The Waterbury Democrat. [volume], January 17, 1945, Image 1

About The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946

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. 1879)
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UIA0UM1UJ 1881 VUL. LAW, NU. 14
WATEKBURY, CONNECTICUr, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1945
MAlEtN rAuES rKILE 4 LENIa
Yanks Cross Luzon Flats Toward Tarlac
HARD FIGHTING
STILL EVIDENT
IN HODFFALIZE
BY BOYD D. LEWIS
Paris, January 17.— (UP)
— Allied troops hammered
the Ardennes salient down
into a narrow pocket on the
rim of the Siegfried Line to
day and swung over to the
attack on either flank with
two offensive thrusts that
staggered the Germans in
Alsace and the Netherlands.
Hard fighting still raged in
the Houffalize area where a
lew German Panzer units
were struggling to escape
envelopment by the Ameri
can First and Third Armies,
but the focal point of the
Ardennes battle had shifted
eastward to the St. Vith area
and late dispatches said the
Nazis were being squeezed
inexorably back across their
own frontier.
The remnants of Marshal Karl
von Rundstedt’s three attacking
armies were compressed into a thin
band of Belgian and Luxembourg
soil extending down about 50 miles
alonff its eastern base from Mon
.•chau to the Echternach area and
measuring about 12 miles at its wid
est point.
Nazis Forced Back
An Allied headquarters com
munique reported that the Germans
were being forced back all along
the Ardennes front, giving ground
fairly rapidly on the southern and
western flanks and fighting back
furiously against three American
First Army divisions driving in from
the northwest on their last strong
point at St. Vith.
Fifty miles to the north, tank
led British Second Army troops lash
ed out against the German salient
west of the Boer river in a sur
prise attack that official spokes
men said was making good progress
against only moderate resistance.
The Tommies shoved off from the
Sittard area ear’y yesterday i’i what
appeared to be a limited offensive
aimed at eliminating the Roer
bridgehead as a possible spring
board for another Nazi counter
drive.
There was no immediate informa
tion on the scale of the British at
tack which at last reports wa?
pounding steadily ahead into a tri
angular salient roughly 15 miles at
its base on the Roer 15 miles on
each side, bounded by Sittard in
the west, Roermond in the north
and Geilenklrchen in the south.
(Continued on Page 4)
May Bill Has
FDR's Support
By DEAN W. DITTMER
Washington, Jan. 17 — (U.P.) —
Congress awaited President Roose
velt’s promised message on national
service legislation today with ex
pectations that it would call for im
mediate passage of the pending May
Bill to put all 18 to 45 year men on
a work-or-flght basis.
The President told his news con
ference late yesterday that the
message probably would reach con
gress- today. While he did not speci
fy the exact type of legislation he
had in mind, Chairman Andrew J.
May, D„ Ky., of the House Military
.'Airs Committee, said the Pres
ident favored his work-or-flght bill
m a preliminary to full national
service by both labor and industry,
felt that the May bill stood a bet
ter chance of passage than a full
national service bill at this time.
May’s bill would force every man
between the ages of 18 and 45, in
cluding 4-F’s. to get in a war Job
or stay in me one ne nas under
penalty of Induction into special la
bor battalions. National service
would reach men In still higher
brackets and, In the most drastic
form, apply to women as well.
It was understood that Mr. Roose
velt’s message would take the form
of a letter addressed to May. It will
be accompanied by urgent appeals
(Continued on Page 4)
Dime Novel Creator
Succumbs In Sleep
Vista, Cal., Jan. 17.—<UP;— Fu
neral services will be held tomor
row for Gilbert Patten, 77, crea
tor of the dime novel hero, Frank
Merriwell.
Patten died in his sleep alt he
home of Ills son, Harvan Barr Pat
ten, yesterday. The younger Pat
ten saM his father appeared in good
health when he retired the previ
ous evening.
Writing under the name of Burt
'.j. Standlsli, Patten began his Mer
riwell stories in 1896 and continued
ihem for 17 years, piling up more
gian 25,000,000 words describing his
Wro's dramatic and always ‘‘manly’’
IWdl
(op salaries. Bookkeepers, stenog
-.isliers. typists. Uay iNight school.
Post Jr. College at Commcroo.
I
I
Yanks Liberate San Fabian On Luzon
■i
(Signa Corps Radiotelephoto from NEA Telephoto)
American soldiers and Filipinos exchange greetings outside the shell-scarred municipal hall at San Fabian,
the first town liberated by the Yanks in the Luzon invasion.
Snow Removal Interference
Charged Up To Parked Cars
Judgeships
Hearing Set
For Tuesday
Hartford, Conn., Jan. 17.—(UP)—
Party leaders in the House an
nounced today there will be a pub
lic hearing next Tuesday on a bill
to renew the governor’s war-time
emergency authority to suspend
laws which, in his opinion, inter
fere with the war effort.
The authority originally was giv
en the governor during the 1943
session, and it expires Feb. 1. The
General Assembly has been asked
for a renewal for two years.
Reps. Herbert Wanderer, R. Bethel
and Philip Sullivan, D, Enfield, said
at a press conference that they
knew of no organized opposition
to the proposal.
Wanderer said he thought it in
advisable a tthis time to refugse the
renewal and leave the legislature
with the alternative of amending
laws to accomplish the same pur
pose.
A public hearinug also was sched
uled for next week on the major
judgeship resolutions of the gov
ernor, involving reappointments to
the supreme, superior, common
pleas and juvenile courts. This
will be the first time such a hear
ing will be held on the nominations,
Heretofore they have been taken
up directly by the Senate and House
after being reported out by the
committee on executive nominations.
Indian Troops Take
10 Nazi Prisoners
Rome, Jan. 17.—(UP)—Indian
troops, fighting their way out of an
ambush at the west flank of the
Eighth Army, killed 10 Germaas and
captured 10 more in the day’s big
gest action on the Italian front,
headquarters said today.
A communique reported active
patrolling on both the Eighth and
Fifth Army fronts despite poor visi
bility.
An American patrol of the Fifth
Army probed enemy positlnos di
rectly south of Bologna but was
forced to fall back under intense
enemy fire.
Bad weather curtailed air opera
tions.
James B. Mellon Killed
In Action Over Germany
Stall Sgt. Jamse B. Mellon, son
of Mr. and Mrs. James Mellon, Sr.,
Taylor street, was reported killed
In action, according to a telegram
received by his wife, the former
Theresa Wersig, Rlversllde Drive,
Naugatuck, last night.
The airman was previously re
ported missing In action in a flight
over Germany since September 28.
Before entering the service on
January 27, 1943, he worked in the
office of Swift & Co. He is a grad
uate of Wilby High school and
worked for the circulation depart
ment of the Waterbury Democrat
while going to school.
Beside his wife and parents he
Is survived by a 20-month-old son,
Richard, and a brother, Robert,
also in the service.
Before he was assigned to over
seas duty he was stationed at a
gunnery school in Miami Beach,
Florida, at Las Vegas, Nevada, for
advanced instruction in aeroplane
gunnery, and at the Army Air leld
at AmarilU. Texas.
JAMES B. MELLON
Clearing and colder is predicted
for tonight after four days of inter
mittent snow, sleet, and rain, made
walking or driving In Waterbury a
difficult operation.
Few accidents were reported by
police last night, as many motorist
left their cars at home, but numer
ous cases of stalled cars were re
ported. Parking tickets were at an
all time high, police reported, as
cars left in'various parts of the city
interfered with snow removal.
A C. R. & L. Bus driven by Fran
cis Tracy, skidded on East Main
street in front of the Scovill Com
pany last night and slightly dam
aged a car operated by Leonard Di
Francesco and a parked car belong
ing to Dr. Edward Herr. West Main
street, Cheshire. Motor Patrolman
Matthew Guarini reported.
Yesterday’s four inch fall added
to Sunday's five inches, caused
schools to close in Litchfield, Ply
mouth, Canaan, and Falls village,
and caused cancellation of two high
school basketball games, one be
tween Washington, Conn., and
Sacred Heart at Wilby gym, and tire
other between Morris and Wood
bury, scheduled for Woodbury.
A Watertown school bus which
transports pupils of the Guernsey
town district was marooned by
drifts on the morning trip after 10
pupils had neen picked up. Two
town snowplows reached the vehi
cle in less than half an hour.
Hartford, Oonn., Jan. 17—(UP)—
Two more deaths today brought the
total attributed to the snow, sleet
and wind storm which has swept
the state since Saturday to five.
Mrs. Samuel Cohn, 60, collapsed
while shoveling snow in front of
her house here, and John B. Quas
novsky, 56, Old Greenwich, suc
cumbed while on his way to work
at the height of the storm Tuesday.
Light snow flurries were predicted
for today, as private walk shovelers,
state and town road crews worked
to clear away snow which fell Tues
day night, all roads in the state
were on schedule.
DK. FLANDERS DIES
Dover, N. H„ Jan. 17 — (U.P.) —
Dr. Louis W. Flanders, 80, Dover
physician who retired in 1943 after
practicing 40 years, died here last
night.
Nazi Thrust
Extends War
1-6 Months
BY BOYD D. LEWIS
Paris, January 17. — (UP) —
Adolf Hitler’s desperate thrust into
the Ardennes failed In all its majoi
objectives, but it chewed up Ameri
can men, armor and supplies that
had been massed for an offensive
of their own and prolonged the wax
from one to six months.
This sober judgment of the Ger
man offensive is based on informa
tion obtained from reliable sources
while covering three army fronts—
the Seventh, First and Ninth—
during the month following Ger
man Marshal Karl Von Rundstedt’s
breakthrough.
To weight the results, Hitler’s
aims first must be considered.
A cauptured member of Hitler’s
escort guard said the Fuehrer ad
dressed a conference of army gen
erals, including Von Rundstedt,
December 3, and called for his forces
to reach the Meuse river in three
days and Antwerp in three weeks.
The capture of Antwerp, Hitler
said, would cut off 38 Allied divis
ions north of the breakthrough area
and deal a death blow to the Ameri
can Expeditionary Force. He even
hoped one of the Allies would be
knocked out of the European war.
Rundstedt was to smash through
with such terrific speed that vast
Allied gasoline and supply dump."
would be overrun, enabling the Ger
mans to feed off their booty. Liege
and Namur were to fall like ripe
plums, and the race northwest to
Antwerp was to be aided in its final
phase by a coupe de grace delivered
from northern Holland, where forces
drained off from Norway and other
sources were massed.
The offensive was halted by the
American 2nd Armored Division
three miles from the Meuse. There
Rundsted’s men, unable to capture
sizeable supply dumps east of the
(Continued on Page 4)
Mexico Talks
Facing Delay
By R. H. SHACKFORO
Washington, Jan. 17.—(UP)—The
possibility of Secretary of State Ed
ward R. Stettinius, Jr., attending
both the big three conference and
the inter-American meeting in
Mexico City Increased today with
reports that the Mexico session may
be postponed a week or more.
If he does accompany President
Roosevelt to meet Prime Minister
Winston Churchill and Premier
Josef Stalin, it will be the first time
that tl:e President has taken a Sec
retary of State to one of his war
parleys.
Stettinius’ predecessor, Cordell
Hull, did not attend any of the
Roosevelt-Churchill meetings abroad
nr the Cairo and Teheran confer
ences He did participate in some
of the discussions during Churchill’s
three trips to Washington and, just
prior to Teheran, went to Moscow
to confer with British Foreign Min
ister Anthony Eden and Soviet Com
missar V. M. Molotov.
Informed sources said that the
American governments—except for
Argentina and El Salvador — were
now considering postponing the
Mexico meeting from Feb. 15 to
(Continued on Page 4j
*
2 SIXTH ARMY
TROOPS merge!
NEAR PANIQUI
BY WILLIAM B. DICKINSON '■
General MacArthur’s Head
quarters, Luzon, January 17.
— (UP)—Two strong Sixth
Army columns have merged
near Paniqui, 36 miles in
land, and are sweeping south
across the Luzon plains to
ward Tarlac and Manila virt
ually unopposed, a front dis
patch said today.
Tarlac, a provincial capital
and strategic communica
tions hub only 12 miles
south of Paniqui, was ex
pected to fall without a fight
and speculation was growing
that the Japanese might not
even attempt a strong de
fense of Manila, 65 miles
farther south.
H. D. Quigg, United Press War
Correspondent with forces on the
Luzon plain, said the two columns
joined forces near Paniqui after ad
vancing respectively from Moncada,
four and one-half miles to the
north, and Camiling, 11 miles to the
west-northwest.
Few Bridges
A-iitUfL UA. WrtD launmg wiuiv
difficulty than enemy opposition I
in the frontal advance on Tarlac, I
Quigg said. He said the Americans
may use the roadbed of the narrow
Bauge railway nmning from Mon
cada as the roadbed for a new
highway to Manila.
Five highways merge at Tarlac
and Its capture would put the Amer
icans only 20 miles from the great
Clark field air center and almost
half way from the Lingayen Gulf
of Manila bay.
Though there was no sign of Jap
anese preparations for a stand
north of Manila, the enemy was of
fering stiff resistance and even at
tempted a futile tank counter-at
tack at the northeastern corner of
the bridgehead.
Frances McCarthy, United Press
war correspondent in the north
eastern sector, said enemy resist
ance was stiffening steadily in the
area and there appeared little doubt
that the Japanese would make a
(Continued on Page 4)
Bridges Asks
Group Merger
BY CHARLES B. DEGGES
Washington, Jan. 17—(UPi—Sen.
Styles Bridges, R„ N. H., will proposr
to the joint committee on .stream
lining Congress, he said today, that
the Senate’s 33 standing committee*
be reduced to 12, and that their
staffs be merged to give the re
grouped committees adequate help
His proposal came as the national
planning association sent to each
member of the Senate and House a
14-point program for “strengthening
Congress’’ which has been endorsed
by business, agriculture and laboi
leaders.
Prominent among the planning
association’s proposals were:
Elimination of the filibuster, in
creased political party responsible
lty tnrougft policy committees in
both Houses, $25,000 salaries for
members instead of the present
$10,000, and fewer committees.
Terming his committee plan “the
Hrst ABC proposal in which the
language is spelled out,'1 Bridget
took into account both the NPA rec
ommendations and mobilization Di
rector James P. Byrnes’ suggestion
that there be fewer committees in
the interest of efficiency.
Bridges said he would recommend
that the present Senate naval af
fairs and military affairs commit
,ees be merged into . new national
ielense committee
Among other considerations he
proposed putting irrigation and re
rlamation, and public lands and sur
veys under an enlarged agriculture
ind forrestry committee. Under ap
(Continued on Page 4)
Long Sentences,
Given Soldiers
Camp Edwards. Mass., Jan. 17—
t UP)—Two Michigan GI's, who
itole two automobiles and commit
,ed two burglaries after escaping
from a guardhouse here last month, i
mve received long sentences at i
laid labor as result of general court I <
martial conviction, it was an- I
mu need today.
’Die soldiers, Pvt Joseph Miller, I
18, and Pvt Bishop Presley, 19, both
>f Flint, Mich., escaped from the .
■amp Edward's guardhouse Dec. 11.
rhey were captured the next day by
i police posse at Palmer, 100 miles •
west of here. In addition to the
;ar thefts, the pair allegedly broke
nto a Falmouth clothing store and I
i dwelling on the outskirts of Bos- i
ion.
Pressley received a l5-yeaj<- len
ience and Miller was given,*' jears,
Doth terms to be served i the re
habilitation center at Camp i pton,
H. Y.
Enthroned In N. Hampshire
MOST REV. MATTHEW F. BRADY
Priestly Character
Of Bishop Extolled
XT XT Tnm IT
Senator's Son
Will Fly Home
ForObseauies
Meriden, Conn., Jan. 17—(UP) —
Delegations of congressional asso
ciates and Connecticut officials and
political leaders will attend the fu
neral of Democratic U. S. Sen .Fran
cis T. Maloney Friday, to pay the
final respects of the nation and state
to the man who pulled himself up
by his bootstraps from a five cents
an hour shop boy to one of the most
Influential members of the war-time
Congress.
Brien McManon, Norwalk, who be
came Connecticut's senior Senator
through Maloney’s sudden death
yesterday, will head the senate com
mittee which will include Theodore
F. Green, R. I.; Theodore G. Bilbo,
Miss. James M Mead, N. Y.; Joseph
C. O’Mahoney, W.vo.; David I. Walsh
Mass.; George L- Radcliffe, Md., and
Albert W. Hawkes, N. J.
The House Committee will include
Connecticut's s i: representatives
and Rep. A. S. Monroney, Okla.,
rice chairman ol the joint congres
sional organization study committee,
at which Maloney was chairman at
the time of his death.
Governor Raymond E- Baldwin,
administration officers, and leaders
af both political parties, also will at
;end the services which will be held
from it. Joseph’s church at 10 a. m.,
following a brief service at the home.
Maloney's son Lieut. (Jg) Robert
Maloney, USCG, stationed on the
nest coast, received permission to
fly to Meriden for the funeral.
The city of Meriden was in mourn
ng over the passing of the Senator i
jorn here 50 years ago and who
(Continued on P3g» 4)
BRISTOL LAD KILLED
Dyersburg, Tenn., Jan. 17—(UP)
—Ten victims of a B-17 flying for
,ress crash near Halls, Tenn., yes
erday were identified today by
irmy officers at Dyersburg air field
vhere the plane was based.
The dead included:
Cpl. Robert E. Therrien, Bristol,
3onn.
| —In traditionally Impressive cere
monies, the Most Rev. Matthew P.
Brady, a native of Waterbury,
Conn., former Bishop of Burlington,
Vt., today was enthroned in the
Gothic cathedral of St. Joseph as
fifth Catholic Bishop of Manchester.
Before 12 archbishops and bish
ops, one abbott. monsigniori, priests
and laity, the new prelate was in
stalled by Archbishop Richard J.
Cushing of Boston who wore the
cappa magna indicative of his jur
isdiction over the ecclesiastical
province of New England.
After the reading of the apostolic
mandate announcing the legitimacy
of Bishop Brady’s accession, Arch
bishop Cushing led him by the hand
to the episcopal chair on the gospel
side of the sanctuary. Bishop Brady,
then celebrated his first pontifical
Mass as head of the Manchester See
and spiritual leader of more than
170.000 Catholics. The See of Man
chester has been vacant since the
death of Bishop John B. Peterson
last March 15.
At the gospel of the Mass, the
most Rev. Francis Patrick Keough,
bishop of Providence, R. I.,
preached the installation sermon,
enumerating the Christian glories
of the diocese and paying tribute
to the priestly character of its fifth
bishop. Bishop Keough performed
the same function at the recent in
stallation of Archbishop Cushing
and also preached at the consecra
tion of Bishop Brady in Burlington
seven years ago.
Among the other prelates partici
pating in the colorful rites were
(Continued on Page 4)
Temporary Leave
To Lifer Okayed
Thomaston, Me., Jan. 17.—(UP)—
Sentenced to life imprisonment for
murder in 1900, George Champion,
82, will leave the institution for
the firstt ime January 22 to under
go an eye operation, it was dis
closed today.
Officials said that cataracts on
his eyes had rendered him almost
totally blind, necessitating the oper
ation that will be performed at the
Thayer hospital in Waterville.
Champion will travel the 50 mile
route to the hospital by automobile
and will be maintained In a priv
ate room under 24-hour guard dur
ing his 10-day stay.
Allied Heads To Decide
War Criminals’ Penalty
London, Jan. 17—t UP)—Foreign i
Secretary Anthony Eden said today I
hat the punishment to be meted!
>ut to Adult Hitler, Benito Mussu
lnl and other major war criminals
those ol tenses were not routined
0 a particular geographical area
vould be decided jointly b\ the A1
led governments.
He denied, that "fundamental dit
erences” existed between the Allied
ear crimes commission and the
British government and said the
Ulied governments liad made
mown their stand on the punish
nent of the chief war criminals in
1 statement Issued following the
dreign ministers' conference hi
Uoscow Nov. 1, 1943
Reliable soudees have said that
Srltain lias refused to endorse the
lommlssion’s recommendation that
/
an inter-Allied court tie established
to try Hitler, Mussolini and other
international culprits.
Eden said there had been ‘ a good
deal of misunderstanding" regard
ing the war crimes commission. Its
purpose, lie said, was to Investigate
all cases referred to It by any of
the Allied governments of atrocities
committed by, or by the order of.
nationals of any country at war
against the United Nations, par
ticularly atrocities organized and
committed in accordance with a de
liberate policy.
Emanuel Shinweil interposed a
question as to whether an attempt
was being made to whitewash Hitler
publicly, but Eden declined to an
swer on the technical grounds that
the question was on the order pa
per for a later reply.
NAZI DEFENSE
CRACKSUNDER
DRIVE IMPACT
BY BRUCE W. MUNN
London, January 17.
(UP) — The Red Army cap
tured Warsaw today in it*
greatest triumph of a six
day winter offensive sweep
ing across Poland and rapid
ly undermining the German
positions along a 600-mile
battlefront. i
Marshal Stalin proclaimed ;
the capture of Warsaw in a
Special Order of the Day
which revealed that the first
White Russian Army had
forced the Vistula north of
the capital and clamped it in
a pincers.
The announcement of Warsaw’*
liberation came as a flood of nerv
ous Nazi broadcasts reported that i
the Russians had plunged within 15
miles of the Silesian frontier at
Czestochowa, had shattered the Na
rew river line of German defense
northeast of Warsaw, and were rac- j
mg at tup opccu auuDo vcuwoi x w”
land.
The entire German delens* sys
tem in Poland appeared to hav*
collapsed under the weight ol prob
ably the mightiest single land of
fensive of the entire war, and
Stockholm relayed Berlin hints that
the Nazis had written off all of Po
land.
Stalin, announcing the capture ol'
Warsaw on the sixth day of the
winter campaign, ordered Marshal
Gregory K. Zhukov’s victors saluted
with 24 salvos of Moscow’s 324 vie- ^
tory guns.
Zhukov, Stalin'* deputy in the So
viet supreme command, set up War- j
saw for a three-way assault by a
double flanking maneuver. Swing
ing up behind the capital from a
great bridgehead south of it, the
Russians captured Zyradow, 20
miles southwest of Warsaw, and cut
the roads running west from th* 1
city.
Then the White Russian Army 1
stormed across the Vistula north of
Warsaw and wheeled down to close
the jaws of the pincers and isolate
the city.
Storming in from three directions
and avoiding a dangerous crossing
of the broad Vistula from the long- .
held Praga suburb, the Russians “by J
combined blows from the north- 3
west and south captured the capital
of our ally, Poland, the City of War*
saw, the most strategic center of
(Continued on Page 4)
Formosa Hit |
Hard By Forts
By FRANK TREMAINE
Pearl Harbor, Jan. 17—(UP)—B
29 Superfortresses bombed military
Installations on Formosa in daylight
today after carrier planes wrecker,
at least 30 and perhaps 100 or morn i
Japanese ships off that island bas
tion and the China coast in a three
day assault.
(A Japanese broadcast said that [
single B-29's, presumably on weath- |
er and reconnaissance missions, 1
raided central Honshu Island three
times during the night. One dropped,
bombs on Nagoya about 7 p m. 1
last night, a second was over Kyoto
about 11:30 p. m. and a third over
Shizuoka. Nagnno and Kanto about
4 a. n... the Japanese said )
It was possible that planes of
Adm. William F. Halsey'3 Third
fle-st extended their attacks on the
Formosa-Chlna coast area Into a
fourth day In conjunction with the
B-29 raid. Both Superfortresses and
carrier planes attacked Formosa las*
Sunday and on Jan. 9.
A brief war department announce- |’
ment in Washington disclosed the |
latest Superfortress strike mounted 1
by Maj. Gen. Curtis Le May's 20th
bomber command from bases In
China. Though no details were avail- .
able immeditaely, It was likely the
B-29's struck at airfields, supply
dumps and other military targets.
first reports from the 'ITiird Meet
covered only preliminary results of
the second and third days—Monday ‘
(Continued on Page -it