The Waterbury Democrat. [volume], February 23, 1945, Page FOUR, Image 4

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

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
s Drive Into
Forst And Guben
r •
(Continued from Page 1)
"11 J ..
With the armies of our Allies is
Mccessfully completing the rout of
the German Fascist army,” Stalin
proclaimed. "'Complete victory over
tte Germans now Is already near."
Marshal Ivan S. Konev’s Second
Ukrainian Army was setting the
Stage for the climatic assault on
Berlin by hurling the last Germans
back across the Nelsse river south
east of the capital in furious bat
Uh.
Doable Objective
Moscow dispatches said Konev
Kras preparing to smash across the
■feiase on a broad front with the
double objective of reducing Dres
den. S3 miles ahead of his spear
heads, and flanking Berlin from the
•outh.
The forcing of the Neisse also
(USAAF Photo from NEA>
Chould be a tall tale in which
Sgt. Richard M. Miller Ls so en
grossed, as he catches up with his
re ad Inf on the tail assembly of a
Superfortress on the Marianas.
Miller, of Watertown, Mass., is a
B-29 crewmember.
Eleanor And
Pilot Differ
Boston, Feb. 23 — 'UP)—'Tile Pilot.
Official newspaper of the Catholic
archdiocese of Boston, took issue
today with Mrs. Franklin D. Roose
velt'* statement that we don’t want
to encourage indiscriminately large
families.”
Referring to remarks made by the
President’s wife during a recent
press conference, the Pilot said edi
torially:
‘Read carefully, read very care
fully. Mrs Roosevelt's statement
might pass muster. . . Gauged
solely from an economic viewpoint,
it seems plausible that "it doe, not
help a country to have families of
13 children if they have inferior
health or mentality ”
Yet. the Pilot said, 'i't Ls unpleas
ant to meet sneer, however, ob
lique and qualified, at ‘families of
12 children.’ It is the large fam
ilies of this country that saved
the nation in a very dark and
perilous hour. This doesn't mean
that "the only child’ Is not doing
hts share. Blit there aren't enough
of them ....
"Besides the flavor of snobbery
Which this distinction Implies, and
apart from Its hint that no moral
Issue ls involved. thLs eulogy of
‘really good families’ reeks with
menace. ... If the parents of ages
past had waited until they could
'afford’ children, the standard of
'the swastika would be floating over
the White House at this moment.
Or, the emblem of the Rising Sun.”
probably will be the signal for Mar
shal Gregory K. Zhukov's first
White Russian Army to explode
across the Oder river In a frontal
assault on Berlin, Moscow said.
Konev's Army reached the Nelsse,
last water barrier before Berlin's
Spree river, at two new points yes
terday. More than 60 towns and
villages were captured In advances
of up to eight miles along a 35-mlle
front.
One column broke through to the
Nelsse on a seven-mile front and
captured Schenkendorf, two miles
south of Guben, last German strong
hold astride the river. Strega, four
miles northwest of the west bank
fortress of Forst and 11 mile noth
east of Cottbus, also was captured.
A second force seized Gross Saer
chen, 20 miles southeast of Cottbus
and 52 miles northeast of Dresden,
in an advance to the Nelsse 11 miles
below Forst.
Northeast of Berlin. Marshal Kon
stantin K. Rokossovsky's second
White Russian Army advanced on
a 50-mile front extending to the
Wierzwyce river opposite Gnicw, 34
miles south of Danzig. The Second
Army also extended its control of
the Danzlg-Stettln-Berlin railway
to 22 miles.
Moscow confirmed that the Ger
mans had broken the encirclement
of Koenigsberg and opened a cor
ridor to the Baltic escape port of
Pillau, but announced the capture
of Zlnten, 17 miles southwest of the
East Prussian capital.
More than 8,000 Germans were
killed In three days of fighting on
the Koenigsberg front, Moscow said.
Stalin’s order of the day said his
armies had advanced up to 344
miles along a 745-mile front since
the start of the winter offensive
Jan. 12.
"The first consequence of our
winter offensive,” he said, "was
that it thwarted the Germans’ win
ter offensive in the west, which
aimed at the seizure of Belgium
and Alsace.
"It enabled the armies of our
Allies In their turn to launch an
offensive against the Germans and
thus link up their offensive oper
ations in the west with offensive
operations of the Red Army in the
East.”
3,000 Planes Destroyed
During the offensive, Stalin said,
the Russians killed 800,000 Germans,
catured 350,000, occupied 300 towns,
more than 2,400 railway stations and
100 war plants.and destroyed or cap
tured 3,000 German planes, 4,500
tanks and self-propelled guns and
12,000 guns.
"The doomed enemy hurls his last
forces into action." Stalin said. "He
resists desperately In order to es
cape stern retribution. He grasps
and will grasp at the most extreme
and base means of struggle.
"Therefore, it should be borne in
mind that the nearer our victory,
the higher must be our vigilance,
the heavier must be our blows at
the enemy.”
Valentine
On Stand
New York, Feb. 23—' UPl—Lewis
j. Valentine, New York city police
commissioner, testified today, that
he had been advised prior to the
opening of the 1944-45 season that
professional gamblers were trying to
corrupt coaches and players of the
basketball teams playing at Madison
Square Garden.
Valentine, the first witness as the
open hearing into the basketball
gambling situation was resumed,
said he had a conference with Ned
Irish, acting president of the Gar
den in November, 1944, and that
police cooperation was sought in
suppressing gambling at the Garden.
Irish told him. Valentine said,
that the gamblers were trying to
approach the players and coaches
and revealed that a gambler awoke
the coach of the University of Utah
basketball team at 7 a m. to suggest
that his team ttirow a game.
The coach became Indignant and
“kicked the bum out,” Irish told
him, Valentine testified. He added
that it was unfortunate that the
coach did not detain the gambler
until police could have arrived and
taken him into custody.
G. A. QUACKENBUSII DIES
Worcester, Mass., Feb. 23—< UP)
—George A. Quackenbush, 50, of
Worcester, vice president and gen
eral manager ol the John C. Mc
Innes Co. department store, died
unexpectedly of heart disease al his
home early today.
Uncle Sam’s Shrinking Larder
FEB., 1944
241,550,000 lb*.
646,631,000 lb*.
MEATS AMD
ETFRODUCTS 177,527,0001b*.
130,246,000 lb*.
167,661,000 lb*.
nrirr
EM FRUITS
15,479,000 bu.
209,284,0001b*.
EIN VEGETABLES
‘ / 169,658,0001b*.
7,209,000 mm*
IPOULTRY
239,993,0001b*.
FEB.,1945
1» 4,683,000 lb*.
406,412,000 Ibt.
94,602,0001b*.
38,656,000 lb*.
133,511,0001b*.
25,370,000 b«.
242,394,00011m.
145,260,000 ib*.
13,685.000 c«m*
215,735,00011m.
Uncle San isn’t yet in old Mother Hubbard's fix, but his cupboard Is
a tot barer than it used to be, as shown on chart above, which compares
■lochs for Feb. 1 of last year and this year. Meat supplies in cold ator
I* plants on Feb. 1 were the smallest for that date since the govern
ment started keeping labs in 1916. Other food commodities are down,
too, although apples, froaon fruits and eggs are up. Figures from re*
•eat report af War Food Administration.
Where Over 600,000 Japs “Wither On The Vine”
Map above "hows areas in the Pacific war theater where more than 600,000 Jap troops have been by-passed
by island-hopping Americans and left to “wither on the vine.” In some places, the Japs are well-equipped,
in others they are badly off physically and get no supplies. Most of the enemy forces in the Philippines are
In the big southern island of Mindanao. Their leaders concentrated them there to meet an expected Amer
ican invasion, but General MacArthur crossed tiem up by landing on Lingayan Gulf, Luzon.
Grand-Scale Drive
Reported By Nazis
(Continued from Page 1)
crossing;* immediately north and
south of Dueren were attempting
to link up behind the east bank sec
tion of the town.
They described the blow as the
long - awaited “Anglo - American”
offensive that had been expected
from the west in coordination with
the Red army drive from the east
—a strong hint that the British
Second Army also was on tint
move.
1 here was on immediate con
firmation of the enemy report at
General Dwight D. Elsenhower's
headquarters.
But there were strong indications
that the long-awaited knockout
drive from the west was under w&y
or about to begin.
9,000 Bombers In Action
The first thundering salvoes of the
offensive may have been fired yes
terday in the tremendous aerial
bombardment that paralyzed the
railway system across central and
western Germany.
Almost 9,000 Allied bombers and
fighters from Italy and the western
fields bombed and gunned the Nazi
communications system from dawn
to dark yesterday, littering German
railway and road lines with the
wreckage of 4,000 locomotives, rail
cars and motor vehicles.
Frantic German air raid warnings
indicated the Allied air forces were
winging back over the Reich again
this morning in briliiantly-clear
weather to pile new destruction on
the smoking enemy homeland.
First word of the reported big
push came in a broadcast front dis
patch from a German Transocean
correspondent.
Tlie Ninth Army front, he said,
burst into flame at 2:45 a. m. when
American guns opened a terrific
cannonading against the Roer river
crossings in the Linnich-Dueren
sector east of Aachen.
For three hours the merican
guns raked and tore at he German
front lines. Then, at 5:45 a. m.,
Yank doughbeys swarmed up out of
their foxholes and moved out to
the attack behind a screen of tanks.
Four crossings of the Roer were
made in the opening hours of the
assault, Transocean said. Two col
umns forced the river line imme
diately north and south of Lln
nich, 27 miles east of Cologne, while
two others broke into the Cologne
Plain opopslte Niederau and Kreu
zau, three and four miles south of
Dueren.
Transocean referred to the four
bridgeheads as the “storm centers”
of the battle, and indicated that
other crossings might have been
made between Linnlch and Dueren,
the latter only 20 miles cast of Col
ogne.
“German Grenadiers are crouch
ing in their trenches and pill
boxes . . ” the Transocean reporter
said. “When the Americans started
their attack they were m t with
sheets of flame from German mach
ine guns and quick-firing weapons
from half-destroyed trenches and
dugouts.
‘Thus the fifth and most tremend
ous battle has flared up in the
Aachen sector.”
With the American Nintli Army
already on the move, by German ac
count.",, there was every indication
that the British Second and U. S.
First Armies en either flank would
join in the offensive to reach and
perhaps hurdle the Rhine.
200 Targets Hit
Yesterday’s "buckshot" aerial as
sault ripped up at least 200 impor
tant German communications tar
gets and left the vast network of
Nazi rail and road lines hopelessly
tangled. But most of the damage
probably could be repaired and com
munications restored to fair work
ing order within a matter of days,
suggesting Hint the Allied ground
armies would have to strike quickly
to take advantage of the aerial blitz.
Twin Allied drives on the northern
and southern flanks of the Cologne
plain already were weakening the
German position on that vital cen
tral sector of the western front.
In the north, thy* Canadian First
Army was slowly beating back ele
ments of ten German divisions
thrown across the Rhlne-Maas cor
ridor leading to the Ruhr valley.
Gen. H. D. G. Crerar's Canadian.
Scottish and English troops were
a mile northwest of the enemy east
ern anchor at Calcar and little more
than a mile southwest of the town,
threatening a breakthrough that
would put them on the Rhine cross
ings barely 20 miles from the Ruhr.
At the center of the line, Crerar's
forces were hammering slowly south
and southwest from captured Ooch,
closing in on Uedem, Wceze and
Blljenbeek, two to three miles be
yond.
German resistance was very stiff
all along the Canadian attack front,
however, and progress still was be
ing measured in yards.
But to the south, Lt. Gen. George
S. Patton's American Third Amy
i
was making more sweeping progress
against opposition that was fanati
cal at some points and feeble at
others.
Hardest fighting was at the cen
ter of Patton's front, where his
tanks and Infantrymen were bat
tling to close a pincers around a 17
mile stretch of the Siegfried line
between Pruem and Echternach.
A half dozen German towns and
villages fell to the Americans in
that sector in the past 24 hours and
the Yanks pushed ahead as much
as 2 1-2 miles at some paints.
The northern end of the pincers
ripped in behind the Siegfried line
and captured Arzfeld, seven miles
northeast of Da.sburg and 10 miles
southwest of Pruem. That column
was less than eight miles from a
junction with troops of the 90th In
fantry Division who slugged up from
the south to capture Ober Geckler
against fierce opposition.
Farther to the south, the Ameri
cans won three footholds across the
Saar river into the industrial Saar
basin north and south of Saarburg,
and cleared the Moselle-Saar tri
angle for a possible flanking sweep
down the Moselle valley to Coblenz
and the Rhine, 60 miles to the
northeast.
In the Moselle-Saar triangle, Pat
ton’s armored spearheads were only
five miles from the ancient German
city of Trier, one of the enemy's key
communications and supply centers
in that sector.
Tile Saar crossings were made at
Serrig, 2 1-2 miles south of Saar
burg, opposite Taben-Rodt, 2 1-2
miles farther south, and Ockfen,
two mile snortheast of Saarburg.
The Germans offered little opposi
tion to the 94th Infantry assault
parties which crossed the river yes
terday, but field dispatches said they
had rallied this morning and were
fighting back feroclopsly.
Heavy street fighting was in prog
ress inside Serrig and Ockfen. but
United Press War Correspondent
Robert Richards reported that the
Americans were fanning out on
either side of their slim footholds
in an effort to link up the three
into a solid bridgehead.
The crossings poised the threat
of a drive down the east bank of the
Moselle toward Coblenz or a south
ward drive through the Saar basin
to link up with the American Sev
enth Army moving on Saarbrucken.
Vanguards of the Seventh Army
already had a small toehold inside
the Saar east of Saarbruecken and
were within five miles south of that
industrial center in Forbach. The
Yanks held two-thirds of Forbad',
early today and were battling from
house to house. Other elements cut
the road leading north to Saar
bruecken.
Three miles northeast of Forbach,
American forces cleared a wooded
height north of Spichcrn and won
artillery sites overlooking Saar
bruecken itself.
Passengers
Snub Gl's
(■Continued from Page 1)
he had a large amusement park
there. He said the Germans forcibly
repatriated him.
Another, Mrs. Hariola Nicola and
her two daughters, said she was the
widow of a World War One veteran,
a Greek by birth, who brought her
here after the last war and then
took her back to Salonika with their
two children 15 years ago. She and
her daughters were interned in the
Liebenau Germany prison camp
since 1942, she said.
Two other civilians also wanted
to return to Europe as soon as they
could — but in American army uni
forms. They were Frank Wojcie
chowski, 22, who left his mother and
brother in Poland, and Stephen
Kutis. 23, who lived in Poland since
1931. Both said they'd like to be part
of the army of occupation.
Repatriated American seamen
said today that British warships
abandoned their 38-ship convoy in
the North Atlantic in July, 1942, and
that German submarines and planes
sank 34 of the ships the next day.
The seamen returned this week
from' German prison camps on the
exchange Ship Gripsholm.
Walter Stankiewicz who sailed on
the SS Carlton, said the Nazis ap
parently lured the British warships
away by sending out the Nazi bat
tleships Gnelsenau and Scharnhorst.
Third Mate Hugh Gonzales of the
Carlton said that their theory “sort
of worked up in prison camp’’ and
that “there must be something we
don’t know to explain it.’’
Captain Frederick A. Strand of
the SS Honomu, another of the
ships sunk, also confirmed the out
line of the incident.
The mariners' story was that they
left for Murmansk with 14 British
destroyers and four heavy cruisers.
Early in July they passed through
the North Atlantic, and the escort
unaccountably left.
The convoy then was subjected to
fierce German attacks.
“They had their pickings — we
couldn’t do a thing," Stankiewicz
said.
When the Carlton went down in
the Barents Sea, Gonzales said the
crew was afloat in lifeboats for 19
days before being picked up by the
Germans who took them to Norway.
Strand said the Germans treated
them '‘fine'’ in Norway and that he
was permitted to visit a sister living
there.
The men were later transported to
a German prison camp near Bre
men.
SCOVILL DIRECTORS
DECLARE DIVIDEND
At a meeting of the board of di
rectors of the Scovill Mfg. Co. today
a cash dividend of 50c a share was
voted payable April 2 to all stock
holders of record March 15.
Sweden has banned ore pros
pecting by foreigners
Argentina is startnlg a cleanup
of swindling doctors.
“Have Some, General?”
(Signal Corps photo from Nit A)
Home-made cookies have that certain something that cause even tough
army generals to break Into smiles. As proof note the happy grin of
MaJ.-Gen. Norman D. Cota, commander of the 28th Infantry Division,
fighting near Nambshelm, France, as he digs Into a bag offered by Bgt.
Joseph B. Bunch, who had Just opened a package sent by the folks
back home in Paris, Texas.
Got A NOTION In Mind?
zu
NAME-ON STATIONERY — Club
White Bond stationery. 75 sheets and
75 envelopes printed with name and
address.
$1.25
NAME-ON “180” ENSEMBLE—60
long sheets, 60 short sheets and 60
envelopes. Complete with name and
address. Blue or white.
$1.25
WRITING PAPER—50 sheets and
50 envelopes.
50c box
AIRMAIL STATIONERY — 100
sheets and 50 envelopes.
$1.00 box
AIRMAIL COLORED STATIONERY
—50 sheets and 36 envelopes.
$1.00 box
We have a good assortment
of WHITE and WYCKOFF
writing paper in white or
colors.
49c to $1.25 box
PILLOW CASE SHOULDER PADS
—Curved to the shoulder for perfect
fit. Navy, beige or black.
39c
PACIFIC PAMILLA cloth to wrap
your silver in. Prevents tarnish.
98c
CADIE PRESSING CLOTH—Spe
cially processed. It saves you many a
dollar on your pressing bill.
49c each
WOODEN COAT AND SUIT HANG
ERS—
10c and 25c
AIRWICK—Kills ODORS quickly.
69c bottle
HUMAN HAIRNETS—for lor or
bobbed hair in white or grey.
25c each
BONDEX hot iron mending tape.
10c
POT HOLDERS
• 10c, 15c, 19c each
WOOLFOAM
The perfect wool wash.
25c
RITZ DUST CLOTHS
25c and 39c
KITCHEN APRONS
49c, 79c and $1.19
AND—Our usual and complete line
of notions including:
BUTTONS KNITTING BOOKS
THREAD NEEDLES
DARNING COTTON ZIPPERS
YARNS SHOE POLISH
and many more.
Marines Capture
Mount Suribachi
(Continued from Page 1.)
daylight U. S. planes from carriers
joined in the bombardment.
The ships ringing the island also
were pouring In a steady flow of
supplies and equipment for the three
marine divisions fighting the hard
est battle of the war in the Pacific.
Engineers and construction crews
had constructed several loads over
the treacherous volcanic ash ter
races, and the movement of supplies
to the fighting zones was improving.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz re
viewed the situation on I wo in his
third communique of the day.
Two For One
Three Americans fell dead or
wounded every two minutes during
the first 58 hours of battle on Iwo,
Nimitz announced, but the Marines
were killing two Japanese for every
American killed.
Some 5,372 Marines were killed,
wounded or missing through 6 p. m.
Wednesday, 58 hours after H-Hour,
Nimitz said. He estimated the dead
at 644, wounded at 4.168 and miss
ing at 560. A majority of the miss
ing probably were dead.
He said 1,222 Japanese dead had
been counted.
The campaign was the most cost
ly for a comparative period in the
Pacific war. In the entire 76-hour
battle on Tarawa, previously the
bloodiest, 3,151 Marines were killed
or wounded.
Front dispatches said 25 per cent
of one battalion in the first assault
waves ashore on Iwo was killed or
wounded in the first two hours after
H-Hour. Twenty per cent of a sec
ond battalion was felled.
The latest casualty estimate re
vised totals announced yesterday for
the period through 5:45 p. m. Wed
nesday. The number of American
dead alone was jumped from 385 to
644.
The communique indicated that
American casualties had increased
from 76 an hour for the first 48
hours of the invasion to 172 an hour
—three a minute — during the next
10 hours, but it was more likely that
a number of those reported in the
late bulletin actually had been hit
during the earlier period and not
reported.
The 28th Marine Regiment reach
ed the top of Mt. Surlbachl 16 hours
after surrounding the Volcano. First
its crest, the Americans for the first
time can observe Japanese move
ments around the central airfield
atop a plateau and pour artillery
lire into the enemy ranks in sup
port of infantry attacks.
me assault also knocked out a
number of enemy guns which had
been laying down a murderous bar
rage on the American beaches and
exposed positions in the valley be
tween the peak and the central
plateau.
Many gun emplacements on Mt.
Surtbachl remained in Japanese
hands, however, and these will have
to be stormed one by one. Tunnels
and caves honeycomber the peak.
Japanese troops counter-attacked
late yesterday against both Hanks
of the marine spearhead pointed to
ward the central airdrome. Newly
landed artillery, backed up by the
big guns of warships, apeared to
have repulsed the assault from me
left by 0 p. m., but no reports were
available on the action to the right.
The marines made only "slight
gains” uphill toward the airfield—
Motoyama No. 2—yesterday before
the enemy unleashed his counter
attacks, Nlmltz said.
At last reports, the marines still
were 200 yards from the airfield,
though some units had by-passed Its
southern tip from the west.
Heavy rains also humpercd the
marines.
A small group of Jupancsc planes
made a second attempt to attack
American warships off Iwo, but it
was unsuccessful and fighters and
anti-aircraft batteries shot down six
of the raiders.
In the first attempt at sunset
Wednesday, some American fleet
units were damaged, Nlmitz said
j esterday.
All sources agreed that the battle
on Iwo was the toughest and bloodi
est of the entire Pacific war. Vice
Admiral John H. Hoover, command
er of forward Areas In the Central
Pacific, said Saipan was "easy” by
comparison.
Natural Barriers
Besides being the heaviest forti
fied island yet encountered, Iwo
possesses ‘‘tremendous natural bar
riers that also must be overcome,"
he said in a broadcast on his re
turn from the scene.
He said it might take two weeks
‘ or even longer” to secure the is
land. depending on whether the
Japanese hole up to fight to tho
last or expend thir fores in a sui
cidal Banzai charg.
'Rgardless of what tactics to in
sure an American victory.’
Once secured, Iwro immediately
will be put into operation as an air
base for attacks on Tokyo and other
targets on the Jaanese homeland.
‘‘You must remember that we can
do in months what it takes the Japs
years to accomplish.”
Hoover disclosed that the Amer
ican beachhead on Iwo apeared
doomed for a time on D-Day Mon
day. The marines encountered lit
tle fire going ashore because the
Japanese through the landing on
the the southeast beach was a feint,
he said, but three hours later they
swung mortars and howitzers into
place.
Shells began knocking out Amer
ican tanks and causing casualties
among the troops, he said.
‘‘It was a serious moment and for
awhile our invasion beach appeared
doomed,” he said, ‘‘but later that
same day we discovered an area far
to the south where we could pene
trate to the southern airfield out of
range of their heaviest gunfire.
‘‘We kept feeding our men
through this region and it saved
the day, but I can testify it was
touch and go for awhile.”
Fifth Takes
2 More Peaks
(Continued from Page 1)
pounds.
Patrols continued active on the
Eighth Army front in the Adriatic,
coastal sector.
Mediterranean Allied air forces
Joined with Allied craft from Brit
ish and French bases in large-scale
attacks against enemy communica
tion lines in Germany, Austria,
Yugoslavia and northern Italy.
Tactical air force planes gave
close support to the Italian fighting
front and concentrated on cutting
railways and bridges in northern
Italy. Light bombers pounded tar
gets througiiout the Po Valley.
RAF heavy and medium bombers
attacked a rail yards at Padua in
northeast Italy last night.
The MAAF reported 23 of its craft
missing from more than 2,500 sorties.
Booth, Stone
Get Support
(Continued from Page l‘<
ycur and was Instrumental in plac- j
ing Governor Baldwin back into of- :
flee, the only one of the party tick
et to succeed.
The post of state athletic com
missioner is now held by Frank
Cosky whose term expires July 1.
The latter was a Democratic ap
pointee and is not expected to be
reappointed. The position pays $6.
500 annually plus expenses.
Both Stone and Pailpaolillo have
announced formal candidacies for
the post as have numerous others
througl it the state. At the outset
some 50 odd-candidates were said
to be seeking the post but these
have been whittled down to a lew
at this writing.
AGREEMENT APPROVED
Paris, Feb. 23 — (U.P.) — The
French cabinet today approved a
lend-lease agreement negotiated at
Washington by Jean Monnet, head
jf a French economic mission. The
tablnet directed Monnet to return
;o the United States and sign the
igreement.
U S Improves
Its Position
(Continued from Page 1)
bay coast, through the road junc
tion of Alabang to Nuntinglupa.
In Manila, the heaviest ifghting
centered around the city Hall, the
general postofflce, the Manila ho
tel and university buildings.
Elements of the First Calvary Di
vision, which now is attached to the
37th Infantry Division, broke into
Manila hotel Wednesday and seized
the first floor of the buidling. Jap
anese naval and marine personnel
held the rest of the hotel and were
reported firmly entrenched behind
sandbags and stone obstructions.
Front dispatches said the Japan
ese turned every floor of every
building into individual fighting
pockets for a fight to the last man.
Some of the entrances were criss
crossed with barbed wire and mined
witl. electrical detonators.
Japanese units, carrying demoli
tions, shotguns and spears, attempt
ed to infiltrate American positions
at the Army-Navy club, but were
routed with the lass of 11 men.
Troops of the 37th division cap
tured the three-story Ermita normal
school and wiped out every Jap
anese in the ics-plant, the Metro
politan theater and the Spanish
Club.
Heavy American guns continued
pounding the ancient wall around
the Intramuros sector. One shell set
off a Japanese ammunition dump at
the northeast corner of the wall,
causing a terrific blast which ripped
a 30-foot hole in the masonry.
The communique disclosed that
the 14th army corps, under Maj.
Gen O. W. Griswold, had captured
or destroyed in the Manila battle
712 artillery pieces and 705 machine
guns.
Nearly 100 Liberator bombers
joined with 40th dl'lsion troops in
an assault on the Japanese forces
holding out in the Zambales moun
tains behind Fort Stotsenburg and
tile Clark field area.
Determined Resistance
The bombers con-entrated on en
emy dumps in caves, where a spokes
man described the Japanese resist
ance as “most determined.”
Heavy bombers, fighters and patrol
planes carried out extensive attacks
on Formosa. Sixty tons of bombs
were dropped on Koskun barracks
and supply area by the heavy bomb
ers, while medium units with fighter
escort struck Chosu, destroying bar
racks, railway installations and ‘most
of the town,’ the communique said.
Fighters destroyed 13 grounded
enemy planes at the Karenko air
drome on Formosa's east coast. Ten
coastal vessels were destroyed or
damaged.
Cash Register Co.
Salesman Suicide
New York, Feb. 23.-(UPl—Max
well Hogddon. 48, of 103 Brown
street, Brookline, Mass., was found
dead today, hanging from a strap
in the bathroom of his room at
the Hotel New Yorker. Police said
he was a salesman for the Bos
ton office of the National Casn
Register Co. He left no notes and
ills •n-ath .vas listed as suicide.
Redue* your speed te conform to the
condition of the rood—end never tale
chancel on ley wrfeeei.