WEATHER
Mostly cloudy and cool with show
ers today followed by cloudy and
colder weather tonight and Tues
day with snow flurries in moun
tains tonight.
Tshe Hhelhy Baily Stett
STAfE THEATRE TODAY
Jon Hall — Louise llbritton
In
"SAN DIEGO I LOVE YOU"
Also NEWS — CARTOON
CLEVELAND COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1894
TELEPHONES 1100
VOL. XLIII-13
ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS
SHELBY, N. C.
MONDAY, JAN. 15, 1945
TELEMAT PICTURES
SINGLE COPIES—5c
Russians Surge Through Southern Poland, 64 Miles From Silesia
******** ******** ***********
YANKS HAMMER AJ OUTSKIRTS OF HOUFFALIZE
More Than 1,300 U. S. Planes Raid Rail Centers In Southern Reich
NEW WINTER
OFFENSIVE
IS SPREADING
Soviets Seek To Clear Po
land, Liberate Warsaw,
Enter Reich
WEST o7~vistula
By EDDY GILMORE
MOSCOW, Jan. 15.—</P)—;
Russian armored forces surg
ed through southern Poland
today to within 64 miles of
the heavily fortified German j
Silesian frontier amid mount
ing indications that the new
Soviet winter offensive may
soon spread over the entire
eastern front from the Baltic
to Yugoslavia.
Marshal Ivan S. Konev’s new
thrust, which In three days has
carried across the Nlda river on
a 37-mlle front and drove a deep •
wedge Into the Warsaw - Krakow !
defense Une, appears to be part ofI
a great Red army general offensive
to clear Poland, liberate Warsaw
and carry the battle to the in
dustrial areas of southeastern Ger
many.
<Berlin reported late last night'
that other powerful Soviet forces
had begun attacks west of the Vis
tula at Magnuszew and Pulawy, 33
and 85 miles southeast of Warsaw
and along the Narew river north
of the Polish capital. Earlier Ger
man broadcasts told of new Rus
sian attacks In East Prussia.)
Fighting in sub-zero tempera
tures Konlev's troops made gains
yesterday up to 15 miles and cap
tured 200 more localities for a three
day total or 555.
RESISTANCE
In the northern sector of his
salient across the Vistula, however,
his troops met sharply stiffening
Nasi resistance Just south of
•Clelce. Other Red army elements
leeking to push their way up the
Vistula toward Warsaw ran Into
.he same hard defensive fighting.j
The large number of reserves
which the Nazi high command has
See NEW WINTER Page 2
I
TAX COLLECTOR
IS HERETODAY
D. H. Stacey Will Aid In
Preparing Income Tax
Estimates
O. H. Stacey, deputy collector of
Internal revenue with offices In
Shelby, said today that his office
will be open until 10 p.m. tonight
to assist In preparing tax returns
on the two classes or groups who
are required to file Income tax re
turns on or before January IS.
The first group is composed of
fanners who derive as much as
66 3-3 per cent of their Income
from farming operations. This type
of taxpayer will have to file, on
or before January 15, his complet
ed 1044 Income tax return, or his
declaration of estimated income for
1944. In either event, the amount
due must be paid when the return
is fUed.
The other group which is re
quired to file returns on or before
January 16, is the taxpayer who
filed a declaration of estimated
Income for 1944 at the required
time during that year but now as
certains that his Income has ex
ceeded the estimated figure by 20
per cent. In the case of this tax
payer, he will have to file an
amended declaration of estimated
income, or file his completed In
come tax return by January 15. In
either event, he will have to pay
the amount of tax due.
Mr. Stacey further stated that
the Commissioner of Internal Re
venue had instructed him that no
extensions could be granted for the
filing of completed Income tax re
turns for the January 15 date. In
the event a taxpayer, In either of
the groups above, is unable to as
semble his figures accurately, it
will be to his advantage, in order
to avoid penalties, to file his orig
inal declaration of estimated in
come or his amended declaration
of Income.
as
AMERICAN INVASION FORCE IN LINGAYEN GULF OFF LUZON—An LST (left), loaded with troops and supplies, heads for the beach
about the time the first waves of assault troops were landing on the shores of Luzon in the Philippine invasions. Floats, for portable docks, can
be seen on the side of landing ship.
FIGHT IN ITALY
NIP AND TUCK
Nazi Efforts To Cross
Reno And Senio Rivers
Repulsed
ROME, Jan. 15.—WP>—Repeated
Nazi effort to set up outposts
south of the Reno river and east
of the Senio along the Adriatic
battle line have been frustrated
with heavy losses to the enemy, al
lied headquarters announced to
day.
Strongly reinforced German forces
have dug in along the farther
banks of these rivers from the
Adriatic to the Appennines and it
is apparent that Field Marshal
Kesselrlng intends to hold that
line at all costs.
In the western coastal regions of
the fifth army front German pa
trols stepped up activity, particu
larly in the Serchio valley, where
a recent German counteroffensive
was beaten back. On the rest of the
fifth army front allied patrols
probed enemy defenses in the face
of withering artillery fire. A Pol
ish patrol, however, cross the Senio
south of the Bologna-Rmlni high
way and penetrated to within five
miles of Imola before encounter
ing any German troops. The pa
trol returned allied line without
casualty.
Bitter winter weather continued
to restrict activity.
Flying Havocs blasted at enemy
communications in northern Italy
last night, blocking the Brenner
pass highway with hits between
Verona and Roverto. The Germans
for the first time used anti-aircraft
rockets in northern Italy.
Tokyo Warns Attack
Brewing On Luzon
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15.—<#)—
A Japanese radio broadcat picked
up today by NBC said a full-scale
Nippon attr.ck Is expected to de
velop at any moment on Luzon Is
land In the Philippines.
The enemy radio said fierce
fighting has developed on the
western wing of the Lingayen gulf
front and that the battling along
the gulf grows more Intense. It
adde' that Japanese airmen are
continuously attacking American
convoy ships in the gulf and other
waters.
37,894 Nazis Taken
In Belgian Battle
By the Associated Press
Allied armies have captured 37,
894 Germans since Field Marshal
von Rundstedt opened his winter
offensive Dec. 16.
Since D-day June 6, the allies
have captured 844,891, late figures
tom the armies disclosed today.
Doughboys On Luzon
Expand Beachhead
Formidable Agno River Crossed With Little Opposi
tion, Move South Rapidly
By c. yates McDaniel
GENERAL MacARTHUR’S HEADQUARTERS, Luzon,
Jan. 15.—(iP)—U. S. Sixth Army troops crossed the formid
able but virtually undefended Agno river 88 miles from
Manila and overran scattered Japanese to expand their Lin
gayen gulf beachhead 30 miles to a total of 45, Gen. Douglas
N. C. AIR ACE
DIES INACTION
Major George E. Preddy,
Jr., Of Greensboro, Re
ported Deod
GREENSBORO, Jan. 15.—</P>—
Major George E. Preddy, Jr.,
Greensboro’s ace of World War 2,
was killed December 25 in action
over Germany.
News of the Mustang* fighter
pilot's death was wHSelved here to
day by his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
George E. Preddy, ksr„ in a tele
gram from the war department.
"The secretary of war desires me
to express his deep regret that
your son, Maj. George E. Preddy,
jr., was killed in action on 25 De
cember in Germa-y,” read the
terse message, signed "Dunlop, act
ing the adjutant general.”
No other details were given, ex
cept it was stated that a letter will
follow.
FURLOUGH
Major rreaay, za, arrived m
Greensboro last August 34 for a
30-day leave with his parents after
serving 22 months in combat areas
in both the Pacific and European
theaters of war.
Major Preddy when he was at
home had been credited with 28 1-2
enemy planes and an additional
German craft had been credited to
his score since he returned to Eng
land.
Since his return to England
Major Preddy had been placed in
command of an eighth army air
forces squadron. .
The World Waiyf2 hero is sur
vived by his parents; a sister, Mrs.
Rlgdon Harris, who resides on
Kensington road; and 2nd Lt. Wil
liam R. Preddy, 20, also a fighter
pilot, now believed to be on his
way to an oversear combat zone.
Major Preddy was widely feted
on his last visit .here and was the
guest of honor at a celebration
staged by Greensboro citizens at
Memoria' stadium
“I am proud to be a part of the
army air force,*’ the Greensboro
youth asserted at the celebration,
“and I will be Jlad to get back to
England.
“I hope to g<& * 1-2 more planes,
not for the credit or for personal
joy, but because it will mean 28
more dead Germans and wrecked
planqa” 1 . j „ _
‘1
MacArthur reported today.
The infantrymen in their fifth
day of the invasion hurdled the
Agno where the enemy had been
expected to make a stand, at
Bayambang, 22 miles from the
gulf. They continued south at a
pace limited only by the ability of
supply columns to keep up .
Mangatarem was captured by
the westernmost spearhead In an
eight-mile advance brushing
through two enemy skirmishing,
parties of 150 men each. The
eastern flank had more difficult
going but approached Catablan, 20
miles inland, in a five-mile gain.
On this front the yanks ran into
small arms and artillery fire from
an enemy position of foxholes and
dugouts.
Extension of the beachhead took
in the important rail and highway
Junction of Damortis on the north
and approaching Alaminos on the
southern side of the crescent
shaped arc, representing gains of
10 and 20 miles, respectively from
#h original beachhead measuring
15 miles.
SEALED OFF
Capture of Damortis, where the
Americans found little more than
sniper fire, seals off Japanese
troops on the northwest coast from
the only highway leading into the
Benguet mountains.
The sweep westward to Alaminos
included seizure of Port Sual after
a short, sharp fight. Associated
Press war correspondent Fred
Hampson reported the Yanks cap
tured a quantity of equipment
there—the first instance of mater
ial abandoned by the Luzon Japa
nese.
MacArthur’s communique cover
ing operations Saturday said the
enemy ‘‘has as yet been unable to
concentrate forces in resistance."
A spokesman reported the only
stiff opposition was still in the
hilly section in the northeast part
of the battlefront, near Pozorub
bio.
WHAT’S DOING
TODAY
7:00 p.m.—Regular meeting of
Junior Chamber of Commerce
at Hotel Charles.
7:30 p.m.—City council meets
in council chamber at city hall.
TUESDAY
7:30 p.m.—C. A. P. members
meet at armory.
7:30 p.m. — Cleveland Lodge
202 A. F. & A. M. meets *«*•
DR. WALL
DR. WALL’S NEW
BOOK RECEIVED
"Heartening Messages" Is
Collection Of Oustand
ing Sermons
'•Heartening Messages,” a collec
tion of outstanding sermons by Dr.
Zeno Wall, for 20 years pastor of
Shelby’s First Baptist church, came
from the presses today in an at
tractively presented volume publish
ed by the Broadman Press of Nash
ville, Tennessee.
The book has been exceedingly
well received by ministers and all
who have seen it, eliciting highest
praise from Dr. John L. Hill in the
December number of ‘Book Talk”
in which he said: ‘‘These are mes
sages from a big-bodied, big-mind
ed, big-hearted, big servant of
Jesus and friend 'of man; thirteen
of them are definitely heartening
while the fourteenth on Christian
education is disturbingly challeng
ing. In this particular sermon Dr.
Wall gives a very interesting ap
praisal of missionary Baptists: they
are not isolationists, but illustra
tionists. demonstrationists, co-oper
ationists; they are not pacificists,
but loyalists; not destructionists, but
constructionists. These are Bibli
cal sermons. The preacher takes
See DR. WALL’S Page 2
Continuous V-Bomb
Attacks On London
LONDON, Jan. 15—(ff)—'The Ger
man radio asserted today that V
bomb attacks have been directed
against London “almost uninter
ruptedly for the past 48 hours.”
The British air and home min
istries, however, issued only the
customary dawn-to-dawn report,
noting damage and casualties from
enemy air activity directed against
[southern England.
SATURDAY SEES I
OPENING OF NEW
AIR OFFENSIVE
Eight German Oil Centers
Battered In Week
, End Attacks
243 PLANES BAGGED
LONDON, Jan. 15.—(/P)— |
Almost 1,300 American bomb
ers and fighters from Britain
pounded four railroad yards
in southern Germany without |
interference from German |
fighters today, following yes-1
terday’s large-scale battles in;
which 243 enemy aircraft
were destroyed.
The daylight blow by 600 Port
resses and Liberators, escorted by
675 Mustangs and Thunderbolts,
was aimed at Freiburg, Augsburg,
Ingolstadt and Reutlingen, all im
portant links on the rail routes
which the Germans use to shift
troops.
The operation was regarded as
an emergency shift from the sud
denly renewed offensive on Ger
man oil centers, eight of which
were battered over the weekend
‘ bf" approximately?2,500 bombers.
More than 6,600 planes, in
cluding tactical units based on
the continent, unleashed a
mighty coordinated attack be
ginning Saturday night. Eighth
air force Mustangs and Thun
derbolts fought a record battle
Sunday against the German
air forces—up in force for
the first time since New
Year’s day.
An official announcement said
j American long range bombers
were over Germany again at noon
today, after RAP heavies “in very
| great strength” heaped tons of ex
1 plosives on the Leuna synthetic
oil plant at Messeberg and on a
depot at Dulmen last night.
Use of the quoted phrase in air
ministry communiques generally
indicates that a force of more
than 1,000 bombers participated.
A smaller force of raiders struck
a secondary blow at the German
See SATURDAY Page 2
MIDWEST GETS
SNOW BLANKET
By The Associated Press
A new light snow today freshen
ed the middle west’s soggy blanket
while most of the nation enjoyed
mild temperatures.
riuffy flakes fell over Iowa,
northern Missouri, southern Wis
consin, southern Michigan, Illinois,
Indiana and Ohio. It was raining
in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Additional snowfall was forecast
for New England, where the pre
cipitation in the last 24 hours rang
ed from two inches in Boston to
an unofficial 14 inches in Bear
Mountain, N. Y.
Temperatures were well above
normal in the plains states, with
minimums averaging about 20 in
the Dakota, approximately 10 de
grees above the seasonal normal.
Morning readings in the Ohio val
ley were in the middle 30's, a lit
tle above normal.
Yuma, Ariz, claimed the high
reading for th# last 24 hours with
a balmy 83, While Land O' Lakes,
Wis., had an isolated low of 10 be
low zero.
Allied Ground And Air
Forces Slowed Down By
Fog, Blinding Snowstorm
By JAMES M. LONG
PARIS, Jan. 15.—(/P)—The American First Army drova
within a mile and a half today of the communications center
of Houffalize in the new improvised German defense line in
the flattening Belgian bulge.
Heavy fog, a blinding snowstorm and a sharp drop in
the freezing temperatures slowed the pace of three solidly
linked Allied armies elsewhere, and again grounded tactical
air forces late in the day. Clear weather during the morning
had permitted some planes to attack the Germans on the
LEGISLATORS
CONSIDER
MONEY BILLS
Confident 1945 Session
Con Be Completed By
March 10
RALEIGH, Jan. 15.—(JP)—Confi
dent that the 1945 session can be
ended by March 10, legislators turn
ed today to regular meetings of
the appropriations and finance
committees in hope that the big
money bills will be reported to the
floor of the assembly the end of
January. The appropriations com
mittee took over its task in earn
est and held a couple of rather
harmonious hearings. Thus far, the
greatest suggested change in the
continuing revenue act would be
the restoration of the three per
cent tax on admission to moving
picture shows. Some legislators,
perhaps, will try to tamper with
the sales tax and such a move
would be aired before the finance
committee, whose principal duty is
to raise the money for the state’s
spending during the next two fis
cal years.
The liquor issue already has been
injected. Senator Daniel of Beau
fort introduced a bill to prohibit
the sale of transportation of wine
or spiritous juices of more than
one per cent alcoholic content in
counties without ABC stores. The
measure does not affect beer.
OTHER MEASURES
Several other major statewide
measures undoubtedly will be in
See LEGISLATORS Page 2
Edwin C. Wilson
To Go To Turkey
As New Ambassador
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.——
President Roosevelt today nomi
nated Edwin C. Wilson, veteran
American diplomat, to be arnbas
srdor to Turkey.
The action filled the last major
diplomatic post of this govern
ment which was still open in the
European area.
Wilson, who was the president's
representative at Algiers when that
was headquarters for the French
committee of liberation and who
subsequently served as a member
of the Mediterranean commission,
is now director of the state de
partment's office of special politi
cal affairs.
The Turkish assignment former
ly was held by Laurence Steinhardt,
who was named ambassador to
Czechoslovak a some weeks ago.
Japanese Political Crisis
Brews; Koiso May Be Ousted
By the Associated Press
The Japanese Domei news agency
hinted today at the possible oust
ing of Premier Kunlaki Koiso be
cause of military reversals suffer
ed by Japan.
Political circles in Japan have
been split under the “demand by
the nation for a stronger internal
structure to meet the growing ser
iousness of the war,” a broadcast
sponsored by Domei said.
Newly-developed “factions” among
national leaders are clamoring for
a “bold and unprecedented politi
cal renovation” and a “second]
political reformation,” Domei news
agency said, in a broadcast inter
cepted by federal communications
commission.
An earlier report by radio Tokyo
said that the Koiso cabinet is to
hold a special meeting today which
suggested the crisis might come to,
-a head before the imperial diet re-.
convenes Jan. 21.
Koiso came into office last sum
mer, following Hideki Tojo, who!
was forced to resign under simi-1
lar internal fire because of the,
See JAPANESE Pa*e 2
southern part oi tne salient.
The famous hell on wheels Sec
ond armed division drove closest
to Houffalize, striking from the
north. Third army troops were a
bare three miles south of the| town,
and British and Americans were
last reported a little more than
three miles away from the west.
Other First army troops moved
within six and a half miles of St.
Vith, northern anchor of the new
German arc line spread from Wiltz
northwest to Houffalize and thence
northeast to St. Vith.
The First and Third armies
established contact southeast
of Laroche, looping off another
segment of the virtually emptied
western end of the salient.
Strong German forces including
many rescued tanks were spotted
behind the new line. It was not ap
parent whether Field Marshal von
Rundstedt would try for a stand or
use the forces to shield a continu
ed retreat into the shelter of the
Siegfried line.
Since the Nazi marshal struck a
month ago tomorrow, he has lost at
least 37,894 prisoners alone. Gen.
Eisenhower’s armies have taken
844,891 prisoners since invading
Normandy last June 6.
At supreme headquarters, it was
said that the Ourthe river line which
the Germans had hoped to hold had
been smashed to smithereens and
that Houffalize was in an Allied
nutcracker.
CRACKING
Beyond the Ourthe, the Salm
river line before St. Vith and the
German frontier itself was cracking.
In the Karlsruhe comer of
France, the steadily reinforced
Germans twice assaulted the Amer
ican 7th army at Hatten, ten miles
northeast of Haguenau. The first
attack was beaten back; fighting
continued in the second with the
Americans holding doggedly to the
See ALLIED Page 2
GREEK TRUCE
BEGINS TODAY
Scobie Promises Greeks
His Forces Will Pro
tect Them
ATHENS, Jan. 15.—(£*>—A truce
ending hostilities between the left
wing ELAS militia and British
troops went into effect today.
The peace with EAM leaders
was negotiated by Lt. Gen. Ronald
M. Scobie, British commander, who
yesterday told cheering demonstra
tors that his forces would protect,
the Greek people and their liber-'
ties against revolution from any
quarter.
M derates who were former
members of the EAM, political or
ganization of the ELAS, said at a
press conference today they had
completely disassociated themselves
frcm that movement. The moder
ates were formerly Socialist dele
gates to the EAM from Salonika.
The moderates said significant
ly that they favored inclusion of
Communist delegates in an all
party cabinet provided the Com
munists maintained no private
armies.
Scobie's speech, made from a
balconv at Blitish headquarters,
was wildly cheered by the demon
strators, who surged through the
streets of Athens waving British,
American and Greek flags.
Nazi Aircraft
Production High
LONDON. Jan. 15—i/P)—A Dutch
medical student only recently ar
rived here from occupied Holland
estimated today that the Germans
are producing 1.800 aircraft a
month in great underground fac
tories.