Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

              A Paper For The Home
SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
38TH YEAR, NO. il~ 44 PAGtS
t'MTED    FHr«H
WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 1944
The Weather
Not so hot;  followed hy   Sf altered   showers
PRICE TEN CENTS
CLOSING TRAP IN FRANCE
.1
Reds May Cut off Easf Prussia; F, D. R. Says U. 5. Must Boss Pacific
f
Will Keep Island Bases NeaNapan
Want Safety, Not Land; Need Years of Proof Before Trusting Japs In Society of Nations
Bremerton,     Wn.^h.    Aug,    12.- (UPi     Presidont   Roosevelt,   arriv- InR   here   late   today  by destroy from   H  tour  of    American    hnV,' stations in  the Pacific,  said of hi- trip   that   "years   of   proof"     mu.*t pass   before  Japan   can   be  trusted and a<'i epted  into a society of na¬ tions   srekinK   permanent  peace.
Outspokenly impressed' hy his first-hand vieu' of hases In Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands, the Presi¬ dent s«id thr war was "well in hand in the vast area" of the Pa- <ifl. where, he said, "more than a mlllinn of our tioops" are on duly.
But. he said. "I cannot lell you If I knnw when the war will he over either in Kurope or in thr Kar Kast or thc war against Jaiian. ' *
Mr.    Roo.sevelt   spoke   over     four ma.ior  radio networks and to aev-1 eral   Ihniisands   of  workers  at   thei PuE»t .'•ound N.ivy Yard, where his destro.vcr   docked   alter   a     vnyanc from    .Muska   jjaters.       He     spoke from   the  forward  deck  of the  de¬ stroyer, i Apiieai* lo People j
He followed his reference to his ^ahiliiy lo predict nn end to the. war hy appe.nling for continued, fiill-stirnitth puhlic support of the v.'.ir effort, saving the conflict would end sooner If the pfople maintain-1 ed a continued produnion of "ner- essary supplies and ships and planes." !
Mr. noo.'eveii's artdres.s was largely devoted to a survey of the high points of hi.i trip which took him lo Pearl Harhor and the Aleu¬ tians. relerrinK particularly to his conferences w.th "my old friend.i Gen.   Ilouglas   MacArthur."
He   said   that   his   Pearl   Harbor talks    with   MacArthur   and   Adm.j Chester   W.   Nimiir.  and   other   Key j Pacific     cominsnder.s.     "developed romolete accord" both in theunder- /itanding    of    the    pioblems    "cnn-| frontinfi the     Allies in  the Pacific i and  "in  the opinion aA to tiie  best method.s   for   their  solution." I
"IndUpiiled"   Paelfle  i'ontrol I
He warned, however, that a proper view of inc Pacific War ^ effort must take into consideration i "the enormous si7.e' of the Pacific. | pointing out lliat the Hawaiian; Islands, for ex-xinplf. no longer can be  reg.iirde(l  as an oiitpast.
Al to the futuie defense of thr.j Pai' ' again.st aggres.sive attacka j bv nations ."Udi »a .lapaii. Mr. Roo*eveil said il was "essential"! thai ". ir control" of a sea and airi navigation line extending from j Puget Sound to northern China be   "undisputed'   after   t!ie   war.
"You who live In the Pacillc Northwest.' hc snid, "have real¬ ised th.it a line fnr sea and air navigation fnllowing the great cir¬ cle course frnni Pugel Sound to Siberia and Norlhern China passes very clo;;e to lh«. Alaskan coasl and I hence westward along thc line of   the   Aleutian   Islands.
"From the point of natloiiiil de¬ fense therefore, it is essential that our control of this route shall be undisputed.' I
Not l.«nil—But Hafety '
He went on to stiy that "every¬ body in Siberia and China" knows "we have no ambition to i^cqulre l.-ind on the lontincnt of Asia," but that despile our opposition to ag¬ gression lhe American people were "insistcnl" that other nations must not in the "foreseeable future" he allowed to commit ".sneak attacks."
"Therefore ' he added, "it is es- aentinl that we be full.v prepared to prp\ent them for all time to rnme. The word and honor of .lapnn   cannot   he   trusted.'' ,
Mr. Roosevell followed this themei hy   derlnring   the   necessity   of   new! defense   bases   for   this     country bases  nearer to Japan.    He  spoke.' too. of Ihe defensive need for some of  the  hiindredH  of   islands   In  the Pacific   which   nnminRlly   arc   terri¬ tories of other United Nations.
"We   have   no   desire   to  a.sk   for IContinued   on   Page   A-Pi
French Lesson For Ciiy Soldier
It looks like a cheery class¬ room ond a charming young teacher as Corp. Edward J. Kaiiasky of 9 Harriet street, Wllkes-Barre. at left, takes a le.sson     in     French     from    little
2 MM STRIKES ALL OF FLORENCE ARESEmEDBUT
1
Freight Sliipments By Motor Again Rolling in Midwest
Nazis May Sacrifice Baltic Troops to Divert Russians; People Dig Trenches
By ROBERT MUSEL
liontion, Sunda.v, Aujr. 18 (UP)—Two might.v Soviet armies yesterda.v began ham- merinjc a great wedge between Ea.st Prussia and embattled Warsaw while other Russian tioops sma.<i "d deeper into B'stonia and Latvia in a drive to chop up Germany's trapped Baltic aniiies.
Hurling the Germans bacU from powerfiill.v-fortified de- fen.se lines, the 1st and 2iid White Russian armies com- nianded by Marshal Konstan-
aged 8-somewhere In 'tin K. Rokossovsky and GCD.
In ee«tcr' is PFC Wil- Matvei Zakharov linked forces astride the vital Bialystok- Warsaw railroad and smashed forward in an attempt to out¬ flank War.saw to the norlh and East Prussia to the south. At the same time, three Soviet armies in Latvia and Estonia ex¬ tended their break through south¬ west of Ijike Pskov, drove the grimly-fighting Nazis back against the Dvina River southeast of Riga and siruck out the Baltic port of Leipaja iLibaui.
Coincident with what the German high command called "incessant Soviet attacks"  In  l.*lvia,  Moscow
American f Ghost Army' Moves in
Nazis Bewildered By Sudden Advance Say Patton Leads: Escape Gap Hammered
cosirsioMt sHio sumcatiotrt
too Milet
— Slgnil  Cofi>4  rtyto.
.Tosette, France.
liam M. Hope of MacDonald, Texaa, who seems lo have crack¬ ed a joke which amused the sehoolmarm.
BY ALLIED TROOPS
But Forced Back in West by Massed Fire From the Gothic Line
Detroit.     Aug.     \2.     i UPl — Two B.v KI.KANOR PACKARD
major strikes  involving  10.300  war.     Rome.     Aug.     2.     lUPi-^ Allied
forces   have   occupied   all   of   Flor-
workers   were   settled   tonight,   but even ns plans were underway to re¬ sume   w.ir-vital   production   at   six ilosc'J   plants   ne.\t   Monday. 1.400   war    plant    emplo.vees idled by labor disputes.  . Seven-thousand    tJeneral  Motors
ence.  center of  Italian   renaissance
art. and AMfl officials already are some taking over, it was announced to- ^^<"''',day. but the Allies have been forced
from the village of San Colombano.
five  miles   to   the  we.st.   by   massed
Corp. emjdoyecs have voted to en- German fire fiom the Goliiic Line.
The    Gcrm.in.s.    who    for    weeks  Ea.st Pru.ssia.
took advantage of Allied hesilancyi     The terrific  blows in  the Baltics  outer  rioK  of Hensyang. dc.itroved  and   the  rest   of souihern   Englandl     o,v
ter five Cheviolet gear and axle plants on the early .«hifl .Monday, and .'t.nno Briggs Mnnuf.icturing Co.
workers will  resume  [iroduition at  tural trea.sure.";    withdrew at 5 a. m. i lhe Outer Drive plant Monday. j yesterday,     and    within    an     hour
The strikers, members of United  Allied Military Government person-j Automobile   Workers    iCIOi.    were  net  had  crossed  the  Arno and  en prevailed     upon    hv     international   leicd the heart of the city, union officers last night to termin-, Snipers Still in City ate the walkout in compliance wilh repeated War l.,abor Board orders.
Ry UEORGE  WANG
Chungking, Aug. 12. (UP i—The batlle in the suburbs of Leiyang dispatches said that the Russians haa raged to new intensity with were preparing a mighty onslaiiRht |Chine*e troops fighting desperately to bring about the final destruction lo stem the Japanese advance south of Nazi Gen. George Lindemann's jalong the Canton-Hankow railway battered 20 lo 30 divisions. |in    Hunan    province,    the    Chinese
•May i^aeriflee German Troops |high command reporled tonight.
The outcome of the battles fori At Hengyang, 40 miles to the Warsaw and Kast Prussia to a norlh, Japanese allaik.s aimed at large degree depended on the liber- cracking Chinese lines south of the ation of Estonia and Latvia, where town were smashed hark and the Lindemann apparently was deter- enemy's attempt to force a solid mined to sacrifice his troops in I link on the Hengyang-Leiyang sec- order to delay the doom of thc ¦ tor was frustrated. .^ Wehrmacht.                                              |    Jap.inese troop.s  attacking  In the
As   long   as   his   forces   continue auburbs of 'yiyang,  48 miles north- to     resi.st.     Russia's     four     Baltic I wesl   of Changsha,   have   been   re- armies   are   prevented    from    rein- pelled, a communique added, forcing ine great Soviet push into|    Chinese   and    American    airmen.
JAPANESE REPORT gl""'* ''-W from Russia
Hits France on Way Back
Bombed Targets in Poland, Romania, Pa8sin(r Only 60 Miles from Warsaw; Little Opposition from Luftwaffe
Ixtndon,   Sunday,   Aug.   Il (IP)—The   RAF   In   greet   ttrengtli
attmcked   the   tiemian   eltle* of   Brunuiek   and   Riuaelhelma  laat
night, it was learned todaj, while other planes attarked targeta In north  France,
By W AL-|-t:K OKONKl'I'K
Allied Supreme Headquarters. London, Aug. 12.—(Upi—More than 3.500 Italy and Britain-based Allied bombers and flghters smashed at German targets in Krance today, climaxing their offensive with a powerful shuttle sweep against the invasion-jittery enemy along a 320-mile  Mediterranean   front.
While the American Kighlh and Ninth air forces and the RAK throttled   Nazi    communications,   airdromes,   oil    supplies   and    U-boat
Chinese Battle to Stem Nipponese Advance to South
lashing  at   strong   points     on     the
WITH NEW FURY; HEAR OF BIG ONES
London. Aug. 12.    ifPi ing   bombs   showered   on
tn shell Florence's art and archltec-; roini ided also wilh slackening Ger-i fortified   enemy   positions     in     the
man     panzer    altack«     along    the  Yunushan   sectinn Riga-War.saw   line   into   whldi   the. the  14th American  Air Force gave German   high   command   had   flung t^hangslia a heavy pounding,  rock
with  renewed fury at dark tonight Other  units of after a  da.\-long  lull   had   followed last  night's   record   allaiks.
The robot bomb offensive reached! ins   the   ea.stern   port   of   the   citv, a new peak of intensity last night.
B.V KDWARD W. BE.\TTIE
Allied Supi-pnie Hpadqiiai-- toi'.s, London. .Sunday, Aujr. 13 (ll')—An Ainei'ican "jfhnst arni.v" and Anjrlo-C'anadian column.s today were reported within l."> miles of a junction near ArRcntan tlial would snap .shut a trap around pos¬ sibly 1(111,0110 (ieinians reeling back in retreat under a be- \*ildering succession of Allied blows.
More than 200 American Marauder and Havoc bombers, (answ erinjf a direct call for aid from the converjiinjr (ground force.^, drenched the last few iiiiles of tiie escape jrap with hisrh explo.'iivps and fraffinen- tation bombs late Saturda.v, concentralinjr on the area just we.st of Armenian.
In the firsl official indication of the whereabouts of the American "ghost army" since it left Le Mans five days ago. Ninth Air Fores headquarters said that German I forcea were trying to withdraw in the Argentan area "under the pres- I sure of American advances from the south."
I    This    would    represent    snother spectacular advance   by  the   Yanks .
         _ of 50 miles due norlh from Le Mans
shelters'in Northern France, more bringing them within l.'S miles of a than 1,500 shuttling Kighth and junction with British and Canadian IMh air force heavy bombers and troops hammering south in tha fighters   roared   up   from    Il.ily   lo  Falaise area. ^
slash    (Jermaii    airfields,    tran.sport   lonooo in  Peril *
and   strong   points   from   Toulouse        '
lo the Italian Riviera where Ber- Possibiv lon.noo Germsns. and al¬ lin broadca.'ts hinted a possibie most lerlainly the five Panrer divi- new  Allied   landing. [ slons  which   had  jusl  begun  a be-
Eighth   Air   Force   fighter  bomb-   ''*"''' "treat frnm the Vire area in ers. in one of Iheir most successful"^'" ''''""''• "f 'he front, were in im- d.'.vs   over   northern    France,   flew'"'""""'  I""''   '^^'' Berlin   radio as- more  than   l.niio sorties  ifp  to 7  p '''¦"•'d that the Yanks had smashed m.     Thcv   were   reporled   officiallv ;'*"¦""«'' Alencon  in a .'in-mile driva to have  destroyed  or damaged 325'""'''^''   '"¦""'   ''«   Man.",   cutting   the ' loiomotives, aii'd L> 860 railway, cats.  *^^'''"*"s' escape gap to 35 miles. Nnil fly-  including   35B  laden   with   fuel   and      Doughboys    cashing    in    on    tha London   172 with ainniiiiiilion. withdrawal   swept   hack   into   em-
enemy planes were destroyed   battled Morlain and Soiirdeval. an-
Sclllement   of  the   Briggs  strike. whi. h     has     curtailed    output     of si.ition boniheij parts, was  reached during the day  by   UAW-CIO leaders  and company officials.
Other     flare-ups    were within   the   iiuluslriHl   area.     They included lhe Chry.sler lank arsenal Hodge    Motor   Co.' (lirision     and    Ihe amphibious   tank   plant.
I Greeted enlhusiastically hy Ttai Inns, the AJIG men found ttiat the Geiniiins hnd blown up the railway and buildings along the wanterfroni and the ancient Via Porta .Santa Maria, which Inter¬ sects the river at the historic Vcc-
hugc armored forces,
Knemv   resistance 4)n   all   .sectors'"'t'l   a"   assault   thnt   produced   22|Tlie deadly shower of mis.-.iles was along tliis  front  has'dwindled. and  heavy explo.«ion.s and five .secondary I marked   by   the   fact     llmt     many, especially northeast of Warsaw and I •''"*'•¦'• came  from   a   new  tangenl    appar-j
hefoie the eiislern borders of Kastl Planes of Maj. Gen. Claire L. enlly from behind Boulogne. France.| Prussia. Nar.i counter-attacks have'Chennault's Composiie Wing straf-l After nearly a week of off-and-| fallen off. despatches said. ed an enemy airfield al Loyang. in I on attacks with frequent long lulls.'
Prepare East Prussia Honan   province,   and  sllacked  the  the   bombing   was   resumed   on     a,
I'ngohi     railway     depot    and     thej nearly full-scale basis shortly after
in dog fights nnd 13 on the ground while 15 American aircraft were re¬ ported nii.ssing.
I The tieriiian radio early Nun- day annniineed that Allied planer uere approaching nnrthnest and west 4ieriiian.\. 1'he Belgrade radio said an Allied hninher (oriii- ation wa« fl.i Ing inlo eastern OAitia and Bulgarian* were warned h.\ Ihe .Sofia transmitter IContinued   on   Page   A-lOi
chors of the (Jerman salient below Vire. To the east. British and Canadian columns joined forces 10 miles   below   f::aen   and   wiped   out
' another salient in the forest of Cinglais dubbed Ihe Forest of the Dead" for its heaps of German corpses.
Late    dispatches    said    that    tha Yanks In Iheir advance rescued an
i entire  battalion   of  their   comrades (Continued on Page A-15)
The Stockholm newspaper  Sven- ska Daggbladet reporled from Ber-
dava
Motor Freight Strike Knding
Minneapolis. Aug. 12. (UPi — Over-the-road motor freight ship¬ ments were rolling frnm nl leafl four   slates    of    the    Midwest    laic ,     ,    „,„
today and Kills T. Longnecker. prxv^le hnme.. highway transportation director for the Oftice of Defense Trans¬ portation, senl her" to superiisc government control of lines of thc Midwest       Operators       Association
,    .'chio Bridge. I ska Daggbladet reporled from Ber- '^'""K'"'"   broadcasting station,
reporiea      German snipers still remained in i lin that 10 days after Erich  Koch.  B'port Ameriean Troops
the city. gauleiler of East Prussia,  had de-'     lA .Japanese reporl   quoted today
Itnlians   told   AMG   officers   that   creed    the    total    mobillzstion    of, by   the   German   Transocean   news women   and   children   were (Continued on  Page A-lli i (Continued  on   Pase A-lOi
sliol    by    snipers    as    they    y-v'  _^________^__^^^.^^_.^—^^^^^-^.^_
through   the   streets,   seeking  food'    _ . ^_
and water Har  ^iiiniiiarT
gyro-compass ,,   ,, Graham-Paige "¦"'•^"
Thc Nazis, since the Allied entry into ,soulhern  Florence, had impos¬ ed  a   24-hoiir curfew   on  all   males, front   reports   said,   and   in   recent had    entered    and    searched confiscating  watch- camcran   and   any   other   valu- ihlcs   allr.icting   ihcm. (iotliie Line  C^hallenged
Meanwhile,   sharp  fighting *roke out   we.st   of   Florence   a.s   the  Ger-
said prospects were pood  for quick mans  hauled  furiou.s^- to  hold  the lesumplion of all such shipping. ' '    "   " '""' ''
Longnecker and Clare  Rodd'wig, IContinued  on  Page  A-lOi
\a:is Refused
V. S. Har Prisoners
In Todau'a lanue
< lassilled     B—11
Kdltorial   C—2
Movies     B—10
Soelal     A—1«
Sports    „  B—I
Radio     B—10
Oatdoor _	
Ankara. Aug. 12. (UP)—The Hungarian government has re¬ fused a Ocrman demand to sur¬ render ."i'n captive Anglo-Ameri¬ can pilots, diplomatic circles re¬ ported   today.
The refusal resulted in a riot yesterday in the Budapest Mogai/. Theatre, the reporl aaid. and many persons were wounded when pro-Nazis tried to break up a meeting of the government j tested  no-man's
party.
three  shallo'.v poikets aouth of the Arno   in   that   sector.
In thc fir.st pocket, the Allies weie blasted by an inten.se barrage from heavy German gun.<. some of whirh fired fiom forward po.sitions in their bristling Gothic Line, the next Nazi fixed dcfen.ses in the path of the advancing Eighth Army.
New Zealanders and British withdrew a half-mile southwest of San Colombano. which lies a half- mile south of thc Arno.
The German Infantrymen, how¬ ever, were forced to fall back in; the other two pockets on either j side of Empoli. 15 miles west of Florence. On the right of this riverside town in the bitterly con- land,   the   Eighth
(Continued on Pagt A-10)
FR.WCE—Americans sweep into ;Mortain and Sour- deval, below Vire; smash Ihroufth Alencon to threaten encirclement to an estimated loo.ooo Cerman tioops; Kritish and Canadian units .join forces 10 miles bflow Caen and wipe out (ierman salient in forest of Cinglais.
RI'SSIA—Two Red armies were driving a Iiiiif wedjje between Warsaw and Easl Prussia, while oiieniiiR climactic battle with lemnanls of 2011,000 to 300,000 Cermans trapped in Baltic States.
ITALY—(Jerman.s withdraw from Florence and AMfl takes over: Polish forces on Adriatic front establish bridgehead across Cesano Iliver.
AIR—About 3,.")00 Allied warplanes from Pirilain ami Italy .smash al Cerman itislallatiotis in Fiance; con¬ centrate on slrong points from Toiil()u.<e lo Italian Iliviera as (iermans foreca.st new invasion.
SOUTHKA.ST ASIA—Allies advance into Cliin Hills and capture llenjrtam, 65 miles from Imphal and seven miles from Burma border.
CHINA—Battle for Lei.vang rages; Japanese attacks at Hen.vang and Yiyang repelled; American units re¬ ported in action.
midnight and continued inlo the daylight hours. The Berlin radio claimed thnt an average of 2i)0 of the robot bombs were aimed to¬ ward  Britain dail.v. I
Fighter planes and ack-ack bat¬ teries, their gunnery greatly im- prove<l after more than two months of nearly constant firing, brought down a large bag of the flying bombs during the night, it was an¬ nounced. One bomb, hil over the .sea b.v flak, burst inlo flames and si>ed like a meteor across rooftops before it crashed in a souihern England  town.
Meanwhile, civil defen.se organiz¬ ations in northern England counties have responded enthusiastically lo .1 suggestion thai they work for two weeks in the bombing area lo re¬ lieve weary rescue squads in the London and southern England sci- lor. A parly of men and women, including wardens, ambulance driv¬ ers, rescue squads and messengers, left Yorkshire for London loday. Hear of New Rohoiiiba
Reports were heard here but KcnerHlly believed that the i umoi- cd Nazi V-2 bomb might bc piloted
Cen. MacArthur Reports Philippines Bombed
Davao Is Raided; Ships. Planes Caught On Path to Islands
Allied Headquarters, Pacific, Runday. Aug. Allied   air   forces   sank
Southwest 13.    I UPl four   .lapa-
iie.se vessels and destroyed or sen-  |
severely damaged in a day attacll on  Galela  airdrome.
No interception was reported dur* ing lhe raids, indicating the enemx niight be withdrawing his aur strength owards the Philippines in order to conserve his planes for a major defense in the home srea.
The communique reported that Boslon bombers swept IheVogeN kop  Peninsula Friday sinking threa
ously  damaged   12   more  Friday nitacka   in   Ihe   vicinity   of   Halmii- hern   and   the   Vogclkop   PeninsiilH
000-ton   freighters   off   Manokwarl
and seriously damaging a fourth. Five ¦ coastal vessels and eight harges  were   destrn\'ed   or  seriously
miss'lle'u'^ a .'^ecific''?-ll^'»nHSlw^' ««'''« "i-"^^^^^^^^^^^ "^ "" """^'^ ""  '^
"::::;!ly"^M:^:^^:^^^i-^^^:^.    -     ^.l-OO-ton     freighter- -n. possession
crashed, lilher reports held that the Germans have produced a large number of the giant bombs and that sites for their launching are ready.
Two such sites, according to a re. cent communique, hsve been bomb¬ ed by Allied planes In rtcent daya.
i
on Hutch New (iuinea a.s night air rinniaged for a loss of two Amerl- patrols bombed the Davao water- ,.^„ planes. The pilot of one ras front   on   the   Philippine   i.sland   nf rescued.
.Mindanao. Gen. Douglas MacArthur Second  Philippines  Strikes reported loday. There were no details of the raid
At   Halmahera.   Mitchell   medium on   Davao   in   the  Southern   Philip- bombers,     attacking     shipping     in pines excepi that   night  air  palrola Walike  Bay.   tne   island's   principal bombed   the  waterlront   Friday.    It port, an adjacent seaplane ba.sc nnd "as    the    second    time   that    Mac:" ithe  airdromes  of C.alela  aiul   Miti. Arthur's   communique   had   report- former Ameri¬ can    possession    since    its    fall    in transport    and   destroyed    or   seri- April,   1942.
oiL-ly damaged five coaslal vessels Forces in the Aitape area on and 28 barges, the communique re- >«'««¦ Guinea reported an additional ported : 1.0.57 .lapanese have heen killed and
catch 41  Parued PUne. 1^^ '^^T'^rLLl. 'a  "tSfJl  "^IfT^l
In  addition,  in  seaplanes caught enemy   killed   and   ».S  captured   In
at their moorings were sunk and 31 operations   on   that   sector   througli
parked aircraft     ere destroyed or Friday, the communique laid.