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FORECAST ~ REMEMBER j Fair and ruld today with highest vmperature about 54 degrees. Gentle to MH If KDDAD . icderate variable winds becoming south- I* II A till ilAtlDUli westerly. Yesterday’s temperatures: _ uak a ■■■ a a m 3g-Low- ”■ AND BATAAN fol ____ ___WILMINGTON, N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1944___ FINAL EDITION \ - *----—-===:--- ^ _ [I. S. Attains Objective In lew Invasion Closing Of Pincers In Or moc Corridor Is Announced GENERAL M’ARTHUR’S HEADQUARTERS, PHILIP PINES, FRIDAY, Dec. 22.— Deadly American fight er planes are flying against the Japanese from a newly constructed airdrome on Min doro Island, less than 150 miles from Manila Gen. Doug las MacArthur reported to day. The announcement that the new fieid hacked out on Mindoro’s southwest coast is in use, marked attainment of the primary objec iive in the landing on the island a week ago today. Its importance, both to the Amer icans and the Japanese, was dem onstrated as the enemy sent 29 planes against installations there Wednesday. Eleven of the raiders were downed in fierce aerial com bat with American Lightnings and thunderbolts. One American fight er plane was lost. Closing of a so-called "pincers” in the Ormoc corridor, on Leyte Island's northwest coast, means that the First American Cavalry fom the north and the 77th Infan try Division from the south have joined their advance units along the Ormoc road. The Japanese, particularly o nthe east side of the road, were striving desperately to keep a gap open so they could slip through to the west in the direction of Palompon. their remaining escape port. But the Nipponese were well scattered. While there still is stiff fighting ahead by isolated pockets, ;’"-r destruction continues. An ad dt'tonal 2.032 enemy dead were counted in the Ormoc corridor Wednesday. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) -v_ early respite FROM COLD WAVE PROMISED WEST Bv The Associated Press respite from the season’s ■ weather was predicted last ’).v the Weather Bureau as a ‘■e t pan of die Nation shivered c : iaid hast accompanying the 1 :‘>ning of venter’s solstice at i:,5 p.m. “c'i5ing earlier temperature ■CTcasis. the bureau said Mid n thermometers would record ; P readings or about 20 degrees “Ke zero today and that tonight’s in the Midwest would be •aj.nd 12 degrees above. These teres were from 5 to 10 degrees ’“inter than previously indicated. However, when the sun set yes ’"rr'py. ending the shortest span J flight hours for the year, tf Great Lakes, Ohio River Val and Atlantic Coast areas still Woe experiencing ear-nipping cold. *' no ext -ernes, such as the 25 ”t!" reported Wednesday night at Bemidji Minn., were expected. Weather Bureau said it ’p-nd warm vn rapidly today in {**• Minnesota. North and South j teta, and Wisconsin, and also ■“ hhnois and Indiana, where Nor ftern residents were given special ^ rings ,,t probable overnight 5 to 10 below. Gyttle precipitation was expected ! 'or change back to normal win ;f; weather occurs, the Bureau ar Pounced. WPB Re-Surveys Production Plans; War With Nazis May Ran Over Year WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.—UPh Germany’s powerful counter-of fensive led Government officials tonight to resurvey arms produc tion plants on the basis that heavy fighting may continue in Europe for a year or longer. Against this dark possibility, however, Secretary of War Stim son set another—the possibility that $re war may be “definitely shortened’’ il the Nazi effort can be crushed. But even if the Stimson-foresen possibiliy should proveet true, it appeared certain that the present rate of arms production must be stepped up because of the enor mous losses of material in the cur rent heavy fighting. This would mean further delay in increasing production of civilian goods. WPB Chairman J. A. Krug told a news conference that “greatly increased demands on production” would result from the Nazi coun ter-thrust. “If General Eisenhower had been able to break through the West Wall promptly, the equip ment we had under procurement would have been sufficient,” he said. “He hasn’t been able to, and it looks as if it may take quite a long time. We must get ready to fight the kind of war we’ve been fighting in the last two months for the next year or as long as it takes.” Stimson, at his news conference, strongly implied that he expects the German lunge to fall short. The Secretary compared it with the desperate drives of the same enemy in 1918 which were beaten and followed quickly by the war’s end. With little to lose, he said, the Nazi High Command chose to gamble some of its troops "rather than await the inevitable end of a slow defensive.” The possibility exists, he conceded, that the coun teroffensive might develop so as to gain for the Germans “a few months extension of time” before they are called “to an accounting for the misery they have inflict ed upon the world.’* (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) BOY, 15, KILLS SISTER’S CHILD Youth Flees Leaving Note Saying ‘I Am Kill Crazy’ PRINCETON, 111., Dec. 21.—W —Norman Burton, 15, who cared for his sister’s four small children while the parents worked in a shell-loading plant, hammered and slashed to death one of Rife tots, five-year-old Sara Jane Tyne, Sheriff Frank Grisell said today. The sheriff said that after the slaying the youth locked the vic tim’s sister, Mary Lou Tyne, 7, in the basement and pedaled away on a bicycle. He added that the bey spent the night in a park and appeared this morning at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Burton of Princeton, who turned the boy over to the sheriff. Grisell said the boy confessed the killing, which occured yester day in the Tyne farm home near Ohio, 111., but when pressed for a motive ‘he just gave me a silly grin and said ’I don’t know.’ ” Sheriff L. E. Bates of nearby Lee county, in which the slaying took place, said he found a note near the child’s body which said: “I am kill crazy. Don’t try to catch me for you’ll never take me alive.” A coroner’s jury at Dixon rec ommended the youth be held on a charge of murder. Sheriffs Grisell and Bates of (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) France Expects To Help Form WorldPeace Group PARIS, Dec. 21.—(/P)—France is determined to help form a world peace organization in which she expects the United States to take the leading role, Gen. Charles de Gaulle told the consultative assembly today at the conclu -.----? NEW YORK PHONE OPERATORS PLAN STRIKE BALLOT NEW YORK. Dec. 21. — (A>) — A strike vote among 12,000 New York telephone company employes in the New York area was ordered today by their union’s general ex ecutive committee. The union, the Traffic Employes Association of the New York Tele phone Co., (Ind.i has been involved in a wage dispute with the com pany for nearly a year. Mrs. Marion L. Horn, commit tee chairman raid no date for .he strike vote *.Tas set. The commit tee said it would “observe the Smith-Connally act,” providing for a 30-day “cooling off period,” if the vote tavored a strike. Today’s action followed an nouncement last night that more than half of ,ihe city’s 6.000 long distance operators had voted to strike in 30 days unless the Wax Labor Board approved a $5 general wage increase, the same increase sought by the traffic employes. ioiuii ueuctie uu tue ucvv ficucu' Soviet alliance. Following a statement from dc Gaulle, chief of the provisional gov ernment, on the recent negotiations leading to the signing of the 20 year alliance, the assembly approv ed the pact which now is ready foi rativication by the French cabinet “France cannot conceive a vic tory without a world security or anization who could be first ir rank if not the United States, whose efforts in the Western theater anc in the Pacific are enormous?” he added. Earlier, Foreign Minister Geor ges Bidault said France intends tc help mount guard on Rhine after the war to keep the Rhineland and Ruhr industries out of Germar hands. He also declared the French nation intends to help Poland ex pand westward into Silesia and East Prussia. The minister, who signed the pact for France, asserted that the ac cord would be a means of mutual defense and added that the Rus sians and French had agreed tc territorial revisions in both the east and the west. “We agreed to the acquisition by Poland of East Prussia and Silesia,’ he said. “This concession corres ponds in our way of thinking to ter ritories in which Poland would be persuaded to abandon.” This apparently was a reference to Russia’s proposed acquisition of former Polish territo~y up to the Curzon Line. During the confer ences at Moscow, the French, tra ditional protagonists of the Poles, promised to support the Russian case for the old Curzon line, ac cording to reports received here. Bidault said the Rhineland ques tion was for all the Allies to work out within the European Advisory Commission, but "it is certain that (Continued on Page Two: Col. 5) -r Enemy Boasts Of New Units Waiting Call German Command Confi dent Of Success, Radio Says LONDON, Dec. 21.—{&)— German broadcasts declared tonight that Field Marshal von Rundstedt’s “steamroller offensive” had cut the vital Liege-Bastogne highway “on a broad front” and was driv ing the “enemy to the Meuse valley” — some 35 miles far ther west. One Berlin commentator said the U. S. Third Army had rushed north into southern Luxembourg in an attempt to stem a second drive pointed toward Sedan, but said “none of these movements carried out by the enemy have thus far led to any noteworthy success.” An analyst for DN3 said the “offensive rolls on tonight” and “all our assault divisions have not yet been thrown in.” “The German command,” he added, “awaits the expected cli max of the battle with quiet con fidence.” This broadcaster, Dr. Max Krull, claimed five Allied divisions “already are completely smashed” and seven others were in “hurried retreat.” The attack, he said, was back ed by “rested replenished infan try divisions which are equipped with tanks of the most modern tpye, with special antitank guns and motorized artillery which de velops extremely mobile firepow er. (Continued on Page Two; Col 2) _ Federal Workers Respond To Army Call For Blood Needed On Western Front WASHINGTON. Dec. 21. — (A5) - Government employes were re sponding by the hundreds today to an urgent appeal for donations of whole blood to be flown to France. Treasury Secretary Morgenthau broadcast over a loud-speaker sys tem an appeal for all healthy Treasury employes to report for blood tests because of an “emer gency” and said he was taking one. But National Red Cross Head quarters said no special appeal had been received from Army Headquarters in Europe. It ex plained Christmas shopping ap parently had caused Washington and some other East Coast cities to fall behind in their quotas of whole blood flown to France each night. U. S.-Red Aid In Greece May Be Asked By British LONDON. Dec. 21.— (J) —The chance that Britain may ask Amer ican-Russian aid in settling Greek political woes arose today along with a demand in Commons that the British government “invite” King George of Greece to remain here until his erstwhile subjects decide whether or not to take him back into the fold. Lord Samuel told the House of Lords Britain probably would have to resort to some sort of ‘ intei Allied action” to settle the Greek situation. He contended “there is no reason why Great Britain should be called upon to bear this burden alone.” The liberal leader’s assertion came after a member of his par ty, Lord Faringdon, sharply as sailing Britain’s armed interven tion cautioned that “mutiny” may arise among British Tommies de tailed to quell civil strife in Greece. . The Eton-educated Lord Faring don’s contention, plus his claim that the British terms for peace in Greece were conditions of “sur render” rather than of armistice, drew a stern rebuke from Lord Sameul and cries of “monstrous from his colleagues in the usually sedate and placid chamber. But the Greek monarch remain ed op the pan in both Houses of Parliament. In Commons, Tom Driberg (In dependent) unsuccessfully sought government assurances that King George be asked "to state public ly that he has no intention of re turning to Greece until after t h e question of monarchy has been settled by a free plebiscite.” He contended that such a plebiscite “might be prejudiced" by the King’s “premature” return. Deputy Prime Minister Clement R. Attlee refused however, to go beyond Eden’s statement yes terday in which the Foreign Sec retary said that he and Churchill had advised the King to stay in London on the grounds that re turn now might cause political dis turbance. In Commons, the suggestion al so was advanced that the British arrange a week’s Christmas truce in the Greek fighting, drawing from Eden a quick quip: “Our object is not to stop it for a week but to obtain a final solution of this buiness.” Meanwhile, creation of a United Nations commission to supervise elections in liberated lands was advocated by another member of Parliament on behalf of the gov ernment. Attlee said he could see “no advantage of a general com mission,” but that Britain would be willing to give some assistance to countries other than Greece “if asked.” Debate in the House of Lords was sharp. Lord Faringdon sug gested that “the King of Greece did not deserve and was in fact an unsuitable recipient of the re spect and authority with which the British government has invested him.” “I think there can be no pos sibility.” he added, “that the King has hardly any personal support in Greece. The Greek people in evitably hold against him that it was he who brought in dictator ship in Greece ana w'ho maintain ed the dictator Metaxas in pow er I Idea Of More Allied Cooperation Is Studied WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 —<2P)— Growing demands on both sides of the Atlantic today for closer Allied political cooperation set American officials studying possibilities for improved consultation machinery. Linked to a plea from British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden for more regular meetings of top Allied statesmen was a feeling that steps should be taken now to fill the gap between the end of Euro pean fighting and establishment of a world peace agency. Only continuous channel for ex change of views outside of normal diplomacy at present is the Euro pean Advisory Commission. The EAC, however, deals almost exclu sively with plans for Germany and has not authority of its own. It only can make recommendations. Expansion of the EAC or forma tion of some new group to take its place when Germany collapses is expected to come up for discussion at the next Roosevelt-Churchill-Sta lin meeting. Some officials think, nowever, that steps to tighten Al lied political lines must be made before the Big Three get together late next month or early in Feb ruary. One possibility is that Secretary of State Stettinius may go to Eng land to talk over Anglo-American policy and confer on closer coor dination. Actually, postwar problems al ready are confronting the Allies in liberated countries. British difficul ties in Greece have called the at tention of diplomats here to the need for regular high policy talks. In the House of Lords, Lord Sam uel said today the British might have to resort to some sort of "in terallied action’ to settle the Greek crisis. He said there was "no reas on why Great Britain should be called upon to bear this burden alone.” The official American attitude has been to keep hands off the in ternal political quarrel, but to at tempt to eliminate some causes of the strife by rushinc in relief sup plies. Unofficially, it was learned, the American ambassador in Ath ens, Lincoln Macveagh, has been trying to help the British and Greeks find a solution Those Jalopy - Days Were Helpful American kids’ “know-how” about things mechanical, learned by tampering with the family jalopy and washing machine, comes in mighty handy for the Yanks. Above, doughboys of the U. S. 9th Army do their own repair job on the track of a Sherman medium tank which broke down in Baesweiler, Germany, while en route to the front lines. MUKDEN PLANE PLANT BOMBED B-29’s Hit Air Opposition In Attack On Jap Industry WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.— Ufl — B-29 Superfortresses. fighting through “moderate to strong” air opposition, today bombed a Japa nese aircraft plant at Mukden, Manchuria—the third enemy air plane factory to be blasted this week. In the air battle, two of the force of about 60 B^’s were lost and 33 enemy fighters were hit. B-29 crewmen reported on their return to China bases that 15 ene my planes certainly were destroy (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) -V Yank Fliers Range From Iwo Jima To Palaus In Attacks U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEAD QUARTERS, Pearl Harbor, Dec. 21.—(iP)—Japanese bases from the Palaus to Iwo Jima, 750 miles south of Tokyo, were hit by Ameri can bombs Tuesday. Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announced today. For the 13th consecutive day, Liberators of the strategic air force made the Marianas-to-Volcano Is lands run to blast the airstrip and installations at Iwo Jima. Marine Corps Avenger torpedo planes attacked Yap, 322 miles northeast of American - occupied Peleliu island in the Palaus. Ma rine fighters destroyed a number of enemy small craft at Sonsorol islands, southwest of the Palaus, and bombed and strafed storage areas on bypassed Babelthuap is land. Isolated Rota Island, north of Guam, and Japanese holdings in the Marshall islands received aerial poundings Tuesday, Nimitz’ communique said. BERLIN REPORTS 1 NEW RED DRIVE Powerful Push Launched Along 40 Mile Front In South LONDON, Dec. 21—(^i—The Ger mans announced today that the Red Army, after nearly two weeks of intense preparation, had launched a powerful offensive along a 40 mile front southwest of Budapest aimed at strangling the long-be sieged Hungarian capital and breaking open the most direct in vasion highway to Vienna. Soviet shock troops broke through German lines at several unidenti fied points, Berlin admitted. Marshal Feodor I. Tolbukhin hurl ed ten rifle divisions of his Third Ukraine Army into the attack, mounted between Lake Balaton and the Danube and immediately threatening the big junction city of Szekesfehervar, the Berlin radio disclosed. In this area, Tolbukhm’s troops are six and seven miles east and southeast of Szekesfehervar, and are linked with elements of Marshal Rodion Y. Malinovsky’s Second Ukraine Army, which two weeks ago smashed across the Dan ube just southwest of Budapest’s outskirts. Only a 35-mile arc remains to be closed on the western side of two thirds encircled Budapest. The German High Command communique said the resumed of fensive was supported by “many bombers,” adding that “bitter fight ing is in progress.” The German army bulletin also reported that Russian “pressure is mounting” northwest of Budapest between the big Danube bend and the southern frontier of invaded Western Slovakia—another avenue of invasion toward Vienna, Austrian capital. Below Budapest, the Russians were reaching for the vital supply lines behind the Hungarian capital. The big immediate objective, Szek (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) British Strafe ELAS Units After Ultimatum Ignored ATHENS, Dec. 21.—(£>)—British tanks and rocket-firing fighter planes shelled and strafed ELAS concentrations north of Athens to day upon expiration of the 9 a. m. ultimatum in which Lt. Gen. hcnald M. Scobie waned the Greek Leftists he would use every avail able weapon in an effort to restore order. Sherman tanks climbed the high, monastary-topped Likabettus mountain, their 75-mm guns shell ing and scattering ELAS goups around Averof prison and the mili tary academy. RAF fighters pin-pointed other troublesome positions, and at Omonia square tank-supported parachute troops patrols made a series of sorties. A billet of the U. S. AAF Trans port Command rocked with the concussion of shell blasts as the troops demolished a snipers’ nest in the square, whose buildings are just behind the Comopolite hotel quarters of the American airmen. It was not immediately clear how much effect Scobie’s warning had on the ELAS forces. Nor was there any further word of political developments toward a truce. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) Battle Termed Greatest Met By Americans Germans Retain Initiative Except On Two Flanks * PARIS, Dec. 21.—Tha unchecked German winter of fensive rolled 32 miles through Belgium and slashed a vital Allied highway 18 miles south of the Belgian fortress of Liege in what was described today as the great est battle involving American or British troops in this war. A second and equally menacing drive swung southwestward and rumbled three-fourths of the way across the tiny Duchy of Luxem bourg to a point 48 miles from Sedan at the French frontier. Van guards were 10 miles from the Bel gian road center of Bastogne. Only on the flanks m Luxem bourg on the south and In the Malmedy-Stavelot sector on the north had the German advance been halted. One enemy armored spearhead, the bulk of a Panzer division, was being ground to bits in a trap of steel near Stavelot. The initiative remained definite ly in the hands of the enemy. Su preme Headquarters reporting Ger man advanced positions as of noon Tuesday, gave no hint that the drives had spent their momentum. Many American formations have been badly mauled, supplies have been consumed and lost, and the doughboys in the trenches see in the German drive a reverse which may prolong the war many months. One American counterblow on the north narrowed by nine miles the 55-mile wide neck of the Ger man bulge into Belgium and Lux embourg. The valiant fight of the Dough boys, a U. S. First Army staff officer declared, had bought time in which countermeasures to check the German rush could be pre pared. Field Marshal von Rundstedt had hurled up to 15 divisions—probably more than 150 000 men—including five or six armored divisions, into this desperate offensive which was badly upsetting the Allied time table for th£ conquest of Germany. V-bombs rained down on Allied positions and rear base areas, a slackening of the main drives was interpreted in late dispatches as only pauses for regrouping and fresh blows, and uneasiness had spread among civilians all the way back to the Belgian capital. (Continued on Page Two; Colt 2) RAF BOMBERS STRIKE BONN AND COLOGNE LONDON, Friday, Dec. 21.— (iP)— RAF heavy bombers struck into Germany last night in a twin blow against freight yards at Cologne and Bonn, on the Rhine 20 miles south, after other British Lancas ters had made a daylight attack on the German railway town of Trier. Weather continued bad and even the daylight raiders, which drop ped an estimated 1,800 tons of bombs, were forced to use night bombing instruments to reach their targets through the heavy fog. U. S. Ninth Air Force fighters rose from their bases on the Con tinent to accompany the 200 Bri tish heavyweights to Trier, 26 miles northeast of Luxembourg City. The Lancasters, essentially night attackers, returned home without loss. U. S. Eighth Air Force Fortress es and Liberators—equipped for day bombing only — again were grounded as the British heavies took advantage cf their night-raid ing apparatus to brave the murky weather that has stopped almost all air support for Allied troops attempting to stem the German drive. Meanwhile, Italian-based U. S. 15th Air Force heavy bombers hammered rail targets at Rosen heim, 35 miles southeast of Munich, rounding out seven straight days af blows at southern German com munications