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WEATHER
North Carolina — Increasing
cloudiness and continued moder
ately cold today, tonight and
Thursday.
The Hhelhy Baily thr
- State Theatre Today -
“MINISTRY OF FEAR”
Starring RAY MILLAND
Also SPORT — CARTOON
CLEVELAND COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1894
TELEPHONES 1100
VOL. XLIII-15
ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS
SHELBY, N. C.
WEDNESD’Y, JAN. 17, 1945
TELEMAT PICTURES
SINGLE COPIES—6e
>
Second Army Gains
1,000 Yards In North;
First Nears St Vith
By JAMES M. LONG
PARIS, Jan. 17.—(/P)—Bayonet-wielding Britons of the
Second Army drove today into the Dutch village of Dieteren,
between the Maas (Meuse) and Roer rivers 23 miles above
Aachen, in advances up to 1,000 yards in a resumption of
Gen. Eisenhower’s winter offensive.
The rested troops crossed the little Roode river at two
places.
The attack was aimed at straightening out the Allied
line to the upper Roer, whose west bank is held by the U. S.
Ninth Army from Linnich to Schmidt.
The U. S. First Army, further reducing the Belgian
bulge, drove to within five miles of St. Vith, last major
road center which the Germans held in the salifent.
Inside Germany to the south, an
undisclosed number of enemy
troops were trapped near captured
Butadorf by Third army tanks.
The British forces progressed In
•n icy ground haze.
Their attack, started with a mas
sive artillery barrage—Field Mar
shal Montgomery’s military trade
mark—apparently caught the Ger
mans napping.
The Tommies captured at
least one bridge over the Roede
intact as they advanced, ghostly
la white eapes, through a rela
tively soft spot In German de
fenses. British divisions in the
attack had not been engaged in
the battle of the Belgian bulge,
now reduced to about a fourth
of Its original size.
The little Dutch town of Dieteren
is two miles from the German fron
tier and six north of Sittard. The
British appeared to be driving to
ward the Roer river on the left flank
of the V. 8. 9th army which guards
i‘- banks from Llnnlch to Schmidst.
The fog which shrouded the at
tack of infantry and tanks also
slowigl the progress of the British,
who could hardly see their buddies
along the assault line. Roads were
See SECOND Page 2
Havoc Spread Along
South China Coast
Third Fleet Corner Planet Roamed At Will Over Jap
Objectives Along Southern China Coast
U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUARTERS, Pearl Har
bor, Jan. 17.—(/P)—Third fleet planes brushed aside weak
Japanese air cover along 350 miles of the South China coast,
sank or damaged at least 30 enemy ships and spread bomb
destruction through the big Takao naval base on Formosa,
spacious docks at Hongkong and the harbor at Canton Sat
urday, Minaay ana Monday.
Not a Japanese plane appeared
over Hongkong, a city of more than
1,000,000 people, as Hellcats, Hell
dlvera and Avengers tore Into the
Royal Navy and Tlkoo docks Mon
day.
Not a Japanese plane defended
Canton.
At least 104,000 tons of enemy
shipping was sank or damagjj.
Among these, a destroyer and
destroyer-escort were sank and
a 17,000-ton tanker left listing.
That only begins to tell the
Story.
The Navy has yet to report any
of the results for Saturday when
the air arm of Adm. William F. Hal
sey’s Third fleet struck Formosa
and the South China ports of Amoy,
Swatow and Hongkong. That raid
was disclosed Monday.
Yesterday, Adm. Chester W. Nlm
ltz said the carrier planes continu
ed the attacks Sunday and Monday
on Formosa and the China coast.
Including Canton, Swatow and
Hongkong. Then he Issued “preli
minary incomplete reports.” These
See HAVOC Page *
YANK PATROLS
TURNEDBACK
ROME, Jan. 17. — W5)— American
patrols attempting to reach San
Ansona Just west of the Florence
Bologna highway were turned back
yesterday by bitter enemy small
arms fire, Allied headquarters an
nounced today.
Sharp skirmishes occurred at sev
eral other sectors of the Italian
front as patrols probed enemy posi
tions in poor visibility caused by
snow and rain, but there were no
changes in any Fifth or Eighth
army forward positions.
On the Fifth army’s right flank
long' range machlnegun fire raked
Allied positions in the area of Monte
Battogliola.
South of Faenza an Indian pa
trol fought its way through an am
bush and liquidated an enemy out
post, killing 10 Germans and cap
turing an equal number. ' *
4
HAMBURG AREA
HIT BY BOMBS
U. S. Heavies Follow Up
Night Blow Struck By
1,200 RAF Planes
LONDON, Jan. 17. —{IP)— Seven
hundred U. S. heavy bombers bat
tered oil plants and submarine
works In the greater Hamburg area
today a few hours after 1.200 RAP
night bombers had struck three oil
refineries and the industrial cen
ter of Magdeburg.
Some 350 fighters escorted the
U. S. Eighth Air force Plying Fort
resses and Liberators bombing the
Rhenania oil refinery at Harburg,
Just south of Mahburg, several oil
installations and U-boat construc
tion facilities in oft-bombed Ham
burg Itself.
Other bombers struck at freight
traffic at Paderborn and other
transportation objectives in north
western Germany, an official an
nouncement said.
CONCENTRATED
Today’s strike was another in
concentrated American - British
See HAMBURG Page 2
YOUNG MAN OF THE YEAR—Capt. John Z. McBrayer, left, is con
gratulated by Doris Bolt, right, president of the Junior Chamber of
Commerce, on winning the group’s Distinguished Service award for the
outstanding service to the community by a man under 35 years of age.
Shem Blackley, center, chairman of the awards committee, and who
made the presentation, looks on. Capt. McBrayer, veteran of 68 combat
missions in China, lo6t his left leg when one of the propellers of his
B-24 Liberator came off and crashed through his cabin last April. He
holds the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.—(Willis Photo)
Light Counterattack
Slows Luzon Drive
Advance Units On Central Highway One-Third Of
Way To Manila, Virtually Unopposed
McDaniel
GENERAL Mac ARTHUR’S HEADQUARTERS, Luzon,
Jan. 17.—(/P)—A small-scale Japanese counterattack slowed
the left flank of the broad Sixth Army sweep down the cen
tral Luzon valley but advance units rolling along a central
highway already are one-third of the way to Manila, still
finding only token resistance.
FDR DEMANDS
SERVICEACT
Cracks Whip Over Con
gress On Work-Or-Fight
Legislation
By WILLIAM F. ARBOGAST
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. —(/P)—
President Roosevelt cracked the
whip today over a congress balking
at work-or-be-dralted legislation.
He prepared to tell the lawmak
ers in writing ' that the time lor
talking about national aervice legis
lation has passed and the time lor
enacting it has arrived. Lawmakers
who talked with him yesterday said
he “laid it on the line c rally” to
them.
Chairman May (D-Ky) whose
house military committee hoped to
conclude hearings today on a bill
with compulsory controls lor men
between 18 and 45, said the Presi
dent’s views would be stated em
phatically in a letter to the com
mittee.
May, who waa at tne wnne
House yesterday, told reporters
he expected the letter today,
would read it to the committee
behind closed doors and woifid
Insist that the committee fol
low the President’s urging at
once.
"There has been enough talk,”
said May, apparently referring to
more than a week of hearings by
his committee and echoing the
President's stand. “It’s time now to
act."
Mr. Roosevelt was asked at his
news conference late yesterday
about opposition expressed by CIO
President Philip Murray to com
pulsory legislation.
The President inquired whether
See FDR Page 2
New Ledo Road Holds Hope
Of More Supplies To China
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.— (/P) —
Allied officials are shooting for a
triple Increase in the tonnage of
supplies moving to China after the
new Ledo road is opened in the
next two or thre% weeks.
The hope is to put approximately
100,000 tons of munitions a month
into China as soon as the road is
in efficient operation. Tremendous
efforts to step up air deliveries,
“over the hump” from India have
hit an all-time high of something
over 30,000 tons a month.
If all goes well on delivery
schedules by road and air it
may be possible to have a mod
eraly equipped but relatively
small Chinese army operating
in the Chungking area well
before the end of this year.
Thus the imminent and success
ful conclusion of the North Bur
ma campaign has greatly bright
ened China’s military prospects.
But all informed estimates of the
situation by Washington officials
suggest little improvement in the
Chinese political picture. In fact,
_ See NEW LEOO Fage 2 _
I
Gen. Douglas MacArthur an
nounced today the Yanks had
reached Moncada, 32 road miles
from Lingayen gulf, Monday, but
a headquarters spokesman conser
vatively placed the deepest point
of penetration along the main
north-south highway as 45 high
way miles from the gulf and 83
from Manila.
(These mileage figures might
put advance units well beyond
Moncada, perhaps on the ap
proaches to the important city of
Tarlac).
Another tank-led spear
head on the west side of the
plain was past captured Cam
iling, moving south and east.
The southern arm of this group
was traversing a mountain
road which joins the main
highway at Tarlac, about 70
miles from Manila.
Field reports said both columns
were finding nothing stronger than
an occasional enemy patrol, which
was quickly dispersed.
On MacArthur’s left flank, how
ever, American artillery pounded
Japanese stubbornly holding ridg
es commanding the only north
south road in the Luzon plain still
remaining to the enemy.
COUNTERATTACK
In this sector, south and south
west of Rosario, American pro
gress toward Pozorrubio was slow
ed Sunday night by a Japanese
counterattack in which small tanks
were used by the enemy. U. S.
artillery broke up this counter
blow, the first of the week-old in
vasion. They knocked out one
"tankette,” and the others with
See LIGHT Page 2
COAL SHORTAGE
FACING N.C.
——
RALEIGH, Jan. 17. —(£>)— A coal
shortage is threatening to cause
shutdowns of schools in many
North Carolina localities and fuel
consumption must be curtailed
throughout the state if they are to
remain open, Governor Cherry de
clared yesterday.
The Governor issued a general
warning to residents of the state
urging that the temperature of
homes, places of business and
schools be maintained at 68 degrees
and that every economy be affect
ed. Gov. Cherry suggested that pub
lic schools limit all activities such
as basketball games, plays, and
after school meetings until the fuel
situation Improves.
“I had no idea that the situation
was as serious as it is until I con
ferred with representatives of the
State Department of Education and
■ the State Division of Purchase and
Contract,” the Governor said.
SUPERFORTS IN
THIRD ATTACK
ON FORMOSA
Enemy Military Installa
tions On Island Bombed
In Daylight
NIP SUPPLY CENTER
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17.—
(ff>) — Giant Superfortresses
raided Formosa today in their
third strike against this
mighty Japanese island bas
tion since January 9.
The B-29s of Major General
Curtis E. Lemay’s 20th bomber
command audaciously swooped
over their target by daylight. A
brief 20th air force war bulletin
said their objective was military
installations and did not provide
additional details.
Results of the mission will be
announce^ when operational re
ports are received by the War de
partment.
Only Sunday some 100 of the
mighty aerial battleships
zoomed from their China bas
es to pound Formosa, Nip
pon’s main island stronghold
south of the homeland. Not
a single Japanese interceptor
arose to challenge the B-29*.
And to 4® Superforts had'
attacked the island January 9.
Before today’s B-29 attack For
mosa already had been viciously
lashed by Admiral William F.
Halsey’s carrier planes. Admiral
Chester W. Nimitz announced at
Pacific headquarters that Halsey’s
bold air raiders smashed the big
Takao naval base on Formosa in
sweeps along the China coast Jan.
13, 14 and 15. Seven locomotives
and warehouses and docks were
destroyed.
SUPPLY CENTER
Formosa was but one point
pounded in Halsey’s foray which
slashed across Nippon’s sea lifeline
to the oil and rubber-lush Indies.
Carrier planes hit targets on an
arc extending from Formosa to
Hongkong and Canton, South
China’s largest cities and major
Japanese supply centers for South
China operations.
Some 90 miles from the Chi
na coast and 225 miles north
of Luzon, Formosa is a Nip
ponese supply center and the
main staging base for troops,
planes and supplies moving
from the home islands to the
menaced Philippines. Fighter
planes are shuttled from Hon
shu’s mammoth plane factor
ies via the Ryukyu* island
through Formosa to the Phil
ippines and likewise to South
China.
Today’s raid was the eighth di
rected against military installa
tions and industrial keystones of
Japan’s shrinking Asiatic-Pacific
empire since January 1. In these
strikes Bangkok, Thailand’s capi
tal; Nogaya, Omura, and Tokyo
See SUPERFORTS Page 2
SPARTANBURG
HAS FIRE IN
BUSINESS AREA
SPARTANBURG, S. C., Jan. 17.
—(fl*)—A stubborn tire, which gut
ted the large Silvers Five and Ten
Cent Store and spread to Efird’s
Department store was still burning
at noon today. The blaze was dis
covered at dawn, but firemen from
Spartanburg, Greenville, and near
by Camp Croft said it had destroyed
part of the Silvers store before they
were called.
The damage to the five and ten
cent store was estimated by Its
manager Richard Laroche to be be
tween $350,000 and $375,000. An
estimate of the damage to Efird’s
was not available immediately but
it appeared that much of the stock
was damaged from water and smoke.
Considerable water and smoke
damage also was done to Croft’s
Jewelry store, Worthmore’s Men’s
Clothing Store, and Mangel’s Wo
men’s Ready to Wear Store.
One fireman, J. E. Caldwell, was
overcome by smoke while fighting
the flames. His condition was re
ported as satisfactory at a local
hospital.
The cause of the fire was not de
termined. Firemen expressed the
opinion that it was caused by a
short circuit in the electrical wirinjg.
MISSING—Pvt. James M. Heaf
ner, son of Mrs. Daisy Heafner of
route 3, Shelby, has been reported
missing in action since December
25, in Belgium, according to word
received from the War depart
ment today by his mother.
MISSMAUNEY
WRECKVICTIM
Miss Kathleen Mauney
Died Early Today; In
■ jyred Last.Night
Miss Kathleen Mauney, 28,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. M.
Mauney, 911 Logan street, died this
morning at 5:30 o’clock at the
Shelby hospital from injuries she
sustained last night about 11:30
o'clock when the automobile in
which she was riding, driven by
Horace Addington, collided head
on with a car driven by Miss Sarah
Wilson, on a curve just north of
Patterson Springs. Miss Mauney
died without regaining conscious
ness.
There were three others besides
the driver, C. M. Addington, B.
P. Adams and an Addington boy
who were riding in the same car
with Miss Mauney. They were not
seriously injured but sustained cuts
and bruises. Riding in the car
driven by Miss Wilson was A. G.
Burroughs, of Gastonia, both oi
whom sustained slight injuries
only. They were all treated and
dismissed at .the Shelby hospital
with the exception of Horace Ad
dington, who is still a patient,
suffering with an injured head and
back. His condition as not believ
ed to be serious.
The car in which Miss Mauney
was riding after it had collided
with the other auto turned over
pinning Miss Mauney underneath.
The Addingtons, B. P. Adams and
Miss Mauney had been to Gaff
ney, S. C. to visit Horace Adding
ton’s sister, a patient in a hos
See MISS MAUNEY Page 2
WHAT’S DOING
TODAY
7:00 p.m.—Officers and teach
ers of First Baptist Sunday
School meet at church.
7:30 p.m. — Fellowship hour
at Central Methodist church.
7:45 p.m.—Midweek: prayer and
praise service at First Baptist
church.
7:30 p.m.—Prayer service at
Presbyterian church.
THURSDAY
7:00 p.m.—Regular meeting of
Kiwanis club. '
7:30 p.m.—C. A. P. members
meet at armory.
First European
Capital To Fall,
16th liberated
By The Associated Press
LONDON, Jan. 17.—(TP)—The battered Polish capital
of Warsaw was captured today by Russian armies of Field
Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov storming up into the ravaged
city from two bridgeheads over the Vistula river from the
south.
The city of 1,300,000 was the first European capital to
fall to the Germans in this war. It was the 16th to be liber
ated.
Marshal Stalin announced the momentous victory in a
ringing order of the day.
While Warsaw was freed from the Germans for the
first time in more than five years, other Russian armies
were driving on other sections of the 600-mile battlefield
from the Baltic to the Balkans.
Troops stormed into the defense works of Krakow,
ancient capital of the Polish kings. Nearest Russian van
guards were 10 miles to the north.
German Silesia itself, a great i
German coal and steel region vi
tal to the enemy’s ability to make
war, was within 38 miles of Field
Marshal Ivan Koniev’s Ukranian
army group driving on Krakow.
Below Warsaw, the German bas
tion of Radom, 14th largest Polish
city of 78,000, toppled yesterday
and the Russians were reported
far beyond.
Moscow was silent on a Ger
man-reported drive in East
Prussia which Berlin said had
overrun the fortress town of
Schlossberg.
Zhukov’s victory drive to
Warsaw started three days ago,
Stalin’s order disclosed.
A few hours before Stalin’* an
nouncement, the provisional gov
ernment of Poland at Lublin had
announced the capture of the city.
The victory decisively smashed
the German front in Poland. For
months, the Russians had been in
Praga, eastern suburbs of the
capital, across the Vistula, and
the Germans yielded the capital
only after it was dangerously out
flanked on the north and south.
The enemy said Red column* had
knifed to positions 17 and 23 miles
See FIRST Page *
Special Commission
To Probe Board Plan
Joint Resolution Passed To Investigate Plan For
Splitting Conservation Board
RALEIGH, Jan. 17.—(/P)—The legislature carried out
another of Governor Cherry’s inaugural recommendations
today and passed under suspension of rules a joint resolu
tion providing for the appointment of a special commission
to investigate the feasibility of divorcing the division of
game and inland fisheries from the department of conser
__x:__i j_l--x . -
i vation ana aeveiopment.
The measure, by Rep. Stone of
Rockingham, passed both the house
and senate without debate.
Speaker Oscar; Richardson and
President Ballentine indicated the
commission would be appointed too,
perhaps tomorrow.
The Board of Conservation and
Development, completing a semi
annual meeting here yesterday, gen
erally opposed the separation and
said the game and inland fisheries
division as now constituted was in
excellent financial shape, and de
nied that funds were being divert
ed for other purposes.
CHANGES
Governor Cherry in his primary
campaign last spring voiced favor
of the separation but in his inau
gural address January 4 said that
he had reconsidered the matter
and believed the appointment of a
special commission would be prefer
red.
The resolution provided that the
See SPECIAL Page 2
BY APRIL 1:
1). S., Britain Will Allocate
Ships To French Government
LONDON, Jan. » 17—(/P)—The
United States and Britain have
agreed to allocate a number of
ships to the French government
between now and April 1 to help
meet France’s import require
ments, the British foreign office
announced today.
Under present arrangements, the
French will have use of the al
lotted ships only until April 1, the
announcement said, adding that
“it is hoped that it will prove pos
sible to make ships available for
subsequent months.”
“It is expected that it will be
ti
possible to make similar arrange
ments for in> orts into other lib
erated countries as soon as circum
stances permit,” the foreign office
said.
FRENCH SHIPS
It was said that as far as possible
French ships now in the Allied
pool would be used. The number
to go into the French import ser
vice will be “subject to military
necessity,” the announcement
said.
The decision to set aside the
»m u. 8. rig; i
i
MANPOWER IN
DRIVER'S SEAT
Barrett Says 90 Per Cent
Of Official Cars
Chauffeured
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. — i/P)—
Rep. Barrett (R-Wyo) suggested to
day that government officiala look
ing for manpower take a look in the
driver's seat of official automobiles
in Washington.
“The other day I saw a big sedan
drive up to the capitol with a uni
formed driver in the front seat and
one man in the back seat," he told
reporters. “There's manpower for
you."
Barrett did a little inquiring to
find out what's going on with gov
ernment cars. A partial result of his
survey:
667 CARS
There are 667 civilian automobiles
in Washington assigned to govern
ment officials or agencies. About 91 j
per cent of them are chauffeured.
The car he saw with one passenger
belongs to the federal housing
agency.
"Why couldn’t that fellow ride a
taxi?" Barrett asked. "Or. in times
like these, what is wrong with the
streetcars. He doesn’t need a driver 1
to get him around town."
Barrett thinks of the 667 cars
assigned to civilian officials and
agencies, at least 600 of them are ;
unessential—and their drivers with
them.
"Everybody who ought to have ;
; transportation could have it in 67 ,
i cars,’’ he said.