WEATHER
Fair a.id cool today becoming
warmer east portion in afternoon
folowed by partly cloudy and not
quite so cold tonight. Lowest tem
peratures 28-32.
Ghesheth Bnily Him«
- State Theatre Today -
“STRANGE AFFAIR”
Starring
Allyn Joslyn — Evelyn Keyes
XT IT* VI70
1
»» *■' - VvViUJUJL/ X
J
CLEVELAND COUNTY'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1894
TELEPHONES 1100
VOL. XLII1—24
ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS
SHELBY, N. C.
SATURDAY, JAN. 27, 1945
TELEMAT PICTURES
SINGLE COPIES—Sc
NAZIS REPORT SOVIET SPEARHEADS AT
OBRA RIVER
ADVANCE WIPES
OUT LAST OF
BELGIANBULGE
U. S. Ninth, British Sec
ond Armies Consolidate
Along Roer
holdingInitiative
PARIS, Jan. 27.—(A3)—U.
S. Third Army troops striking
on a 20-mile front in Luxem
bourg and Belgium gained up
to three miles today and
reached the Our river barrier
to Germany.
The Third's roll-up to the Our
river frontier, wiping out last ves
tiges of the Ardennes bulge, came
as the American Ninth and Brit
ish Second armies In the north
consolidated their hold along the
west bank of the Roer river inside
Germany within 25 miles of Dus
aeldorf.
Allied troops held the initiative
all along the winding western
front, and the German's offensive
In Alsace had dwindled out.
American 90th division pa
trols reached the Our river at
a point 4 1-2 miles northeast
of Clervau in northern Lux
embourg, a front dispatch said.
They met no resistance.
Troops of the 17th airborne
division punched forward three
miles at a point seven miles
below St. Vlth.
They and three other divisions
were asMte sc across the "sky
line drive” highway running north
to St. Vith on a, 1,500-foot ridge
overlooking the Our and the Ger
mans’ Siegfried line guarding the
Reich. The 20th division drove
ahead 2 1-2 miles above Wllta, and
the 80th and 5th divisions advan
ced from a half to one mile. The
Third Army bagged 591 prisoners
yesterday.
BREACH WIDENED
The U. 8. - Ninth and British
Second armies held the Roer river
bank from Roermond to Mon
schau, 19 miles southeast of Aa
chen, and had widened the only
breach in the Siegfried line to 35
miles.
Russia's great offensives
were being felt Increasingly
on the snowbound western
front, as witnessed by the Na
si withdrawal to the Roer
river and the halt to German
attacks In Alsace.
For the second straight day pi
lots reported a steady flow of heavy
rail traffic east and northeast
from the whole Ruhr region. This
possibly was linked with the moun
ting menace to Germany in the
east. The Ruhr train movements
might reflect a last-minute shift
of hoarded military material re
serves eastward.
Allied planes battered again Fri
day at Nazi rail and road trans
port, and RAF tactical air force
planes alone in 150 sorties de
stroyed 13 locomotives and dam
aged 18, wrecked or damaged 150
railway cars, and 26 road vehicles.
Snowdrifts hampered all six
Allied armies in the west, and fog
overhung the Alsace plain where
the 79th division of the U. S.
Seventh Army had rubbed out the
last German bridgehead over the
Moder river west of Haguenau.
Men of the First and Third arm
ies floundered through snowdrifts
as deep as seven to eight feet.
Enemy Air Activity
Directed At England
LONDON, Jan. 27—OP)—An air
ministry of home security com
munique;
During the 24 hours ended at
dawn this morning there was ene
my activity directed against sou
thern England. Damage and
casualties were caused.
Responsibility For Planning
Board Is Placed On Governor
nor Cherry has been told that the
state planning board will step out
as a body if the executive con*
eludes Its job Is complete.
Thus It appeared that the res
ponsibility for the fate of the
board has been shifted to the gov
ernor from the lap of the joint ap
propriations committee of the gen
eral assembly whose list 'of knotty
problems has mounted steadily
during the 'last two weeks.
The disclosure that the
board was ready to quit If the
governor so decreed was made
i
■»» Hu iftppivjriMMiiyiia vvutum
tee hearing yesterday by Capas
Waynlck, a member of the
board, who took exception to
a statement by the advisory
budget commission that the
duties of the planning group
could well be shifted to other
state agencies. |
The budget conunlsslonvdld not
make provision for further sup
port of the board In its recom
mended appropriations for the
coming biennium.
See RESPONSIBILITY Jage S j
KAISER AT HEAD:
Gigantic Campaign Will
Collect Clothing For
Destitute Of Europe
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27.—(/P)—President Roosevelt has
asked Henry J. Kaiser, west coast shipbuilder, to head a
gigantic campaign to collect “usable used clothing” in this
j country for relief of Europe’s destitute millions.
I mi_J-I__ill _in J fKn
United Nations Clothing Reliel
committee, composed of UNRRA
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27—
(JP)—Henry J. Kaiser, ship
builder-industrialist, has ac- ,
cepted the national chairman- ,
ship of a United Nations
clothing collection for relief j
of the needy in war devastat- |
ed areas.
In a letter made public by <
the White House today Presi- j
dent Roosevelt told Kaiser the j
drive will be started in April.
The American people will be
asked to contribute 150,000,000
pounds of good used clothing
for free distribution to men,
women and children in the war
exposed regions.
nd almost 60 other relief agencies,
,11 volunteer.
In a letter eloquently describ
gn the suffering and need of the
>eoples of liberated Europe, Mr.
loosevelt asked Kaiser to take the
hairmanship of the committee. It
s understood that he has agreed
o do so.
See GIGANTIC Page 2
Superforts In Twin
Raids On Jap Targets
Military Objective* Blotted In Indo-China And On
Home Island Of Honshu
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27—(A*)—American Superforts
executed another one-two punch at Japan today, blasting at
military installations in enemy-held Indo-China and ranking
industrial targets on the home island of Honshu with ex
plosives.
Results of the twin attacks were
not Immediately made known, but
will be disclosed when operational
reports are received.
Oen. H. H. Arnold, commander
of the 20th Airforce, announced in
Washington that bombere of MU.
Oen. Curtis E. Lemay's 21st qotn
mand had struck the Japanese
home Island on a daylight mission,
hitting Industrial areas.
The Japanese themselves said the
target was Tokyo. Radio Tokyo said
some 70 B-29s were over the capital
for an hour In the early afternoon
and that fires started by the raid
ers were brought under control at
dusk.
B-2#s of Brig. Oen. Roger M.
Ramey's 20th bomber command,
which attacked Indo-China tar
gets, possibly were gunning for new
Japanese shipping concentrations
intended to reinforce Luzon.
WAR BULLETIN
A brief war bulletin issued at
the Washington headquarters did
not specify objectives or the size
of the air fleet.
It was fiwm Camranh Bay, some
1,000 miles from Luzon on the
Indo-Chlna coast, that the Jap
anese two weeks ago apparently
attempted to slip a convoy to relieve
their besieged forces In the Philip
pines. Carrier planes of Admiral
WlHiam P. Halsey's Third fleet
smashed this force, sinking 25 Jap
anese warships and damaging 13
others.
NAVAL BASTION
The nearest Asiatic Japanese fleet
base from which the enemy can
try to bolster his Luzon forces,
Camranh Bay Is one of Japan's key
naval bastions. Saigon, 200 miles
southwest of Camranh Bay, was
this former French protectorate’s
chief commercial port before the
war. • ■
Today’s strike! was the 45th and
46th major missions by B-29s of
the 20th and 21st bomber com
mands. Prom Mariana nests Super
forts launched three other attacks
this week—against Nagoya in the
Japanese homeland Tuesday and
against Iwo Jlma Wednesday and
Thursday.
Front In Italy
Relatively Quiet
ROUE, Jan. 27—w—Action, a*
lonK the Italian front vM limited
to patrolling again today as driv
ing rains turned the deep snow
to slush, Allied headquarters an
nounced today.
During the last 24 hours then
were only spasmodic patrol clash
es reported in both the Fifth Army
sector below Bologna and the
Eighth Army front above the Bo
logna-Rlminl highway.
German prisoners of war cap
tured by the Fifth Army confirm
ed recent reports that the Nazis
were constructing defenses rapid
ly in the Appennines, particularly
before Bologna.
Patrolling ' was exceptionally ac'
tlve on the Fifth Army’s rlghi
flank southeast of Bologna. The
Americans slashed at a Germar
roadblock north of Monte Fant
and knocked out a machine gun.
FONDAZZA
A South African patrol pushec
into the town of Fondazza, aboui
20 miles southwest of Bologna ir
the highway 64 area, and found it
unoccupied save for civilians whc
See FRONT Page 2
DEATHCLAIMS
PENDERGAST
KANSAS CITY, Jan. 27.—(>¥*)—
Thomas J. Pendergast, 72, formei
powerful Democratic boss of Kan
sas City and Missouri who servec
a year in federal prison for in
come tax evasion, died last nigh’
of heart disease.
“Big Tom,” as he was known
entered a hospital last Tuesday
He had suffered from a heart ail
ment and complications since ar
attack of coronary thrombo-sii
while attending the 1936 Demo
cratic national convention ir
Philadelphia.
Pendergast, one of the mos
colorful of the big city bosses
reached the height of his power Ir
1932 when his huge majorities ir
Jackson county helped elect i
governor and 13 congressmen-at
large and in 1934 when he success
fully backed the little known Har
ry 8. Truman, now vice president
of the United States, for senator.
The stocky political chleftair
took over the reins of the first
war Democratic organization or
Kansas City’s river front from hit
elder brother, Jim, in 1921, anc
extended his power first over th<
city, then Jackson county anc
See DEATH Page 2
fl
ARMY SEIZURE
OF WARD CO.
SAID ILLEGAL
Federal Judge Sullivan
Rules In Favor Of Mont
gomery-Ward
to appeal”decision
CHICAGO, Jan. 26.—(fl3)—
Army seizure of Montgomery
Ward and company properties
on order of President Roose
velt was declared illegal to
day by Federal Judge Philip
L. Sullivan who said "it is
with considerable reluctance
I have arrived at the conclus
ions in this case.”
Ruling on a case which the gov
ernment said affected the nation's
entire wartime labor dispute settle
ment machinery, Judge Sullivan
asserted:
“Our nation is engaged in a glo
bal war and it is imperative that
we contribute everything we have
to insure its speedy and success
ful conclusion, x x x
“Our country is in a great
crisis and our liberty and very
existence are at stake. So deep
ly do I feel on this subject that
I believe it is not too much to
expect that for the duration
employers, employes and unions
on the home front should make
a determined effort to adjust
their labor disagreement with
out resorting to strikes and
“Selfishness, arrogance, intoler
ance of the rights of other, self in
ter eat and unwllingness should, dur
lng this emergency be all subordln
a ted for the common good, x x x
“The peacetime privilege of en
gaging in prolonged labor dispute!
should be voluntarily suspended foi
the duration. A tribunal has beer
established to accomplish peaceful
settlement of labor disputes during
toe emergency.”
STATEMENT
In declaring the army seizure oi
Id properties of the huge mail ordei
concern on Deo. 38 was Illegal
Judge Sullivan asserted:
“I am of the opinion that th<
President was without authority
either under Seotkm 3 of the Wai
Labor Disputes Act, or under thi
war powers conferred upon him b;
the constitution as commander ii
chief of the Army and Navy t<
take possessions of the plants ant
facilities of Montgomery Ward ant
Company.”
The decision in the case which
the government said affected
See ARMY Page 2
British Troops
Capture Ondaw
SOUTHEAST ASIA COMMANI
HEADQUARTERS, Kandy, Ceylon
Jan. 27. —(JP)— British 14th arm;
troops have captured Ondaw, 11
miles northwest of Mandalay, whili
15th Indian corps troops in thi
Fifth Allied landing on the wes
coast of Burma In a north Invadet
Cheduba island, 100 miles south
east of Akyab.
A southeast Asia command com
munique announced today tha
other 15th Indian corps troops cap
tured Myohaung, 38 miles north
east of Akyab.
Renewed Japanese attacks wen
reported in the Slngu sector, 4:
miles north of Mandalay, but al
were declared repulsed. Simila:
Japanese assaults on the bridge
head across the Irrawaddy at Tha
belikkyln farther north were re
pelled.
Temporary Shortage Of Gas
Results From ‘Freeze’ Rumor
was to be frozen Friday night
gained circulation late yesterday
to cause such a run on gasoline
stations that a temporary short
age developed as some dealers
pumped tanks dry servicing lines
of cars whose owners sought to
beat the ban.
There was no freeze applied and
those dealers who didn't sell out
yesterday were still enjoying brisk
business this morning.
The rumor developed, evidently,
from the report that the Office of
Defense transportation has placed
an embargo on rail shipments for
three days owing to blizzard con
ditions tying up traffic in the
northeast, but gasoline rationing
is handled by the OPA.
there is ample gasoline available
for normal needs but that when
runs develop in such unjustified
fashion as was the case yesterday
they interfere with normal opera
tions in a manner that hurts
those, and innocent others, seek
ing selfish advantage for them
selves. The worst thing anyone
ckn do, said a rationing board of
ficial, is to seek personal advant
age when Uncle Sam finds it nec
essary to take drastic steps — it
isn't patriotic, it isn't smart, it
isn’t fair to try to steal a march
on our fighting fronts.
And, he adds, that’s a good thing
to keep in mind next time you
hear a freeze order impending
—and throw it. into the teeth of
the wise guy telling it! ,
PFC. JAMES R. DAVIS
3 CASUALTIES
ARE REPORTED
Pfc. Wayne Corner Killed,
Pfc. Davis, Sgt. Bridges
Missing
Three casualty messages have
; been received here today involving
Cleveland county soldiers fighting
| in the European theatre of opera
1 tions. Pfc. Wayne Carner of Gro
1 ver is reported killed in action,
and Pfc. James R. Davis of Shelby
and Sgt. Ben H. Bridges, jr., of
Kings Mountain are reported miss
ing in action.
Pfc. Wayne Carner was report
ed killed in action in Belgium
January 8 while serving with the
194th glider infantry, according to
a telegram received from the war
department by his wife, who, with
their daughter, Carole, makes her
> home in Grover.
, Pfc. Carner entered the Army
' in January, 1944, and received his
> training at Camp Croft and Fort
! Meade, Maryland, before going
! overseas in August, 1944. Prior
| to entering the Army he had
Ste 3 CASAULTIES Page 2
WHAT’S DOING
SUNDAY
10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.—U.S.
! O. center open to service men
! visiting in the city.
it
MONDAY
7:30 p.m.—Lions club com
mittees working on fresh air
camp plans will meet at East
side Baptist church.
WALLACE IS
REJECTED BY
COMMITTEE
Senate Will Vote Monday
On Nomination For
Cabinet Post
FRIENDS-GET BUSY
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.—
(fP)—Henry A. Wallace’s cabi
net nomination goes to an un
certain fate in the senate
Monday. Bearing a “rejected”
label from the senate com
merce committee.
But in the face of this unpre
cedented action, friends moved
swiftly today in an effort to sal
vage half a loaf—a commerce port
folio without lending authority—
for the 56-year-old Iowan who
stepped down from the vice presi
dency pust a week ago.
Senators Lucas (D-I1I) and
Maybank (D - NC), Wallace
backers, announced support for
a committee-approved bill to
separate from the commerce
department the vast money
dispensing agencies built around
the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation which Jesse Jones
managed for 12 years.
Senator Pepper (D-Fla), gener
alissimo of the former vice presi
dent’s forces, virtually conceded the
bill would pass. He said there
would be no objlfctions to its con
sideratian before the nomination
is brought up.
CONFIRMATION
The inference was plain that he
and others thought Wallace might
be confirmed if the senate had
some assurance that the monetary
powers would not go along with the
cabinet job from which the presi
dent fired Jones.
Pepper said he interpreted the
commerce committee’s action yes
terday as giving a sort of priority
to the legislation, offered by Sen
ator George (D-Ga), when both
matters come up for action, pos
sibly Tuesday, (unless senate rules
are suspended, bill and nominations
must lay over a day after the
committee formally reports.)
In a two hour session behind
closed doors, the committee mem
bers voted 14 to 5 against a mo
tion to report Wallace's nomina
tion favorably.
Six Democrats joined with eight
Republicans to rebuff the man who
had presided over the senate for
the last four years. Five Demo
crats voted for the motion.
18,000 Yanks In
ETO Reported AWOL
4 -
PARIS, Jan. 27.— (JP) —Official
figures published in the army
newspaper Stars and Stripes show
that more than 18,000 American
soldiers are currently absent with
out leave in the European theater.
Brig. Gen. P. B. Rogers, com
manding general of the Seine sec
tion, indicated, however, that the
majority probably are cases of brief
absence, some soldiers using their
own means to rejoin units after
leaves instead of going back
through regular army channels.
20M0REENEMY
VESSELSSDNK
Report Concerns U. S. Sub
Activity In Far Eastern
Waters
WASHINGTON, Jan. VI—UP)
—11. S. submarines have sunk
21 more enemy vessels, includ
ing a light cruiser, in far eas
tern waters, the Navy an
nounced today.
The toll also included a large
tanker, a large cargo trans
port, a medium auxiliary, 9
medium cargo vessels, a med
ium tanker, 3 small cargo
transports, and 4 small cargo
vessels.
The actions, announced in a
Navy communique, brought to
979 the total of Japanese ves
sels sunk by submarines, in
cluding 104 combatant and
I 875 non-combatant ships.
Today’s announcement rais
ed to 15 the number of Japa
nese cruisers sunk by subma
rines.
t
200,000 TRAPPED:
German Accounts Place
Invaders Approximately
90 Miles From Berlin
' V ' A \
' . i i 1 * X JAVA1 i
LONDON, Jan. 27.—(iP)—Red army spearheads have ad
vanced to German positions on the Obra river in Branden
burg province, the German high command announced today.
This river runs 75 to 95 miles east of Berlin.
German accounts indicated that two prongs of Mar
shal Gregory K. Zhukov’s drive, outflanking Poznan in cen
tral Poland, had reached or crossed the border of Branden
burg, which at its nearest point is 91 miles from Berlin.
The Nazi high command said one arm of this drive ad
vanced between Leszno (Lissa) and the Netze river, which
winds northeast in eastern Germany, touching the border at
Schneidemuehle, 135 miles northeast of Berlin.
The Russians were halted in front of German positions
on the Obra, the German communique said. The location of
the drive as given by Berlin, between the Netze and Polish
Leszno, indicated that this spearhead was storming across
the shortest route to the German capital. The Obra, at its
nearest point, is about 74 miles from Berlin. It bulges east
ward and forms the Brandenburg border for a short distance
about 95 miles from the capital.
Later DNB, German news agen- |
cy, said the Russian tanks had been
stopped at Bentschen on the Obra
river, astride the main highway
direct from Poznan to Berlin. The
Obra in this area is 97 miles from
the German capital.
“The place itself has always been
ip German hands,” the DNB broad
cast said. “It is likely, however, that
the Soviet forces in this area will
follow up and that a new front will
be established.”
The northern arm of the drive
speared to the border .“east of
Schneidemuhl,” said Transocean, a
Nazi agency. The Germans said
this spearhead reached the north
ern bank of the Netze.
The German high command
also said the Russians made
“several major penetrations” of
German lines in the upper
(southern) Silesian industrial
area south- of the Vistula river.
Meanwhile, in the north, a force
of perhaps 200,000 Nazis was trap
ped in East Prussia and faced de
struction. Marshal Konstantin K.
Rokossovsky’s brilliant drive to the
See GERMAN Page 2
Yanks On Luzon Run
Into Resistance
Clark Field Pounded By Jap Artillery From Hillside
Cave Positions
niT'MTT'/RAT McpAPTHTTP’S WP'AnOTTAPTPR« T
Jan. 27.—(#•)—America’s Sixth Army spearing down the
central Luzon plain dug into its first appreciable resistance
Friday. Japanese artillery opened up on Yank-captured
Clark airfield as American ground forces encountered re
sistance south of the Bamban river.
(jiaric rieia, largest airdrome int
the Philippines and a major prize
of the war, was captured early
Thursday by units of the 14th
Army corps who chased an enemy
garrison of perhaps 5,000 into the
nearby hills.
Hillside cave positions west and
north of the huge airdrome, ex
cellent artillery sites, could delay
American use of the air field’s
17 landing strips.
The Sixth Army, which had
been opposed only on its left
flank as it drove cautiously
down the broad plain toward
Manila, came up against the
stiff resistance near the main
Manila highway.
There the 14th corps, whose
advance units are at least five
miles beyond Clark Field at Ange
les—about 40 miles north of Ma
nila—found the first indication
that Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashi
ta’s Japanese defenders may make
a stand before the Yanks reach
the commonwealth capital.
CLEARING HILLS
MacArthur said his men were
clearing the hills southwest of
Bamban and had captured many
artillery pieces and machineguns.
There was no word of further
progress southward from Angeles
See YANKS Page 2
BERLIN BEING
EVACUATED
STOCKHOLM, Jan. 27. —(£>)—
Three travellers arriving indepen
dently from Berlin declared that
slow, gradual evacuation of men
and women from the German cap
ital started this morning.
Shortage of rolling stock because
of military needs and lack of hous
ing elsewhere was expected to
make evacuation difficult, but 25
trains were reported placed at the
disposal of the refugees 10 miles
south of Berlin.
Aftor.bladet’s Berlin correspon
dent reported that residents cf the
capital feel now "they are in the
very front area. The atmosphere
has suddenly changed—Berlin . is
holding its breath watching the
east.”'
Tiie corespondent said that for
the first time morning newepapers
appeared in Berlin as a single sheet.
He said that editorials continued
“concise and severe,” stressing that
personal cares must be put aside
in face of the danger menacing
Berlin, and that everyone must •
fight to the bitter end.
Compromise Is Sought
On Manpower Legislation
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27.— (>r) — |
House leaders sought today to j
compromise deep-rooted differences,
threatening to doom manpower
legislation.
Their efforts appeared to be get
ting nowhere as the house prepar
ed to begin Monday a week of j
what promises to be the bitterest
debate in recent years.
Two major issues, each backed I
by a group refusing to give ground, |
were the obstacles menacing the j
limited national service proposal j
requested by President Rooseveitj
and opposed by organized labor;
jf
ind a large segment oi industry.
Southerners and a siieable
bloc of northern members are
insisting that the legislation
contain a provision permitting
men to join or to refuse to
join unions on jobs to which
they are assigned by draft
boards.
Known as the “anti closed shop” '
amendment, this provision once
ft as approved by the military co:n
nittee and then was withdrawn In
the interest of harmony. Labor
See COMPROMISE Page a