The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, October 20, 1944, Page 1

"THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. XLIL, NO. 9786 JUNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1944 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE, TEN CENTS MACARUTHUR RETURNS TO PHILIPPINES S 4 & & s Amerlcan Invaswn Forces Land On Islands AACHEN NOW | IN HANDS OF FIRST ARMY Gateway fo Rubr Valley, Falls on Seventh Day . | of Fiery Siege | LONDON, Oct. 20—The ruined city of Aachen, a sprawling city of | death and destruction, tonight fell! to Gen Hodge’s First Army on the seventh day i The victorious Yanks immediately started mopping up the last rem- nants of the Nazi garrison trapped on the outskirts of the city. The capture of the first major German city gateway to the Ruhr, was completed at 7:30 a. m. (Pa- cific time). The city is 343 miles from Berlin and 40 miles from Cologne on the Rhine. The peace- time population of 165,000. Doughboys have been attacking since September 15, and for a week have been engaged in street fight- ing with bazookas, bayonets and self-propelled guns. The city was left a mass of wreckage. The fanatical German resistance | gave its last convulsive gasp of resistance in the center of the city. | In a large stone building a hundre SS men barricaded themselves in defiance. Troops commanded by Lt. | Col. Merril Daniel, of .Geneva, New York, knocked them out with direct fire from a 155 millemeter gun. = -l PEARL HARBOR REPORT IS KEPT FROM PUBLIC WASHINGTON, Oct. 20—Presi- dent Roosevelt said today that he didn't know anything about the assertion of Representative Melvin J. Maas, Republican, of Minnesota, that the Navy report on the Jap attack at Pearl Harbor was with- held from the public. At St. Paul last night, Maas said | the report is “politically embarras- | sing the Administration.” He re- newed his assertion of severall weeks ago that high officials knew ! the Pearl Harbor attack was com-‘ ing six hours in advance. The Washmgton Merry - Go-Round By DREW PEARSON @Lt. Col.” Robert 8. Allen now on active service with the Army.) WASHINGTON — Gov. Dewey's advisers think he has a unique opportunity in his Putsburghi speech to win over a slice of the| labor vote. ! The speech will attempt to take| advantage of the increased disaf-| fection among steel and coal work-: ers in crucial Pennsylvania, the| latter group being worked on by | John L. Lewis, the former gruup‘ sore because of the delay in in-| creasing the price of steel wages. The President is very much on the spot in regard to steel wages because for nearly a year the War Labor Board has held up the issue, | is only handing it to him now on/| the eve of election. Dewey’s speech has been drafted | in part by a former organizer for| the CIO Steel Worker's Union,| shrewd Mel Petzele, former So-| cialist, who knows the situation| from A to Z. Petzele, now labor editor for McGraw-Hill's “Business Week,” has been closeted on the eleventh floor of the Dewitt Clin- | ton hotel in Albany all week work- ing with a research staff to whip the Pittsburgh speech into shape. It was Petzele who wrote the Seattle labor speech, which clicked on the west coast. NOTE — White House intimates| say there is no chance of FDR raising steel wages on the eve of the election, but that the facts will Jus b TP A e (Continued on Page Foyr) | I | 'beyond anyone's | War FAMILIES T0 BE SOLICITED FOR WAR FUND The importance of covering every homo in, Juneau in the solicitation | contributions to the N'\umml Wm' Fund was stressed today by Jack Fletcher, chairman of the local campaign committee. Each family is to be asked for a dona- tion in this combined drive to raise the money necessary for year’s support of the many hu- manitarian agencigs made pos- sible by the fund. In order that every member the community may have the chance to do his share, the entire city has been divided into resi- dential districts. According Fletcher, it is planned that solicit- ors shall call at every home on |behalf of the fund during the next two weeks. “The giving by War Fund, with every family par- ticipating said one of the work- ers today, “in my opinion is of major significance I suppose that never before in all history has there been a time when so many millions of families throughout the world have been broken up and widely |of these members for each other, cspeclallv in Europe, is tragic be- yond imagining. “Just yesterday the Merry- Go-Round column, mention was imade of one of the most ghastly | side-lights of the forced breaking up of “familiés in the ~occupied countries. It told of the systematic mass slaughter by the Nazis of hundreds of thousands of the men and women in the.past four years who had been transported into in | Germany to become slave laborers and who now are no longer useful |as such slaves. The misery of these |tragic victims and of their loved ones back in their homelands is comprehension. “In doing acts of mercy for those people, the Refugee Relief Trustees are accomplishing some of the most . heart-touching things ever heard of. They are made pos sible only through Fund. That's why I and my whole family are giving everything |we can sparv to its campaign.” ROOSEVELT HASREPORT ONINVASION Message from MacArthur Says Enemy Is Caught Unawares-Light Loss WASHINGTON, Oct. 20—Presi- |dent Roosevelt today read to the news conference a message which was received last night from Gen. Douglas MacArthur, addressed to Gen. Marshall. It said that the troops have suffered “extremely light losses.” The enemy was caught unawares, " |because they expected us to attack of | to ! families to the| scattered. And the concern| T've | the National | 1BElGRADE FALLS TO RED ARMY Capital of Yugoslavia Is Liberated — Debrecen in Soviet Hands LONDON, Oct. 20—Beigrade, capi- al of Yugoslavia, has been liber- | ated, stalin has announced. It was earlier announced that| Debrecen, the third largest -city in Hungary, has fallen to the army which is storming toward Budapest, 116 miles west. The capture of Belgr the end of days of sav: fighting by the Red Army Tito's Yuuosla\' Partisans. - DEWEY SAYS GOP VICTORY TREND | NOW SHOWS UP PITTSBURGh, Oct. 20 — Gov. Thomas E. Dewey told a news con- ference that it was his belief that President Roosevelt’s decision to| make a' tour of New York City and to make a political speech there Saturday. night, indicates the | Democrats are “trying to reverse the trend which is so strong that| it indicates a Republican victory | in November It was announced that Dewey in- | tends to speak tonight on ll\e; status of the white collar workers | of the United States who, he said, are “becoming the forgotten man.”| RED ARMY 1§ PUSHING ON IN PRUSSIA Vast Tank F_o—rges Are Be- ing Massed in Forest for Decisive Battle LONDON, Oct. 20. — Berlin an- nounced today that the Russians ‘have moved up to another sec!ion; east of the Prussian frontier 20 miles south of fallen Eydtkau and are massing vast tank forces in the Rominter Heide, favorite deer forest of the late Kaiser Wilhelm. Poscibly a decisive battle is shap- ing up along the North, East and South frontiers. Berlin frankly as- serted “the twin battle for East Prussia is nearing a climax.” Mos- | cow has said nothing of the four- day offensive. DEATH DEALING TROPICAL STORM [t de marked street and ~“Manila * i s A psafa NICHOLS FT.M(KINLEY FIELD Cavite | that exploded over | further south, the General reported. | Calatagan, 2 LUBANG .~ 5. % AL MARICABAN P = H EART OF LUZON-—Map shows territory around Manila Ba'angas ~ Luzon, including pflnclpal fortifications, Bataan penlnsula and Corregidor, SIX KILLEDU. INALASKAN PLANE WRE(K Liberator !gt;n;bers Blows Up While 20,000 Feet Above Mt. llliamna WASHINGTON, Oct. 20—Six out 12 men of a B-24 Liberator the Alas wil- derness September 3, reached safety after a 150-mile trek, the War De- partment said. The others died. |15 said: “Jap forces are about to The survivors are Lt. William jayneh a full-scale enslaught on| Grace, Buffalo, New York; 2nd Lt.|ihe enemy, which landed on the| Robert Moss, co-pilot, Chicago; | soythern tip and eastern shore of Staff. Sgt. Oscar Windham, Butler, | oyte N"“d " Georgia; Martin Woogen, New York City, and Sgts. Robert Smith, Lafayette, Indiana and Llewellyn Thiel, Camden, New Hampshire. Those killed are 2nd Lts. Richard Chapman, St. Paul, Minnesota; Robert Geatchs, pilot, Oklahoma | City, Oklahoma, and James Law-| rence, Pacific Grove, California; Tech. Sgt. Roy Both, Chicago Illi- nois; Staff Sgt. Lyle Strathman, Manning, Iowa, and Sgt. John Eu-| banks of Kennett, Missouri. ‘The bomber caught fire, ap- parently from a broken gas line, and went out of control 20,000 feet over Mt. Illiamna. As the pilot dived the plane, the men donned | parachutes. The explosion threw out the survivors. They located each —_— ther in five days and finally| NEW YORK, Oct. 20—A net- reached a fishing village. An Al- | work pool broadcast direct “‘0"1 askan bush pilot flew them out. |Leyte reported the e eee “moving forward despite stiff |emy resistance in some sectors.” S. BATTLESHIP GOES AGROUND, SAYS JAPANESE (By Asscciated Press) The Tokyo radio claimed mduv‘ that an American battleship ran :u-,ruund Tuesday evening on Bunga | Point, near Samar Island “in the| desperate attempt to attack Lhe" | Philippines.” Tne English language | broadcast said the stern was sub- | merged and the bow high aground. Domei conceded that the Ameri- cans landed at Leyte; but the Jap- centrolled Manila in English said that the “Jap Army routed the U. S. invaders of the Philippines off Leyte Gulf.” A late Tokyo radio broadcast of TROOPS ARE EXPANDING BEACHHEAD Enemy Seems fo Be Con- centrating Fire on One Central Beachhead | Americans | en- | strength on one of the center land- | radio broadeast | | bolster {ing to cle: Tayabas Bay i ) 20 STATUTE MILES Bay on the Philippive isdand of NEW SAILENT IN HOLLAND NOW FORGED Two Mon; ?asses Info Rhine Flatlands Are Gained by Armies LONDON, Oct. 20—Canadian in- ntry and armor struck a new of- ve through the mud and marshland, north of Antwerp, to the Allied powerhouse sali- ent being built in Holland against | Hitler's North defenses. Simultancously, the French in- fant along the ridges of the /0 at the southern end of the Allied line, outflanked the village of Ventron, at the entrance to the 15-mile-long Bussang Pass, opening onto the Rhine Valley floor. Seven miles from Mulhouse, alsc on the latter front, the American Seventh Army captured Briyers, 1 miles eas. of Epinal. In this stab two mote passes to the Rhine flatlands were cleared. The British Second Army, fight- ar the Germans west of he Meuse and along the Reich berder fronting the Holland salient, made slow progress in face of mud and stiff German re mmn. 'HURRICANE DOES TERRIFICDAMAGE IN CITRUS AREA Oct. 20— that blew JACKSONVILLE, Fla., "RISE AND STRIKE"” 1S PLEAMADE MacArthur Makes Historic Broadcast to People of Philippines (By Associated Press) “I have returned!” Gen in a broadcast today, them to “rise and strike The broadcast, over the “Voice of Freedom"” radio, as reported by the OWI, said “By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine s0il- il consecrated in the blood of our two peoples. We have come dedicated and committed to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control over your daily lives and restor'ng, upon a foundation of indestructible strength, the liberties of your people. “At my side is your great presi- dent, Serrio Osmena, a worthy suc- cessor to that patriot, Manuel Que- zon,” calling on MacARTHUR'S TROOPS KEEP' POURING IN Men, Supplies Go Ashore "Under Devastating Fire from Warships (This is the first eye-witness story by one of the last Ameri- can war correspondents fo leave Bataan and among the first to return to the Philippines.) By DEAN SCHEDLER WITH MacARTHUR AT LEYTE, Oct. 20—Under cover of devastating fire from Allied warships, Anterican troops knived ashore on Leyte Is- land, striking simultaneously three miles south of the main city or Tacloban to Palo. Another group struck in along the coastline between Jose and Dulag. A combat team landed at Panaon on the southern tip of Leyte. The beach front is three and a half miles with a width approximately 11 miles apart, This quick, hard drive estab- lishes ‘the Americans only 275 statute miles from Davao and 340 air miles east of Manila. At the entrance. to Leyte Gulf the American combat team landed three da; ago on the northern tip of Dinagat Island. This invasion armada of hun- dreds of ships goes busily about the business of landing troops and equipment on the smoke-filled | | face ships and air power. So it has been unmolested. Douglas QUARTERS MacArthur told the Filipino people pryps oct force San {shore under the protection of sur-| far |BEACHHEADS ARE QUICKLY ~ ESTABLISHED Navy and Air Units Give . Support to Powerful Forces Sent Ashore. GEN. MACARTHUR'S HEAD- IN THE PHILIP- 20—(Army Radio Pool Broadeast) —General Douglas Mac- ! Arthur, making good his vow to re- turn to the Philippines, announced, from these islands today, that his Navy and Air supported forces have invaded and secured expanding beachheads in the Central Philip- pines. “In major amphibious operations we have seized the Eastern coast of Leyte Island in the Philippines, 600 miles north of Morotai and 2500 miles from Milne Bay, New Guinea.” The special communique was dva- Imatically proclaimed from the ine vasion scene striking point where he is in position to quickly cut-off the island of Luzon, on which Manila is situated, from Mindanao, to the .suu!h. Supplies Pour Ashore MacArthur poured supplies ashore in preparation for a showdown battle. Thnere is an estimated 225,- 000 Jaj there, under Field {Marshal i Terauchi. Gen. MacArthur, aboard a war- ! ship, went along with the huge con- 'voy from New Guinea, and within four hours his forces landed and b«"gan making plans to go ashore. he greatest moment to date in ‘the Pacific war brought immediate ecclamation of MacArthur's invasion forces from: President Franklin D. (Roosevelt in Washington. } Nation Ezults (* “The whole American nation today {exults at the news that the gallant Imen under your command have |landed on Philippine soil,” said the President, Leyte is a suitable island for an 'air base, lying 300 miles. southeast (of Manila. The invaders secured Tacloban on the northeast end of {the island “with minor casualties” said the communique. The Tokyo radio also reported landings in Cabalian on the south- ern tip, and said earlier landings occurred at the entrance to Leyte Gulf on Suluan island. Jap Navy Nowhere Eye witness accounts from the ene reported the American Navy and Air Forces on hand were of such mammoth strength and the Japanese Navy was nowhere in sight. The Nipponese Airforce had been knocked out of all airfields in the Philippines and offered scarcely a token of resistance. One correspon- dent said “up to now no ship has been lost.” The preparation for the invasion included the destruction of more than 1300 planes, the sinking of 86 ships, damaging 127 ships, and widespread devastation of airfields and reinforcement bases. Since October 9, the task force has been blasting at Ryukyus For- mosa and the Philippines. Invasion Convoy Dean Scheduler, Associated Press War Correspondent, reporting from the scene, said the invasion convoy He said he left Jap forces on Min- |danao, a large island south of Leyte. “They are no longer an pmpurtanz factor” because they are| | practically cutoff. Roosevelt said the message con-| firming the attack reached Wash- ington shortly before 1 a. m. and may have been delayed by Jap at- mpts to jam the air, as it was, expected earlier. THOMAS AND WIFE HERE Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Thomas have | registered at the Baranof Hotel .|from Whitehorse. — - EARLY MORNING ALARM The Juneau Volunteer Fire De- | partment was called out at 5:15] a. m. to the City Cafe where the| motor on the refrigerator was smoking. No damage is reported. IS DYING DOWN CHARLESTON, S. C, Oct. 20.—! The interior of the Carolinas felt| the last of the tropical storm which |swept inland last night and headed owly northward; decreasing in in-| tensity aiter causing the death of possibly 37 and doing heavy prop- erty damage in Cuba and Flerida. Eleven civilian army emplovees at the New Orleans Port of Embarka- tion were reported drowned near Bradentqn, Florida at the height of the storm when a crash boat was| iwrecked. Thirty-four were killed in West- ern Cuba and two in Florida, — .- FOR EXCURSION INLET Ardeth Rogers Gillis, R .N., and Miss Ruth Newbold, teacher for the Office of Indian Affairs, left today for Excursion Inlet on busi- ness, | | | Radio Reporter Gordon Walker said, “the enemy defense force| seems to be concentrating its| LONDON, Oct. 20.—Pierre Laval has been sentenced to death in ab- sentia by the Marseille Tribunal, 2 ing beaches. The troops had ai extremely tough time getting asho under heavy mortar and artillery| fire. Several of our craft were hi However, I find the situation no ore | cordinp to a radio oroadcast from under control.” T | “The Doughboys are holding their | 3 lown. The northern landing party | S'I'o(K ouollA"o"S ‘la one of the strongest forces, (I!\d} |landed one-half a minute ahead of ;schedule and moved inland 500| NEW YORK, Oct. 20 — Alaska yards before a shot was fired on| Juneau Mine stock closed today at, |them. They are now closing in on 6%, American Can 89'%, Anaconda |the city o! Tacloban.” 277%, Beech Aircraft 9%, hem Steel, 60%, Commonwealm 'I'HEBES occuplfo and Southern 1, Curtiss-Wright 6, International Harvester 79%%, Ken-| necott 35%, North American Avia-, Northern Pacific 16%, United! ROME, Oct. 20— British troops w-J States Steel 58%, Pound, $4.04. day occupied Thebes, 32 miles north-| Dow, Jones averages today are west of Athens as the Gcrman‘ | tion 10%, New York Central 18' |as follows: Industrials, 148.21; rails,| troops speeded their withdrawal to-| Carter Mortuary, pending funeral Wame. $25, drunk; David Bailey,' x arrangements, |41 91; utilities, 25.93, \ward Jugoslavia n|The Carribean hurricane lup the Florida peninsula toward {here and the Atlantic Ocean from H“m Gulf of Mexico, hitting the w | populous Sarasota, Tampa and S Petershurg areas, caused no cas ualties but as it swept across the citrus growing area did damage es- timated to run as high as $20,- | 000,000 to 10,000,000 boxes of fruit! the ground. - | CHARLES WAlKER DIES LAST NIGHT Charles O. Walker, Skagway, expired on old timer ur He was born in Bedford, Maine, and was 88 years of age. he remains are at the Charles at 9:35 o'clock last evening in St. Ann's Hospital.| | stretched out as far as the eye could see. The Tokyo radio accounts of the landing on Suluan Island were not mentioned by MacArthur. The invasion occurred Tuesday (Manila time.) The Leyte opera- tions opened Thursday at noon and the operations on Tacloban started |t 7 p. m. Tuesday night. Cuts ff Japs special communique, pointing | | UNREST IN GUATAMELA MEXICO CITY, Oct. 20—Guate-' A |malan unrest is reported through to the ignificance of the invasion, | private channels to have flamed into said “Japanese-held bases as in | violent disorder, particularly in the Borneo will be severed from Japan 'Cnpnal City. forever. The communications upon No details are available but it is Which Japan’s war industries depend reported the roads around the cen- Will be cut in half. A million men Ler of the city are blocked. will be cut off without help or ——— — support.” POLICE COURT FINES This will include Japanese gar- Irisons manning many poorly-sup- Those fined in Cit City Police Court plied Aslund bases in the East Indies. today were Ernest Thorsen, $75, - reckless driving; Martha Golley, 'I'OM GEORGE LEAVES | 25, disorderly conduct; Jenny' Tom George, of George Brothers, $25, drunk and disorderly, left today by plane for Seattle,