The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, February 3, 1944, Page 1

\‘{' v THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” — " JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 1944 MEMBLR ASSOCIATED PR[-SS PRICE TEN CENTS Ten German Divisions Trapped by Soviets RED FORCES IN ADVANCE, TWO FRONTS Make GainsTpio 45 Miles | in 100-Mile Break in Nazi Lmes BULLETIN—London, Feb. 3.— Joseph Stalin tonight triumph- antly preclaimed the first and second fronts have joined, trap- ping ten German Divisidns and Red Army Generals Vatutin and Konev have made gains up to 45 miles in a 100 mile break- through of the German lines. Three hundred inhabited places have been captured. Stalin also announced tonight in a Special Order of the Day the capture of Smela, key rail hub within the Dnieper Bend. NAZIS ABANDON LUTSK LONDON, Feb. 3.—The German High Command announces Nazi troops have abandoned Utsk, 70 miles inside old Poland. Rovno, another important strong- hold, 30 miles inside the prewar border, is ahead. The Red Army offensive is devel- oping, driving west from Novograd and Volynski to the north. (_Conzl_nugd on Page Three) The Washington Merry - Go- Round| ?AdvancinguAIIied Forces. on the west coast of Ialy. IN RETREAT, NEW GUINEA GUSTAV LINE IN PERIL BY Find Japs Dead of Starvation ALLIED HEADQUARTLRS IN By DREW W PEARSON i (Major Robert 8. Allen on sctive duty.) | WASHINGTON—It is still a long | way from the Republican conven- tion in Chicago, but leading GOPers have already doped out what will | happen there. They figure that willkie will go into the convention with about one- third of the delegates, Dewey Wwith another third, and Bricker with an- other third. Then there will be a deadlock. 1 Bricker forces, they figure, wm‘ pe stronger than most people reail- ize now. Only the inside boys kKnow | it, but he has the Republican dele- gates from the South already lined | up through his friend Taft. | The other day, Jimmy R.evnoldsl former secretary of the Republican National Committee, was asked by a Republican Senator about South-| ern delegates. “They're not for Reynolds. “Who's pressed. “They're not for sale” Reynolds stuck to his guns. | It has been a well known secret g in GOP circles for some time that Senator Taft has carefully corralled[ the Southermr delegates, and they will go into the convention for Bricker. Later, of course, they may switch to Taft. However, regardless of Bricker- Taft shifts, the convention is sure to be deadlocked into two general, groups — the conservative-isolation- | ists represented by the Dewey-’ Taft\ crowd, and the liberal-intervention- ists represented by Willkie. | This deadlock, according to GOP| wiseacres, cannot be broken w:th-‘ out a compromise candidate. The| Willkie and the Dewey groups hate| each other too bitterly to reconcxlei their differences. Furthermore, the Willkieites are equally dead set against Taft. Result is that some of the lead- ers are already looking around very quietly for a man whom both sides| will take. So far, the{man theyl have scrutinized with greatest care| is Senator Harold Burton of Ohio,| for three terms Mayor of Cleve- land. An independent Republican, led the fight of the B2 H2 Sena group (of which he was a member) for a non-partisan Senate, resolu-| tion endorsing the Moscow™ agree- ment and a strong American pol-| icy for a cooperate peace. | (Continued on W sale,” grinned got ’‘em?” the Senator he ‘ | THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, |can troops in the Saidor |New Guinea Coast in recent weeks, | Bay area has been cleared by more {and necessary installations. Feb. 3.—Japanese troops in the vicinity | of Reiss Point, northeast New Guinea coast, are fleeing to the mountains in an effort to escape (the advancing Allied troops, the High Command announces. The Australians are advancing north westward toward the Ameri- area. The Australians found dead Jap- anese, apparently vicetims of star- vation in their flight trom the Al- lied forces. The discovery of the |starved dead eloquently bespoke the effectiveness of the efforts of the, Allied light naval units and aerial forces who have been harassing the ALLIED PUSH British Eighth Army Shap- ing Up New Offensive on Adriafic Side BULLETIN, London, Feb. 3.— A broadcast from the German controlled Vichy radio said that reconnaissance showed that the British Eighth Army is shaping up a new offensive at the Adri- atic end of the Italian battle . . % line. cutting off the enemy’s barge sup- ply. Gen. announces ALLIED HFADQUAR"IERS IN ITALY, Feb. 3. — American troops | have battled to Within five hundred lyards of Cassino from the north. Headquarters announced that the icore of the German's Gustav line| is “seriously threatened.” The Am- ericans and French tore wide gaps| in the line in bloody fighting in| the mountains to the rear of the MacArthur al'l Empress Augusta Douglas the troops and made large .enough to accommodate two Allied air strips Allied pianes from these airfields have conducted another raid on Rabaul and downed eight Jap {fighters over Tobera airdrome. Th® i\ o;0n01d, despite a hail of fire| jattackig bombers' started largely oy “German six-barreled mortais fires and damaged 15 planes of fhrland self propelled guns in a last| enemy on the ground. The Allies|qiioh stand. lost four planes in this attack. To the north, our troops have en- Liberator heavy bombers made anj, peq the Anzio bridgehead in th attack on Hansa Bay, northeast °r|fnce of desperate German counter- Madang, and sank a 5,000 ton en-i .. .p¢ & emy freighter. > Australians fighting in the Ramu Valley, 35 miles south of the enemy SE A"l[ w AN'I'S {coastal base of Madang and made| progress’ in the mountainous area. | They counted 220 Japanese dead in the valley. B 38 of 40 Stafes Ad on Ballofing For Armed Forces: WASHINGTON, Feb. 3—Thirty-/ Sponsors of the schedule insisted eight of the 40 Governors who re- this is necessary for resumption of plied to telegrams assured members a normal flow to Seattle because| of the Senate their states either!the absence of a differential turned SEATTLE, Feb. 3—A committez representing Washington and Alaska fishermen, boat owners and | dealers, recommended unanimously |3-cent halibut differential in favor oI Seattle over Prince Rupert and te|have, made or will make specialithe halibut flood to Prince Ruperttary provisions for absentee balloting ol:durmg the past season. their citizens in the armed forces. | The committee recommendation Senator Byrd placed the Gover-vgoes to Washington nors' telegrams in the Senate rec Fishermen said they can make ord to support his contention ti our landings at Prince Rupert in states are acting on the ballot ns—!the time required to make three sue. llandings in Seattle. Yanks Wade Ashore in New Landing American soldiers of the Allied Fifth Army wzfle through the surf in a new landing behind German lines (AP \\Irephnto from \igna| (orpi Phow via OWI Radio) JAP TROOPS Dies Inveshgalors Unearth Big Ring of Plollers; 30 Indicled HALIBUT PRICES jat the OPA conference Monday, a/ [FAVORABLE ‘“’i«?! PROGRESSIN MARSHALLS Statement Given Out by Patterson-Jap Fleet Shows ‘Timidity’ WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.--Reports {thus far of the Marshalls opera- tions = show the central Pacific {battle is “progressing favorably,” ! Undersecretary of War Robert P. Fatterson told a news conference. { The Fourth Marine division and the Seventh Army division encoun- |tered heavy resistance, but the lualties s8 far have been jate.” ! The landings on Kwajalein and |Roi were preceded by “heavy, accur- late” gunfire which silenced the shore batteries and provided cover {for the invading forces, destroyed or neutralized enemy airfields, and swept the skies clear of enemy air- craft Patterson pointed out that the capture of the Marshalls will “wi- den the cracks in the outer defense ring” of the Jap Empire. These jeracks may clear the way for ad- vances on the Philippines or Tokyo - litself. Ratterson noted that although the bulk of our Naval Toree is now in the area, west of Hawaii, the Jap fieet has not put in an appearancs land are “showing evidences of tim idity.” He said as the advance westward continues, the security of the West- | [ | | | \ i i | “moder- By HOWARD FLIEGER WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.—The Dies | Committ2e on un-American activi- ) A 3 b s finany it the Sasies Depart-| T aersptiere Wil ‘be . incre and the island defense barrier of | ment’s jacl —~] fact es- ; 'X:;X:LJ\ tin:(tf-’s:},-u?";“;f": A€t €5 this hemisphere will be moved 2,000 | 3 miles farther west | The House committee which for years has been pointing an angry ! finger in various directions, never has been very enthusiastically re- eived by the more quiet spy-hunt- ers in the Justice Department. Some of the Government’s inves- | tigators felt the congressional com- mittee was too prone to accuse be- | fore it had convincing evidence. One |of the most apparent differences | developed over the committee’s | charge that Communist-minded em- | ployees populated the federal pay- rolls. But the Justice Depattment will tell you that the Dies probers had 'oUse, a lot to do with the recent indict- Primaries. Mrs. Engstrom is a can- ment of 30 men and women accused didate for the Senate, four year |of plotting to overthrow the U. S. term on the Republican ticket, the | Government and supplant it with ‘other candidates being Howard D. National Socialism cut to the Hit- Stabler of Juneau and Steve Ferris \ler pattern. of Ketchikan. t Behind the indictments is the Mrs. Engstrom is a long time resi- work of Army and Navy intelligence ¢ dent of Gastineau Channel. She MRS. ENGSTROM IS CANDIDATE, TERR. SENATOR In the last minute tabulating of filings last Tuesday afternoon at 5 o'clock, it was announced that Mrs. E. E. Engstrom of Douglas ‘had filed as a candidate for the House, subject to the Republic: | land the Federal Bureau of Investi clerk of the Douglas School (gation. But much of the eudence‘B"al‘d and prominent in both fra- {now in the files of Department of ternal and civic organizations of Justice prosecutors came directly;the island city. At one time she from tips turned up first by Dies Was Empire correspondent in Doug- investigators. |las. She is the wife of one of 'h'v i o |leading Republicans in the T | ‘lmy, a member of the Territorial \ Senate and House committee Central Committee. members were closeted in a con- . |ference room trying to smooth| |away differences of opinion over| everal items in a 200,000,000 de-| MASKA SE(OND ficiency bill. The argument grew| ! 50 loud at times that reporters wait- | IN FISH (ATCH {ing outside the office could hear | the sharp words. Suddenly the - | noise subsided and a clear tenor, WASHINGTON, Feb. 3. — Morr,: voice began singing: than a quarter of all the fish and| “It's all over shellfish caught by U. S. fishermen “The battle's won * in 1943 were landed at the ports of | There was a flurry of .Appl“u\c‘d single state—California, the Of- and the law-makers walked out, all |ficé of the Coordinator of Fisheries | |smiles, with the bill fixed up to reports. suit everybody. The soloist was/ California’s production amounted Rep. Louis C. Rabaut (D-Mich, !0 &b least 1,200,000,000 pounds out| singing an original composition. of a total U. §. catch estimated as |slightly less than four billion; pounds. Rep. Elliott (D- Calif.) is a man Alaska ranked second in vulume' who goes in for direct action—so di- With @ catch of about 600,000,000, |rect he probably startléd a year’s bounds, while Massachusetts came | hair off somebody in the Office of!third with approximately 500,000,~ Price Administration the other day./000 pounds. | Elliott arranged to get some in-| California’s fisheries are basgd al-| formation from OPA at a certain MOSt entirely on three kinds of fish hour, but when he called a .secre-l —the pilchard or California sar- said the officlal involved dine, tuna, and mackerel. These ;wouldnt talk to him. The c,mor_lthree normally make up nearly 95} {nian jumped into a car, drove down |Pereent of the catch |town, rumbled into the OPA man’s| i N ‘ office and demanded: | TYEE COUPLE HERE | “Where's that donkey who won't, Mr. and Mrs, Wallace Peterson | talk to me?” L are here from Tyee. They are guests | )} He got the information. ' at the Gastineau. " KWAJALEIN Ebadon Roi z MG Boggerik Tab/\ Channel & anne mo%‘ 3 ‘WOTJE Goat Nubunku Ormed | e Christmas Harbor p— | Cherutakku Toton | Choroal i Toton /Wot le i ] 15 STATUTE MILES 4P} ENIWETOK Tenempucch% Engebi l’asscrge\5 Pzl tgurin'~/ “ Eiwetok Wide Passage PACIFIC ISLANDS_—H | | | | | Pingla; Jabor “Southeast Pass Southwests Pass South Point ] 15 STATUTE MILES ere are maps of four of the I-'- portant islands in the Pacific Marshail group, Jap held, CLAPPERIS VICTIM OF PLANE CRASH Columnist, Commentator Loses Life Covering Marshall Invasion WASHINGTON, Feb. 3. ist and political commentator, lost hjs life in a plane accident covering the invasion of the Marshalls, a brief Navy Department announce- ment said. The plane in which he was a pas- senger with a squadron commander, collided with another while getting in formation and both crashed in a lagoon with no survivors The time and placé is not given Clapper was 51 and was asso- ciated with the Scripps-Hows: Syndicate. He left here December 28, going to Honolulu and Australia, | and subsequently joined the Pacific Fleet, At one time he was manager of the United Press Bureau in Washington. Clapper’'s wife reside here, - - - - OVER 1,000 BOMBERS IN GREAT RAID Targefs at Wilhelmshaven Are Blasted Today in Broad Daylight and two children LONDON, Feb, 3. 1,100 American — More than bombers and long range fighters attacked targets at| Wilhelmshaven today, {quarters announces. The attack was the sixth opera- (tion in seven days of American bomber and fighter forces based in Britain. The attack was made in cl weather against the great rorth German® U-boat and ship building Wilhelmshaven was last nhic by center in a 700 mile round trip. the Americans on November 3 The Royal attacked western Germany targets last night. Army Head- - Ray- mond Clapper, Washington column- { rd ! Air Force Momunns' +JAP- NESTS WIPED OUT, MARSHALLS \Eye- Witness Ac(ount Giv- en of First Landings on Jap Islands BY ROBERT TRUMBULL (Of the New York Times rep senting all American Press Asso- | ciations.) OFF ROI ISLAND, Feb. 1.—(De- layed)—This morning we can hear the continuous rumble of bombs and shells on Roi and Namur [s- lands which are hidden from our view by the heavy smoke cloud raised by the bombardment during (the past 28 hours of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, and the bombing and strafing by carrier | planes. Last {over Roi, principal airbase at northern end of Kwajalein | Tremendous smoke clouds 'burning oil and other stores swirled somberly in the soft light ‘of a | quarter moon | Our first landing was near Rol at 9:51 a.m. yesterday. There was |little firing, the Marines, |grenades, wiped out the Jap nests, |and immediately supplies began to |be landed on the narrow beach. At 10:10 the first wave of the |Fourth Marines hit the beach of another small island flanking Roi, and 20 minutes later this was re- ported secured. Landings were made on three other islands during the afternoon. i [ | night great fires flickered the atoll. { > —— STO(K QUOTATIONS | NEW YORK, Feb. 3. | quotation of Alaska Juneau- mine | stock today is 6%, American Can | 867, Anaconda 247, Bethlehem Steel 597%, Curtiss Wright 57, In- ternational Harvester 72!2, Kenne- cott 30';, North American Aviation | ern Pacific 15%, United States Steel 52. Dow, Jones averages today are as | ollows: Industrials, 136.24; rails, | 86.16; utilities, 22.40. B WOOD AT BARANOF At the Baranof, Peter Wood registered from Denver, Colorado. - D SAM WARE IN | In from Strawberry Point, Sam ) Ware is a guest at the Gastineau. is from' using Closing | | 8%, New York Central 16%, North- | MARINES BAG MORE AREAS INMARSHALLS 'Enemy Resnsian(e on Roi, Namur Crushed After Bombardment BY ALVA HOPKINS (Associated Press War Correspon- dent representing all American Newspaper Associations). NAMUR ISLAND, Kwajalein Atoll, Feb. 2.—(Delayed) —The Mar- ines are mopping up the last enemy resistance on Roi and Namur Is- lands and all but levelled by the heaviest naval bombardment in his- tory that cleared the way for the invasion forces. Everywhere are dead Japanese blown from pillboxes and heavily reinforced concrete block houses. This told the story of the heavy, deliberate and accurate pounding of the Naval forces. ‘There is plenty of evidence the Japs were completely surprised. , They must have deluded them- selves in believing we did not have the power or heart to knife the center of the Marshalls’ stronghold. . Reeling Japs who survived the inferno of shellfire had only smail arms to fire at ‘the Marines as the |Leatheineeks landed shortly before noon yesterday. The shore batteries were blown (Continued o Pm Two ——————— AIRBASE IS CAPTURED IN ~ MARSHALLS .Newest Offensive Against i Jap-Held Ground Proceeding PEARL HARBOR, Feb. 3.--Mar- ine assault troops have captured Roi Island of Kwajelein atoll, and its important airfield against little enemy resistance. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz also jannounced in a communique that 'landings were made on Kwajalein jand Namur Islets of the same atoll, and action is progressing rapidly. Roi . Island is the first territopy the United States has captured which the Japs held before the war, Marines and Army troops landed on the three principal objectives only the day after they went ashore on nearby islets. Land based artillery set at these points and our warships and planes (continued to bombard and bomb Kwajelein and Namur. At Kweja- 'lein Island the 7th Army Division troops are firmly established and (have driven the enemy back, the communique said. No Naval Losses Adm. ~Nimitz announced the {United States has suffered no naval |losses and the casualties are modest. ‘\ “It is apparent the attack toos the enemy completely by surprise,” he said. A spokesman of Admiral Nimitz added that we captured several doz- ,en prisoners at Kwajelein, and said that after the initfal landing there, ‘U'onps of the 7th Division encoun- ‘tcred considerable rifle and machine gun fire, and some mortar fire. Huge Fires Started However, the most important im- mediate impediment to progress iproved to be the huge fires whicin had previously been started by owr | bombardment. He said the neutral- |ization of other points in the Mar- \shalls is continuing. Land based planes of the T7th Airforce Fleet Airwing 2, are carry- ing out systematic raids on Namur Islet adjoining Roi where planes | | | i (Continued on me “Two)