The Waterbury Democrat. [volume], May 07, 1945, Image 1

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

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(Published Every Evening at 55 Qrand Street, Waterbury. Entered as Second Class Matter at Post Office at Waterbury, Coon Under the Act ol March 8. 1879)
ESTABLISHED 1881 VOL LXIII, NO. 105
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WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, MONDAY, MAY 7, 1945
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FOURTEEN PAGES PRICE 4 CENTS
TRUMAN STILL SILENT ON SURRENDER;
TOMORROW TO BE V-E DAY IN EUROPE
CITY ORDERLY
AWAITS FLASH
ON SURRENDER
Waterbury awaited, in
orderly fashion, today, the
official announcement of the
final surrender of Nazi Ger
many as endless reports,
near-reports and rumors
streamed into the city this
morning and early t hi s
afternoon foretelling the im
minence of the long-awaited
VE-Day.
Local industries and busi
ness establishments main
tained an even keel of activi
ties despite the excitement of
the news, and plans were be
ing adhered to for the main
tenance of all production
even after the official sur
render news came through.
In all local factories today a
somewhat sober sense of accom
plishment was noted among the
war-workers. The general attitude
was one of the occaseion calling
for grateful thanks rather than
unhlbited jubilation. The city’s in
dustries have comprised a major
part of the production backbone of
the general war structure. Millions
of precisioned parts of war material
and r.eeds have been turned out
since Pearl Harbor.
, Preparations for the official an
nouncement were made by city offi
cial* as Mayor John S. Monagan
cheeked with all city authorities as
to plans. All policemen, not on
regular duty, reported to the local
station In preparedness for any cele
bration The men would not be
sent out into the streets however
unless the gathering of an abnor
mally large crowd necessitated such
a move. Local firemen were being
assigned to watch fire-call boxes.
The Southern New England Tele
phone Co. today requested that no
abnormal use of phones be indulged
in.
Waterbury does not anticipate u>o
feverish an' excitement by the resi
dents. The end of Germany is but
one-half of the complete finish of
this global war. It is expected that
home gatherings will comprise the
major share of the celebrating, as
all liquor stores and liquor estab
lishments are closed for the day.
Conference
Doors Open
To France
BY R. H. SHACKFORD
San Francisco, May 7.— iUPi —
The Big Four foreign ministers
opened the doors of their highest
secret councils to France today for
the first time during he United
Nations Conference.
French Foreign Minister Georges
Bidault was invited to his initial
meeting with heads of the Ameri
can, British. Russian and Chinese
delegations for what was officially
described as a "discussion of the
general work of the conference.'
The Big Four, it was understood,
will seek French approval of the
30-odd Dumbarton Oaks amend
ments to which they themselves al
icaciv have agreed, and will dis
cuss'with Bidault the question of a
new chapter on international trus
teeships.
The trusteeship question has al
ready been taken up by technical
experts of the Big Five but Bi
dault has never before sat together
with the heads of the big Four dele
gations. Chinese Foreign Ministei
T. V. Soong has left for a brief
stay in Washington but will be per
sonally represented at the session.
Conference officials meanwhile
planned an early plenary session
to seat the delegates from the
Ukraine and White Russia who ar
rived by plane yesterday. Ukrainian
Foreign Minister Dimitri Z Manu
3ski, and White Russian Ministei
(Cuzma Kiselve were met at airport
•ty Soviet Foreign Ministei M>
■otov with whom they immediately,
segan conferences.
After a day of rest, all delegates
lot down to the unexciing and ' aid
*.sk of trying to analyze the hun
Ueds of amendments submitted and
o begin drafting the fina. docu
eent for a wor d organization Six
>f the 12 technical committees were ;
icheduled to meet in the only of J
ieial session on the conference to- 1
lay. '
But behind the scene, the unoffi- '
sial meetings will continue. Most
>f them now will be designed to line
tp the smaller countries behind the 1
nany amendments submitted by the
3ig Four jointly and two Important 1
ines submitted by all of the big
Kiwers except Russia.
Study of the 30-odd amendments 1
tointly sponsored by the big powers 1
ihowed that they obviously were
designed to meet issues raised in the
flood of amendments submitted by
the other nations. However, one
major goal of the small nations did
10 unheeded—their desire to limit
the veto power of the big nations i
In the security council.
'Continued on Page 4)
it
Montgomery Reads Surrender Terms
(Signal Corps Radiotelephoto from NEA Telephoto.)
Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery studies pac t surrendering all German forces in northwest Ger
many, Denmark, and Holland while German peace en voys look on. Left to right are Major Friedel, Rear Ad
miral Wagner, and Admiral von Friedeburg.
Zukauskas To Claim Illegal
Detention By Local Police
Dark Future
Ahead Says
Von Krosigk
London. May 7.—'UP)—The text
of a speech by German Foreign
Minister Cow* Ludwig Schwerin
von Krosigk as broadcast by the
Flensburg radio and recorded by the
BBC:
German Men and Women: The
high command of the armed forces
on orders of Grand Admiral Doenitz
has today declared the uncondi
tional surrender of all German
fighting troops.
As lead' g minister of the Reich
government which the admiral ol
the fleet has appointed for dealing
with war tasks. I turn at this
tragic moment of our history to the
German nation.
After a heroic fight of almost six
years of incomparable hardness,
Germany has succumbed to the
overwhelming power of her enemies.
Disintegration Avoided
To continue the war would only ■
mean senseless bloodshed and fu- ]
tile disintegration.
The government which has a feel- !
ing of responsibility for the future 1
of its nation was compelled to act i
on the collapse of all physical and
material forces, and to demand of |
the enemy the cessation of hostili- j
ties. j
It was the noblest task of the Ad- !
miral of the fleet and of the govern
(Continucd on Page i)
Planes Wreck
20 Jap Ships
By FRANK TREMAINE
Guam, May 7 — (U P.1 — The
wreckage of "more than 20 enemy
merchant ships remained today as
evidence of a daring strike by U.
S. Navy land-based planes on per
haps Japan's most guarded sea
lanes.
The ships, ranging from large
oilers to small cargo vessels, were
biased by the navy bombers in low
level sweeps over Tsushima and
Korea Straits, between Korea and
Kyushu, and in the Yellow Sea off
western Korea.
A force of nearly 50 Superfort
resses struck near the same area to
day in a new attack on the Jap
anese suicide plane bases on Kyu
shu. The targets were the airfields
at Kanoya, Ibuski. Oita and Usa.
Early reports said good results were
obtained in the raids.
In the shipping attacks in the
enemy home waters during the,
week-end the Navy Bombers defi
nitely sank four vessels including 2
large oilers, and heavily damaged at
least 16 other cargo craft. A num
ber of the latter ships were left
burning and sinking.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz an
nounced that heavy units of the U.
S. Pacific Fleet, in conjunction with
carrier planes and land-based air
craft, continued the bombardment
of Okinawa, although his communi
que gave no further report of the
10th Army drive in Naha, capital
of the island.
A front drspatch disclosed, how
ever, that 3,000 Japanese were killed
Thursday night and Friday morn
ing when they came out of hidden
caves and pillboxes in the first large
counter-attack since American
troops landed on Okinawa.
The Japanese backed the attack
with a fierce artillery barrage, in
which they hurled aproximately
16.000 shells into the American lines
in two days. But the assault was
completely repulsed By massed army
marine and naval guns, mounting
probably the heaviest array of fire
power ever assembled in the Pacific.
Francis F. Zukauskas' appeal from
the death sentence will be centered
around a claim that he was illegally
detained by the Waterbury police
f prior to and following his confes
sion to the slaying of Mrs. Steph
anie Plungis, it was indicated today
when the defense filed an assign
ment of errors in superior court.
Filing of the papers by Public
Defender Edward T. Carmody and
| his special assistant, Attorney W.
W. Gager, is one of the final steps
in the appeal of the former super
numerary of the State Supreme
Court of Errors from the first de
gree murder conviction.
Entrance of the name of Attor
ney Gager on the papers gives in
dication that the lawyer has decided
to continue legal services for the ac
cused despite the question of wheth
er or not the stae will assume pay
ment of compensation.
| Printing of a transcript of
{ evidence is expected to be undertak
en shortly, and it is estimated the
appeal will be ready for a hearing
in the high court in September or
October. Zukauskas meanwhile is
I confined to the state prison at
! Whethersfield.
j The defense claimed today that
j the trial court erred in concluding
j that Zukauskas was guilty of mur
I der in the first degree beyond a rea
sonable doubt, and set forth specific
! statements which they claim the
trial judges should have set down
as facts in its finding.
A large portion of the four-page
I assignment of errors is based on
Zukauskas' detention at the local
police cell.
Setting forth certain statements
they claim the court should have
but didn’t incorporate in the find
ing, the defense claims those state
ments express "rational and rea
sonable conclusions upon all the
evidence.”
One of the claims was as follows:
"that the warrant was not read to
the defendant and that thereafter
and until presented before the city
court on a charge of murder on
Nov. 15, 1944, the defendant was
held under "arrest” by the police
of the City of Waterbury purporting
to act under this warrant, defend
ant’s exhibit one." The statement
is in reference to the arrest of the
accused on a warrant charging him
(Continued on Page 4)
LoGuardi Not To
Seek Fourth Term
New York, May 7.—(UPl—Fio
rello H. LaGuardia, mayor of tne
nation’s largest city for 12 years,
will not run for a fourth term this
fall.
LaGuardia announced yesterday
in his weekly radio taik over the
city-owned station (WNYC) that "I
am not going to run for mayor this
year,” and said he did not want
to be nominated by the Republican
party or the American Labor party
party.
Nazi U-Boat
Fleet Quits
Hostilities
By VV. K. HIGGINBOTHAM
London, May 7— (UP)— Fuehrer
Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz today
ordered Germany’s U-boat fleet,
most potent weapon left the shat
tered Reich, to cease hostilities and
return to port.
The order, revealed by the Ger
man-controlled Flensburg radio,
said continuation of submarine war
fare was impossible from the bases
that remained in German hands in
Norway and France.
Some 300 or more U-boats prob
ably were immobilized by the order,
most of them in Norway and the
remainder in isolated French ports.
Upwards of 600 other carrying
crews totaling 20,000 men have been
sunk by the Allies during the war.
Doenitz's action ended nearly six
years of what probably was the most
destructive sea offensive ever waged.
Exact Allied tonnage sunk by U
boats has not been revealed, but it
probably was in eight figures. Vic
tims ranged from tramp freighters
to the British battleship Royal Oak.
Many ships were sent to the bot
tom within sight of the east coast
of the United States, but an inten
sified air and sea patrol finally
drove the raiders back to mid-At
lantic.
The offensive reached its first
peak just before the Allied invasion
of North Africa and its second in
the months preceding the Allied
landing in Normandy.
A brief resurgence followed last
winter with the introduction of a
"floating lung" that enabled the
U-boats to recharge their batteries
beneath the surface.
Radio Flensburg said Doenitz's or
der was dated last Friday. Doenitz,
first as a submarine commander
and later as commander In chief of
the German navy, was the master
mind behind the U-boat campaign.
He sent his crews out with orders to
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
In an order of the day to U-boat
crews, radio Flensburg said, Doe
nitz told his men that they had
"fought like lions.”
“Crushing superiority has com
pressed us into a very narrow area,"
he said. "Continuation of the strug
dle is impossible from the bases
that remain.
"U-boat men, unbroken in your
warlike courage, you are laying
down your arms after a heroic fight
that knows no equal. In reverent
memory, we think of our comrades
who have sealed their loyalty to the
fuehrer and the fatherland with
their death.
“Comrades, maintain in the fu
ture your U-boat spirit with which
you have fought at sea bravely and
unflinchingly during long years for
the welfare of our fatherland. Long
live Germany!”
Unconditional Terms Reported
By Von Krosigk—Proclamation
From Allies Awaited Any Minute
Japs Starved
Captured U S
B-29 Crews
By McQUOW’N WRIGHT
Calcutta, May 4.—(UPi—Ameri
can airmen, liberated from the Jap
anese prison camp at Rangoon,
revealed today how the Japanese
beat and starved U. S. flyers, espe
cially B-29 crewmen, after the
bombing raids on Japan.
The airmen, from the first group
of Americans freed in Burma, are
recuperating in a hospital here.
More than 400 Americans, most of
them members of the air force, and
approximately 600 other Allied pri
soners were liberated at Rangoon.
Although most of them were fair
ly healthy, despite their starvation
diet and beatings, it was reported*
.that about 50 Americans, too sick to
walk, were left at Rangoon.
The prisoners were given their
liberty by the Japanese comman
dant at the Rangoon city jail April
26, although they had virtually no
supplies. During the 50 mile march
to the 14th Army lines near Pegu,
the prisoners went two days without
food or water. The vanguard reached
the Allied forces last Wednesday.
Lt. Billy T. Davis, Los Angeles,
one of the Americans recuperating
here, said the American airmen were
put in a "special treatment group"
on charges of indiscriminate bomb
ing of women and children.
The men were lined up and the
guards beat them with ‘‘clubs made
like pick handles,” Davis said. The
Americans were treated worse than
the other Allied prisoners, he added,
and the beatings were more severe
when the Japanese guards were
drunk.
John Winont
Going Home
Paris. May 7—(UP)—Some of
Germany’s most prized prisoners
were on their way home today.
First Lt. John G. Winant, Jr., son
of the American ambassador to
Britain, was among a batch of
“name’’ prisoners who reached the
103rd division command post Sat
urday after an 85-mile drive in Ger
man cars under Swiss protection.
Winant, a flying fortress pilot, was
shot down over Germany Oct. 10,
1943.
Others in the party were Gen.
Tadousz Komorowski, better known
as Gen. Bor, who led the Warsaw
uprising; Capt. John Elphinstone,
nephew of Queen Elizabeth of Eng
land; 1st Lt. Viscount Lascelles,
nephew of King George VI; 1st Lt.
Michael Alexander, a relative of
Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexand
er; and 1st Lt. Felix Dehamel. a rel
ative of Prime Minister Churchill.
Another party, including former
French Premiers Edourd Daladier
and Paul Reynaud, was liberated
after a brief, but bitter, battle for
the castle where they were held.
With them were Gen. Maurice
Gamelin, tennis star Jean Borotra.
and Gen. Maxime Weygand, former
French commander in North Africa.
Supreme headquarters here an
nounced that former Austrian chan
cellor Kurt Schuschnigg and former
French Premier Leon Blum also
were imprisoned in the castle, but
were hurried away a few hours be
fore it was liberated. Their where
abouts still were unknown.
The British radio reported that
King Leopold of Belgium and his
family had been reunited in Switz
erland and were preparing to re
turn to Belgium.
NAZIS RETURN PRISONERS
London, May 7.— (UP)—A French
communique broadcast by tnc Pa.is
radio said today that a truce lias
been concluded in the battle lor .he
French Atlantic port of La Rocnei.e
and that the Germans hove re
turned 175 prisoners.
Washington, May 7.— (UP)—President Truman said today that
he was withholding any announcement in reference to the surrender
of enemy forces in Europe until arrangements could be completed
for a simultaneous statement here, in London and in Moscow.
"I have agreed with the London and Moscow governments/'
he said "that I will make no annoucement with reference to the sur
render of the enemy forces in Europe or elsewhere until a simulta’*'
eous statement can be made by the three governments.
"Until then, there is nothing I can or will say to you."
The President's statement was directed to the crowd of press and
radio reporters who besieged the White House for news.
Jonathan Daniels, White House press secretary who released
Mr. Truman's statement, would not comment on the announcement
by the British ministry of information that tomorrow would be
treated as V-E Day in Britain with Prime Minister Churchill speak
ing to the British public at 9 a. m. (EWT) tomorrow.
London, May 7.-(UP)—A German broadcast said today that
all remaining German forces in Europe have surrendered and there
were indications here that an Allied proclamation on the end of the
war would be made today.
There was no confirmation from Allied sources that the Ger
mans had surrendered, but every sign in London was that the end
of the war was near.
Despite the German broadcast about the surrender, fighting
still was going on between the Russians and the Germans in Czecho
slovakia. Gen. George S. Patton's U. S. Third Army still was mov
ing against Prague, but United Press War Correspondent Reynolds
Packard reported it was encountering only slight resistance.
Associated Press
European Filing
Facilities Suspended
Paris, May 7—(L'Pl—Allied
Supreme Headquarters an
nounced today that the filing
facilities of the Associated
Press had been suspended
throughout the entire European
theater of operations.
Earlier an announcement was
made that the AF's filing priv
ileges at SHAEF had been sus
pended.
(AP headquarters in New
York said they had no im
medite statement to make.)
The order for surrender was given by Fuehrer Grand
Admiral Karl Doenitz, the broadcast said. It came on the
2,074th day of the European war.
Covers Million Troops
Though the surrender order was not confirmed im
mediately, it presumably covered the almost 1,000,000 Ger
man troops still holding out in Norway, Czechoslovakia,
Austria, Jugoslavia, the French Coast and the Channel
I Islands.
Only an hour earlier, the BBC in its Danish service
broadcast a report that the Norwegian garrison had capitu
lated. Speedy confirmation of the surrender of the other
German forces was expected.
An important announcement of an undisclosed nature
wTas expected in London around 4 P. M. (10 a. m. EWT),
; reliable sources said.
The semi-official British Press Association said the hour
of the V-E announcement was being arranged “at this
moment” in telephone conversations between London,
Washington and Moscow’. It w’as expected before dusk to
' night.
Naugatuck Elections
Open With Light Vote
Naugatuck. May 7—Voting here
this morning got off to a very slow
start with only 864 votes being cast
at all three wards up to 10 o'clock.
Of this total 420 were cast in the
first ward. 168 in the second and
340 in the third. Of the 420 total in
the first ward. 140 were women and
280 men. In the second ward 168
were men and 84 women. In the
third ward 113 were women and 227
men.
The campaign has been an unus
ual one. Two weeks ago it brought
little interest to the public. In the
past 10 days, especially the last
few days, statements from candi
dates have flown fast and furious,
and interest in the election jumpea
considerably.
Tire basic theme of Warden Leo
J. Brophy's Democratic administra
tion in its fight for reelection was
its record and plans for the future.
Most Soldiers Who Went Overseas In 1943, Or Before,
Stand Good Chance Of Being Discharged After V-E Day
BY RELEL S. MOORE
Washington, May T*-CUP)— Mili
tary observers believed today that
most soldiers ...10 went oveiseas
before or during early 1943 stand a
pretty good chance of being dis
charged after V-E Day.
The real situation won't be
known until the army's point-sys
tem is made public. Men will re
ceive points based on length and
type of service, wounds and medals
and dependency. Those with the
most points will be the ones se
lected for dismissal if they're not
essential to the wr with Japan.
But hre are a few clues with
which soldiers and their families
can begin sizing up the situation as
far as length of service goes.
There were about 1.500,000 sol
diers in the army just before Pearl
Harbor. At the start of 1943 about
the same number had gone over
seas.
Since the army expects there will
be more than 1.300,000 soldiers dis
charged in a year's time under the
point system, it seems reasonable
to believe that most soldiers with
overseas experience who were in
the army before Pearl Harbor, and
those who went overseas by the
first of 1943, will be eligible.
But it must be remembered of
the latter groups some have been
casualties and others discharged for
disability and othr reasons.
n
I So it would seem a good many
who got overseas during the first
part of 1943 should be in line. It
would be a pure guess, but those
with considerable combat experi
ence who were overseas up to the
end of the Guadalcanal campaign
in the Pacific and the landing on
Salerno in Italy would have good
prospects if they had a few points
for dependents and honors thrown
in. .
There is one detail on which the
army’s recent announcement of
post V-E Day plans was not too
clear. It said the army’s overall
strength will decline by 1.300.000
net in a year, but that total dis
charges, both those for disability
and points and the ones mace pos
sible by new inductions, would be
about 2.000.000. During the past
12 months discharges for disability
and other causes have been about
450,000.
Thus it would appear the num
bers discharged under the point
plan may well exceed 1,300.000.
which would be the case if other
discharges did not mount substan
tially above 450,000. Actually, it
seems reasonable to expect that
other discharges may decline with
the cessation of hostilities in Eu
rope. This should cut the casualty
rate substantially until such time
as large forces are put in action in
i)
Gardner Wood, local teacher and
Republican nominee for warden,
labeled the administration as a "do
nothing” group and had pledged a
“do-something' administration if
elected.
The campaign took some weird
tangents. Democrats assailed as
"fantastic” a proposal by P August
Johnson. Republican nominee for
tax collector, that escalators be in
stalled alongside stairways leading
I up to the high school and Fairview
! avenue.
The Republican party workers
have been very busy weete lining up
(Continued on Page i>
Oil Fields
Threatened
BV H. D. Ql'IGG
Manila. May 7. — (UPl — Austra
lian and Dutch troops battled to
ward the rich Poamesian oil fields
on Tarakan Island off Borneo after
capturing the predominant hill in
the center of Tarakan town.
The oil fields, just east of the
town, already were burning from
Japanese demolitions cr shells from
Allied destroyers which were bom
barding the enemy positions with
day and night barrages.
Using tanks, flame-throwers and
demolitions, the Australian and
Netherlands Indies native troops
stormed through an intricate sys
tem of pillboxes and interlinking
tunnels to take Tarakan Hill in
the heart of the city.
Allied bombers and fighters con
tinued the neutralization attacks on
Borneo's airfields and shipping lanes
in «.v>port of the campaign on
Tarakan. Five coastal freighters, a
(Continued on Page 4)
Schwerin Von Krosigk's an
nouncement was carried over th«
German station at Flensburg on tho
German-Danish border. Though be
hind the Allied lines, Flensburg was
declared an open city by the Ger
mans earlier this week and appar
ently has not been occupied by Al
lied forces.
"German men and women!’’ Sch
werin Yen Krosigk began his dram
atic announcement. "The high
command of armed forces has today,
at the order of Grand Admiral Karl
Doenitz. declared the unconditional
surrender of all fighting German
troops.
’ The government, which has feel
ing of responsibility for the future
of its nation, was compelled to act
on the collapse of all physical and
material forces and to request of
the enemy cessation of. hostilities."
A transcript of Scnwerin Von
Krosigk’s remarks was recorded by
BBC and rushed to 10 Downing
street, where the cabinet was in ses
sion under Prime Minister Church
ill.
Once the joint Washington-Lon
don-Moscow announcement of V-E
Day has been released, Churchill
will broadcast the news from the
cabinet room at 10 Downing street
and afterwards may speak from the
balcony of the ministry of Health
building overlooking Whitehall.
The greater proportion of Ger
man forces already was in Alliec
hands following piecemeal surren
ders along the western front. The
German Armies in northern Italy
surrendered last Wednesday, those
in Denmark, Holland and north
west Germany on Saturday and
those in western Austria Sunday.
Indicative of the announcements
to come. Radio Paris said a truce
had been arranged at La Rochelle.
German-occupied French port ou
the Bay of Biscay.
BBC Flashes News
The station followed the brlcl
announcement with the playing of
the Norwegian National Anthem,
(Continued on Page 4)
r:Jd it