he would proffer. It is his 22nd of the session. Written by Cyrus D. Hogue, the college bill enables the Board, of County Commissioners to call upon the Board of Elections for a popular vote. Subject to a single election would be the question of establishing a junior college and a property tax of five cents per $100 to defray part of its expenses. Tne rest of the operational cost would be taken care of by tuition charges. Mr. LeGrand expects the House committee to report it fav orably. The Ports Authority bill, em bodying State Planning Board i recommendations for State aid to Wilmington Port development, re quires a roll-call at each reading. If yesterday’s unanimous support in the House is repeated today, it : will go to the Senate at once. Mr. LeGrand’s bill prohibiting the transfer of vehicles seized in 1 liquor arrests from local to Fed- : eral officers was withdrawn yes terday in favor of a similar bill 1 introduced and passed in the Sen- i ate. j Mrs. Roosevelt, spending a busy j day in the State capitol, spoke at 1 (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4)
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