Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 January 1945 — Page 13

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igation last nigh authorities foun e in an unhea 963 N. Pernsy!

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lhe river at Salmchateau, a high hill back of the noll and the town lies in the valley 400 yards away |~which isn't very far in these days of guns which [hink nothing of shooting the buttons off your vest a urlong away. . ; “But it was 9 o'clock -at night and snowin’ like 1ell,” explained Lt, Lloyd Pollette, Shreveport, La., ‘and I sho’ didn't want to shack up in the woods on the hilltop. You see, we had been in the big house sefore and knew there was a big Sibley stove there. 30 I decided to go in.. If you gotta fight a war you night as well be comfortable if you can, which aint ten.” - : : That's how E company- of .the 82d airborne divison regiment got into the house on the river last

aight. That's why they're entrenched there today, in -

one of the strongpoints the 82d has set up to hold along the Salm river—after many days of cold and dtter fighting. . . Slowly, because the snow has everything gummed ap, we drive the Germans out of the towns they took m the big push. Here, where we've cut the St. VithLa Roche highway in several places, they've been lanusually pestiferous. “And so I asked the 82d to take the ridge,” a high-ranking officer related. And Maj. Gen. James Gavin, the, youngest, officer of- his rank here in the ground forces—he's 37—sent the (reshest regiment to do the job.

‘It Wasn't Mucky ~~

“THEY THOUGHT we were coming from the north,” gloated the master minds, ‘and we hit from the west; went over the slope on their flank. A brilliant maneuver, well executed.” That is a fighting man's description of what the high command says was brilliant work, on the hillsrest that Jerry was hellbent on holding, | Well, after an uneventful day of dodging mortars land burp-guns, E company reached the objective, the ihillcrest, shortly after dark. But they couldn't think

of anything but the fife in the stove in the house they had left—in a large hurry a few weeks before. ' So Pollette sent Lt. Dave Tex., Sgt. Vernon Stove, Stillwater, Okla. Sgt. Lawrence Arron, Clarion, Pa., and Pvt. Frank Burak, Nutley, N. J., out to reconnoiter, Half an hour later they re H : “Krauts in our command post,” Sgt. Agron reported to Pollette. “We heard several say, ‘Ya.'” “They can’t do that to us,” cried Pollette. “Let’s get em away from the stove.”

‘There Was the Stove’

THEN, THEY admit they had a little trouble. For there was a huge stone gate in the stone wall leading to the house from the back. The Krauts were there with burp-guns and. automatic weapons. ing fire fight was one of savage intensity with tracer bullets cutting through the falling snows. Men died and lay in the whiteness. “But we were into it; it was an ideal position to hold because it commanded all roads leading trom the town,” Pollette explained. “And besides we had been bucking for an assignment to retake that particular house since we had lived in it. And there was the “stove.” So E company shot its way into the house. It commands the entire view from three directions. Onl the road below, to the right, are five Kraut trucks and a tank, knocked out by E company men, [hey stand behind the walls and snipe at the enemy, keeping them crazy—and rather permanently dead if they grow. too boid. : . A few of E company have dropped into the snow today. Yes, it's a good military post. From there artillery and mortar fire can be directed with beautiful accuracy. Skipper Pollette and his men have no regrets that they fought in a snowstorm, took the house and 30 prisoners—except one. When the Jerry officers left, they took the stove.

The substitute is a wheezy and totally incompetent|

bit of mechanism,

(Copyright, 1945, by The Indianapolis Times and The Chicago Daily News, Inc.)

Inside Indianapolis By Lowell Nussbaum

DURING THE showing of a newsreel at the Circle the other day, some film captured from the Germans fwas shown. The commentator remarked that from the scenes shown within Germany, it was obvious that “Germany isn't beaten yet.” At ‘this point, a businessman reports, one spectator arose, mumbled: “No, and never will be,” and stalked out. Those who heard him were so startled that no one did anything about it. . « » One of our N, Pennsylvania st. agents reports on a small elevator fire in the Y. W. C, A. Blue Triangle Hall, just north of the Armory yesterday morning. There wasn’t any smoke to be seen, but, instead of about half the firemen standing around, as is usual in - such cases, every one of them grabbed an axe, fire extinguisher, or anything else handy and rushed inside. Unfortunately, most of e young women residing at the hall had gone to work. ~ Or maybe the firemen just wanted to get inside and out of the cold. . . . Mrs, Helen Doyle, 2410 Park ave, tips us off to a new reason why girls leave home, During the recent holidays, her little granddaughter, Laura Ann Williams, visited with her sevjeral days. . When it came time to go home, Laura Ann showed much reluctance. Asked why, she replied: “They don’t take The Times at home.” That called for some more questioning. And it developed that Laura Ann is an ardent follower of the doings of Nancy on the comic page.

lA Strange Sight

lighted, however, making it read: “Over Shoes.” ., The garbage collection situation still isn’t straightened out, we hear, despite the city’s assignment of all available trucks to the job. A resident of the 5000 block, Broadway, tells us the garbage out that way hasn't been picked up since Christmas week. She adds that the bulging cans, many without lids, are becoming a real nuisance, since they attract rats “as big as kittens.” . .. Johnny Kleinhenz’ suggestion that the present year be written “194V” has won recognition by at least one newspaper. ‘The Wayne Township Courier now has its dateline reading: “Indianapolis, Jan. 4, 194V.” . . . Larry Rial reports that when a south side lumber company wanted to unload some lumber recently, they didn’t have enough help. Soa representative went to police headquarters, There, by paying their fines for minor offenses, he succeeded in getting three men to do the job. Comments Mr, Rial: “A FINE way to do business.”

Indiana’s Climate

THE CITY DESK has just received ‘a free copy of the new volume, “Climate of Indiana,” by Prof. Stephen 8. Visher of the I. U. Department of Geography. Somewhere within its covers you can find most anything that ever happened in Indiana, from a weather standpoint. For instance, a few minutes of reading produces the information that the highest temperature ever to plague Indianapolis was 106 degrees. It happened three times, in July, 1901; July, 1634, and July, 1936. The coldest day—25 below— occurred in January, 1884. There have been several days when it got as cold as 18 below. The last was in 1936. You also can learn from the book that seven persons on the average, are killed in Indiana each

EXTRA! EXTRA! One of our agenis reports an* year by lightning, while the property loss from light~ | astounding incident.” While on the way to work yes- ~ning averages $491,000 a year. Here's one you prob-

| terday, he saw something he hadn't seen in many months. On the front of an apartment building just north of North st. on the east side of Pennsylvania was an “Apartment for Rent” sign.. Bet it didn't stay there long. . . . Folks walking down Washington st. early the other morning smiled at an electric sign just east of Meridian. Normally, the sign reads: | “Hanover Shoes” The first three letters were not

World of Science

A NEW method of purifying and reconditioning | Rubricating oils, insulating oils, and the like, that is as tngenious as it is simple, has been developed by the Buckeye Laboratories Corp. of Cleveland. The method lends itself particularly to the treatment of the insulating oils used in electrical transformers and oilfilled electrical cables and as a result has now been adopted by more than 120 of the largest electric power and light companies in the United States,

The device used for purifying -

transformer oil is known as a hydrovolifier while that for treating cable oil is called a degasifier. The basic design of both these devices, as well as other equipment manu= : factured by the Cleveland company, is the same. The principle used is that of ‘low temperature, high vacuum’ distillation. It was explained to me by Robert H. Webster, general manager of the company, during. a visit to the plant at which TI watched the operation of the latest model ef the hydrovolifier. 3

Must Withstand Pressire

THE PURPOSE of filling an electrical transformer with oil is to maintain the electrical insulation within them, The oil must be capable of withstanding: electrical pressure of some 3500 volts. Deterioration of the oil comes about through many reasons, One cause of trouble is atmospheric oxygen | which causes oxidation with the formation of. acids. | These in turn create more acids so that the process

My Day

WASHINGTON, Wednesday—T had the pleasure | yesterday of having Fred M. Vinson and Marvin Jones junch with me. This talk, together with explanations | which OPA Administrator Chester Bowles has given | me, helped me to understand not only some of the difficulties which confront them in getting us properly clothed and fed during the war period, but to understand some of the hard work which goes into the making of decisions, They often disagree as to method. Over long months they have to thresh out things which we look upon as being sudden and arbitrary decisions. Many actions have: their roots in conditions which have been going on for,

| For Instance, the recent cancellation of points was

| practically forced because there was such an accumu | lation of them out, and such a reduction in the actual supplies available, ; !

| It worked hardship on thrifty housewives who per-

haps planned and sa

ably won't believe: Indianapolis has an average of 64.6 entirely clear days a year, and only 46.3 entirely cloudy days. It sounds reversed. There have been two destructive tornadoes in Indianapolis since 1917. One, on May 18, 1927, caused a loss estimated at 3 millions. The other, July 24, 1934, caused $11,000 loss to the West and South sides. That ought to be enough to give you an idea.

By David Dietz

is a progressive one. Another difficulty is moisture. Dust, scale, carbon and sludge are others. Oil entering hydrovolifier to be purified first passes through a “mechanical filter which removes dirt, lint, metal particles, etc, above a predetermined size. It is then pumped by a high-pressure pump through a heat exchanger where it is heated to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It then enters the vacuum chamber which 1s the heart of the device. This chamber is about two feet in diameter and two feet high,

Acids, Moisture Vaporized

THE OIL to be purified is sprayed upward by a group of nozzles at the bottom of the chamber. It strikes against & series of baffle plates and then flows to the bottom of the chamber, where it is drawn off. The temperature to which the oil is heated is not sufficiently high to vaporize the oil but it is high enough to vaporize the volatile acids and the moisture. (Water boils at 212 degrees in atmospheric pressure but at much lower temperatures when the pressure is reduced.) : : ' Thus the gases, vaporized acids, moisture, etc., are drawn off by the vacuum pump from the top of the chamber while the purified oil collects at the bottom. As the purified oil is withdrawn from the chamber it passes again through the heat exchanger, its heat thus being used to help heat the incoming oil which is yet to be purified. Finally, the purified oll is passed through a blotter type of filter which removes small solid particles which may be in suspension in the oil. . : The hydrovolifier is a compact unit mounted on wheels so that it may be moved easily about a power plant from one transformer to the next.”

By’ Eleanor Roosevelt

allocated as fairly as possible to civilians at home. When I say fairly as possible, I mean that a great deal of thought goes into what is rationed and what is left free, and what will really make it fairest for the largest number af people. The accumulated points, of course, were largely in the hands of people who are working and who eat out ~—people who perhaps have only breakfast at home, with now and then a grand meal on a Sunday. Or, they were in the hands of farm people who grow most of their food and did not use their points. Fortunately for our total supply, a great many

However, with the best will: in the world, human beings sometimes make mistakes, Everyone's judgment

ebmann, San Antonio,

PAGE 13 +

The results|

SECOND SECTION:

OUR FLEET SWEEPS A PATH TO MANILA—

Halsey

By WILLIAM M’GAFFIN Times Foreign Correspondent

EARL EARBOR, Jan. "11. — More than three months of: bold and effec~ _tive operations by our Pacific fleet helped sweep the path for the most ambitious undertaking yet attempted in the Pacific—our invasion of Luzon. Ever since they completed their part of the Palau landing last September our carriers and ware

ships have been patterning the

Pacific with bombs and shells, according to a carefully evolved program. The goal has been to promote and assist the Philippines campaign. Every Japanese base that might interfere with this campaign .has received concentrated attention.

» » » THE MEANING, the purpose of Adm, William F. Halsey’s carrierplane strikes against Formosa and Okinawa last week now can be disclosed. It was tow» destroy Japanese planes and damage airfields which might figure in the Jap defense of Luzon, Halsey’s carrier force did the same thing a few days before the invasion of Leyte — our original penetration of the Philippines— Oct. 19. = = *

I WAS with Halsey’s 3d fleet during the support of the Leyte invasion : : The important contribution I have personally seen the fleet making toward the recapture of the Philippines came strongly to mind yesterday when I learned

that the Americans were landing '

on Lingayen. I thought, too, of how there had been no landings made by the central Pacific forces in this time, thus leaving the fleet to devote itself to the Philippines project. This co-ordination of invasion calendars points more -than the communiques to the co-operation which exists between the commanders of the two Pacific theaters—Adm. Chester M. Nimitz and Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

* = »

THERE WAS an interesting communique yesterday. It told how Adm. Nimitz, accompanied by Rear Adm. Forrest Sherman and Cmdr. H. A. Hamar flew to Tacloban and conferred with MacArthur during the last week in December. All the details of the present operation and a great many other matters were discussed then.

K-9's Given Complete Training for Return to Civilian Life

By Scripps-Howard Newspapers WASHINGTON, Jan. 11.—One

of these days your dog—the one.

you enlisted in the army’s K-9 corps & year or two ago—will' be coming home, Will he, despite the carnage of war, be as gentle and well-man-nered as ever? Will he remember you? Will he be glad to resume the status of “civilian” dog? The answer, with rare exceptions, is yes. So says Uncle Sam’s remount branch of the office of quartermaster general, the unit which is charged with training dogs for war, and also with retraining them, or, “de-militariz-ing” them. .

» # »

ALREADY about 500 of the thousands of dogs recruited for service have been honorably discharged. At Ft. Robinson, Neb., these canine heroes shed. their battle natures and become “civilfans” again with amazing rapidity. Remount headquarters already has begun to receive such letters as this: : “Fatsel (German Shepherd, in service more than a year) was returned to me today. He arrived in splendid condition and seemed overjoyed at greeting his old friends of our family. . , . This letter is to thank you for the excellent care the dog: must have had while in service.” “ » LJ “THE CHIEF trouble — where there -is trouble—" according to Mrs. Milton Erlanger, the war department’s consultant on dogs

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1945

's Lake’: Key to Luzon Landing

"planes, using Fprmosa as a staging <p

Adm, William F, Halsey. . . . His bold carrier plane attacks paved

the ‘way for the Luzon invasion.

Certainly one of the things the two commanders must have discussed was the possibility of auother naval engagement. We have control of the seas about the Philippines. The Philippines sea itself becomes Halsey’s lake. We can go pretty much where we wish now in the Pacific.

® x»

.WE HAVE ‘very greatly whittled down the Japanese fleet from what it used-to be. It would be dangerous for it to venture out. Yet it is quite conceivable that it will. Several Jap battleships escaped in a heavily damaged condivion from the October naval engagement. They may be patched up sufficiently now to return to sea. - They could be joined by older battleships. There are still sufficient cruisers and destroyers remaining to give them support. Probably aircraft carriers, too.

and author of the official training manual, “is not with the dogs

“but with occasional owners.

“You see,” she explained, “dogs, like’ G. 1.’s, ought to forget about the war as soon as possible. One way to make them do this is to refrain from giving them orders of the type they received in service. Once in a while, though, you'll find some. owner who is curious to know what Jack or Patsy will do when told to attack. . PR — “SO PATSY, let us say, is taken for a walk. Presently the owner's next-door neighbor, Mr. Jones, comes down the street. As a joke, Patsy is told to ‘get him!’. (the command to attack), and the dog, naturally enough, obeys. “Dashing forward, he seizes Mr. Jones’ arm. The latter gets hurt and blames ‘that wild war dog.’ This is highly unfair, for it is the owner, not Patsy, who was to blame.” After demilitarizing, the dog is offered to his original owner at no cost,

® =» »

IF HE is no longer-wanted in his former home, he is declared surplus property and the office of surplus property of the treasury department is notified of the dog's availability for sale. A description of the dog, accompanied by an estimate of his temperament, war record, etc., is furnished. The cost, including handling and transportation, amounts to $15 to $25, depending upon the location of the buyer. At this point Dogs for Defense,

FUNNY BUSINESS

Siwp hl pnE

IT IS HARD to envisage the Japs letting this naval force remain idle in port while they are losing the Philippines. When we have completed the capture of the Philippines, a body blow will have -been dealt to the greater “East Asia CoProsperity Sphere.” The Japanese naval efforts may also take the form of attempting to run in trocp convoys to reinforce the Jap soldiers dug in on Luzon. Even Lloyd's of London would not bet very highly on the success of such a venture in view of our sea control.

, » * » BUT THE JAPS have a record of desperately trying to reinforce tight spots and have shown themselves willing to risk large numbers of troops on a gamble, During the Leyte campaign an estimated 50,000 enemy soldiers drowned in a vain effort at reinforcement.

Inc, of 22 E. 60th st. New York City, the civilian - organization which was formed primarily to recruit. dogs for army service, again steps into the picture. » » » THOSE WHO wish to buy a war dog must get in touch with this agency, and submit to an investigation to determine if a suitable home will be provided. If the "applicant is found to be acceptable, the treasury is notified and the deal is made. At Ft. Robinson you can see men milling around a dog, riding bicycles at him, firing guns over his head, lunging at him from behind barn doors. All that sort of thing is included in the demilitarizing process. In his earlier training Bowser was taught to have confidence in only one man, to treat all others as enemies, But now he is taught that every human is his friend. Thus, if Bowser wants to romp, his handlers romp with him, b » " - FORMERLY he was fed by one man. Now he receives his food from many men. His grooming also is administered, not by one person, but by many, Bowser is taught to be always obedient, Every time he is taken from his kennel he is put through a series of lessons. He is taught to “heel,” “sit,” to “down,” to “stay.” No, dog ever is permitted to return to civilian life until he obeys-these instructions without hesitation. ’ Presently Bowser reaches the stage where it is necessary to subJect him to all manner of confusion. Hg travels about the post with other dogs (on leashes, of course). Then the gun-firing, bicycle-riding episodes begin. i . » * ~ IF, IN the midst of this, Bowser tries to “come out,” he has to go back a few pegs and begin the climb up the ladder over again.

Never is he treated harshly, At length, after proving his steadiness in‘ the confusion tests,

[|CRECHE FOR CHAPEL

TO HONOR AIR. MAN

In honor of her grandson, John Kasader, tall gunner on an Eng-land-based flying fortress, Mrs.

Mary ‘G. Gioscio, 131 N. Noble st.,

. be provided by shore-based planes

1 ¥ L

The sky battle in connection with our invasion may be more evenly matched.

The invasion, in fact, may pre- |

cipitate the greatest aerial battles yet fought in the Pacific. This develops directly from geography. We are hitting the Japs at. a place near enough to

feed in a great flow of planes. » » » FROM THE northern tip of Luzon to the southern tip of Formosa is only about 250 miles. From the northern tip of Formosa to the southern tip of Japan is only about 700 miles. It is easy to rea¢h Luzon from Japan with even short-range

base. The Japs used Formosa, incidentally, to support their invasion of Luzon 37 months ago. Now it is the responsibility of Halsey’s 3d fleet to see that they don't use Formosa to disrupt our invasion of Luzon. Much of the air cover for MacArthur's expeditionary force will

flying out of Leyte, Mindoro "and Palau.

= » » THERE ARE additional enemy planes on Luzon and between 700 and 800 on Formosa today. The chips are down—and they have got thousands more planes in the homeland. Airfields, still in their possession on Mindanao, Panay and Negros could pe useful also. But the weakness of the Jap air force everywhere may be fuel. Aside from sea and air possibilities the Luzon campaign offers an interesting new departure on the land itself. » » ” FOR THE first time one of our armies is opposed to a Jap field army in an area big enough for manuevering, MacArthur knows the Luzon plain well. He defended it against the Japs who invaded three years ago at the’same spot. Whether he can maneuver cleverly enough to save the destruction of Manila, some hundred miles south, is one of the most intensely awaited features of the battle. 8 » » MANILA is not a good position to defend. It is even conceivable that we will have a Bataan and Corregidor in reverse, with the Japs holding out there for months. Certainly, the end of organized resistance in Luzon will not come swiftly. But the heaviest fighting should be over fairly soon. Soon enough, in any event, so as not to delay operations in the central Pacific.

Bowser earns more freedom. His leash is lengthened and he is permitted to frolic over a considerable area. By now, his handlers no longer are wearing military garb. They put him through his tests, dressed in civilian clothes. » # » THE SEMI-FINAL hurdle introduces surprise. One day Bowser is walking along, on leash, past an isolated building. Suddenly & man emerges from the doorway, waving a sack and shouting. This is a crucial point. If Bowser shows alarm or starts to attack the man, he is not ready for civilian life. If, on the other hand, he is ready to make friends with the sack-waving individual, his trainer knows he is all but prepared to be “graduated.”

# # »

FINALLY comes the supreme test. He is taken into town and walked up and down busy streets to acquaint him once more with the sotinds of a city, of busses and streetcars, of policemen’s whistles and the million and one other noises and smells from which he has so long been separated. If he comes through the ordeal in good shape, he is brought back to the fort and given a final check by a veterinarian, Found to be in good health, he receives his honorable discharge and is ready to be shipped home.

» HANNAH< |

~Labor— Christmas | Gift to U.S. S. | Goes Astray

By FRED W, PERKINS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11,—Here's situation that some alert con. gressman can remedy, legisla-~ tively, \ The story begins Dec. 20, when Ralph Blackwell, a shipfitter in the Brunswick, Ga., shipyard of the J. A. Jones Construction Co., was having a beer with George Sumner and .Snake Roberts, fellow

- Wworkersy ET rrr

“We: put a "nickel in the juke box to play ‘White Christmas,’ * said Ralph, as he drawled the story in a little ceremony in the office of Rear Adm. Emory 8S. Land, head of the maritime commission and the war shipping administration. “And then, as we listened to the song,” Ralph went on, “somebody said, ‘Well, it's a hell of a Christmas the boys are having in the 1st army, with those krauis coming through. Why don't we do something to show we ain't working only for money’? Hs tJ #® “SO I SAID, ‘Let's work Christmas day for nothing,’ and ‘Snake’ and George agreed, and we took the idea back to the yard, and it spread like. wildfire, But the company told us we couldn't work for nothing under some government law. So then we decided wé - would work Christmas day and donste our pay to the United Seamen's Service.” “By . actual company eount,” Ralph continued, “1140 men showed up for work Christmas day. And the company, which was strong for the idea, made out separate pay checks for that one day. “And here, Adm. Land, are the checks, from $10 to $15 apiece, altogether about $17,000. They are all indorsed over to the United States Treasury, because some government official said it would have to be handled that way.”

“H-R-R-RUMPH” observ i Adm. Land. “Indorsed to the treasury, eh? That means this only goes into the general fund of the treasury. It looks like the “U. 8. 8. gets gypped.” And that’s the situation. It spoiled the whole party. Adm. Land was disappointed, and so

Federation of Labor unions in the yard , Apparently the only way this money can go where the men wanted it to go—to the men who sail the ships they build—would be a congressional appropriation, sending the amount contributed to the United Seamen’s Service.

We, The Women How Can You Place Value On History?

By RUTH MILLETT

OPA became interested when it was reported. that among other fantastic prices paid at auction for the furnishings of Tommy Manville’s 29-room dwelling, a pair of garbage cans sold for $60. But OPA, aa suh, those garbage cans may have historical value. Into them may possibly have gone

tossed photographs of the most lavish collection of wives since Henry VIII's days. ; - » * INTO THEM probably were relegated the household white elephants of not one wife (and