Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 8, Decatur, Adams County, 10 January 1945 — Page 1

ViqtheWar/ /s Chores!

.j/ot XLIII. No. Eiqht

YANKEE TROOPS ON ROAD BACK TO MANILA

" Mans Retreat Bulge In Belgian Salient American Forces s. Win Tank Battle With Nazi Armor Paris, Jan. 10—(UP)—Amerian armor by-passed the Ardennes nehor base of Laßoehe today nd captured nearby Samree by term after winning a big tank attle there, while British forces dvanced two miles on the heels f tierman troops retreating from le nose of the bulge. Front dispatches made it clear tat Marshal Karl Von Rundtedt'B forces were engaged in t orderly withdrawal from the 'estern end of the Belgian salmt, leaving only a brittle shell f rear guard resistance to cover le retreat. :|FTM parade out of the salient, hich, began Jan. 7, now is in ill swing,” a dispatch from U. S. rst army headquarters said. A steady stream of German trafc has been observed moving rstward as the tempo of the ithdrawal increases.” A London Evening News disitch said Canadian troops open--1 a new attack in the sector ght mik» southeast of Nijmegen !i the Maas valley, striking forard into the German trenches tout a mile after a fierce artilry barrage. The report of the attack in the >ng dormant area of eastern oliand, apparently aimed at the leve area where the north end r life Siegfried line is anchored, eked immediate confirmation. ' M the opposite end of the ont, German aggressiveness posLa new. threat to Strasbourg, erman infantry and armor in >me force reached sand and raft, a dozen miles below the reach border city. The French first army with•ew from three miles tuth of Krafft. but drove the azis from the outskirts of Herhteim and Rossfeld, south of and. Ct. Gen. Alexander M. Patch’s ■ S. seventh army knocked out ; (Turn To Page 5, Column 2) tale To Take Over IrettOl Road 101 StoftTo Maintain Six-Mile Stretch — lhek Boch, sub-district superinSStdent of the state highway com-__-jßsion. has received official notice it the committee has adoped a KtiuUon to take over a six mile «tcb cf state road 101. The new maintenance order is ’ectlve, starting at a point on Tlrte roa 4 124, thence running k-th Übmagfc the town of Plea at Mills To a junction with state ad 234, -east of Decatur, There it okg on to the regular 101 already at pbmtained by the state and runn- ; tlhrough Monroeville, Woodburn, t tier and on north to the state Mr. Boch was pleased with the tice for he has felt the improvehas been needed for some re, serving many residents in invert, eaat parj o f the county. It .will two or three weeks, he tied, to secure tlhe signs and rerwise provide for actually tak- . roa<l - The higftway be Cleaned and maintained Iby U Jliug Stone and other-wise keeping ' in find dess condition. ■ed has been prppr mat will be put r require several explained. The i has considered take over this >r some time and m a few daye ago, its of the Schrick- _ - _ TEMPERATURE READ!NG THERMOMETER r*l’ ' ■ *OB^'^ E * THER Wwtly oioudy tonight and ThursftOMmsnai light snow near , little change In

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Pfc. Donald Frauhiger is Wounded In Action >Pfc. Donald E. age IS, nephew of IMr. and Mrs. Leroy Beer, was wounded in action in Germany, December 20. according to word received by relatives. The message did not state how he was wounded, but did mention that as developments were received regarding his condition, the relatives would be notified. Pfc. Fraughiger is in the infantry and received his basic training at Camp Fannin. Texas, and advanced training at Camp Howze, Texas, going overseas last September. Before entering service,' he was employed by the Central Soya company. > Fire Bombs Hit Tokyo In Raid By Three B-29s Follow Up Tuesday Large-Scale Attack On Japanese Targets Washington,' Jan. 10 —(UP) — Three lone B-29 superfortresses dropped fire bombs on Tokyo between midnight and 5:30 a. m. today .Tokyo time), Japanese broadcasts said, in a follow-up to yesterday’s large-scale attack on the capital and at least-seven other targets. A Tokyo domestic broadcast recorded by the FOC said ‘‘no damage whatsoever" resulted from this morning’s ‘‘nuisance raids” on the city. , A war department communique disclosed that B-29s which attacked ‘Tokyo yesterday started fires in the industrial district and shot down two and probably four enemy fighter planes after fighting their way to Honshu island from the 'Marianas against heavy winds and icing. E. G. Valens, a United Press correspondent, reported from a superfortress base on Saipan tUiat part of the formation attacked at least six other targets of opportunity, comprising an airfield near Nagoya, Hamamatsu and anothed industrial town 1* mile® northeast of Hamamatsu, all on Honshu, the railway town of Numazu, on Nirdino island; Chichi island in the Bonins, and one unidentified objective. iThe seventh additional objective of yesterday's attacks was Formosa, Japanese island bastion off the China coast. China-tbased superfortresses attacked Formosa in conjunction with carrier planes from the third fleet with unobserved results. The war department said no (Turn To Page 5, Column 2) o Municipal Employes Seek Pension Plan City Plant Workers Seek Legislation Municipal employee of the city light and water plant want enactment of a law that will establish and give them od age pension benefits, spokesmen for the local organization announced today. Manley Foreman, who has been employed at the city plant-for the past 20 years, said that the local employes had already contacted •Robert H. Heller, representative in the state aiem'bly, seeking his support in passing a law whereby municipal employes could contribute to a pension fund and later draw a pension on retirement after a stipulated number of years of service and having reached a retirement age. Municipal and other governmental employes are excluded from the •benefits of social security and old age pension beneflte, under provision of the federal law. , In Indiana, several cities of the third, second and finst class have established their own pension funds the employe contributing to the fund on a basis similar to the federal plan. 9 ’ The Decatur employes and others in cities tihta size are contacting legislators in Indianapolis, seeking the passage of a law which will ipcude them in a pension plan. 'There i» » movement in congress to expand tbi eocial security protSWM*:& »• £Hu«a *1

Back With Company ■/' '""’ll s ■ Jfz S/Sgt. Theodore Eyanson, previously reported missing in action tn Germany since Dec. 19, returned to his company Dec. 23, a war department telegram notified his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Eyanson of this city, today. Airliner Crashes With 24 On Board Falls In Heavy Fog Near Los Angeles iLos Angeles, Jan. 10 —(UiP)v—An American airliner with 24 persons a'board crashed in heavy fog today after circling the airport and heading for an emergency field. Apparently all occupants of" the plane perished in the crash. Airline officers said all 21 passengers were members cf» tlhe armed forces. Their names were withheld pending notification of next of kin. The plane apparently flew Into a knoll near the airport after Capt. J.iR. McCauley notified the control tower that he was turning back because of poor visibility. -The plane was 25 minutes overdue when it circled tha-airport at 6 A. M. OWT and turned back for an emergency field in the desert because of heavy fog over tlhe air terminal here. It crashed in the foothills about five miles northeast of the Burbank air terminal, in the La Crescenta region, The- fog' held search planes on -the ground, and it was six hours before visibility improved enough for searchers to sight the wreckage. An airport control tower watcher, who spotted the plane, was unable to determine whether there was any sign of life, and automobile parties left at once for the scene. The ship was on a regular flight from New York and had made its last stop at Phoenix. Al Bone, American airplines vice president, said the plane was 25 minutes late when it appeared over (Turn To Page 5, Column 4) Anderson Funeral Rites Held Today Schools Dismissed For Funeral Rites (Funeral services for Sigurd Anderson, popular Decatur high school teacher whose tragic death occurredJMonday, were held at 2 o’clock this afternoon at the First Methodist church, with Dr. M. O. Lester, pastor, officiating. Burial was in t-he Decatur cemetery. The body, moved from the Gillig and Doan funeral home, lay in state at the Methodist church from 12 to 2 o’clock, with a guand of honor representing the fttculty and school organizations, including tlhe Commercial club, Rawlings staff, and junior and class officers, standing watch at the casket. 'The grade and high sdhools were dismissed at noon so that students and faculty could attend the services. Flags at the schools were draped at half mast. « 'The pallbearers were Maurice Haney, Ames Ketchum. Dan Perry, Sylvester Evedhart, Deane Dorwin and Vaughn Millikan, the latter five Ibefeg members of the school faculty. of the Bta Tau Signn* sorority acted as flower girle.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, January 10, 1945.

Must Step Up Inductions In Armed Forces War Undersecretary Says 150,000 Men Needed Each Month Washington, Jan. 10 —(UP) — Undersecretary of war Robert P. Patterson said today that inductions into the armed forces will have to be jumped to approximately 150,000 a month to meet military demands. Testifying before the house military affairs committee on work or fight legislation for men from the ages of 18 to 45, Patterson said that during the first half of 1945 1,600,000 additional persons will be needed in the war effort —900.000 for military service. and 700,0.00 in war production and war supporting activities. This would put the rate of inductions at 150,000 a month, almost doubling previous expectations of selective service that January and February inductions would run between 80,000 and 85,000 a month. Patterson and undersecretary of navy Ralph A. Bard indorsed a bill by chairman Andrew J. May, D„ Ky., of the military affairs committee, for work or fight regulations for all deferred men between 18 and 45, but added that theke is a vital need for national service in its broadest aspects as recommended by President Roosevelt in his annual message. Patterson said the May bill bad war department approval as an “immediate measure,” but added that “we hope more comprehensive legislaiton along the lines referred to by the president ip his message also will be enacted.” z “In the past we —by that I mean, the government—have resorted" to half way measures, not furnishing a quick solution to impediments,” Patterson said. “There have been innumerable instances where production furnishing supplies to the armed forces has been retarded because of inadequate mobiliation of manpower in,civilian pursuits. “The only complete and adequate solution to the manpower situation is full national service as the president requested . . . the war will be shortened by total mobilization of manpower ” Patterson and Bard told the committee that neither the army or navy could use non-combatants in special service units, and hoped that in the enactment of work of fight legislation congress would make the work in these units so unattractive that deferred men would go into essential (Turn To Page 5, Column 6)®"

More Details Are Received Os Death Os Capt. Eugene Fields

Captain Eugene P. Fields, former Decatur dentist, whose tragic death occurred in Burma, (India) on November 16, 1944, died from wounds from a bullet fired by an unknown person, Brig.-Gen. Robert H. Dunlop, acting the adjutant general of the war department, has notified the widow, Mrs. Margaret Fields of 413 Mercer Avenue. The paragraph from the letter reads: “This report discloses that Captain Fields received severe injuries on the night of Nov. 16, 1944. on the Myitkina-Sumprabum Road. Burma, when he was struck by a bullet fired by an unknown person. First aid was promptly administered. but death occurred while he was enroute to an army hospital. I assure you, Mrs. Fields, that a thorough study of the. circuHf stances has been made by a competent officer who personally interrogated all persons who might have had knowledge of the incident. Captain Fields was absent from his organization with authority when the Injuries, resulting in his death, were incurred.” Mrs. Fields has also received a letter from Colonel Thomas J. Heavey, commander of the 124th Cavalry, Special, in which Captain Fields served, expressing his “profound regret”.over Captain Fields’ untimely death. Major Richard H. Greer, commanding officer of the medical detachment of the 124th Cavalry, also has written to her.

Below Zero Weather Fails To Hit City Decatur escaped the five to 10 below zero weather that was predicted for this territory last night. The mercury dropped under the 10 above zero mark (luring the night, 'i>ut rose this morning when the sun came out. •More snow fell early this morning, adding to the hazards of traveling and drifting on the county loads making many of them almost impassable, except for one-lane traffic. Rising temperatures were predicted for tonight and Thursday. o Crazed Father Kills Two And Takes Own Life Fort Wayne Family Nearly Wiped Out By Crazed Father Fort Wayne, Ind., Jan. i —Three persons were dead, one | near death, and a fifth was suffer- : ing wounds today, after a crazed father, Zeile Smith, 44. a World' War I veteran, attempted to murder his whole family before turning | the gun on himself nt home last; night. The latest to die was Mrs. Dora Smith, 74, his mother, who was shot through the stomach and arm. The slayer, a former accountant, died instantly, as did a daughter, Audrey Mae Smith. 21. His wife, Mrs. Alferetta Smith, j 48. shot through the head, was in i very critical condition and probably would not live, according to hospital authorities. The youngest daughter. Alma Jean Smith, 18, appeaerd to be ‘ the only one who would survive ‘ the mass murder. She was; wounded in the abdomen and arm also. “I'm going to be a better father I to you,” were the last words he said. Alma, told officials, before drawing the gun and trying the wholesale slaughter. The family was all seated in the living room listening to the radio at the time, j “There had been no quarrel- J ing,” the girl continued. "Father was sitting on the end of the davenport, mother was in the : middle and I was on the other end. Audrey was sitting on the | floor. Grandmother was in a i chair. “We knew father had a gun. He' had one for years, but we didn’t know he had it with him. “He had been acting queerly for some time. Yesterday he imagined things. He said he thought cars were driving up in front of (he house and someone was trying to get him. “Father had a nervous break(Turn To Page 5, Column 5)

Major Greer commented. “Captain Fields was buried on Nov. 17 in an American military cemetery with full military honors. His escort consisted of all members of this detachment, who voluntarily marched 14 miles, after a hard day of Baining, to pay their respects to a departed officer and good friend.” The Chaplain’s Letter Chaplain Frederick A. Gumz. attached to the 124th Cavalry, gave a word picture of the funeral services held for Captain Fields. Inspiriugly he wrote to Mrs. Feilds as follows: “When you receive this letter you will have been informed that your husband, Eugene, was killed in line of duty on 16 November, 1944. On the following day. 17 November, funeral services were .held at 2:30 p. m. All the staff officers of the regiment were present. The entire medical detachment marched approximately 15 miles en masse to pay its last respects. Six medical corps officers served as pall bearers.' The procession was led by a military escort preceded by the national and regimental colors. At the grave, full military honors befitting your husband’s rank were accorded. I personally read the ritual. Thereupon, volleys were fired at. the order of the captain in command. Finally the flag, flown (Turn To Pag* 2, Column 1)

Rotary Lecturer .. £ j| Simon M. Davidtan. gbove, will be the first speaker in the Rotary institute of international understanding series, at 8 o'clock Thursday evening* the Decatur junior-senior Rotary Institute To Open Here Thursday Simon Davidian To Be Initial Speaker Rotary’s insitute of international understanding will open Thursday evening at 8 o’clock at the Decatur junior-senior high school auditorium with a lecture by Simon M. Davidian of Lima, who will discuss, “Russia’s Position . . . East and West." , It will be the first of four weekly lectures to be given by notable and informed speakers on world affairs and timely subjects of interest to all Americans. The lectures will be given each Thursday night, through to February 1. Mr. Davidian will be presented by Dau H. Tyndall, chairman of the local club’s international service committee. The institute is sponsored by the Decatur Rotarians and admission can be obtained by guest ticket. Persons desiring season tickets should contact a member of the club for a free ticket. Mr. Davidian. traveler, lecturer, and specialist in international affairs, stems from Armenia, which is now one of the Republics in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. His people made their escape from Armenia during the Turkish massacres of a generation ago and Simon was born in Constantinople. His parents subsequently lived in Paris and then emigrated to America where Simon was brought up in Worcester, Mass., in the atmosphere of an American home and the school room of the New World (Turn To Page Column (»

Execute New Order To Induct Farmers 203 In County Are Affected By Order 'The Adams county selective service board is executing the new order to call young farmers, I*B tihrough 25, commonly .known as classification 2-c for pr induction examinations. dn this county there are 203 young men in tli> affected age range. They will be given a preinduction examination and if physically qualified, will be placed in the PA group, subject to immediate call. IThe local board.has also received the directive concerning the immediate induction of tneu who .have jpft essential industry, since December 12. without a determination 'by the county selective service 'board. These men have deferments in classes 2-iA or 2-B. iMen above 26. up to 38 years of age, who have not been deferred by the state selective service board, will be subject to call. K the 18 to 26 age group does not furnish the required number of men for the induction calls expected during the next six montlhs. 'Selective service has notified the local board that inductions of men for the armed forces will be stepped up 75 to 100 pe.r cent. The local 'board is scraping the bottom of the manpower barrel now and it ■the inductions are increased, men over 26 years of age will then be called, the board explained.

Jap Resistance Feeble In Early Stage American Invasion Arjny Os 100,000 Drives Down Highway Toward Manila, Only 100 Miles Off--Losses Light With General MacArthur on Luzon, Jan. 10—(UP) — An American invasion army—loo,ooo strong—today drove doWn the highway toward Manila, 100 miles away, overrunning San Fabian and other Linga.ven gulf towns against feeble resistance which cost our forces vrtually ne beachhead casualties. 5 Light Japanese forces fell back under the impact of the American blow. So far there has been little Japanese air reaction and’advancing American vanguards found the Japanese had only ma4@ half-hearted efforts to wreck bridges as they fell back in

Germans Hurl Fresh Men In Budapest Fight Soviet Siege Lines Rolled Back, Fierce Battles Are Raqing London. Jan. 10. — (UP) — The German army hurled fresh Panzer divisions into the battle for Budapest today in a series of lunging tank drives that rolled back the i Russian siege lines within 15 miles J west and northwest of the bitting i city. One of the war’s decisive battles was in full swing on a 30-mile front extending southward from the Danube river bend, with the Germans committing great masses of men; and armor in all-out attempt to salvage Hitler’s last major satellite j capital and the remnants of 80.000 Axis troops trapped tn its ruins. Moscow dispatches admitted the Russians Were giving ground at: some points before superior Ger-1 man numbers, but the Soviet morning communique said all attempts at a breakthrough had been block-! ed and that 'he enemy's casualties' were piling up by the thousands. ; Both sides were reported pouring reinforcements into the battle, as well as into a second.critical sector • north of the Danube, where the Russians were closing in on Komarno in a desperate effort to outflank the Nazi divisions striking for Budapest. The focal point of the fighting re- 1 mained on the Esztergom-Budapest' highway northwest of the city., Theffr'the Germans were attacking; incessantly with tanks and infan-1 try against a thin wall of Russian guns and armor up within (Turn To Page ,5, Column .1) All Bank Offices | Reelected Tuesday Graliker On 10th Year As President —— Theodore F. Graliker will begin ; his 10th year as president of the | First State Bank, he and the other ; bank officers being re-elected at the annual meeting of the directors last evening. The same board of directors was also re-elected. Besides Mr. Graliker, the directors are, Dan Sprang, chairman of tl'j board, now confined to the hospital with illness; John iP. Braun. Theodore Hobrock and E. W. Busche. Tire officers are: Mr. Hobrock, vice-president; R. 'E. Glendening, cashier; H. H. Kruecktlterg and E. M. Caston, assistant cashiers; William H. Ixtse. Jr., teller. Decsttur's eight million dollar bank enjoyed its biggest year in point of 'business in 1944. Deposits increased more than $1,600,000 and total assets climbed nearly to the eiglht million dollar mark. Mr. Graiker reported to the directors that since the outbreak of war, the ibank had sold $2,750,000 ®. F, and G. bonds to persons who wore sstaiblisiting a savings account for after the war.

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eForward units reported they had penetrated inland “a number of miles” without encountering more than light resistance. At the end of the beachhead north <jf San Fabian a battleship and two destroyers pounded away at the hills on the flank of the beachhead where the Japanese were said to have some concentrations, including artillery. One U. S. division suffered only three casualties on the landing, all by drowning. The weather was hot and clear and our troops, supplies and armored forces poured ashore in quantities never matched in the Pacific. From a 1,000 ship armada 800 of them transports — standing along the curving Lingayen gulf I coast American troops, artillery, tanks, transports, and munitions , poured ashore in a continuous ? stream. By this morning one thing was ; apparent —we have come to Luzon ; to stay. Protected by a screen of heavy i naval artillery fire which fingered inland as far as the line of the I Agno river, roughly 19 miles inland and only 88 miles from Manila. American troops were adI vanning rapidly. They had firm ground to advance across at the northern end of the curving beachhead which ■ is already 15 miles long between I San Fabian and Lingayen. At the southern end of the beachhead the initial obstacle i was the sluggish Calmay river. 1 connecting the Agno and Dagupan rivers, running parallel to the ; beachhead about two miles inI land. I Hut there were no appreciable I beach defenses and good roads : and p<Xhs thread the rice paddies. San Fabian was the only Lingayen town named in initial reports a§ captured but others were seized, too. Lingayen has three air strips and one of the main beachheads was established only a few hundred yards from the main LingayVn strip. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who ' came ashore with his troops a few hours after their landing at. 9:27 a. m. yesterday said that the invasion was progressing “better I 'han could be Despite inconsequential initial ; Japanese opposition the cam- ■ paign was expected to develop quickly into full-scale battle. MacArthur's spearheads were racing for the broad terrain of the Luzon plains, the best area of | maneuver MacArthur has encounI tered in his long campaign since Bataan. The speed of the American advance on Manila, it was agreed, will depend on the rapidity with which the Japanese can move up their forces under the strafing attacks of our air forces. Naval pilots reported that Japanese troops already were on the move to the north hut the Japanese high command appeared to have been bewildered and confused by the complicated maneuvers of MacArthur's invasion fleet and the shattering air and naval attacks which preceded the landing. The keynote of the whole American operation was aggressiveness and hard punching. One American general told his men as they went in: “When we meet the enemv. hit him fast and hit him hard. Keep him off balance and make him play to your lead.” The preparatory bombardment tTurn To Page 2, Column 3)