Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 92, Decatur, Adams County, 18 April 1945 — Page 1

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LIII. No. 92.

MERICANS ROLL INTO CZECHOSLOVAKIA

'rnie Pyle Killed In Action

I s Leading Iler Killed Lp Bullet ■ar Correspondent, ■loved By Fighting Ben, Slain On le Biington, Apr. 18 (IP) a peaceful little guy Became this war’s greatest Bondent, has been killed in ■e action. Btary of navy James Forannounced that the 44Bld Scripps-Howard columnBa killed instantly by a Ke machine gun bullet on Bittie island off Okinawa, ■was killed, Forrestal said, ■ company of “the foot sol■the men for whom he had Batest admiration.” Bas because he always ■ the company of the foot ■ that Pyle became known ■ foxhole reporter. ■patches from Guam said Bas killed 'on the outskirts ■ town of le at 10:15 a. m. ■ Guam time — Tuesday ■ r. S. time.) ■idem Truman received the ■in an already bereaved ■ House while conferring Borrestal, secretary of war S L. Stimson, and secretary ■e Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. j president immediately ■ out a statement in which I “Singled Out” K By United Press ■nie Pyle was “singled ■ by a. Japanese machine ■er and was killed instant■hile he was talking with ■officer in a command post ■le Shima, Larry Tighe, ■ network correspondent, ■rted from Guam today, ■tlicr correspondents rend there was the same ■ -of- stimhed- disbeilef~Trt — ■dquarters when the news ■ Pyle’s death arrived as ■n President Roosevelt’s ■th was announced last yay (Guam time). Bid the nation, sorrowing for Bte president,' was “saddened Iby the death of Ernie ■>inet members, generals, ■nils, members of congress • in mourning Pyle—joined I privates, sailors, sergeants ■nillions of every-day AmeriIto whom Pyle, had described |r than any other man what |is really like. fsident Truman said “no |in this war has so well told Jtory of th e American fight- | man as American fighting [wanted it told.” |e deserves,” the president f- "the gratitude of all his frymen.” ri’estal subsequently issued F n,al announcement at the [ He revealed that Pyle was t' ng at the time beside the “"tai commanding officer fadquarters troops, 77th divi- |°‘ the army. F “cfetary’s statemen t said: [‘th deep regret the navy Rees the death on le Shima I ” le Pyie > whose reporting of r ar e "deared him to the men f °rces throughout L an d to their families some. sWas5 Was killed instantly by U® " ,acl >ine gun fire while L.„.. beside the regimental L ra d ‘ n . e officer of headb L r °° PS ’ 77th division, ih ho y At tlle time of his I th* WaS with the foot solmen tor whom he had -I_?° 1:00 , RAT THERMOMETER boo.’” 41 non W 41 1:00 ”■ s Fair hur,d,’ nd . c *" and >Sht t. Bht frost to- » t o n, M eratUre ra nging >uth norft 33 north ’ 34 to 38 Portion tonight.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

President Truman Speaks To Troops Radio Broadcast To Men In Service Washington, Apr. 18. — (VP) — President Truman’s reports to congress and the armed services outlined a cautious pattern today ter the crucial 100 first days of an administration he promised to conduct in “the American tradition.” Plans we'Fe being made, as he broadcast last night, for a meeting '■ o the big three foreign ministers here preliminary to the San Francisco conference. China and France ■ may also be represented. In his broadcast, to the millions ’ of uniformed Americans, the new president told of his shock at 1 Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s death. “He never faltered,” he sail, ' “nor shall we.'” Mr. Tsuman spoke to the troops as a veteran who knows the mid, muck and danger of battle. “I have done as you do in the • field, when a commander falls,” he said. “My duties and responsibilities are clear. I have assumed them. These duties will be carried ! on in keeping with the American tradition. “I know the strain, the mud, the misery, the utter weariness of the ' soldier in the field. And I now. too, his courage, his stamina and his faith in his comrades, his country and himself. “We are depending on every one of you.” The five minute broadcast was beamed from 32 short wave stations in this country. It was rebroadcast by-army and navy stations. Ampli(Turn To Page 2. Column 5) 0 Decatur Lions Club Enjoys Quiz Program The Decatur Lions club enjoyed a quiz program at the weekly meeting Tuesday evening, with Phil Sauer in the role of “Dr. I. Q..” noted" radio quiz program- director. (Special guests at the meeting were Lt. David Macklin, Gregg McFarland, Gene (Moser and Ralph Sauer. 'The service clutb will entertain their wives and sweethearts nfext ’ Tuesday. The meeting will open with a dinner in the dining room of tihe First Methodist church. At 1 7:30, the ladies chorus of the General Electric aeolian choir will pre- ’ sent a concert in the church auditorium. The general public is invited to attend the concert, for which 1 no admission will <be charged. o Clothing Collection Underway In Decatur Receiving Points Established Here The united clothing collection got underway in Decatur today, 1 with 'the announcement that clothing receiving points had been established at the Decatur Auto Paint and Top Shop, 213 S. First street, and in the Lamon building, on the east side of South Second street, opposite the ; court house. Clarence Ziner, county chair- ; man, and Phil Sauer, city chair- ’ man, Were completing arrange--1 ments today for the collection of used clothing. Later, volunteer workers will help to sort the ! clothing and prepare it for shipment to an embarkation point. Mr. Ziner also announced that county highway trucks will gather ! the clothing at the rural schools in the townships, the details for the drive being arranged by Lyman L. Hann, township chairman. Already much clothing has been delivered to the schools and with the spring semester coming to an end this week, the pick-up of the clothing could not be postponed, the chairman explained. Used, wearable clothing is desired. The slogan for the drive, “What can you spare, that they can wear,” explains the simple task of gathering up worn or Outgrown clothing for children, men and women and contributing > 'to the war refugee clothing drive.

B-29s Blast Jap Suicide Plane Bases Designed To Knock Out Japanese Bases For Suicide Pilots Guam, Apr. 18— (UP) —More than 100 superfortresses Zipped Japan’s six main suicide-plane bases in southern Kyushu before dawn today for the second time in less than 12 hours. The superfortresses’ fastest one-two punch yet against Japan was designed'to knock out airfields from which enemy suicide pilots have been taking off to crash their explosive-laden planes against American warships off Okinawa. Today's raid marked the third anniversary of Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle’s historic carrier-based raid on Tokyo, now nearly onetenth destroyed as result of B-29 tire raids in the past six weeks. A Japanese broadcast said Ameri tan troops have landed on tiny Menna Island, just south of nearly-conquered le Island and three miles off Okinawa’s embattled Motobu peninsula. The invasion, like that of le, was designed to gain additional airfields for the Americans, the broadcast said. It indicated the landing occurred simultaneously with that on le Monday. Pacific fleet headquarters was silent on the purported landing, but announced tiiat two-thirds of fe already had been cleared against moderate resistance. On Okinawa, marines battled 1,300 to 2,200 Japanese entrenched in the hills of Motobu peninsula in the northern sector. The Japanese counter-attacked four times yesterday and an important bill changed hands twice in the vicious flgh.tlng,__Three__hun-; dred enemy dead were found when the marines finally wen a firm hold on the hill. The 24th army corps front above Naha, capital of Okinawa, was quiet. o Federal Food Czar Appoinlment Urged Stiict Supervision Over Lockers Asked Chicago, Apr. IS. — (UP) —The appointment of a federal food czar, coupled with a more stringent control over locker plant operations, was urged today by food group representatives as the most efficient means of dealing with the nation’s meat shortage. Testifying before a congressional committee investigating food shortages, Mrs. Rose M. Keifer, executive secretary of the national association of retail grocers, and Charles H. Bromann, executive secretary of the associated food dealers, demanded the appointment of a czar with control over all phases of food consumption and production. His powers, they agreed, should extend to federal purchase of meat for foreign shipments. Strict supervision over locker plants was demanded by Bromann and Michael Pitrzak, international representative of the American Amalgamated Meat Cutters and (Turn To Page 2, Column 7) . o — Truman Proclamation On Mother's Day Washington, Apr. 18. — (UP) — President Truman today issued his first proclamation—for observance of Mothers’ Day on May 13. “It is fitting that we acknowledge anew our gratitude, love and devotion to the mothers of America,” his proclamation said. “In this year of the war’s greatest intensity we are ever mindful of their splendid courage and steadfast loyalty to the highest ideals of our democracy.”

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, April 18, 1945.

Yanks Cross Elbe River ! ■■ : ■ >y; ’ .. /Ji V . % ... Ari I Rjp**? LOADED WITH ENGINEERS, a Ninth army "duck" crosses the Elbe river, last water barrier before Berlin. Pontoon bridges were built after a bridgehead across the river was established. This is a signal corps radiophoto.

7,000 Civilians Are Freed By Filipinos I Outskirts Os Baguio Stormed By Yankees Manila, Apr. 18. — (UP) —U. S. troops today stormed the outskirts of Baguio, Japanese citadel from which Filipino guerrillae have rescued more than 7.000 civilians in the last three weeks. Tiie civilians, who were brought to the American lines, included a numbe.r of U. S. citizens, President Sergio Osmena’s daughter, MHagros, and Brig. Gen. Manuel Roxas, Tormer speaker of"the Philippines assembly. • , Four members of the Filipino collaborationist government also were captured by the daring Igorot natives who stole into Baguio at night and brought out the civilians in groups ranging from two to 1,800 persons. Gen. Douglas MacArthur said the four collaborationists would be held for the duration of the war and then turned over to the Philippines government “for trial and judgment.” The men and their positions in thte Japanese-controlled puppet regime were: Yose Yulo, chief justice of the supreme court; Antonio De Las Alas, minister of finance; Teofilo Sison, minister of interior, and Quinton Paredes, minister of justice. MacArthur also announced that troops of the 33rd division had reached the northwestern outskirts of Baguio, former Japanese headquarters in the Philippines and onetime summer capital for the islands. Two other American columns at the same time reached points less than three miles from the southwestern and southeastern lirnfts of the northern Luzon city. Philippines-based' bombers continued the firm blockade of China sea shipping and sank or destroyed at least 21 enemy vessels, including a destroyer and a sub-chaser. A single navy Liberator account(Turn To Page 2. Column 3)

What Can You Spare That They Can Wear? TAKE YOUR USED CLOTHING TO Decatur Auto Paint & Top Shop 213 North First St. The Lamon Building S. Second Street — Opposite Court House Clean out your closet ?nd put your clothes on the back of a war refugee. » Decatur Chapter United National Clothing Collection

Ask Stores To Close For Everett Funeral Officials of the Chamber of Co nmerce today requested Decatur business houses and offices to close from 10 to 11 o'clock Thursday morning during funeral services for John Everett. 91-year-old retired business man. who died Tuesday at his home here. "Services will be held at 10 a. m. tomorrow at the First Baptist church, with the Rev. O. E. Miller, of Haskins, O„ former local pastor, officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. ■ o— Council Discusses Dog Pound For City Quarantine Report By Health Officer A discussion on establishing a dog pound and appointing a dog catcher took place at the city council meeting last evening, when Dr. James M. Burk, secretary of the 'board of health, appeared and reported on the ra'hies quarantine. Without a pound and a dog catcher, it is practically impossible to enforce the quarantine, the health officer stated. Few people observe 'the quarantine and still fewer persons have placed muzzles on their dogs, Dr. Burk stated. The health officer suggested that a spring anil fall drive against stray dogs be inaugurated as a means of cleaning up the canines. Dr. Burk indicated that the present quarantine would be lifted next week, unless conditions warranted an extension of (he (han on letting dogs run locee. Two petitions for rural electric line hookups at the Hugo Heiman farm in Washington township and to the Curtis L. Miller farm in Union township were filed with the council and referred to the committee. The agreement with Sam Diehl for an electric line extension to his farm in Root township was (Turn To Pag® 2. Column 4)

Five Keystone Cities Os Hitler's Crumbling Third Reich Attacked

Foreign Diplomats Moving From Tokyo London, Apr. 18. — (UP) — A Dor.iei news agency dispatch reported by the BBC said today that a majority of the foreign diplomats in Japan had moved from Tokyo to Karuizawa. The broadcast dispatch gave no explanation for the reported move, but presumably it was caused by air attacks on Tokyo. o — Continue Cleanup Os Nazi Air Force 4,100 German Planes Destroyed In April London. Apr. 18 —(UP) —About 1,350 American bombers and fighters attacked rail targets and German air fields in southern Germany and western Czechoslovakia today. An announcement that some (100 mustangs and thunderbolts were shooting up German aitfields again indicated they were out to strike the final blows against the Nazi air force, which had lost 1,447 planes in the previous 48 hours. It was the third straight day the eighth air force had hit the target. More than 750 flying fortresses and liberators bombed rail lines in the corridor between the Allied armies. The persistent bombing of transport facilities in that area was’aimed at disrupting the flight of the Nazis into the Bavarian Alps. RAF Lancasters attacked railway yards at Cham, 72 miles southeast of Nuernberg and 10 miles from the Czechoslovak border, before dawn in direct support of the American seventh army. British mosquitos attacked an airfield at Ingolstadt, south of Nuernberg, and objectives in Berlin during the night. Allied planes destroyed 401 German aircraft on the ground I ahd 30 in the air yeserday. A | total of 1.016 was destroyed Monday. Since April 1. the Allies have destroyed 4,100 German planes. / o 42 Hoosiers Back From Prison Camps Camp Atterbury. Ind.. Apr. IS. — (UP) — Forty-two happy Hoosiers were home today. Recently liberated from enemy prison camps, they arrived here earlier in the week and were sent home yesterday after being processed. The men were given 21 days delay en route to Miami Beach. Fla., for reassignment in .this country. o French Mopping Up Bordeaux Approaches End Os Resistance Is Expected Today Atan'tic Front, France, Apr. 18. — (UP) — The sea approaches to Bordeaux were virtually clear today as French forces mopped up the remaining few Germans fighting at the mouth of the Gironde estuary on the Atlantic coast. With 6,000 Germans already in the prisoner cages, only a few enemy forces still held out in the small pocket at the northern tip of the Royan peininsula. A communique from the headquarters of the French commander. Gen. De C. A. De Larminat. indicated all resistance would end today. Tanks from Gen. Jacques Leclerc's famous second armored division spearheaded the hunt for the remaining Germans Sliding in the dense undergrowth on the peninsula. As the French beat their way into the woods, fires still burned from Tuesday’s aerial attack on the Bonne Anes fortifications. (Turn To Page 2, Column 7>

Reds Fighting In Sighl Os Burning Berlin ' _____ Germans Admit Reds Are Only 17 Miles Northeast Os City London, ylpril 18 —(UP) — The official Soviet newspaper Red Fleet said today that the Russians were fighting within sight o f hu'-ning Berlin. The dispatch made no direct reference to the big Berlin-bound offensive nor did it locate advance Soviet positions, but the Nazis admitted the Russiians were only 17 miles northeast of the capital. A German DNig dispatch said the offensive had reached its “climatic phase" with nine attacking Soviet armies scoring neA- penetrations wee-t of Kuestrin on the WarsawBerlin superhighway and north of Wriezen, 23 miles northeast of the capital The German high command reported a “defensive battle of utmost ferocity" in the Oder valley before Berlin, where the Russians were attacking with a "far superior array of men and material.” it acknowledged (Soviet penetrations south of Frankfurt, on either side of Seelow, 26 miles east of Beßriin, and south of Wriezen. A iNlazi communique claimed that Red army’s offensive in the Neisse valley southeast of Berlin had bogged down in the German defenses (between Cottibus and Goerliitz. A supplementary Nazi broadcast reported viohnt tank battles southeast of Cottbus, and said the 'Russians were moving heavy armor into their two Neisse bridgeheads south of Forest and at Ro’heniburg. Berlin earlier revealed that the tßed army also had linked up all its Oder river bridgeheads to form a solid 45 mile, front east of Berlin and had all but isolated Frankfurt, the capital's main outer defense bastion. To the south, the Germans said., (Turn To Page 5, Column 2)

Allied Forces Push Slowly On Bologna Best Gain Is Made By Polish Troops Rome, Apr. 18. — (UP) — Eightn army forces drove within ten miles of Bologna from the southeast today and another column outflanked the city from the northeast. American Fifth army units previously had driven within eight miles of Bologna, due south of the city. In new gains they cleared the rugged peaks of Mt. Moscoso and Mt. Davigo, 12 miles southwest of the city. The best new gain was by Polish units of the Eighth Army which smashed forward two miles along the superhighway running into Bologna from the southeast, putting them ten miles from the city. Meanwhile, British troops surrounded Argenta, 24 miles to the northeast, creating a new threat to the Bologna defenders, already facing drives from south, southeast and southwest. Allied airforces, pacing the ground assault, yesterday dropped 1,600 tons of explosives on the German positions fronting Bologna. Fortresses and Liberators led the show. Allied forces were'pushing slowly toward Bologna, gaining painfully across terrible terrain against a foe fighting fanatically. A front dispatch reported one American division had taken only eleven prisoners in two days, testifying to the stubbornness of the enemy defense.

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Price Four Cents.

Flying Columns Os Patton Army Break Over Nazi Frontier Into Czechoslovakia Paris, Apr. 18—(UP)—American armies rolled into Czechoslovakia and stormed the five keystone ’cities of Hitler's crumbling third reich today in a general offensive that Nazi spokesmen admitted had swept away their western front. Flying columns of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's American third army broke across the German frontier into Czechoslovakia early today on the final lap of a 200-mile dash from the Rhine that split the Reich in two. Tlie breakthrough was made at an undisclosed point near the northwestern tip of the enslaved Czechoslovak republic, barely IflO miles from Prague. Patton's third army troops also fought their way into Chemnitz, about 51) miles northeast of their crossing point, and 80-odd miles west of tile advancing Red army. Powerful tank and infantry forces of the American first, seventh and ninth armies, meanwhile, were storming the remaining four cornerstones of Germany’s western line —• Leipzig, Halle, Nuernberg and Magdeburg. Tile Americans already had swept far beyond ail five Nazi citadels to points as close as 70 miles from the Russians —on the Berlin front —and their fall appeared only a matter of days at most. Die-hard German garrisons, most of them held in the fight only by the guns of Nazi Elite guards, were battling desperately to hold the five strongholds and prevent a general breakthrough that might finish off the European war. Censored field dispatches indicated that the fanatical German resistance around these key fortresses and supply difficulties had slowed the armored sweep of tile American armies into' eastern Germany. Nazi spokesmen admitted somberly, however, that the stiffening had come too late to prevent the break-up of their western defenses into a patchw.ork of disorganized islands of resistance, many of them out of contact witli the German high command. Infantrymen and flame-throw-ing tanks of the U. S. ninth army ran into ferocious resistance from Nazi Elite guards and some 1,400 members of the Hitler youth organization in the streets of Magdeburg, but they were reported making steady progress toward the city's four Elbe river bridges. Late dispatches said the ninth army’s 30lh infantry division and units of the second armored division had cleared all of Magdeburg's southern and southwestern (Turn To Page 5, Column 7)

C. D. Teeple Elected Presbytery Trustee At the meeting of the Fort Wayne Preslhytery at Elkhart, yesterday, C. D. Teeple of this city was elected a trustee of the district Presbytery. an honor earned by his participation in affairs of the church as a member of the state bait’d the past several years. Rev. John Morrison of the Anthony Boulevard church at Fort Wayne was elected moderator for the Fort Wayne district. Mr. Teeple reports that the selection of Rev. John W. McPheeters of Farmington, 111., to serve as pastor of the church here was approved and arrangements made to hold a special session of the Presbytery here on Sunday evening. May 20 at 7 o'clock at which time the new pastor will be ordained. Plans for thp meeting will be announced later. Rev. Arthur Korteling. of Bluffton. moderator for the Decatur church, is quite ill at his home and was unaible to attend the Elkhart meeting. Rev. McPheetere and family are expected to arrive here May 1. ♦