The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, August 12, 1944, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” | JUNEAU, ALASKA, SATURD: \\ AUGUST 12, 1944 VOL. XLIIL, NO. 9728. —i———— ME MBLR /\SbOCIATl D PRESS PRICE Th CENTS GERMANS SLUGGED IN MYSTERY THRUSTS Two Sovlet Armies Advance Into New Area MANEUVERS ENDANGER NAZI FLANKS Russian Generals in Swift Moves - Following Stalin’s Strategy MOSCOW, Aug. 12—Two Soviet ' armies, moving through 250 cap- tured settlements over a 100-mile | front, have advanced upon the Ma- | surian Lake country in East Prussia in a maneuver that seriously en- dangers the Germans' entire left flank. « Marshal Rokossovsky's troops are driving northward from posmons, ncrtheast of Warsaw, and General Zakharov's forces are striking out | from west and northwest of Bialy- | stok toward the World War I battle theatre of East Prussia, applying severe pressure on the Germans. The Germans, who massed re- serves and armor on the East Prus- | sia and Lithuanian frontier, began a feverish shifting to meet the new danger, said dispatches from the field northwest of Bialystok. | The army newspaper Red Star | said that the Russians have beaten back, often in hand to hand clashes, initial counterattacks launched by reserves. Ten to twelve counter- (Continued on Page Three) The Washington Merry - Go- Round By DREW W PEARSON Col. Roberi S. Allen now on active service with the Army.) | . WASHINGTON—Inside story nf, the resignation of two War Produc- tion Board Statisticians, TIrving Kaplan and V. Lewis Bassie, is one of the most future U. S. economy. Certain | Army brass hats are seething over the situation. The War Produc- | tion Board is split into two separ- ate camps. Here is the backstage story of i what all the argument is about. | The WPB statistical division, | under Charles E. Wilson, last week | circulated a monthly progress re- port. Then, no sooner was it in the hands of top WPB executives, | than the report was mysteriously | called back. Urgent demands were made by Wilson's office that it be returned immediately. All but per- haps two copies were destroyed. That report, while peinting to deficiencies in certain key war ma- terials, otherwise painted a very| rosy picture of war production. It showed that there was nine months supply of ordnance on hand, plus one month supply being assembled, plus five months supply in sched- uled production. The report stated that the war could run for one year and three months on the ord- nance now stored up or coming off the assembly lines, without or- dering anything else. The report also showed that the total supply of small arms would | last for five whole years of war. | The supply of tractors, trucks and trailers, plus those being assembled and in actual production, was enough to last one year, according' to the WPB report. Guns and fire control weapons were listed as sufficient in storage| to last eight full months without | turning another wheel, plus four months supply being assembled and repaired, plus two months supply in scheduled production. Ammunition for big guns (ex- cluding small arms) was listed as enough stored to last one whole year. Including amounts in sched- uled production, big gun ammun- ition was listed as sufficient (o last twenty-three months. “This analysis,” WPB reported, “does not take into account sup- plies already issued and in the hands of troops in the United States.” RELEASE OF LABOR | Today 'President’s Pet Scoftie Had | Presidenl Sprin Surprise by His Visit To Aleuhan Island Base Roosevelf on Airat4P. M. BULLETIN—SEATTLE, Aug. 12. — President Roosevelt will speak over the air from the radio station at the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton tis afternoon at 5 o'clock Pacific War Time, (4 o’clock Juneau time) climaxing his Pacific war zone tour that took him from Pearl Harbor to the Aleutians and down the coast. FALA WANTED T0 STAY AT ALASKA BASE to Be Shooed Up Gang- plank fo Cruiser ALEUTIAN BASE Aug. 3—(De-| layed)—Fala, the President’s Scot- tie. would have found lots of com- | pany if he could have followed his impulse to stay in the Aleutians. The frisky black pet was still at the | dock after the President’s party was back aboard the warship that| brought him here and had to be shooed up the gangplank. {way of Honolulu. |by Vice Admiral Frank.Jack Flet- | pressed the wish the people at home gs Big | By NORMAN BELL | Associated Press War Correspondent | AN ALEUTIAN ISLAND BASE, August 3. (Delayed) — President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave this Aleutian base a surprise party to- day and in turn was surprised at what he saw. He said he was thrilled and gratified. It was the Presiden’t first trip| to the Aleutians. | He came here on a warship by‘ The Chief Executive praised the members of the Armed Forces par- ticipating in the Aleutian campaign and construction program and said they had driven out the enemy and | built new military, naval and air| once in remote barren is-| , in an incredibly short time. The President was accompanied cher, Commander of the North Pacific. On Tour of Island President Roosevelt made a tour of the island’s installations and ex- could see what had been done to |the Japanese, which he said, will inever again be able to threaten North America by an Alaskan in-| vasion. ¢ | “'The President's impromptu re- |marks were made at an informal} {luncheon in the enlisted men’ mess |hall where he made a noon stop | |on his inspection tour. Find Homes in Alaska ‘The President said he considered some parts of the United States were overpopulated and predicted |many soldiers and sailors will seek new homes in Alaska after the |war. The territory’s great size and known resources, the President ad- Dogs are the most common pets important affecting | anq mascots of the Armed Forces in | this theatre. The climate seems to agree with them. Vice Admiral Jack Fletcher, Com- mander of the North Pacific, has a ! Chesapeake retriever and Maj. Gen. Davenport Johnson, Commander of the 11th Air Force, a Springer Spaniel. The canine fad has even spread to the forces afloat and nearly every boat of the fleet has a dog mascot or are trying to beg or borrow one TRUCK LINES IN 8 STATES ARE SEIZED FOR Orders Action When Companies Fail fo Grant * Ordered Wage Boost WASHINGTON, Aug. 12—Presi- dent Roosevelt has ordered seizure of Midwest truck companies in- volved in an eight-State strike. The Office of Defense Transpor- tation will operate the companies until the dispute is settled. The War Labor Board put the issue direct to the President as it was powerless to solve the contro- versy. .One hundred and three truck companies refused to pay the di- rected seven cents an hour wage increase and 25,000 truck drivers| struck. ——e——— WASHINGTON MEN HERE Gerald O’Grady, John Cross, a_nd George Flint, Jr., of the Alaska | Branch of U .S. Geological Survey, | are in town and have registered a the Baranof from Washington, D.C. MRS. DAVLIN BACK Mrs. R. L. Davlin has returned from the states where she spent the past weeks with her husband, Summarizing the whole picture, (Continued on Page Four) who was on leave from his station with the armed forces in the westward. ded, invited settlers. The President did not discuss |any specific war plans in this or "any other theatre, neither’ did he {comment on the National political | campaign of which he is Democratic Presidential nominee for a fourth term at all when eating lunch with the enlisted men, soldiers, sailors, marines with a proportionate num- ber of negroes mixed throughout the long mess hall. Regular Mess Serving The chatty, smiling Commander- In-Chief ate a regulation mess from a navy serving tray, seated |between two privates First Class, {a red-haired Marine from Arkansas and a trim soldier from New Jer- sey. William Goff, the Marine, con- versed easily with the President in response to questions. Ferdinand Rutscher provided the light for the after lunch cigarette and the President grinned happily as the flint lighter worked at the first try. Navy Nurse Noticed Another member of the Armed (Continued on Page Two) BIG FIRE RUINS PIER ON HUDSON; $4,000,000 LOSS HOBOKEN, Ner Jersey, Aug. 12. —A spectacular fire, followed by a series of thunderous explosions, left a 1,000-foot Hudson River pier in blackened ruins. Damage is esti- mated at $4,000,000. The fire, of an undetermined ori- gin, began when a barge was trans- ;ferring its cargo to a ship moored - at the pier. Flames towered 50 feet in the air, and a pall of smoke blanketed the entirf New York City area before massed fire-fighting equipment| brought the four-hour blaze under | | control. Scores were injured, but none seriously. MAYNARDS RETURN | 1 | | Russell G. Maynard, Director of the Department of Public Welfare, SIXNIPPON SHIPSHITIN SW PACIFIC Allied Raiders Again Strike Airfields on Halma- hera Island GENERAL HEADQUARTERS IN| THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, Aug. 12.—Mitchell bombers sank or dam- aged six freighters at Halmahera Island, northwest of New Guinea, | Headquarters announced today, and at the same time Allied raiders again struck the airfields on the vital island which is a stepping stone to the Philippines. Another aerial strike on the same day, last Thursday, was made by fighter planes and as many as 500 Japs, caught on parade at Hamate airdrome, Sorong, Japanese base 60 miles southwest of the American beachhead at Sansapor, were killed. The Yank planes also harassed the retreating Japs at Aitape, We- wak sector, British New Guinea. IWO ISLE IS GIVEN BOMBING | | UNITED STATES PACIFIC| FLEET HEADQUARTERS AT/ PEARL HARBOR, Aug. 12—Heavy | bombers of the Seventh Army Air| Force bombed Iwo Island in the Bonin volcano group, on w:zdnos—' day, the first full scale heavy smke‘ from the newly-won airfields in the | Marianas. Iwo is 750 miles from Tokyo. Liberators dropped 47 tons of bombs on the airfields and ad- jacent installations, Admiral Ches- ter W. Nimitz says in his press release. The first Army heavy bomber strike on Iwo starts a new stage of the Seventh Army Air Force’s leap frogging air neutralization campaign across the Paci PATTERSON, SOMERVELL AREINITALY ROME, Aug. 12.—Robert Patter- son, Under Secretary of War, and | Lt. Gen. Brehon Somervell, head of 'the Army Service Forces, have ar- rived in Ttaly to inspect military installations along the Mediterran- ean front. MINING MEN ASK FOR TAX CHANGE SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12. — A twelve state Western Mining Con- ference for the second day heard discussions on and adopted a reso- lution which emphasized postwar tax changes fur the essential de- velopment of new mines and the reopening of the old ones. Specif- ically, the resolution advocated the repeal of the excess profits tax and the reduction of corporate taxes. The Governor of California com- pared the rush of war workers in the west with the gold rush of '43,| ——————— PARSONS IN TOWN W. H. Parsons, of Anchorage, is First Full Sia(;Made from Newly Won Marianas Airfields | | | 1 !accompanied by Mrs. Maynard, has returned to Juneau after upemung the past few months in the states. Hotel —‘(.A---._ S ‘MUSIC FOR THE \ Mon NAZI ARMY LEAVES CITY OF FLORENCE Ancient Art Center Spared Further Ravages of Terrific Battle ROME, Aug. 12. — The Germans have withdrawn all forces from Florence, the ancient cradle of Italian art and culture, and spared |the city from further ravages of bame. Allied troops, who refrained from firing on the northern part of the city, lying beyond the Arno River, remalned on the south bank of the stream, but officials of the Military Government crossed over to assist the hungry civilian pop- ulation. It is apparent, the official an- nouncement said, that the enemy withdrew the bulk of his forces during the night, to north of the Mugnone Canal, which flows/ through the northern outskirts. bringing up st for a cross- ing of the Arno. An assault on the German Gothic line, beyond, reached a number of villages west and northwest of Empoli, against stiffening enemy resistance. ALSMITHISIN HOSPITAL FOR FEW DAYS REST NEW YORK, Aug. 12—Former Governor Al Smith, 70, is in St. Vincent’s Hospital for “a few days ' rest,” his physician, Dr. Raymond Sullivan, said today. “He just didn't feel so well be- cause of the heat,” the doctor said. e LEAVE FOR SITKA Miss Isabelle Parsons, of the Of- fice of Indian Affairs, and Estelle in town and a guest at the Juneau Casler left today for Sitka on n| short vacation trip. " Red Cross girls with the uom in naly, get Gl R LS — Louise Suksdorf (left) and her identical twin sister, Lucine, a bugle serenade from some of their ulmlrers ° Junkehng Tnps of Senalors Cost Them ey Ouf of Pocket By JACK STINNETT WASHINGTON, Aug. 12. — Ever | envy a U. 8. senator out on' one of those junkets? Then try stretching a $6-a-day | allowance to cover hotel bills food, laundry and incidentals. That's all a senator gets when he travels out of Washington as a member of an important commit- tee seeking information on some ‘ timely problem. Members of the War Investigating (Truman) Committee have found ‘th mselves out-of-pocket suywhele | from $100 to $800 at the end of each | year's inquiries. They even lose money on the !rain trips to and from points of hearings, for their tickets are purchased for them and the $6 a day allowance hardly covers meals. tips and smokes while on the train. i | After they reach their destination, | the problem becomes more com- plicated, for their slim allowance must cover the price of the hotel room and everything else. Hugh Fulton, who has traveled many thousands of miles with the Truman committee as its chief coun- sel, is convinced that, with an oc- | casional exception, every trip has | cost members an appreciable sum. | In normal times, hotel dwners, | glad to have senators among thel ’guests from the standpoint of pr tige, give them special rates when | they are on official business. Some, even now, charge them only the $6 ithey are allowed and take the loss. | | have to foot a substantial share of the cost themselves, often at stand- | ard rates for everything. | This is part of the story any sen- lator can tell as evidence that bis | $10,000-a-year salary is anything | but big when measured against h‘ls | expenses. Washington apartment and hot&l rent is high. Yet, in addition to| | paying rent here, the senator, like | his House colleague, must maintain |a residence back home. Campaign costs often run into big figures for many. They, like others, must pay State and Federal income taxes. As for entertainment, well— | Every senator must be prepared lto have guests in occasionally for ,dmner or other entertainment to keep up contacts valuable to every congressman. | And only a senator has any ldea of the number of persons he has | to feed from time to time at lunch, He can’t afford to let a visiting lLonsuluem g9 hungry! But most of the time, the senators| * NORTHERN FRANCE 15 HIT AGAIN ' American Planes Climax, lWeek s Campaign Against| ‘German Transportation \ b U)NDON Aug. 12—-Up to 750 Amencnn heavy bombers and 500 ! fighters tore at rail yards in Metz; jand airfields in norhtern France a {few hours after a force of Lan- casters poured six ton factory-bust- ers on U-boat shelters in besieged Brest. Airfields attacked by the Amer- jcans included those at Le Perthe | !and Chamant, about 30 miles east | of Paris, as well as those at Athies, Couvron and Juvincourt, near Loan, where blows followed the Royal Air | Force attacks on Berlin and Givors, | rail junction 200 miles southeast of Paris. Thig is the second consecu- tive night that Berlin has been hit by two-ton bombs and is the third bombing of Brest by heavy aircraft |in a week. American Fortresses returning to British bases also smashed the air- field near Toulouse on a final leg of a three-way shuffle run from Britain to Russia and back through | Ttaly. It was annonced that Allied fight- ers and bombers climaxing a week's campaign against German transpor- tation in France, since 6 a. m. today disabled 13 locomotives and 1,059 railway cars. In a week they destrqyed or damaged 587 locomo- tives and 4,459 railroad cars. e — ONE DEAD IN REFINING (0. FIRE IN CALIF. NEWHALL, Calif, Aung. 12— One man was burned to death, an- | other seriously injured and a woman is reported missing in a fire which followed a series of explosions at the National Refining Company near here, where 16 of 25 fanks con- taining 3,000,000,000 gallons of crude | oil ignited with casing head gas. Fire spread to the surrounding brush and grass, causing evacuation of scores of families in the vicinity | THREAT ON 50. FRANCE, NEW MOVES Land and Air Attacks Keep Nazis Guessing-Sirict Secrecy Observed SUPREME HEADQUARTERS OF |THE ALLIED EXPEDIEIONARY FORCES, Aug. 12—The Allies, by land and air, have developed a two- way threat to southern France, as Headquarters announced the four- day mystery operation west of Paris which had the Germans so much in the dark, that the strictest secrecy is of paramount importance, Field Marshal Von Kluge is re- ported to be recklessly throwing the bulk of his west wall forces into the area below Caen, despite develop- ment of the Allied encirclement | threat. The menace to southern France was strengthened with the Amer- ican armored thrust southward across the Loire River, while up to 750 United States heavy bombers from Italy blasted Nazi coastal de- fenses along the Mediterranean, This is the second day of air thrusts against positions guarding the en- emy’s as yet unpierced southern wall in the Riveara sector. Heagdguarters announced formally | the “Allles’ ' dazzling - scythe-like | sweeps across northwestern France, They were last officially reported | on Wednesday to be beyond Lemans, 110 miles from Paris, calculated so as to baffle the Germans with the speed extent. “The situation must remain ob- scure, purely for security reasons,” and the only news since then has been frontline reports on the push northward toward the channel which might cut off a great German con- centration, locked in heavy fighting south of Caen and north of Falaise. Tactical bombers based in Italy hit targets on the Mediterranean coast. This was timed with the bomb raid along the more than 40 miles of French and Italian Rivieras by other Italy based warplanes, striking pill boxes, gun emplace- ments, radlo stations, ‘and enemy coastal defenses. The blow was reminiscent of the pre-invasion raid on the French Channel.area. The German Command said that heavy fighting is in progress for Alencon, only 35 miles below Falaise. RUSSIAIS OVERJOYED, VICTORIES Soviet Soldiers Rejoicing at Allied Successes in France-Given News MOSCOW, Aug. 12. — Russians, overjoyed at the Allied victories in France, have rushed all latest news of advances to the Red Army fronts by planes, radio and telegraph, Newspapers also took the tidings ta men on the march. “Our soldiers are rejoicing with all their hearts at the good work of the Allied soldiers,” commented Ilya Ehrenburg, Soviet journalist. “We are walking along different roads but are going to the same place— Berlin.” ATTEMPT MADE. LIFE OF GERMAN FIELD MARSHAL ——————— : SKIPPER MacKINNON IN Skipper MacKinnon, son of Cap- tain and Mrs. J. S. MacKinnon, |has returned to Juneau from Seat- tle where he has been on a brief {visit. ZURICH, Switzerland, Aug. 12— A reliable report from Belgrade to- day said that Field Marshal Baron Maxmilian Von Weichs, German Commander-in-Chief in the Bal- kans, has been wounded by a young Nazi lleutenant in an assassination attempt.