The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, June 26, 1944, Page 1

‘ THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. XLIL, NO. 9688. JUNEAU, ALASKA, MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1944 — ] MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS “YANKS FIGHTING IN SMOKING CHERBOURG Four Soviet Armies are Ready to Strike NAZI ARMY IS TRAPPED ATVITEBSK New Russian Drive Direct- ed at Ostrov Raises Alarm in Reich BULLETI N —LONDON, June 26.—~In an Order of the Day, Stalin tonight announced the capture of Vitebsk, one of the last big German bases east of the prewar Polish-Baltic border States stormed by troops com- manded by Gen. Ivan Bagram- ian of the First Baltic Front, and Third White Russian Front commanded by Ovan Chernyak- hovsky. MOSCOW, June 26—Red Army men, fighting their way through the streets of Vitebsk where five di- visions are encircled, are reported to have driven the Germans across the western Dvina River to the cen- tral part of the city. The Red Flag is flying over that part of Vitebsk | on the east bank of the river, Soviet dispatches said, on one of the main buildings of the ecity taken as the (Continued on Page Six) The Washington Merry - Go- Round | By DREW PEARSON (Lt. Col. Robert S. Allen now on active service with the Army.) PREDICTED DEWEY-FOR- PRESIDENT—1938 Exactly six' years ago, the Washington Merry - Go - Round stepped forth with a political prediction regarding Thomas E. | Dewey which this week seems on the verge of coming true. On August 13, 1938, the Merry- Go-Round said: “Thomas E. Dewey probably has greater po- litical potentialities than any other youngster in the U.S.A. He is about to drive a gigantic spike into the coffin of Tam- many. He has New York Demo- crats more worried than at any time in years. He probably can be Governor of New York and, if this takes place, he is not a bad bet as Republican nominee for the White House.” CHICAGO—Things you may not know about the man who may be the next President: Dewey has now got over most of the traits which once caused Mrs. Kenneth Simpson, wife of his earliest polit- ical booster, to say: “You've really got to know Tom Dewey to dislike him.” * * * On the eve of the big- gest week of his life, Dewey is poised, calm, self-assured, drove to his 300-acre farm at Pawling, N. Y, to rest * * * Only photographers would disagree that Dewey has changed. Recently he told in great detail how he posed for the N. Y. Daily News, carefully showed the photographer how to get the pre- cise angle to show him off best * * * In Albany last week, Dewey posed with his press con- ference, told the photogs how to} light it up, suggested to each re- porter how to get the best profile results * * * One peciture he fe- grets was._ of himself walking through an AFL picket line. Dewey Speaks— Ex-President Hoover listened to Dewey speak some years ago, later told him: “Pardon me for being so blunt, but you have all it takes to be the next President, except you simply must do something to improve your public-speaking” * * * On advice of neighbor Lowell Thomas, Dewey then took lessons from public- speaking lecturer Richard Borden [ Allied Forces in lfaly Now JAPS LOSE T47 PLANES IN 2 WEEKS Futile Attack on Task Force Off Guam Cost Nips 402 Aircraft UNITED STATES PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUARTERS AT PEARL HARBOR, June 25—(De- layed)—Japan’s futile defense of the Marianas and Bonins have cost the Nippon Empire 747 planes destroyed, 30 ships suak, 51 damaged, two prob- ably sunk, and 13 barges destroyed. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz issued a communique revising the losses in- flicted on the enemy in the two weeks from June 10 to 23. He added that 109 planes were shot down, three ships damaged— a light cruiser, a heavy cruiser and a light cruiser—and transferred a tanker previous reported as sunk to damaged. | At the same time, Adm. Nimitz said, American plane losses from Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's carrier force which sank or damaged nearly a score of Japanese ships on June 19, increased to 95 but only 22 pilots | and 27 crewmen were lost. The first repert of U. S, carrier planes lost by enemy aircraft and by landing in the water because of fuel shortage was 49. Suicidal Defense Saipan Island Marines advanced 500 to 200 yards on the .western flank in the attack on the entrench- ed Japanese on Mount Tapotchau, and strong enemy opposition con- tinues. Nimitz said the bulk of the original 20,000 or more enemy de- fenders remain in the sector be- ginning at Tapochau and extending northward and are well prepared for a suicidal defense. The Japs con- tinue fighting desperately with ar- tillery and mortars from caves and crevices which are difficult either to (Continued on Page Six) FIFTH ARMY TAKES PORT OFPIOMBINO Only 38 Miles from City of Leghorn ROME, June 26 —American troops of the Fifth Army seized the port of Piombino without opposition yes- terday, thereby gaining a valuable advanced supply base, and continued to thrust up Italy's west coast, while both American and French troops converged on the inland town of | Siena, Allied Headquarters said, and are pressing after the enemy who were compelled to evacuate Piom- {bino to avoid encirclement. American infantry and tanks stab- bed to within five miles of Suvereto and are withil\8 miles of the im- portant port of ..eghorn. Piombino is almost directly op- posite the captured island of Elba. Farther inland the Germans were rolled back upon the approaches to Siena from three directions, and one Fifth Army force cracked through the villages of Torniella and Scalvala and threatened the town of Monticiano, five miles farther north and less than 15 miles south- | west of Siena. French forces, méanwhile, ad- vanced up the west side of the river Ombrone 20 miles due south of Siena, at the same time that other French troops are approaching from the southwest, taking the town of Castigliona. Between these points of New York University * ** George Gallup of the Gallup polls also advises Dewey on his speeches. Dewey watches the polls minutely after each speech or public state- ment to gauge public reaction * * * area of Massa Maritima, and the Friends tell him Willkie made too (Continued on Page Four) on the Tyrrhenian coast the rein- | forced enemy is employing consid- erable numbers of big Maik Sixth 3 Jap Bases Falling Info Allied Hands Chinese, British, American Forces in Crash Blows, Burma KANDY, Ceylon, June 26.—Chi- nese troops have taken the south- ern half of Mogaung, one of the three most important bases in northern Burma and formerly held by the Japs. Bitter street fighting is taking place with the Allies |pressing in on three sides, Mount- | batten’s Headguarters said today. | Major General Lentaigne’s Brit- ish Chindits drove another four hundred yards into the town from the east, after capturing a section of the railroal from the station to |the river. Chinese are also in the |northern part of the town. Chinese forces moved closer in an advance to the south and captured Kaiming, another of the three Jap bases. American troops are advancing from the north down the Redhapur road on Myitkyina, the third enemy north Burma base, and have almost effected a juaction with the Chi- Attacking a city in Manipur State, eastern India, British are pushing out in all directions from {Imphal, inflicting heavy casualties. Twenty miles north of the town they are repulsing an attack un their positions. GREATCHINA RAILROAD IS THREATENED Japs Making Most Serious Attack in China Since 1938 CHUNGKING, June 26.—Severe fighting on the northeastern out- skirts of Hengyang, where the Japs are threatening the seizure of the Hankow - Canton railway in their most serious attack on China since 1938, continued all day yesterday without change of positions, the Chinese Command said. Yuhsien, 45 miles northeast of Hengyang, and Tengshan, 25 miles northeast, fell to the Jap's east; wing columns. However, the column of the west wing, advancing on Siangsiang, 60 miles north of Heng- yang, has been driven back, the communique said. The Jap drive down the Canton- Hankow railroad threatened to cut China in two with the Jap obviously determined to upset Allied plans to use China as a base. NEW HALIBUT ORDERISSUED; HITS BUYERS SEATTLE, June 26 —S8trict control of marketing of all halibut landed on the coast and at Alaska ports went into effect last Priday on orders of Fish Coordinator Ickes. The order allocates fish among the dealers on the basis of past purchases and no one may buy from a fishing vessel without a permit. V. J. Sampson, administrator, has and Tiger tanks which were de- feated in a midnight battle in the enemy in a delaying tion in that sector has been bypassed or wiped out. appointed William J. Maddock as Port Supervisor here and Samuel Hutchinson, Field Supervisor in Al- aska, will name supervisors at var- ious ports. . REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IS OPENED Dewey Has Big Lead for Presidential Nomination —Keynote Tonight CHICAGO, Ill, June 26. — Gov. Thoms E. Dewey took an apparently insurmountable lead for the Re- publican Presidential nomination as the party’s national convention op- ened here today. The main business of the conclave is thus all settled in advance. Republican National Chairman Harrison E. Spangler rapped the convention to order at 11:02 o'clock this forenoon and the first session ended at 12:20 o'clock this after- noon, taking a recess until 8:15 o'clock this evening when Gov. Earle Warren of California will de- liver the keynote address. ‘When the hour of the convention arrived thousands of delegates were still absent and the speakers’ plat- form was not filled. | The rapid fire acticn of individual | States raised the New Yorker's| claimed pledge delegate to 681 with | 529 needed to nominate. Vice-President Prospects _Speculation of delegates switched | { from the Presidency to talk of Vice- | —-— The above Gubernatorial threesome is very much in the political limelight now. They are teft to right) Gov. John W. Bricker of Ohio, Gov. Earle Warren of California and Gov. Thomas E, Dewey of New York: $133478IN ISSUED BY-NALIS; Presidential prospects headed by Gov. Warren. Gov. Dwight Griswold of Nebraska | | will place Dewey’s name before the convention on Wednesday evening.| Previously Griswold had been men- tioned for the Vice-Presidency. ! There is strategy in the move- | ments on the convention floor with Griswold, Mid-Westerner, nominat- ing Dewey for President, and War- ren, Far-Westerner, as a bossible Vice-Presidential choice, Bricker is credited with 90 votes and Lt. Comdr. Harold E. Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota, with 36 votes. Welcoming Speech Gov. Dwight H. Green of Illi- noise has the job today of officially welcoming the delegates to the Windy City. In his speech he ac- cused President Roosevelt and his administration of “political med- dling” with the armed forces and running the war. Gov. Green de- nounced the “New Dealers” as seek- ing to remain in power on a “Win the War” slogan and asserted that “winning the war is uppermost in the mind of every American and there is no win the war party in America.” Gov. Warren was elected tempor- ary chairman before the recess was taken this afternoon. Puppy Flown South ‘ From Alaska, Fine 1 Medicine, Sick Girl i DETROIT, Mich, June 26. f! “Whiskey,” a black Spitz puppy,| flown south from Alaska, proved fine medicine for six-year-old Helen | Hughes, suffering from asthma. The puppy was sent by the little girl's father, Maj. C. W. S Chaplain in the Aleutians, and ar-| rived here Friday night. Mrs. Hughes carried the puppy to the bedroom of her little daughter Sat- urday morning and the girl was thrilled and appeared fine. Two Army pilots flew the puppy to the base in Anchorage, then the Air Transport Command and com- mercial lines tlew.the puppy here. | FOURTH OF JULY T FUNDS ARE NEEDE A call has been issued for funds| for the Fourth of July celebrationi in Juneau and those wishing tol make contributions are requested to mail their checks to Jemes Mc- Naughton, Treasurer for the Fourth of July fund. i If contributors desire, they may| phone the Mayor's office and con-| ‘mbut.kms will be called for and &, receipt will be given for all money cursion Inlet. They will return in several days. collected. ALL SERIES | “spoapcast Made Ten American Soldiers to BONDS SOLD | Be Shot for Every With less than two weeks to go,| German Ki”ed the total in the Fifth War Loan drive for bonds of all series is $133,- LONDON, June 26.—Hitler’s head- quarters announced last Saturday 478. Of this, $78,828.00 are in ser- ies E purchases. Contenders for GOP Nominafion B 'MURDER' ORDER | WIDESPREAD ' RAIDS MADE “ JAP BASES Down from Interfering Booths in the downtown section of Juneau were operating Saturday night by the Woman's Club, Town- in Saipan Invasion night that German prisoners are re- ported to have been “murdered” in | Normandy and declared that “10 American soldiers will be shot for By MURLIN SPENCER |property damage | meanwhile. send Club and Pioneers of Alaska.| This was the last evening that local | organizations wo‘x-e ‘uhk(lcl to take loved by previous reports that Am= OVl ‘the booth. sales. " | erican and Canadian soldiers have | The following are the Sta”d"‘g""been shot by the German forces every German” if reports prove true, | The broadcast statement was fol- in the Miss Liberty contest: | when taken prisoners, | Betty Nordling 22,807 | v Sl s eedat 1Y | Betty Mill 20650 | & ! Ruth Kunnas . 18,126 | | Kathleen McAlister ...17,577 | Betty Bomnnett 15,716 | { Mary McCormack 14,284 | | Joyce Smith 1073 | Lila Sinclair 9,641 | | Lois Allen 9,281 | For the first time since the siart of the Miss Liberty contest ther2 vIENNA AREA is no change in the position of the| contestants. With an even gain of | 1,900, Mary McCormack made the, largest increase, but still remains in! sixth place. All entries excepungl Betty Nordling showed a slight ad-| vance since Saturday. - —— DEATH TOLL IY EASTERN STATES | | | Bad Weath—er_Curtails Op-! erations from Brifain | -Budapest Pounded | | | LONDON, June 26--Between 500 |and 1750 Amierican heavy bombers 'battled their way from Italian bases | {through the heaviest opposition in| ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD- QUARTERS IN NEW GUINEA, June 26-—Maintaining intense pressure against Japanese flank air bases which might menace the Sal- pan invasion, Gen, MacArthur's bombers: have smashed again at Yap Island 650 miles southwest of the Marianas, and hit 14 other ob- jectives in widespread raids. Headquarters announced that 45 tons ef bombs rained on Yap dur- ing the assaults Friday, which blanketed Japanese airfields be- tween New Guinea and flaming Saipan. . Bombers .also lashed at Truk, Woleal, and Palau in the Carolines, and hit airstrips in New Guinea, Timor and New Britain. Several parked planes were destroyed dur- ing the midday Yap attack. Ten Japenese planes intercepted, and one of the assaulting Liberators is missing. SIIll Mou“ll"fizxecent weeks and slammed explo- |sives on six oil refineries, an air-| PITTSBURGH, June 26. — Re-|craft factory and a railyard in the| habilitation efforts, spearheaded by |Vienna area. | the Red Cross, continues among| Bad weather greately curtailed It was the second con-/ 'secuuve Yap strike by land-based AMERICANS MOPPING UP ONGERMANS 'Liberation of Great Port Near - Fighing, How- ever, Everywhere BULLETIN — SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED OF EXPEDITIONARY FORCES, June 26.—American troops have reach Cherbourg’s vital docks and tonight hold one-third of the city but the Germans are shelling the city from the final refuge on the cape to the north- | west. The Germans are falling back on Cape de La Hagur and they still hold the Maupertis airfield east of Cherbourg. SUPREME HEADQUARTERS |{ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY |FORCE, June 26.—American troops have broken the backbone of the enemy opposition im Cherbourg and are now cleaning up knots of re- |sistance in the center of the port city, front-line dispatches declared, while the British forces smashed out powerfully at the opposite end of Normandy Peninsula. Remnants of the Nazi troops are fleeing from Cherbourg to the narrow Cape de La Hague, the last jutting, finger of land riorthwest of the prize port. Assoclated Press Correspondent Don Whitehead in a dispatch from | Cherbourg said the Americans took 13340 prisoners in 24 hours and hun- !dreds more are being rounded up. At least 20,000 Nazis have been cap- tured in the 20 days of the invasion fighting. “Patrols pushing into the central EnemyA"S"eng'h PiHHEd\ part of Cherbourg met small arms :\fire from a few snipers and small |knots of resistance,” said White- |head in his dispateh. | As Correspondent Whitehead re- |ported the Americans were cleans |ing up Cherbourg, the British on the eastern Normandy front smash- ed into the Nazi defenses between Caen and Tilly sur Seulles. They seized Fontenay Lepresnel, two ;mlles east of Tilly sur Seulles, and are threatening Tessel and Brette- ville, two and one-half to three imiles to the southeast. v | Artillery at eight-yard placements is supporting the British forces, Tank units are also employed. This morning's communique said “fighting is everywhere” in Cher- bourg and full liberation “cannot be long delayed.” % American doughboys are routing |suicide squads of Germans as the jend of the flerce five-day battle to free Cherbourg nears. The Am- ericans have been fighting in the smoking city since yesterday after- noon, when they entered by » crushing three-way assault. THREE GROUPS OF planes. Liberators the previous day) destroyed 12 and damaged 10/ lSlB ARE ED grounded Japanese aircraft. | Pin Down Japs l A MacArthur spokesman said thel Bv pA(IFI( FlEE' operations are designed to pin down | planes the Japanese might attempt to use for interference in the Sai- pan battle. | PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUART- | ERS AT PEARL HARBOR, June 26. —In & hard hitting series of strikes thousands made homeless In operations from ‘Britain and/ A number of aircraft were nl.so"at Nima, Jima and Kazan islands Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and prought aletup in the steady pound-| |Maryland by the devastating tor-ling of German rail, highway, and nado which took a toll of at least airfield facilities ofter a night in 151 lives and injured more than a which Royal Air Force Mosquitos thousand last Friday night. \maintained pressure on both Nor- The first official estimates of mandy and the German homeland. is being made| Medium and heavy bombers from | Jerry Wakefield, As- Ttaly struck Budapest, continuing sistant National - Building Advisor ‘the Allied operations that on Sun-| of the Red Cross, said that at'day kept five air armadas, four Clarksburg, West Virginia, “abofit from Britain and one from Italy,| $3000000 is a conservative esti-| drumming at German installations mate.” {in France virtually all day. e e The Mosquiloes last night attack- INDIAN BUPEAU OFFICIALS ed German troop conuemraucm,' GO TO EXCURSION INLET|railroads and supply dumps near Ralph Mize, Construction En-| gineer for the Indian Service; WAI-‘ ilard Beatty, Chicago official; Dr.'city of Homberg, morthwest of George Dale, Supervisor of Educa-‘ypu,sberg, | tion; and George Morlander, Pr‘m-l e e———— | cipal of the Juneau and Douglas| Julia Gromtseff, Field Nurse (or[ Native Schools, have left for EX—Ithe Office of Indian Affairs, has| porary duty. destroyed in a strike on Sorong, at the northwestern extremity of Dutch Guinea, described as the last effective Jap airbase on that land mass. The communique added’that “there was no interception” when Liberators bombed Jefman Field, where fires and explosions were observed. One American plane was lost. New Britain Mitchells ranged far westward over the Banda Sea, dam- (aging a 1500-ton freighter in the | |Watoe and Bela Islands. The pre-| vious day a vessel of the same size and two smaller craft were set afire MacCluer Gulf of western Dutch New Guinea. - e L A. THATCHER HERE 1. A. Thatcher, widely known and also on Tinian, Pagan and Rota in the Marianas, carrier - based planes sank five small Japanese ships and destroyed 72 planes. Am- erican losses were five planes, Venturas bombed Shumishu Island in the Kuriles before dawn last Priday. oo et " STOCK QUOTATIONS | NEW YORK, June 26. — Closing | auotation of Alaska Juneau mine | stock today is 6%, American Can 89, Anaconda 267, Beech Aircraft 8%, the French battle front, and in- It this area by Bostons, who also peiyjehem Steel 63, Curtiss-Wright dustrial objectives in the German 9amaged a 1,000-ton ship in the 5., " rniernational Harvester 8%, | Kennecott 32, North American Avia- |tion 8%, New York Central 18%, | Northern Pacific 17%, United States Steel 57%, Pound $4.04. Dow, Jons averages today are as been detailed to Juneau on tem- |Salesman, is in town and is staying follows: Industrials, 148.132; rails, | at the Gastincau Hotel. ¥ 41.73; utilities, 23.99,