Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 42, Number 293, Decatur, Adams County, 12 December 1944 — Page 1

■ B h Chores! J

■JirHo. 293.

flbpanese .Are Evacuating^Civilians Erom Tokyo IRST ARMY CRASHES IHROUGHoTOER

i’fy Prepares ■or Expected 5,29 Attacks

Lonese Stripping I Essent,al l&fense Personnel; ■tinbing Reported ■9 Br United Pre** ■■;.. •< .1 •o<l.iy that ■jV, •>. Toky< T.ihio. ... . i mass rvacitfull dress ’ rrfl.l'loW'l hy a Superfortress h - ’ tiro ill the city ■j, flayed through 2,1,11.0 persona were !■>- . ...■ ,1 era, nation ' T'.-;. *■■•■ described ajr«! and ailing pennons. ope, fant moth rs <->■>' 'l'Hiidieis asked for the evacuation and the • ■ ■ ’. Su|»-lf(>HreXS £■) or-r Japan, the advices ■■iC'l.nz- in the city are be BHsn down to create "Are SHl'i:.: impede the spread of . \<i).ri< an bombs German trauaocean news ■■* h .i Tokyo dispat, h quo!- ' tin Asahi Shimbun ■Hthit workers employed In |Br.'• •■ y • .in«port. and may he . vacuated only ;» tin.-iondisclosing the move was biting ■■* mk« of Tokyo* millions ®u> dispatch gave a tlpoff evacuation is at least in umne, t..,| with ait defense |B>Vmpted from the evacu |Mssi.ure, as well as utility - and chemists a< filiations giv. n |Htem-ater Tokyo on Dec 11 |Hltti« Tokyo radio and Axisdispatches from the capl--w American Superpy- • over Tokyo. Some I dh<l nuiran, >■ ■•)»"!> ‘e.-niunga Inter-p.-te-d Japanese domestic radio bMIBi based in the Marianas g®' 4 ’"- flights over the Japan gKMaUnd between midnight To Pas* I. Columa l> IK- o ■man Air Force ■Action In Italy i l’oods, Mountain Options Bombed 12-< UP) -The lust- !«•«! into action over the firth HH? frutll below Bologna today Creates: strength in days. BT* 1 "'**• “nd mountain poai■f 11 ,b * Germans hecnme ex »■’ *»»itlv e to American paIH 1 ** 11 pl,l ‘e» Strafed communi ■Jt‘ #m and dropped incendiary ■■ bomb ’'- ‘’using *nd damage Four were K* Am * ri 'xm repulsed two gT ( * r, nan patrol attacks four M"»'>'’hwe.t ol H an clementine ■* ' wiles northeast of Liver,f wy patrols clashed with ■**'Wherever they enteied the ■btu ,n ,he Mon,e Kenxlo ■L.?*.°* rmin * n r »<« ’o° roun.l* in a Ik-minute period. ■ ,b * eighth army fronts ■"Mrtatlc sector and around confined' to patrols, a Mid. KJ***ATURt READING ;KZ*** T thkrmometfp ■Jt*’' 20 ■hj** 22 I hm W| *™«n ■fcs-/- e,OvMl y tonight and ■nstZT* y; *Mee tonight and ***

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Discharged Veteran Is Accident Victim tAnderxon. Ind., Dec. 12—(UP)— Service* were arranged today for Noah Phillipa. 28. discharged war veteran who was injured in an automobile accident Wednesday and died yesterday Phillips was wounded at Anzlo His wife, Mr*. Glendora Phillips. 24. also wax injured in the crash. - —o Russians Open Grand Assault On Budapest Moscow Says Entire German Front Line In Hungary Smashed London. Dec. Ifi.—(UP) —rankriding Russian ehock troops, opening the grand assault on Budapest, broke into the outskirts of the flaming capital today and Moscow declaivd that Soviet armies have collapsed the entire German front in Hungary and are pouring through a 185-miie breach on the southeastern road to Austria and Germany. “The German defense In Hungary has collapsed." radio Moscow declared in a triumphant broadcast beamed to Germany. “Budapest can no longer be held. It* fall Is Imminent. “The threat to Vienna, the rest of Hungary and Cze< hoslovakia has grown many times over. "Russian shock armies in the southeast have broken open the WMt Hungarian gaie into Germany and are smashing through a breach SOO kilometers wide." Soviet field dispatches said thundering artillery duels and violent hand-to-hand fighting were raging over and in the outskirts of Budapest. Russian shock troops, shoot. C from the tops of their charging tanks, drovednto the northern and northeastern edge of the city and ra nhead-on into a great concentration of German artillery massed in the streets. Levelling great areas of the onceglittering capital to clear fire lanes for their toms, the Nazis hurled aaivo after salvo Into the attacking Russian ranks in a desperate attempt to wipe out the Soviet penetration. . Roundabout Berlin accounts xa.d the Soviets already had surrounded strong covering forces left Inside Budapest and were pursuing the bulk of the German-Hungarian army northwest toward Vienna. Late Moscow dispatchew said, however, that a narrow escape corridor along the Budapest-Vienna railway still was in German hands “Turn - Tn ’ P<ur» i'’column It —O Urges Individuals Buy Extra Bond In Sixth Loan Drive ••About one person in three is buying his eztra bond in the alzth war loan drive.” lari Caston, cocbairman of the county staff, estimated today. “If each would do the right thing and buy hia bond this county would sail o»er the :oo." Mr. Caston empnaxlzed. Up to last Saturday, the total for bond, purchased In the slztb.drive was »L1«.«45. or 1100.000 short of the 11.3K.1 county quota. The drive elo.ee and the chairmen are hoptfol that the goal will *be reached by then. Individual *ond purehae*. amount to of the total reported. Mr. Caaton said

Yanks Baffle Survivors Os Leyfe Garrison Savage Assault By Americans Tightens Death Trap On Japs Allied Jlcndquarteni, Philippines. Dec. 12.— (UP) - American troops battled the survivors of Japan's! L-yte Island garrison Into a tightening death trap north of Ormoc today after a savage assault that carried away the southern flank of the Yamaxhlta line and wiped out a strong Japanese force pocketed below the port. A communique from Gen Douglas .MacArthur's headquarters revealed that the bulk of the enemy garrison. considerably reduced from last week's estimated 40.000 to 50,000 men. has been herded into a single pocket extending from a point just above Ormoc to the Tollhaw area, 18 mile, farther north. Veteran doughboys of the 77th division aprattg the trap yesterday when they effected a junction with the seventh division below Depoalto, three and one-half miles south of Ormoc. Thousands of crack Japanese troops, caught between the two forces, were killed or captured in the final thrust and only a handful were believed to have escaped into the hills In the interior. MacArthur's communique dexcrlived the battle for Ormoc as “of the most desperate character," and revealed that the Japanese died almost to the last man in defense of the vital supply port. Burrowed into cellars and foxholes under the houses, the Japanese had to be dug out and killed U small groups, and late dispatches said a number of snipers still were believed holding out almost 48 hours after the last organized resistance ended. American planes continued their steady pounding of Japanese airfielders and shipping In the Philippines and In the Islands to the south, sinking a l,oo4M<m enemy freighter and damaging or setting fire to nine other merchantmen and coastal vexexls. Heavy bombers of the southwest Pacific command also carried out a .[H-ctacuiar long-range strike on the great Borneo oil depots at Ballkpapan and Tarakan The raiders dumped 79 tons of bomha on the two centers, smashing pipe lines and storage tanks and flooding both target area, with flaming oil that sent smoke columns billowing 10,000 feet Into the air. Decatur, Vicinity In Grip Os Winter Monmouth School Is Forced To Close Decatur, and community was in the grip of Old Man Winter today and altout six inches of snow added to the hazard of traffic and the inability to get around The mercury dropped to 15 degrees abore zero, the coldest tern-IM-rature of the present early winter. For several hours this morning thermometers stood at the 20 mark. Due to snow drifts on several county road., it was neceswry to close the Monmouth Kbool. north of Decatur. Lyman L Hann, county superintendent, was Informed. Mr. Hann did not have reports from any of the other schools at noon today and it was believed that they were operating. Know piled high on the sidewalks and |he city was unable to clean them because they can't obtain a snow plow or horses to pull a make shift wood plow. Families were busy shoveling coal or setting up the thermometer on other fuel burning heating systems and most everyone was shivering with the full blast of winter as It hit the community.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, December 12,1944.

Nazi Prisoners On Bread, Water Diet Fort Sheridan. 111., Dec. 12—(UP) Maj. E. R. Schuelke, commander of a German prisoner of war camp here, said today that the prisoners had been placed on a 14-day bread and water diet after refusing to work. z The controversy developed when one prisoner was placed on a new ta>k after failing to do work ansigned to him. A spokesman for the prisoner, then Informed Schuelke that they would refuse to work unleas the prisoner was returned to bis original job. O ' I" - Attorney Sought By Orval Johnson Grand Jury Resumes Session Wednesday The latest development In the Johnson murder case la that Orval Johnson, who. in a written confession made to Richmond police authorities that he shot and killed his ex-wife, Mary E. Johnson, last Thursday night, has asked that the court furnish him with an attorney. Mr. Johnson, still held In the Adams county jail without bail, under the supervision of Sheriff Leo Gillig, asked the sheriff to Inform the court that he wished an attorney. Contact was made with a Fort Wayne attorney, who was unable to come to Decatur today, so no further action was taken. The four mar and two woman grand jury adjourned last evening after interviewing a score of persons relative to Incidents prior to the shooting, which Johnson in his signed statement said took place around 7:30 O’clock on Elm street, near the home of his former wife. Prosecutor Ed A. Bosse said the grand jury would meet again Wednesday and that in ail probability an indictment would be returned before the end of the day. In addition to the written statement by Johnson and his story of how. why and When he murdered his 29 year old divorced wife, mother of his three children, the grand jury has been obtaining other testimony to be presented in the case, if and when It comes Io trial. Johnson has not indicated his future action, but since he has sought an attorney. It is believed that he intends to stand trial on charges that will be contained in the indictment.,

Nominate Seven As C. Os C. Directors To Conduct Annual Election By Mail Seven men have been nominated for directors of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, three of whom will be elected to full terms and one to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Robert J. Holthouse. who joined the United States navy. The eleciion will be by postal card ballot. The ballots will be mailed to all members this week and should be returned to the Decatur post office not later than December 23. Ralph O. Gentis. president of the C. of C. said. Frederick Schulte, secretary, released the names of those nominated for the directorate: Vincent Bormann, bookkeeper at the Central Soya Co.. Carl C. Pumphrey, jeweler; Robert Houser, superintendent of plant one at the General Electric Co.. Clarence Ziner, tire dealer; Richard Ehingen advertising manager of the Dally Democrat: Roljert Lane, of the Lane Confectionary: Harold Grant, of the Cash Coal. Feed and Supply company. The retiring directors of the board are T. J. Metzler. Ray Leitz and Clarence Stapleton. A special meeting of the directors will be held after the ballots are counted by W. Guy Brown. Cal Peterson and Loo Kirsch. The election of new officers will follow the naming of the directors. Duo to the war. the annual banquet will.be suspended again this year, Mr. Gentis said.

Resistance Is Continuing In Greek Capital British And Greek Troops Forced To Yield Some Ground Athens. Dec. 12—(UP) —Lt. Gen. Ronald Scoble today announced "extensive rebel infiltration" into the parts of Athens cleared in the last few days, and said snipers were picketing all routes out of the city. "There has been no slackening of rebel resistance, and although some progress has been made in Piraeus and the central sector of the city, the general situation has Improved little." the commander of British forces in Greece said in a communique. The British and Greek government forces in the center of Athens had lieen forced to yield a dozen or more city blocks In what was described at a military conference ax "very fierce fighting." Scoble announced that reinforcements had landed to join in the battle against the anti govern ment forces. "Some progress has been made in the past 12 hours against heavy resistance." his communique said. Several hundred ELAS troops moving toward Athens from the north were strafed by the royal air force th ! s morning The government forces withdrew from the military barracks In northern Athens, and had to pull back from one block in the northeastern part of the city under heavy pressure The new lines were described in military terminology ax more nearly conforming to a circle and therefore more easily defended than the old. Several fires were burning around the perimeter of the British and Greek government forces. Most were caused by ELAS dynamiting Within the last 15 minutes before this wax written, at least 10 projectiles — apparently 75's — landed In the heart of Athens. They splintered masonry and sent billows of acrid smoke roiling down University street, the principal thoroughfare. (Censorship or other restrictive measures apparently prevented Roper front explaining what had happened since 9:40 o'clock last night, when he filed a dispatch reporting that British forces — and Roper himself — were surrounded in the heart of Athens and the situation was critical') (The following section of Roper’s dispatch was filed last night. * The situation tonight wax the most critical since the start of the Greek civil war a week-ago The British were confident of repulx,'Ttirn To Faws I. Datums 4» — O Over Thousand Gifts To'Yanks Who Gave' Legion Auxiliary Expresses Thanks The appreciation of the people of this city and community to "The Yank who Gave" was expressed In the number of Christmas presents donated In the recent campaign conducted by the Mgion auxillarv. Mrs. Ralph Roop, chairman, reports that 1093 gifts were received and sent to the district office in Fort Wayne. This Is about four times ax many ax the committee thought would be donated. Cash gifts amounted to 1774.92, which wax expended In purchasing useable gifts for (be wounded war veterans confined In army and navy hospitals In Indiana Organisations and individuals donated to the Christmas gift campaign and Mrs. Roop expressed her appreciation to all for their generous support The gifts will be distributed to the veterans during Christmas week.

German Resistance Is Reported Crumbling; Shredding Nazi Flank

Reminds Hoosiers Os Extended Deadline Indianapolis. Dec. 12 — (l''P) — Will H. Smith, collector of internal revenue for Indiana, reminded Hooxiere today that declarations of estimate.! federal incniie taxes need be filled before Jan. 15. Smith said that congress extended the deadline, which laxt year Dec. 15.' 0 Stettinius Urges Aides Confirmed Prompt Action By Senate Reguested Washington. Dee. 12 — (UP) — Secretary of state Edward R. Stettinius. Jr., today asked for prompt senate confirmation of six lop xtate department nominees to speed departmental reorganization and the formation of post-war peace machinery. Stettinius appeared ax the first witness in the senate foreign relations committee's Inquiry into the qualifications and views on world affairs of the six nominees. “Each of them is. in my opinion. wholly qualified by character, experience, and abilities for the responsibilities he has been asked to assume." Stettinius said “Each of them. I believe, wholeheartedly supports the principles and objectives of the foreign policy of the United States ax they have been expressed by the president. by .Mr. Hull (former secretary of xtate Cordell Hull), and by the congress." Stettinius said that the months ahead present "far greater responsibilities in world affairs than ever before in our history." He outlined these American objectives: 1. The fullest possible support in the conduct of our foreign relations for our armed forces, so that the war may be won at the (Turn Tn Psgs 1. Column 4»

First Major Snow Storm Moving East Storm To Continue Another 24 Hours By United Press The season's first major snowstorm extended into the east today. crippling transportation in some industrial centers and causing at least 26 deaths. The storm, which was centered in Pennsylvania and Maryland, will continue for another 24 hours, the federal weather forecaster at Chicago said, with heavy snow expected throughtout all the NewEngland states. A record of 15 inches of snow wax reported at Elkins. W Va. Light snow flurries were forecast today for the midwest, which felt the brunt of the storm s fury over the weekend At Pittsburgh, the storm caused the worst traffic jam In the city's history and thousands of Christmas shoppers were packed into hotels unable to return to their luburbsn homes. Trains throughout the east were running far behind schedules and many airline On the whole, temperatures acand bus schedules were cancelled, compan/lng the storm were comparatively mild and only the south, experienced Its first snow of the season, registered unusual ly low readings Temperatures dipped sharply In the east last night and rain turning to snow was predicted in New York city. Five inches of snow closed schooL at Asheville. N. C., while ITura Te Page I, CMtuna 11

Powerful Air Blows Struck At Germany American Bombers Smash At German Sources Os Fuel London. Dec. 12. — (UP) —More than 1.250 American heavy bombers shepherded by 900 fighters smashed today at the big Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg and rail yards at Hanau. Aschaffenburg, and Darmstadt in widespread assaults on Germany. The daylight bombardment deep in central Germany approached the scale of the attack yesterday by a record fleet of I.OTO Flying Fortresses and Liberators on the Frankfurt area. L*. Gen. James H. 'Doolittle dispatched both Fortresses and Liberators escorted by Mustangs. Thunderbolts, and Lightnings in today’s assault on a major source of fuel for the German war machine and transport centers feeding the fighting front. The daylight attack followed stall* by British Mosquito bombers last night at Hannover, Hamburg. and other targets in western Germany. Otte British plane was lost in the night attacks, which followed a series of widespread Allied air blows on the reich that probaldy surpassed any day time bombardment the Germans have taken since Dsiay. Au estimated 4.000 American and British planes were over the reich yesterday, scattering almost 7.000 (Turn To Page 1, Column 4) O Dubois County Farmer Five-Acre Corn Champ l-afaye’te. Ind . Dec. J2--( | Ul’>— The Purdue university argonomy department announced today that the Indiana five-acre corn dub | champion for 1941 wax .Alfred Bartelt. Dvliom county fanner. Bartelt, who lives near Huntingburg, produced a yield cf 163.8 Imshelx per acre, with a 160.5-bush-el yield by Worth Hudson. Rushville. ranking second. .More than 1,800 corn growers from 77 counties i were enrolled in the club contest. British Officials Arrive In Athens High Officers Seek To End Hostilities — ■lzmdon. Dec. 12 (UP) — An Athena broadcast today reported the arrival of Harold MacMillan. British iHildent minister for the Mediterranean, and Marshal Sir Harold K. L G. Alexander. Allied commander in the Mediterranean theater. Diplomatic sources understood the British war cabinet had given the two officials "wide descretion" In taking whatever military and political steps they deotned necessary to end hostilities. The lamdon Daily Sketch said they already had arrived In Greece and had Invited British supported Premier George Papandreou and Itadera of the revolting left-wing EAM to confer with them, but this was not confirmed immediately. The situation Inside Athens waa (ftscure today. No direct word waa believed to have been recel ved from the capital since last night, when (Turg le Page J, Cefauaa >A

Buy War Savings Bonds And Stamps

Price Four Cents

Drive Through Seven German Towns, Now Within Half Mile Os City Os Duren Purls, Dec. 12 — (UP) — The American first army drove through seven German towns io within half a mile of Duren on the Roer river today and to the southeast the xeventn army slashed ahead eight miles through the Maginot pillboxes of northeastern France to Belta, two miles from the Rhine. German resistance wax reported crumbling (with on the rim of the Cologne plain west of the Roer and In northeastern France, where an American plunge toward the Palatinate was shredding the Nazi left flank of the entire western front. Lt. Gen. Alexander M. Patch's seventh army raced forward virtually at will in some sectors of the extreme northeastern tip of France, shoving the whole German wing back down (he Rhine valley within 15 miles of the great fortress city of Karlsruhe across the river. Only 24 hours after the fall of Haguenau. transport center of northern Alsace. Patch’s troop* had raced 16 miles northeast, where they were fighting this afternoon at Beltz, only six miles south of the Palatinate Imrder. A front dispatch, quoting a seventh army officer, said that between Haguenatl and the Rhine the Germans were pulling back north so fast that the Americans almost lost contact, reporting no resistance in the sweep down the valley. Dispatches from Lt. Gen Courtney H. Hodges' front said the German defenses west of the Roer river wen- falling apart liefore the eastward charge of the doughhoys closing against the Nuzi winter defense line on a 10 mile front. Cologne.laiund troops of the first army captured Pier. Merken. Hoven. Mariaweiler, Kozendorf, Derichsweller. and Gey in what field reports described ax "excellent progress" today that carried them from 300 to (UiQ yards of the Roer along a four-tnile front above Duren and gave them control of some three miles of the western bank of the stream below Duren. The clearing of Mariaweiler tipped over the last strongpoint before the northwestern outskirts of Duren, and the Yanka pushed on to within less than 1.000 yards of the Roer citadel, the moat formidable barrier blocking the way to the Rhineland and Cologne. Pier, Merken. and Hoven are in the Mariaweiler area. Derichsweiler lx a fraction over a mile west of Duren on the Eschweiler raifroad Kotendorf is a trunk highway hamlet slightly to the west. Gey Ilex four miles southwest of Duren. A staff officer of the first army (Turn ?o Pag* 1. Column 4) o . ,— Order Draft Boards Make Close Scrutiny Os Job Deferments Indianapolis. Dec 12 — (UP) — Indiana draft classifi at ions today were subjected to close scrutiny by local draft boards in response to an order from Col. Robinson Hitchcock, state selective service director. Hitchcock asked a close check of deferred men because of the manpower shortage and frequency of job shifting The state director explained that regfstranta 18 to 37 who left employment for which they were deferred would be reclaasified ae Immediately available for service unless they cleared their transfers with their draft boarda. The tighten up ruling followed a message from Gen Lewis B Hershey, national selective rjrvice director.