Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

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A Paper For The Home
SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
The Weather
Fair,  allghtly  colder; Monday, cloudy, cold.
/  39TH YEAR, NO. 7 — 52 PAGES
CNITKD   rRBsa WIr*   Kews   ¦•rrlc*
WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, DECEMBER  17, 1944
PRICE TEN CENTS
YANKS POURON MINDORO
Great Battle Developing for Ludwigshafen and Mannheim
Churchill May Give World Broadcast Tonight To Defend His Policies
Critics Say Post-War Security at Stake; Labor and Communists To Demonstrate Today
By PHIL At'LT
London. Dec. 16 (UPl—Prime Minister Winston ChurciilU, under the heaviest fire of hl» career as Britain's war leader, tonight waa reported contemplating a world broadcast, probably Sunday night. In defense of his policies which influential critics charged threat- rned the whole fabric of poit-war security.
A definite decision on the Church- Ill broadcast had not yet been made but No. 10 Downing street Indi¬ cated Churchill was favorably In¬ clined to the project.
Opposed by C«mniuniat«
A muss demonstration against Churihill's policy In Greece will be held Sunday afternoon In Trafal¬ gar Square. It was called by John Horner, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, and is strong¬ ly supported by the Communist newspaper, the Daily Worker. Sev¬ eral Labor party members of Par¬ liament, including Lord Strabolgi. will speak, as well aa Communist loaders.
If he apealia the Prime Minister i% expected to issue a strong appeal for a Greek armistice and for the quickest possible meeting of the "Big Three" President Roosevelt. Marshal Stalin and himself in order that the widening rifts be¬ tween the principal allies may be healed   without   delay.
WanU r. 8. Portion !«lated
It waa possible that Churchill would reiterate hia invitation to the United States to state publicly Its attitude on the Polish issue. If he does nnt no on the air, Churchill is expected to make a further defense of his po.sition in Commons Tuesday the third de¬ fensive speech before that body within  a  week.
Criticism of the Prime Minister was led by a portentioua editorial In the liberal Mnnchaster Guardian which declared Britain faced a ter¬ rible dilemma which ma.v force her to chon.ic between Russia and the United States, thu.s smashing the tri-powcr concept and laying the possible foundations of a third world   war.
"Prelude to UUhannony"
Leslie Hore Bellsha. Independent member of Parliament, issued a slashing  attack   on   British   policy.
HEADS MOVED INBIHERDEBATE
F.D.R. Choices Called Political, with Men Linked to War Industry
By JOHN L. CITTEK
Washington,  Dec.  18  (UP)—The Senate, after two days of acrimo¬ nious debate, tonight confirmed the nominations of former Gov. Robert'war A.   Hurley  of  Connecticut  and Lt
EUS Still Refuse to Give up Arms
Offer to Withdraw From Athens, Piraeus Until Agreement on National Unity Comes
By JA3IES E. ROPER
Athens. Dec. 16. - iUP» — The Central Committee of the Greek antl-govcrnment ELAS made h conditional offer today to withdraw its forces from Athens and Piraeus, where they were fighting the Greek regular army troops and British soldiers through the streets at the end   of   the   second   week  of  civil
7th Army Takes Wissembourg; 1st Falls Batk
Invaded With Case Of Stolen Beer
Offlcinl quarters disclosed the of¬ fer  was   made   In   a   letter   to  Lt. Gen.  R.   M.  Scoble.   British    com¬ mander of Allied forces in Greece Scobie  replied Immediately    that the BLA'.^  had  not agreed to dis¬ arm its troops—one of the funda¬ mental    differences    between    him and the ELAS leaders—and that if Ihey    agreed    to^surrender    their arms   as  well   aitfcvacuate   Attica, he  felt that ollwr  terms  could  be agreed   upon   and   the    civil    war ended. .Ian.   3-will   have   charge   of   dis- willing to Withdraw losing   of   an   estimated   $100.000,-,     "Until  a definite solution  of the 000.000   worth   of   surplus   govern- whole military question by  a gov-
Col. Edward Heller of California to he miinibers of the Surplus War Properties Board
The vote on both was almost en¬ tirely a party division. Kor Hurley it was 41 to 28; for Heller. 43 to 2B.
The vote came at the end of a six-hour dav of debate. As mem¬ bers of the board. Hurley and Heller—together, presumably, with Sen. Guy M. Gillette. D.. la., who Is slated for the third membership on the board when his term expires
ment property after the war. Politics Charged
Republicans challenged the quali¬ fications of the two men for a lob of such magnitude and charged that their nominations were based on  political  considerations.
Consideration of the two men. to¬ gether with action on President Roosevelt's nominations to six top- notch State Department posts, al¬ ready had delayed until next week the adjournment of Congress. The State Department nominee." will be brought before the Senate Monday.
Sen. Warren R. Austin.R.Vt., led off the day's attack on Hurley and Heller by asserting that both men were "exposed" to the charge that they were nominated for "political reasons." Roth Party I.,eadeni
Heller is the husband of the Democratic national committee- woman for California. Hurley is a former Democratic Governor of Connecticut
eminent of national unity to br formed in the future, we agree to withdraw temporarily the ELAS formations from the cities of Ath¬ ens and Piraeus to a general line laid down in the headquarters. III Corps, memo of the third of De¬ cember.  1944."  the  letter said,
"Simultaneously." the inessag proposed, "the Greek Mountain Brigade and Sacred Squadron arc to be similarlv withdrawn tempor¬ arily from Athrns-Piraeua to an area tn be defined by mutual agreement."
These two units are part of the Greek regular arm.v. Wlien the government of Premier George Papadreou ordered the disarma¬ ment of all resistance forces in Greece a few weeks ago, leaders of the EU^S troops declined to disarm their men unless the Moun¬ tain Brigade and the Sacred .Squadron also were disarmed. TTiey accused them of being of¬ ficered by Fascists and of having rightist tendencies.
Austin recalled, as "a very strange I Want rollaborators Jailed
and suspicious cblncidence," that both men were associated with the N'arraganaett   Machine   Co.. ,Paw
charging that the "cacaphony%vhlch[^„^^pt. R.   I.,  which  was  the  sub- already  swells   over   Europe   from
Brussels to Athens and from War¬ saw lo Rome is a prelude to the disharmony wc must expect when formal  hoftlltles  have  ceased."
Beli.«iha said that there could be "no end to globar wars unless some better constitution than the pre¬ war system is found for Europe."
ject of a congressional investiga¬ tion regarding government-guaran¬ teed loans to the firm. Hurley waa a vice president of the firm and Heller was the Army finance officer who recommended the government loans. Austin also charged that Heller's IContinued  on Page A-14)
The ELAS Istter proposed that the whole Greek gendarmerie force, which now is controlled by the government, be disarmed and its men .sent home. It also said that the men of battalions which supported the Rallis quisling gov¬ ernment, collaborators with the Gcniians, should be disarmed and confined effectii-ely In prison until trial.
Two other points were set forth •Continued  on Page A-14»
'Well Keep Slugging'
By (HANK HEWLETT
With U. S. Troops, Mindoro. Dec. IS. (UP) —The highlight of the invasion of Mindoro was sup¬ plied by a GI as we hit the beach.
Although loaded with a 60- pound pack and a riflle, this sol¬ dier waded through chest-deep surf lugging a case from the landing craft's hoarded supply of Christmas beer.
Reaching shore, he casually opened the case and Invited his buddies to help themaelvcs.
As the a.ssault wave disappear¬ ed into the brush, sailors from the bridge of the craft were yell¬ ing:
"Bring back our beer."
Patch's Men Driving Ahead Into Siegfried Line Fire; Germans Massing Reserves
By JAMES F. McGLINCY
Paris, Sunday, Dec. 17 (UP)—U. S. Seventh Army troops captured the historic Bavarian gate city of Wissembourg Saturday and cr(»ssed the Reich frontier at a third point but the Germans, launching a series of diversionary counter¬ attacks to the north, drove baclt into Belgium at a point 50 miles below Aachen.
The German command also hurled crack reserves including a panzer division from another front against Lt. Gen. .VIexander M. Patch's .Seventh .\rmy spearhead(4, which had invaded ancient Palatinate province, a political satellite of Bavaria, to a depth of two miles in their crossing.^ of the! frontier between Wis^embouig and the Rhine on a 12-milei front.
Breasting stiff fire from tiie Siegfried Line, the Seventh Army captured the French border town of Lauterbourg, nine miles east of Karlsi-uhe, denying the liard-prcssed enemy a potential Rhine valley anchor at that point, and drove on one mile northeast to capture Beig, 1,000 yards beyond the Gennan border.
The battle on the Rhinish plain before the great industrial centers of Mannheim and Ludwigsiiafen apparently had not yet been fully joined because Patch's spearheads were oper¬ ating under .security wraps on the grounds they had not yet engaged major Gennan defense forces.
In the Northern Rhineland the new American 78th Division, only two months out of the United States, and the veteran Second Division jointly blasted another Kirst Army breach in the Siegfried Line 12 miles  below  the original Aachen Gap.
Beset on both the upper and lower Rhine and with the Third Army pounding relentlessly against the Saar River section of the Siegfriend 1 o.,..»« n.u.. «...«>¦.._   i Line, (Jerman tanks and infantry lashed out In a rash of small-scale ^"^Jl"* uri^\^e .^moinera japs attacks against the long-dormant hinge between the First and Third       "^ armyfronts.
(Continued  on Page A-14)
CARRIER PUNES IN FIRST AHACK AROUNDJE CLOCK
17 Ships, 373 Planes Hit as 7-Oay Drive Smothers Jap Defenses
By RICHARD W. JUHNHTO.V
U. S. Pacific Fleet Headquarters. Pearl Harbor, Dec. 16.—(UP)- U S. carrier planes, attacking dav and night without Interruption for the flrst time in the Pacific War. destroyed or damaged 17 Japanese ships and 373 enemy planes at Luzon Island in their three-day assault in support of the Mindoro invasion, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announced today.
The Luzon offensive, prlmarih designed to seal off the Manila Bay bastion and safeguard Gen. Douglas MacArthur's landings on Mindoro Island to fhe south, was developing into one of the groat naval air victories of the western Pacific warfare.
Driving Inland; Jap Opposition Still Negligible
Rail Junction Captured; Rushing Artillery Ashore For Expected Enemy Reaction
Russians Shift
Of Attack to Slovakia
I
Nazis Can't Stand Rate of Losses, Says Gen. Bradley
By ROBERT  .VII HEL
Advanced Headquarters, U. S. 12Ui Army Group, Western Front, Dec. 16. (UP)—There is no over- optimism at this front head¬ quarters today but a sober con¬ fidence th,it the German armies will be smashed completely in the terrible struggling match now be¬ ing fought out on the approaches to  the  Rhine.
Standing grimly before a battle- iront map at his headquarters, Lt Gen. Omar N. Bradlev, commander of the U. S. 12th Army Group, told a pre.ss conference that the pres¬ ent offensive which began on Nov. 8   is   coating   the   (Jerni.ins   four   to
i
In Today's lanue
< lassined     .T B—II
Kdltorlal C_2
^lovie*      „.._...„...._  B B
•Social  B 1
•SpoHs     B—I
Outdoor          B—!»
Radio    „ B—V
five     men     for    every casualty.
"\Ve don't think he can stand it." Bradley said. "We hate this kind of a slugging bee. but wc feci it haa been a profitable operation — a paying proposition — and we will  keep  on jilugging  it  out."
Bradly pointed out that the Ger¬ mans have been throwing raw re¬ cruits Into the front lines and that It was better to kill or capture them now than delay the offensive until next spring when thev w:'l have hardened Into dangerous vet¬ erans.
Bluntly decrying over-optimism as harmful to the fighting troops. Bradley refused to hazard an esti¬ mate as to when the war would end. At one point, however, he spoke of operations 'for the next few montha." suggesting that his plans extended on into next spring.
At a neighboring advanced head¬ quarters, Maj. Gen. Hoyt S. Van- denberg, commander of the I' ri. .Vinth Air Force, sounded a similar wnrning again.sl undcr-rstimntinK the ditngerous qualities of the Ger¬ mans.
American! results for the Allied air forces, but he emphasized that the Luftwaffe had not been beaten from the 8k.v "by any means." On the contrary, he said, there was evidence that the Germans were now embarked on a program to butld up their air forces.
ONLY 2 SAVED WHEN U-BOAT SANK TANKER
Getting Rail Line, Poland to Budapest; Winter Offensive Signs
By  BRICK W. MfNN
I.,ondon, Dec. 16. (UP>—The Red Army, shifting the weight of its offensive in southeastern Europe to Czechoslovakia, yesterday con¬ verged on the big Hungarian-an¬ nexed rail center of Kassa (Ko- slce) from three directions, driv¬ ing to within 20 and 22 miles of the citv on the southeast and southwest.
While Moscow reported gains of up to five miles through forest and mountain counlry below the stra¬ tegic 10-way road and rail junc¬ tion, Berlin reported that other forces of Gen. Ivan I. Petrov's 4th Ukrainian Army were amohhing toward   the   city   from   the   east.
where  they  were  last  reported   15>j other survivor was Farecllus Ray
mond  Weg's, 22. Navv  seaman  1/c. .South Brooklyn, N. Y.
Washington, Dec IR. (UP)—The War Shipping Administration re¬ vealed tonight that a big modern tanker, the 18,76r)-ton S. e. Jack¬ sonville, was sunk in the Atlantic "several weeks ago." presumably by Nazi torpedo, with all but two of the approximately 75 persona aboard being last.
The WSA said the ship went down following "a terrific explo¬ sion, believed to have been caused by torpedoing."
One of the survivors, fireman- watertendcr Frank B. Hodges, 2ti. of Tampa, fla., was rescue(l by a U. S. destroyer after floating in the water   an   hour  and   a  half.     The
miles  away.
Crark Mountain tiap
Tho Soviet high commiind mean¬ while was silent on the progress ofi I battles around two-thirds encircled
„  ., ,        , J       Budapest.   There also was no news
Both   genera s,  who  command  a: '   ^ ,       , ;,„ ^^^i^.
good par   of the Amer can air and „, the Hungarian capital who
ground   forces   committed   to   the p,^ „^^p/    j^^.^},^ „,„„„.
^X'^t^V^   fT''""*'    rr * "i"" '"'»** tain  gap marking the  entrance  to 'w?'  'u"". ?r"'""  •'="'«'.''  '"f,T";lthe Bratislava plains leading west- able,  but there was no d'sposltion| miles to Vienna, to minimize the time and cost re-     " "   ,       .     .  ' quirpj                                                      !    Southeast  of Kns&a.  key strong-
,  , '.  .        ,     ,.,,  ., ,  .,„„„ ;hoId of enemy defenses  protecting
Asked how he felt about home-k^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ of the puppet Axi.s front optimism. Bradley said hel ^^^p „f Slovakia, the combined "hoped" the Germans ha ent asl j^^^^^ ^^ Petrov's 4th Ukrainians much equipment as lh''>_''«'' ') "land Marshal Rodlon Y. Malinov- or   three   months   ago    The   Na^ls.|,^^..^ ^^^ Ukrainian Armv drove to
The magnitude of the attack was evidenced by the continued savagery of the assault and the dwindling Japanese resistance.
Planes from carriers operating under Adm. William F. Halscy's Third Fleet ranged the entire length of Luzon, raking fields, in- skillations and adjacent waterM. The only major enemy counter- threat was offered Dec. l.'i when the Japanese sent out eight planea. All eight were shot down before reaching their targets.
The I.ii/i)n air offensive Is unique in the emphasLs of carrier night attacks which had not been at¬ tempted before on extensive scale. Today's communique said that "re¬ peated night attacks were launched from our carriers Dec. 13, 14 and l.'i
The toll of Japanese ships In¬ cluded two sunk and 15 left burn¬ ing or damaged in the first day of the three-day aerial blitz. Six destroyers or destroyer escorts were   listed   as  damaged.
Rrrord (Carrier Effort
The attacks Dec. 15 by the car¬ rier planes destroyed 11 Jap planes and damaged 48, boosting the total destroyed in 72 hours to 235 and the total damaged  to  138.
Relatively few plane.s were seen the third da.v, apparently indi¬ cating the Japanese were unable to bring in reinforcements from Formosa.
A dispatch from United Press (Continued  on   Page  A-14)
By WILLIAM C. WILSON
Allied Headquarters, Leyte, Philippines, Sunday, Dec. IT (UP)—American invasion troops, advancing inland seven t« nine miles on a broad front, captured the airfield town ot San Jose Saturday in a powerful push from their thrct Mindoro island bridgeheads against negligible JapancM opposition, (ien. Douglas MacArthur announced today.
San Jose, five miles from the west coast and four miles inland from the American beachhead area on the southwest coastal region of Mindoro, is situated at a railroad junctioa along the Magbando River north of Mangarin Bay.
In addition to capturing San Jose airfield, engineers wcrt already at work building new airfields at excellent sites.
San Jose fell quickly to the veteran American infantrymen as transports continued to pour men and supplies ashore under enemy air attaclv.
The Japanese claimed "fierce" fisrhting was under way but the Sunday MacArthur communique reported bluntly tiiat enemy opposition to tlie American landings was "negligible." The enemy was violently distracted from the Mindoro opera¬ tions by a tremendous day-and-night attack by U. S. carrier planes.
Headquarters observers predicted speedy Japanese reaction to tha Mindoro Innding.N and front dispatches said artillery and anti-aircraft guns had been sent ashore iji readiness  fnr expected attack.
I (A Japanese communique .said troops were lighting "approximately" jone division of Americans which came ashore "in the vicinity" of San JJosc, largest town in Southwestern Mindoro and located about five j miles Inland from the west coast of the Island above Mangarin Bay.)
(Uthcr Japanese broadcasts .'.aid that "violent' sea and air battles were raging in the bulu Sea against the invasion flotilla and that American planes were continuing to attack the Manila area "in waves.")
There had been no opposition as the first assault troop.s went swiftly ashore at 7:30 a. m. Friday from the 1.50-ship convoy commanded by Rear Adm. Arthur D. Strublc. chief of staff of navnl operations during the landings In Normandy on the other side of the world.
War   !^umiliary
produce^dj^j^^jj^ 20 miles of the transit city
he      said.      apparently
enough    tanks    to    "P'"''''.. "¦^" jby   capturing  Vilany,   Moscow   an- losses  in  the  flight  across   '^""^^¦| nounced when   t..n   Ninth   Air   Force   alonei     _. .     ' „      ,     ,       ,
destroved almost 1,500 German! -This trans-Czechos ovak supply tanks and damaged hundreds more. ¦•a'l''o«d links Po and wi h Buda- Bradley paid high tribute to the llfst southwest of Satoraljaujhelv. work of the Ninth Air Force In pn'>' « U-mile strc ch remains to smashing German resistance m be cleared before the Red army France j will   have   a   throURh   supply   rout.
Wc   didn't  have  the  confidence I Jjom   Poland   to  the  gates  of  the in air support that we might have! """Kaf""  capital. Vandenberg said the air war hasi hsd had we worked together before  Near Slovak Border entered     an     intenselv     scientific   D-day,    but    we    are   getting    the     Simultaneously,  troops of Malln- stage  in  which   still-secret  devices   finest co-operation any army »ver.ovsky's   army   advamert   on   a   37- are  achieving  amaiingly  accurate | had," he said. *        (Continued on Page A-14)
Liiftwaffe Not   Beaten
WE.STERN FRONT—IJecisive battle for Ludwigshafen and Mannheim shapes up on llhenisii plain; Yanks blast another bieacli in Siegfried Line as Nazis unleash powei-ful artillery barrages along 300-mile front; First Army is pushed back.
PHILIPPINKS—Veteran U. S. doughboys expand three beachheads, drive inland on Mindoro Island; Jap¬ anese counter-tluust anticipated.
EASTERN FRONT—Soviets battle at gates of tJratislava plain leading to Vienna; tighten noose about Budapest, Berlin reports.
AIR—American and British bomljers attack rail targets near .Stuttgart and Cologne; blast oil centers at mouth of lirenner Pas.s.
IT.\LY—British gain below Faenza.
CHINA—Chinese reach Hochih, vital rail town 100 miles west of Liuchow.
SOUTHEAST ASI.\—Chinese mop up inside Bhamo.
A communique broadcast by tha Japanese radio asserted that planea had sunk four transports and set afire or damaged 21 other vesseli^ including eight transports and two battleships, during three days of attacks on the American convo/ . from Dec. 13 to 15 Inclusive. Preparing for Attacks _ , .   .
!     There was no confirmation of tht But Japanese planes had attacked enemy    claims    from    any    Allied the convoy for two day.s before the  gource
landings:   they   .attacked   again   as      The'   Domel      (Japanese)     newa the   vessels   lay   offshore,   pounng^      „   broadcast   dispatch   Satur-
men into the beachhead. There was every reason to believe that the attacks could continue, by air. by land and possibly by .sea. and the American landing forces were battling against time to get ready for them. Mindoro Is rough, rugged and al
tacked the Manila area "in waves" Saturday morning, likewise was not confirmed by American sources. It would indicate that possibly Amer* lean naval carrier planes were con« tinuing the neutralization of Jap» anesc airfields on Luzon, in support
most roadless in the interior, andl of the new beachhead on Mindoro. its   maintenance   extends   the   long      ...      .^       ,   .,      .. . .  m
American supply lines 170 miles far. A later Dome! dispatch asserted ther westward, open to the menace!that about 280 carrier-based planes of Japanese air .submarine nnd "'?«<* Manila, Clark Field. Upa. surface attack despite the effective Batangns and Llngayan on Luion work of American and Filipino,^."^urday ,?'"d,,«"» her 70 plane, guerrillas In choking off many | "l^^'^,«^ "^^ *-=»'" '^^ Bacolof Japanese   airfields   in   the   central; ^    „
Philippines Island.H. '    Dispatches    from    United    Presa
War Correspondent Lloyd Tugltng, Japanese broadcasts heard by aboard a carrier force flagship, said United Press in San Francisco and that American night attackers over New ¦York Friday night and Sat- Clark Field In the Manila area urday indicated that Tokyo was Thursday nighl met intense and fully aware of the Importance of accurate anti-aircraft fire and th« the new American advance and at- number of enemy planes destroy* tempted to give the Impression that ed in the air increased sharply ag the Japanese reaction was swift, the Japanese brought in planM and   violent. from Formosa.
Eisenhower Will Close All Schools in Germany
London. Dec. 16. (UP)—All educa¬ tional Institutions except boarding schools and orphanages will be closed in conquered Germany until Nazi ideology and militaristic teach¬ ing have been removed, the Gorman people were told today in the thir¬ teenth and last Allied proclamation broadcast   to the  Reich.
Gen. Dwight D. Elsenhower's proclamation explained that virtu¬ ally all educational in.'^titutions will be closed until extirpation of Nazi militarism. German schools will remain under tlie supervision of the | Allied military government during | the period of occupation.
The  existing  system  ot  German
e(]ucation will be retained as faff as possible. Schools will have to )>• repaired by the Germans them« selves under the supervision of the Allies,  the  proclamation said.
The Allied military government will not e.Nttnd its authority to matters of religious instruction un« less it becomes necessary to maka it conform to general instructions concerning all schools and teach* ing.
All forms nf Instruction will rs« frain from glorifying mllitarism« justifying Nazism or advocating racial oY religious discrimination the broadcast concluded.
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