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FORECAST Starred By Leased Wired _ •( the ASSOCIATED press yesterday’s temperatures: UNITEl/pRESS ! ynr~78!-—NG. 163>_■ _WILMINGTON, N. C., WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1945 ~ ESTABLISHED 18$f I I_iVictory * ★ ★ ★★★ i ★ ★ ★ ★★★* ★ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Dresden, Olmuetz __ * Soviets Win Final Battle FromGermans Czechoslovak Partisans Hoist Flag Over Lib erated Prague toNDON, Wednesday, May 9.— The Russians, fighting through ft last day of the war, yesterday Ltured the Saxon capital of Sen and won final-hour vic tories in southern Germany, Aus ria and Czechoslovakia while Czechoslovak partisans hoisted the free flag of the republic over lib erated Prague. The Red army’s battle against the Germans apparently went on until the official deadline for the end of all hostilities—12:01 a m (London time - 6:01 p.m EWT). The Moscow radio. carried Pre mier Stalin’s proclamation of vic tory at 1:10 a.m.— an hour and nine minutes later. Meanwhile, one of the Germans’ most farflung resistance points disappeared yesterday when the German commander of the Dode canese islands in the Aegean sea, Gen. Wagener, surrendered and about 10,000 troops under his com mand gave up their arms. There was no word from Crete—the on ly remaining Nazi outpost in the Mediterranean. Another last-minute victory was won by Marshal Tito’s Yugoslav Army of National Liberation which liberated the Croatian city of Zagreb, last of the puppet capi tals once forming part of Hitler’s fallen European empire. “Cease fire” was ordered in Prague, in flames from wanton Nazi destruction at 7:25 p.m.' (Lon don time — 1:25 p.m. EWT), al though a few Nazi fanatics con tinued to loot and fire the Czecho slovak national life. - In successive orders of the day, following by four, five and seven hours, the victory proclamations of President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill, Marshal Stalin announced the capture of Dresden; the fall of the Czechoslovak city of Olmuetz (Olomouc), and the seizure of four strongholds in Czechoslovakia and Austria be tween Prague and Vienna*. The Soviet operational war bul letin—probably Moscow’s last—al so announced that Soviet forces had surged into the Czechoslovka province of Bohemia from Saxony (Continued on Page Three; Col. 4) ~WEATHER Eastern Standard Time) (By U. S. Weather Bureau) Meteorological data for the 24 hours •nding 7:30 p.m., yesterday. Temperature 1:30 am, 65.5; 7:30 am, 69.4; 7:30 pm, >0.0. Maximum 76.1; Minimum 64.0; Mean •3, Nonna) 09. Humidity 1:20 am, 78; 7:30 am, 79; 1:30 pm, 72; ":30 pm, 88. Tides For Today ren the Tide Tables published by *• s and Geodetic Survey) . High Low Wilmington - 7;38a 2:25a *», , 8:05p 2:40p Masonboro Inlet _ 5:23a 11:40a o 5:53p aimnse, 5::15: Sunset, 7:02; Moonrise T sm-: Moonset, 4:39 p.m. - ,?fe of river at 8 a.m.: 10.07. , Molotov Will Return To Red Capital Today U. S. And British Ambassadors To Moscow Also Plan To Leave San Francisco Conference SAN FRANCISCO, May 8—UP)— Soviet Foreign Commissar Molo tov will leave San Francisco to morrow for Moscow, it was learn ed today, leaving the Big Three deadlock over Poland unbroken. Molotov is turning the chairman ship of the Soviet delegation at the United Nations conference over to Ambassador Andrei Gromyko. Several days ago it was disclosed that Molotov planned to leave shortly. Gromyko was the previous Russian choice for the delegation chairmanship, before President Truman suggested to Marshal Sta lin th#t he send his top foreign affairs -man here. The United States and British ambassadors to Moscow, W. Aver ell Harriman and Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, members of the three power commission with Molotov for reorganization of the Polish provi sional government also will leave San Francisco tomorrow. The Soviet Union has not replied to the American and British re quest for an explanation of the arrest of 16 Polish underground leaders, it was learned. Nor is a reply, which was made the Amer ican and British condition for re sumption of negotiations on Po land, yet in sight. Molotov was host tonight at a mammoth cocktail party in honor of the newly arrived delegations to the United Nations conference of the Ukrainian and White Rus sian Soviet republics. Several hundred persons, includ (Continued on Page Eight; Col. 2) Victory Is Proclaimed, By Churchill And King LONDON, May 8—UP)—Prime Minister Churchill, with a solemn reminder that Japan “remains unsubdued” and still must be brought to justice, today formally proclaimed the war with Germany was ended. ■ ■ .. * Shortly afterwards King George VI in a special V-E Day broad cast to the British empire from Buckingham Palace called upon his _* npnnl p to “?iv« thanks to God for RESIDENTS GIVE THANKS VE-DAY Wilmingtonians Join Na tion In Observance Of German Defeat Approximately 200 people gath ered in front ■ of City Hall at 5 p.m. yesterday to partake in a “thanksgiving” service, called by Mayor W. Ronald Lane for ex pression of thanks” for V-E Day. The Rev. William Crowe, pastor of the First Presbyterian church, told the gathering that this was no time for speech-making, but a time for people to' show recognition to “our God for what he has done for us.” It is not just a force of arms that has won this victory, he said, but a force of arms directed by God. “We in America have not been sufficiently aware of what is hap pening to the rest of the world, he added. "In recent years we have been disturbed, but did not believe the foe could come here in force, and they have not. Only by su preme sacrifice have we been able to stem the tide.” We will need moral courage for the future, he said. Today is a day to go to the churches and tomor row will be days to go to schools, churches and community institu tions that give us wholesome ideas. Be well assured, he said, that only if you and I make our ideals global can we make this country secure, he said. (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) ■ a great deliverance.” Churchill in a world broadcast from 10 Downing street said that the unconditional surrender of Germany signed at Reims at 2:41 a.m., Monday would ‘‘be ratified and confirmed” at Berlin and that all hostilities would cease at one minute after midnight, British time (6:01 p.m., EWT). Germans continuing to resist af ter that hour, the Prime Minister said, “will of course deprive them selves of the protection of the laws of war and will be attacked from all quarters by the Allied troops.” Beaming broadly and smoking a cigar, the 70-year-old Prime Min ister rode to commons in an open car through cheering crowds af ter his historical official an nouncement of the end of the Eu ropean war. There in commons, where five years ago he rallied Britain to a (Continued on Page Eight; Col. S) _\T_ NORWAY BEGINS GERMAN ARRESTS Quislings Scheduled To Be Tried By New Nerwe gian Government LONDON, May 8.— CU.R) —Norway shook off the shackles of more than five years of Nazi bondage today and underground leaders, taking control pending the arrival of Allied forces, began arresting the country’s estimated 30,000 “quislings.” Uncensored dispatches from Os la said concentration camps had been emptied of Norwegian patri ots and were being filled with fol lowers of Vidkun quisling, who will be tried by a re-established Nor wegian goverhment and sentenced to death if convicted. (NBC heard t h e American Broadcasting Station in Europe report that Quisling had escaped from his Oslo headquarters.) Representatives of the Norwegi an government already had start ed for > Oslo by plane and Stock holm dispatches said they had ar rived. British units of the home fleet were proceeding to Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen and other ports to enforce the German sur render. The exchange telegraph report ed from Stockholm that a Naval squadron already had arrived at Trondheim and that 48 other ves sels, mostly trawlers, had pulled into Oslo fjord. The Kalundborg (Norway) radio said the Crown Prince Olav had returned to his homeland by air along with a British delegation, al though he made a broadcast to Norway today announcing the (Continued on Page Eight; Col. 3) y Full Council Ticket Named In Election 1,095 Ballots Are Cast Ac cording To Unofficial Count An unofficial total of only 1,095 Wilmingtonians went to the polls in yesterday’s City Council elec tion, with the result that Mayor W. Ronald Lane, J. E. L. Wade, W. E. Yopp, Garland S. Currin and Robert S. Legwin, all nomi nated in last month’s primary, were elected to the five positions on the City’s governing body. Wade, operator of Wade Realty Co., former City commissioner, State senator and City commission er of public works, and poller of the highest number of votes in last month’s primary with 3,852, ran second to Mayor Lane, who polled 979 votes (unofficial)* with 966. Lane drew 3,741 votes in the pri mary. W. E. Yopp, owner of Yopp’s funeral home, took the third high est number of votes with 952. Yopp was fourth in the primary with 2, 935 votes. Tied' with 928 votes each were present City Councilmen Gar land S. Currin and Robert S. Le Gwin. In the primary Currin polled 2,377 votes and LeGwin 2,985. " Write-ins caused no trouble to the ticket’s being elected. Present Councilman Robert R. Romeo drew 12 votes, G. Brinson, 2, H. G. Car ney, chairman of the City elec tions board 1, George W. Saunders, Jr., 1, J. W. Fran Fales 1, Sothen ton 1, and George Allen, Negro 1. Councilman Romeo, who receiv ed 1,930 votes in the primary, a number close' enough to that of Currin’s that a runoff would have been required, said that he “would not demand this right”, thus plac ing Currin on the ticket elected yesterday. * . Wade carried six of the 10 pre cincts, but Lane gained a consid erable margin in the first ward (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) WHUEVILLE VOTE REPORTED AT 302 F. L Fuller Defeats H. V. Sasser With total Of 423 Votes WH-TEVILLE, May 8—With a vote of 423, F. L. Fuller today de feated H. V. Sasser for the mayor alty of Whiteville. Sasser, the only other candidate, drew 258 votes. The total number of ballots cast was 302, according to the unoffi cial count. From a field of 14 Candidates for the board of town commission ers, C. L. Jackson, polled the high est number of votes with 526. Others elected to the board and their number of votes, were Law rence Sellers, 273; Dr. S. A. Smith, 394; W. R. Fletcher, 285; and D. L. Love, 478. Love and Smith were both in cumbents, and Smith had been serving as mayor pro-tem, since the death of Mayor Jackson Greer, Jr. __ Truman Offers Japan Opportunity To Surrender In Victory Speech Solemnly Proclaims Victory In Europe; Tells Nations It Now Must Work Unflaggingly To Defeat Enemy In The Pacific; Speaks On 61st Birthday WASHINGTON, May 8. — (U.PJ— President Truman today solemnly proclaimed Victory in Europe and told the nation it now must work unflaggingly to bring victory in the Pacific. At the same time he offered Japan a chance to escape national suicide by surrendering unconditionally before it is too late. Going on the air at 9 a.m., EWT, while Prime Minister Winston Churchill was proclaiming the long-y awaited day in London, the Presi dent said that one glorious triumph has been won but that the national watchword still must he "work, I work, work” because the job ahead is no less difficult, no less urgent He delivered his historic state ment on this—his 61st birthday an niversary—first to a news con ference in his oval office in the White House. Then he broadcast it to the nation while surrounded by his family, members of - the cabinet, congressional leaders and other high officials. In measured phrases, the Pres idenet spelled out the task that lies ahead in crushing Japan and in repaying the sacrifices of those who made victory possible by build: ing a lasting peace. ‘We must work to finish the war,” he said. “Our victory is but half-won. The west is free, but the east is still in bondage to the treacherous tyranny of the Japa nese. When the last Japanese divi sion has surrendered uncondi tionally, then only will our fight ing job be done. “We must work to bind up the wounds of a suffering world—to build an abiding peace, a peace rooted in justice and in law. We can build such a peace only by (Continued on Page Two; Col, 3) TT ALLIES APPROACH BORNEO AIRFIELD Yanks Slug At Entrenched Japs On Mindanao And Luzon MANILA, May 8. — (U.R)— Ameri can troops were slugging away at entrenched Japanese in eastern Mindanao and northern Luzon, and Australian troops in Borneo were picking their way through mine fields and pillboxes today while the folks back home celebrated victory in another war half a world away. Reports from Borneo said that Australian and Netherlands East Indies troops had seized hills east of the rich Paomesian oil fields near Tarakan and were getting in to position to seize the field it self. Japanese troops were using its derricks as roosts for sniping. The advances on Borneo Wer» aided by planes already operating from the airfields captured bv Australians, and in addition heaw bombers were smashing at Japa nese harbor installations and air fields elsewhere in Borneo. In northern Luzon, the Japanese were fighting as bitterly as if thev had only now embarked upon thetr 1941 plan of conquest. On Mindanao, otner American troops were assaulting prepared Japanese defenses in the Davae area with mortars and flame throwers. Japanese forces in this section were dug in on hillside? where they concentrated alter th* swift American drive from tht southwestern coast of Mindanao knifed through to the coast._ -— 1 Moscow News Of Surrender Is Released Guns Of Europe Ordered Silenced At 6:01 P. M. (EWT) Yesterday PARIS, Wednesday, May t— Germany bowed today to the most crushing defeat ever inflicted upon a nation, her abject surrender pro claimed to the worid by the United States, Britain and Russia. The Moscow radio in behalf of Premier Marshal Stalin, whose Red armies broke the armed might of Hitler’s Reich on the Eastern Front, announced the unconditional surrender to the Russian people at 1:10 a.m. today, ten hours and ten tninutes after President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill pro. claimed V-E Day. The announcement said the final articles of capitulation were signed yesterday in Berlin, the ruined cap ital symbolic of the fall of the Third Reich. Field Marshal Wilhelm Kietel, chief of the German high command signed the articles in the presence of Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov, as sistant commander of the Red ar mies; Air Chief Marshal Sir Ai> thur Tedder, deputy supreme com mander in the west; Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, chief of !he U. S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, and Lt. Gen. Gean De Lattre De Tassigny, com mander of the French First Army. For Germany it was a crowning mies all but mastered Europe, forced to sign in the ashes of Ger* many’s first city the surrender ar* tides which stripped the Reich of its last vestige of military strength^ The guns of Europe, whicli through five years, eight months and seven days of unexampled war inflicted possibly 40,000,000 casual* ties, fell silent at one minute past midnight today (6:01 p.m. Tuesday, Eastern War Time.) Actually, guns on the Western Front were stilled yesterday to pro* vent further bloodshed as the Al* lied world celebrated VE-Day It months and two days after Gen. Eisenhower’s armies stormed into France to liberate a Europe in Nazi chains. The last shot on the Western Front was fired in Czechoslovakia by the. 80th Infantry Division of Gen. Patton’s Third Army, the last (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) American Newspapers Set fExtra* Records On News Of Surrender . /By The Associated Press Springing into action as soon as Edward Kennedy’s historic Ger man surrender flash clicked off American newspaper staffs set new the Associated Press printers, achievement records in telling their readers that the war in Europe was over. The Los Angeles Times sold 95.* 000 extras. The Alexandria (Va.) Gazette, first with the news of Washington’s death, in 1799, hit the streets Monday at 10:05 a.m. (EWT), one of the first papers in the country to tell of the German capitulation. Hopeful Of Early Aid, Pacific Yanks Fight On GUAM, Wednesday, May 9—<£*> _.The war against Japan went on today—in mud and blood on Oki nawa and other farflung fronts —as United States forces accepted Germany’s defeat without cele bration but hoped for early rein forcements from Europe. “We don’t count on a quick end to our war with Japan,” said Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, com mander of the U. S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific ocean areas. An immediate and increasing flow of men and material to the Pacific war fronts was looked for by Nimitz and other commanders. About 1,500,000 U. S. troops now are distributed through the Paci fic and on the Asiatic mainland, Washington reportfed. There are approximately 4,000,000 in the Eu ropean, Mediterranean and Mid * die East theaters and 2,900,000 la the United States. There was no mention of Rus* sia’s probable role in the Pacifi# from U. S. sources but Japanese radio and news broadcasts indi cated some concern. They stress* ed Japan’s wish for continued “strict neutrality." Nimitz, in a radio message broadcast to the United States, commented: "If the enemy’s ac* tion were at all times indicated by common sense he might chooss to surrender soon.’’ There was no indication from Tokyo or the battle fronts' that Japan would be swayed by “com* mon sense”. Some' Tokyo press dispatches laid Germany’s collapse to large-scale troop surrenders and declared Japanese soldiers would continue to fight to their death. • • s. Over 150,000 Yanks Die .In Defeat Of Nazi Army More Than Three-Quarters Of A Million Casualties Reported; Over A Month Of Fighting Unaccounted WASHINGTON, May 8—UR—'War against Germany, ending today, cost this nation over three-quarters of a million casualties, some 150, 800 of them dead.. Actually reported losses, cover ing action only up to about April 1 for the Army and up to April 26 for the other services, number 747, 164, including 148,385 killed. While recent action in most European areas has not been of the sort that makes long casualty, lists, more than a month of fighting is yet to be accounted for. The Army’s list, covering fight ing in the Mediterranean area in eluding North Africa, on the cont nent, in the middle east and the Caribbean sector, totals 732,270. The breakdown shows 139,498 dead, 467,408 wounded and 72,374 miss ing. The remaining 52,990 are list ed as prisoners. T1 > Navy reports total losses of 14,347 in the European war, broken down into 8,345 dead, 672 missing, 5,301 wounded or injured, and 29 prisoners. In the Atlantic theater the Navy total includes 10,650 casualties, made up of 6,415 dead, 594 miss (Continued on Page Eight; Col. 4) KENNEDY ACCUSED OF CODE BREACH Eisenhower Says Story Of Surrender Was Un authorized NEW YORK, May 8—(*—Gen eral Eisenhower in a message sent through War Department channels to Kent Cooper, executive director of the Associated Press, said that Edward Kennedy’s suspension for filing a dispatch reporting Ger many’s unconditional surrender was “due (to) self-admitted delib erate violation (of) SHAEF regu lations and breach (of) confi dence.” Eisenhower replied to a message sent 24 hours previously by Cooper, protesting against the suspension of Associated Press filing facilities in the European Theater of Opera tions, which suspension was lifted yesterday after being in effect less than seven hours, and adding: “Finally, if the restriction is ap plied because of the action of one individual, please not only give me the charges against him but quote to me his explanation in answer to the charges, since appar ently I am unable to communicate with him myself." The text of Eisenhower’s reply follows: “Associated Press suspended (Continued on Page Three; Col. S) THREE JAP SHIPS ARE SUNK BY U. S. Thirteen Small Ships And Fishing Vessels Are Damaged GUAM, Wednesday, May 9—(U.R)— Ranging to Korea and Hoonshu, Naval aircraft sank six Jap anese ships, including a small freighter-transport, and damaged 13 small ships and fishing vessels yesterday and Monday. Meantime, battleships and cruis ers turned their heavy guns, rang ing from 5-i’richers to 14 and prob baly 16-inch rifles, on Japanese positions guarding the southern Oki nawa defense line. They destroyed gun emplacements, some artillery weapons and mortars, Fljet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz reported in to day’s communique. Adverse weather limited ground operations yesterday and there were “no substantial changes” in either the Marine or Army lines. Nimitz said 14,000 tons of ship ping were sunk and 3,500 tons dam aged by search planes of fleet air wing one which discovered con centrations of shipping in coastal waters of Korea. The fact that the fleet’s heaviest bombardment ships, battle-wagons and cruisers with their heavy, long range guns were used a second suc cessive day to pour their devastat ing shells into Japanese positions on southern Okinawa. American ground forces have been held at a virtual standstill there for several days although two of the three ar my divisions which originally be gan the southward push on D-Day, April 1, have been relieved by rel atively fresh outfits. Ninitz said the Navy’s surface craft'fired several hundred rounds of illumination shells over the front throughout Monday night “which effectively reduced the enemy’s at tempts at infiltration.” • This would indicate that the Jap anese, convinced of their eventual defeat despite the strength of thfir fortifications, had determined fo attempt suicidal infiltrations in great number to kill or cripple as many Yanks as possible rather than surrender. This has been their policy on every Central and Far Western Pacific island when trap ped. Nimitz also reported pilots of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing have shot down a total of 209 Japanese aircraft since they began operat ing from captured Okinawa air fields (about April 7) through Mon day. Nation’s Newsmen Back A. P. ’s Victory Scoop By The Associated Press Edward Kfuqgdy’s Associated Press story of" the German capit ulation was acclaimed by the na tion’s newspapers and their staff members yesterday as one of the great news “beats” of all time. And Kennedy’s suspension by Supreme Allied Headquarters for flashing the new" a full day before V-F. was proclaimed, along with SHAEF’s six-hour embargo on A. P. dispatches from the European theater, were denounced as vigor ously as the A. P. Western Front chief was praised. Even as Gen. Dwight D. Eisen hower was rejecting a request from Kennedy’s Paris competitors that additional filing privileges be de nied the Associated Press, editors and publishers in this country printed or messaged comments such as these: “In the years to come Kennedy’s feat will be remembered as the best scoop ever made in Amer ican journalism.’’-^Casper (Wyo.) Tribune Herald. The following is a telegram for warded to Kent Cooper, general ■manager of the Associated Press# by the Wilmington Star-News: , “Highest praise should be given the Associated Press and Ed Ken nedy for scoring the scoop of the year. It was great reporting by a great reporter. Also to you for the prompt and vigorous manner in which you protested the order suspending the filing privileges of the Associated Press in the Eu ropean Theater of Operations, (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) Peace Parley Observes Latin American Moves BAN FEANascO, May 8-UP!— e United Nations conference, pausing only for a moment’s medi Ll°n on victory in Europe, kept wary eye today on Latin Ameri “ maneuvering for a peace-keep g system in the western hemis P «e able to act on its own. ere was rejoicing over the end <tr„WarJin Eur°Pe> but it was re 'oln,ed' There were V-E ‘Day TVi„tCaes and statements in plenty. Chm-Pk-noS talk of a Tnmnan soh®:hd!‘-Stalin meeting to tackle arki„ ° cthe immediate problems Biv?g r°m deleat of the Nazis, rnmm aS committees went through 2e ofStehSpSi°fnS’ tryin§ t0 erect worir^ \the framework of a new charter to assure lasting iialinn ce c?ates of Latin American SnesTeh- HganiZing °n the «a;n vS behind a movement to ^cognition in a world or ganization for the district inter American security system embod ied in the act of Chapultepec at Mexico City. Representatives of 16 of them met last night and more meetings were underway today. Delegates came out of them bespeaking a firm determination against compro mising on what they consider the right of American republcs to set tle disputes in their own hemis phere without waiting for a world organization to give clearance. Even without the United States, whose delegation is split on the is sue, they have a bloc of twenty votes in the conference. Still to be settled, also is the question of conference voting rules. An executive committee recom mended that big problems be de (Continued on Page Eight; Col. 5)
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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May 9, 1945, edition 1
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