SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 1944 THE MIYICfAN DAILY WAR PAGE PAGE~ r .M. . , _ _ . , v JapsBl Allies Repulse Jap Attack On Marshalls Marine Airplanes Intercept Bombers Off Eniwetok Atoll Iy be Associated Press U.S. PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUAR- TERS, Pearl Harbor, April 15.-Re- pulse of the first Japanese attempt in five weeks to strike against an American central Pacific base and additional U.S. air attacks on Japan's Kurile Islands were reported by Adm. Chester W. Nimitz today. The fleet announcement said night fighters of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing intercepted Japanese bombers I as they came in before dawn Friday to hit the American base on Eniwe- tok atoll in the Marshalls. The Rising Sun bombers were turned back as the Marine pilots shot down two and probably accounted for a third. All of the Japanese bombs fell in the water, Nimitz said. The last previous Japanese attempt to smash the Eniwetok base, 768 land miles northeast of Truk, was on March 8. In that case the Japanese inflicted slight damage. Northern Bases Hit Steady hammering of the Kuriles was continued Thursday night and Friday morning. Ventura search planes of fleet air wing four unloaded explosives on much-bombed Para- mushiro and Shumushu. The same 'night Liberators of the 11th Army Air Force struck Paramushiro and Onne- kotan. The Japanese sent up only meager anti-aircraft fire. Meanwhile Adm. Nimitz announced today important changes in the cen- tral Pacific air high command in forward areas. New Commanders Maj.-Gen. Willis H. Hale will take command of the shore-based air force forward area while Rear Adm. John H. Hoover will become commander of the forward area in the central Pacific, handling all forces assigned to the area including shore-based air forces. Gen. Hale succeeds Adm. Hoo- ver in direction of operations and logistics support for all shore-based Army, Navy and Marine Corps com- bat aviation in the central Pacific forward area. ick Kohima Sup GERMAN PROPAGANDA: Allied Soldiers in Italy Laugh at Nazi Attempts To Scare Them I pl Liuc ./, Obstruct Imph :t * # a =4 By KENNE'l'! L. DIXON Associated Press Correspondent ANZIO BEACHHEAD, April 10.- (Delayed)-The Nazis never seem to tire of trying new propaganda tricks on the Allied soldiers, but doughboy reaction doesn't go according to the Goebbels book. Many a GI radio is tuned in each night on "Berlin Sally" and her co- mic opera partner, George, whose propaganda program is beamed to the boys along the front. But they listen for the music and the laughs, admit that the "Berlin Bitch"-a most popular nickname-has a good script writer, and that's all. The program usually starts with George intoning in a sf pulchral voice the sentence which serves as their theme song: "Easy, boys, there's danger ahead:" If they think they're scaring the soldiers with that they should hear the GIs joining in on the chorus with George, each doughboy striv- ing to put the most soulshaking vi- brations in his voice. But all the soldiers agree that it't a good gag. Just before they list the latest Allied air losses (while bombing Berlin or some other German place) George and Sally play "What Goes Up Must Come Down" or some such touching little piece. The b4dys like that, too. Before or after reading the names of newly-captured Allied prisoners they play "Don't Get Around Much Any More," or something similar. "Nice timing, that," says a soldier appreciatively; in a professional way. But anyone who considers such stuff effective propaganda always means it for someone else, not for him. Sally always invites the boys to come up and see her and they all say they'd like to, but they say other things about such a visit which pro- bably would cut her feminine little heart to the core. Besides countless such radio pro- grams, they drop or shoot propagan- da leaflets over the line, just as we do:" The Nazi leaflets try to pit one ally against another or one outfit against another by telling one that the other has failed to support it. I There are also subtle suggestions that whichever Allied nation is in com- mand on a given sector of the front is safeguarding its own men at the expense of others. They love to shower down leaff- lets on the front line soldier with pictures of dead men hideously maimed, accompanied by com-I ments such as this: "Most of you are convinced that the war will be over in four months -too bad if it should hit you in the last minute . ." One group of soldiers sent sever- al of these leaflets back to their divisional command post with a solemn notation that they thought it represented "pretty smart propa- ganda." "That proves it failed to affect them," said one officer. When one line company picked up German leaflets saying "What about the Nettuno front? Is the slaughter to be repeated there?" they sent a terse reply saying: "Yes, guess who we mean." A leaflet showing a picture of a girl back home making love to ano- ther man was thrown over with a caption saying unfaithfulness was common back home, "while you are away." One frontline replied with its ,own impromptu leaflet: "You ought to know. You've beei away longer than we have." But even the bitterest doughboy got a laugh out of one propaganda round that the Germans won. One of our armored units shot over leaflets saying "Watch out, we're going to attack tonight." Replied the Germans with an un- expected sense of humor: "Let us know an hour before the attack and we'll lend you a couple of panzer outfits. We have plenty to handle all your tanks and then some." I- Allies Atteinpt . : To Clear Vital ' Led1 Burma Lnesimapur _ _ By CHARLES A. GRUMICII Assoiciated Press Correspondent Khm NEW DELHI, April 15.-The Jap- anese have blocked the road to Dim-M apur out of Kohima and still hold 1A _ r stretches of the Bishenpur-Silchar IMPHl track out of Iiphal, Allied Head- Schar quarters acknowledged today as Al- Maw 1u lied forces fought deadly jungle bat- Tam =- ties to clear these land connections between the Assam-Bengal railroad and the two threatened Allied strong- -Indaw holds in northeastern India. First Admission +w ! This was the first time the South-h east Asia Command had made known _ u0 that the Japanese invaders, despite 7MInpurR. all Allied efforts, had blocked the _ 35-mile road from Kohima to Dima- pur, important point on the railroad. The communique said operations against these blocks were "progress- ing." The importance of the 150-mile Pakok u Bishenpur-Silchar track was empha-! o0 sized by the disclosure in Allied quar- ters that this alternative route could . . be traversed by jeeps and other jun- gle vehicles. The first disclosure that ARRO S INDICATE JAPANESE Dl the Japanese were operating along it into northern Burma. British-Ind was made yesterday. Silchar is the fi'mly before Imphal and sucessful terminal of a spur to the Bengal- Japs have not yet launched any m, Assam railway. I north inched farther into Jap-iheld Tokyo Reports Fierce Fight (The Tokyo radio said heavy fight- ing was under way between the ad- - vancing Japaiiese and the Allies de- fending the Bishenpur-Silchar road., "The enemy is throwing in reinforce- AN ADVANCED ALLIED AIR ments recklessly despite heavy los- BASE, NEW GUINEA, April 15.--W)l ses," the broadcast said. "It should be recalled that when their supply--A deep craving for more combat line on the Kohima-Imphal road was flying is the answer of America's top cut off March 28 the enemy hurriedly air ace of World War II, Maj. Rich-# embarked on repairs to the hitherto ard I. Bong, to an order grounding unused Bislienpur-Silchar road in him indefinitely at this New Guinea order to render it passage to motorns lorries as a last way of escape.") base. ' 5..umprabum 0 0 qa 4Pn gMY-4IN CHINA : ,- 1^Namkcham ,MANDALAY' a Trail 2,000 yank Planes Strafe German Fields British-Based Bombers Hit Ploesti Oil Fields Supporting lied Army By The Associated Press LONDON, April 15. - Powerful American aerial forces, possibly to- taling as many as 2,000 planes, struck from Britain and Italy today strafing German airfields and transportation facilities and bombing the Romanian capital of Bucharest and the oil cen- ter of Ploesti in blows directly sup- porting the Red Army. Flying out from British bases, U.S. Lightnings, Thunderbolts and Mus- tangs of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces swept over ten German and German-occupied airfields with some formations penetrating as far east as an airfield in the vicinity of Berlin. 30 Planes Lost Thirty American fighters failed to return, the Army announced tonight. This constituted the largest number of losses ever suffered by American fighters in a single day's operation The fighters which possibly totaled between 500 to 750 planes shot down 18 German planes in aerial combat. In addition they destroyed and dam- aged "a considerable number of en- emy aircraft on the ground," a com- munique said. Their low-level strafing attacks also were directed at barges, flak cars, a factory and locomotives in Germany. Returning pilots reported they had damaged 17 locomotives. The assaults today broke a one-day lull in the heavy blows being rained on Hitler's aerial defenses and supply lines. Record Fighter Attacks The British-based operations which ranged over a wide area of central and northern Germany constituted one of the greatest mass fighter at- - tacks ever launched. The communi- que did not name the targets of the fighters, which pressed forward their attacks despite generally unfavorable weather conditions. In the assault from Italian bases a force of probably 700 American heavy bombers with a least 500 *es- s corting fighters penetrated to within 150 miles of the Russian-German front. RIVES intol ian troopsi ly counter-a ajor attacks territory. C--n le want in a plane of his swee dahl, of Sr photo of 1V when ano Lightning r ed out wh Bong says bit differen India and Allied drives were reported holding attacking although the . Allied forces in the batDuty, s to get back into the air bearing the photograph theart, Marjorie Vatten- ,uperior, Wis. He lost a hiss Vattendahl recently ther pilot took up his named "Marge" and bail- en an engine conked. s he doesn't "feel a damn V" since breaking the rec- . Eddie Rickenbacker. ffirms Solidarity , April 15.-(R)-The Axis that an important Coun- was held at Premier Tojo's okyo today at which the after discussing the Allied f the past year and the evasion of the west, pro- rm determination to fight the end. ts were reported made by and German ambassado tahmer. 'I I ''' ]ong, who has blasted l7 Japai- n-ord of Capt. SALT FOR HITLER'S TEA: ese planes out of the air since De- cember, 1942, now is working an Clear Skies Stim ulate Allied "office ob. The reason for the grounding order was not announc- IjLONDON Ai f e sv e a a i n ed. But rong says, "I'd go nuts announced1 Air Offensive Preparation ' if I couldn't keep on flying in com- cil of War w bat." home in T By KIRKE L. SIMPSON The quiet and seemingly nerveless conferees, a Associated Press War Analyst fighter pilot who has shattered the offensive of Mild mid-April weather over all Europe this week-end, set continental World War I Rickenbacker record of promised in skies swarming with Allied and Russian bombers night and day in obvious 26 enemy aircraft downed in combat claimed a fi preparation for furious invasion battles soon to open against Germany from and has ninetprobables to his credit, together to east and west alike, dreads the thought that he might Statement Evs andwsstePcfcsas.win. be sent home to take part in War both Tojo Even across the Pacific seasonal weather conditions rated high Bond sales rallies. Heinrich S the making of Allied operational plans against Japan. The approach of the wet monsoon period in the India-Burma theatre had some relationship to dispositions to meet the only Nipponese offensive move in months, the invasion of India across the Chindwinw N ri t n e o Riverstations were not Tveroffthe air because of thousand-ship The monsoon rains when they fleets of fighter escorted Allied bomb- come in Assam and northern Bur- ers roving continental skies. 4 9 ,1#1 E eE tit i JA ~y Thme little hii. of iuiderwear Juuiors like iIIsteadl of panties o oi# Wiiei WeI to prevent calr. . OComfortable 8 Launder like Hankies 'Do not need Ironing . : '0" c't ..A..ailable in hee sizes ... Junior, C ~Avterage, and Extra Large. $.:25 - .:50 e t S' >i4/i ma will increase ten-fold the supply difficulties of enemy columns op- erating scores of miles from Bur- mese rail or river communications. They will much less hamper Allied movements in eastern India, or the slow but steady progress of the Ledo road connection with China the Japanese thrust into Assam was designed to check. In the Pacific perimeter from New Guinea to the Kuriles, monsoon weather is not a factor. There was ample evidence that new and deeper thrusts into the Japanese Pacific belt were impending. In the central zone; Admiral Nimitz' mighty air-sea force appeared grooming for new power drives closer to the heart of Japan itself. Tokio rumbled with warnings; of American bombing attacks to come.l It was in Europe, however, that the weight of both Russian and Al- lied air power Churchill estimated now to triple or quadruple the strength Germany can muster in the skies to meet it was coming into its own as weather conditions improved.! The mid-April week-end saw the most sweeping and sustained seven days of night and day attack from the west and the linked long range Allied bombing from bases in Italy, brought to its culmination. Shatter- ing blows at Nazi air defenses were struck at factories from central Hun- gary to France. There were few spells of even hours during the week There was little to hint at any early change in the stalemated Nazi - Allied campaign in Italy. While the Anglo-American effort to take Rome remained bogged down, the effect was more political than military since it still kept pinned on the Italian penninsula and in the western Balkans two score or more Nazi divisions urg- ently needed either in Romania and Poland to face a double Rus- sian menace or in the west to confront the rising Allied invasion drive threat. And in the east there was no doubt that massive new Russian assaults, both westward through Poland above the Carpathian barrier and south- westward into the Danube valley, were being Moscow organized. There was nothing left in Russia south of the Pripet marshes to show for Hit- ler's disastrous attack on Russia but a dwindling toe-hold in the south- western corner of the Crimea and a tiny segment of the Black Sea coast of the Ukraine east of the Dnepr estuary. Both seemed death traps for the Nazi or Romanian satellite, troops within them. Moscow press accounts of the Cri- mea redemption campaign moving swiftly to its climax in the now Rus- sian invested' Sevastopol segment of the penninsula told of wholesale en- emy surrenders, Nazi as well as Ro- manian. AT ANN ARBOR'S MOST FAMOUS RESTAURANT FRESH BROILED LOBSTER RUSHED ALIVE to our kitchen from the Atlantic Ocean, broiled the way you like it, and served piping hot . . . what could be more appetizing? The choicest lobster prepared and served in the Famous Allenel Style is a favorite dish on our menue. Try it lodayr . ca. '.G K ? y-- Bigbright beaitif l Prints are what you want for now and all simimer long. Glorious colors against black, or light grounds are here in great ,variety in the newtv,sli mOUl(ed line. Y ' 1 26 EASTI lCulN STRnEr'r I;- L i1 __ _. rom an: wriwsr - .... nrrnrrai rawme i®rrrr h f CLOSN EAnmEN's ItA II ''I i III I f I If I A S0CIEDIAU iIHISPAN iCA Of, THE SUENO IE UNA NOCH liE AGOSTO Conmedy il, Three Acts by G. lMrtinez Sierra Lydia MENDELSSOJIN Threatre i( { i :. Ita#s, sport (oas. 1/2 -I0'ri1ce Swspeude s, Gooes 1/3Of i I I I i II I I I _____'_____'______ !III I i i