Men on Okinawa 'Celebrate' V-E Day; Keep O n Fightin
g laps
(The following dispatch, by Gordon Cobbledick, former sports
writer and now war correspondent for the Cleveland Plain Dealer,
tells of Okinawa on V-E Day.)
By GORDON COBBLEDICK
OKINAWA, May 8-(Via Navy Radio)-(P)-We stood in the
rain this morning and heard the voice from San Francisco,
only half believing. There had been so many false reports.
But this seemed to be the McCoy.
"Confirmed by Gen. Eisenhower's headquarters," the voice
was saying. "Prime Minister Churchill proclaimed May 8 as
V-E Day."
Planes Road as Troops Hear of V-E Day
Artillery thundered and the planes roared low overhead and
we couldn't hear all that the voice was saying.
"President Truman-Marshal Stalin announced-the Cana-
dian government at Ottawa-unauthorized announcement-
American news agency-."
So this was V-E Day. It was V-E Day in the United States
and Great Britain and Russia but on Okinawa the ambulances
skidded through the sticky red mud and bounced over rutted
rocky coral roads. Some of the men who rode them gritted
their teeth behind bloodless lips and let no cry escape them.
Some stared into Space through eyes that were dull with the
look of men to whom nothing mattered greatly. Some screamed
with pain that the morphine couldn't still. And some lay very
quiet under ponchos that covered their faces.
But It Wasn't V-E Day on Okinawa
It was V-E Day all over the world but on Okinawa. Two
doughboys lay flat behind a jagged rock and one said, "I know
where the bastard is and I'm going to get him."
He raised his head and looked and then he stood, half
crouched, and brought his Garand into position.
When he tumbled backward the rifle clattered on the rocks.
The boy looked up and smiled sheepishly and said, "I hurt my
arm when I fell," and the blood gushed from his mouth and ran
into a quick torrent over the stubble of beard on his young face
and he was dead.
It was V-E Day at home but on Okinawa men shivered in
fox holes half filled with water and waited for the command to
move, forward across the little green valley that was raked from
both ends by machine gun fire.
It was V-E Day but on Okinawa a very young Marine cried
like a frightened child and his voice rose shrilly, "I can't stand
it any more. Oh Jesus, I can't stand it." A grizzled sergeant
watched him for a minute,;half in compassion, half in con-
tempt, and then called, "Corpsman, take him back. He's no
good up here."
Staff Officer Hears of Death of Only Son
It was V-E Day but on Okinawa a staff officer sat looking
dully at the damp earthen floor of his tent. A young lieuten-
ant, his green field uniform plastered with mud, stood awkward-
ly beside him.
"I was with him, sir," the lieutenant said. "It was a machine
I gun bullet, sir. He never knew what hit him." He paused.
"He was a good Marine, sir."
The staff officer said, "he was the only son we had."
On Okinawa a flamethrowing tank lumbered across a narrow
plain toward an enemy pillbox. From a cave a gun spat vicious-
ly and the tank stopped and burst into fire. When the crewmen
clambered out machine guns chattered and they fell face for-
ward in the mud and were still.
It was V-E Day everywhere but on Okinawa the forests of
white crosses grew and boys who had hardly begun to live died
miserably with the red clay of this hostile land.
It was a day for celebration but on Okinawa the war moved
on. Not swiftly, for swift war cannot be waged against an
enemy who burrows underground where bombs and shells and
all the instruments of quick destruction can't touch him. Not
gloriously, for there is little glory in any war and none at all
in cold and mud. But the enemy wouldn't wait and the war
moved on.
'Are They Forgetting About Us Over Here?
It was V-E Day and on Okinawa a soldier asked, "What
were they going to do back in the States-get drunk and forget
about us out here?"
Another said, "So they'll open the Lace tracks and turn on
the lights and give people all the gas they want and the hell
with us."
Another said, "They'll think the war is over and they'll quit
their jobs and leave us to fight these bastards with pocket
knives."
You told them it wasn't so. You said the people would have
their day of celebration and then would go grimly back to the
job of producing what is needed so desperately out here.
And you hoped to God that what you were saying was the
truth.
A& A&w
Fa
aft t! t
43 1
VOL. LV, No. 142 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1945
WipEAT1HER
air and Continued Cool,
Diminishing Winds
PRICE FIVE CENTS
ChiefExecutive
Proclaims Defeat
Tells Japan 'Her Doom Is Sealed';
Prayers Asked For Complete Peace
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, May 8-President Truman, in words of stern triumph
and dedication, proclaimed defeat of a crushed Germany today and served
grim notice on Japan that her doom is sealed.
A nation at war-picking up the cue from its President-went on
with the matter-of-fact business of making war without breaking stride
to celebrate the victory in Europe.
"This is a solemn but glorious hour," said the chief e~Xecutive in a 9 a.m.
Eastern War Time radio address as he joined Prime Minister Churchill
'All
Quiet
On
The
We stern
Frot
{: j: :3
:j: :g s:}.
^
-6
Campus Army
Groups Hold
V-ECeremonty
rr1ruma nProclamation
Read; Miller Speaks
All Army units stationed in Ann
Arbor held a brief military forma-
tion at 7 p.i. EWT (6 p.m. CWT)
yesterday inl the Law Quadrangle to
officially recognize and to offer
thanksgiving for victory in Europe.
Stresses War in East'
Addressing the six groups of offi-
cers and enlisted men who stood im
fornation at the eastern half of the
Quadrangle lawns, Lt.-Col. Jeremiah
O'Connor read President Truman's
proclamation announcing V-E Day &
designating next Sunday as a na-
tional Day of Prayer, a dedication of
purpose to those "who died to make
possible this victory." Intoning our
military aim, the President's procla-
mation called attention to the fact
that while We have won victory in
the west, "we now must win in the
east."
Minute of Silent Prayer
Col. Reginald C. Miller, Comman-
dant of Army forces stationed in Ann
Arbor, -next addressed the troops.
"Let us pray that honor among na-
tions will soon replace war," he said,
in calling for one minute of silent
prayer, a rededicateion of purpose to
defeat our remaining enemy. At the
conclusion of the one minute of
silence, John Phillip Sousa's stirring
air, "The Stars and Stripes Forever",
filled the Quadrangle.
A bngle sounded retreat and was
followed by the firing of the can-
non. "The Star Spangled Banner"
was played as two servicemen raised
the flag from half-staff to full and
then lowered it for the evening. The
ceremony ended with the dismissal of
the six groups by their group com-
manders.
Speech 31 Contest
Finals Will Be Held
Finals in the Speech 31 contest in
extemporaneous speaking will be held
at 4:15 p.m. EWT (3:15 p.m. CWT)
today at Kellogg Auditorium.
Douglas B. Clark, '46, Helen L.
Gray, '47, Carroll Little, '46, and
Patrick White, '47, are the finalists
chosen in the preliminary contest
held on Monday, it was announced
CAMPUS EVENTS
Today Ruthven Tea from 4 to6
p. m. EWT at the presi-
dent's home.
Today The Association Music
Hour, led by Les Hetenyi,
in announcement of Germany's de-
feat. Premier Stalin, who had been
expected to speak simultaneously, was
silent.
Wishes FDR Were Ave
"I only wish that Franklin D.
Roosevelt had lived to witness this
day," the President said.
Mr. Truman made no mention of a
"V-E Day" celebration and cautioned
the nation that its war job is not
finished. Later the 'White House
made clear that the omission was in-
tentional-that there is to be no
official V-E Day of celebration.
Instead the President called upon
all Americans to offer "their joyful
thanks to God" on Sunday-he, term-
ed it fitting that the day is Mother's
Day-and to pray for complete peace.
half Victory
Throughout the President's words,
in a brief speech, an official procla-
mation ,and less formal remarks to
newsmen in the White House before-
hand, he treated the day's history-
making event as only half a victory.
Repeatedly he put it in precise words:
In the speech-"Our victory is but
half won."
In the proclamation-"The whole
world must be cleansed of the evil
from which half the world has been
freed."
Ask Jap Surrender
A statement, issued at the news
conference but not read on the air,
emphasized the same point with an
implied call to the Japanese people to
follow the Nazis in surrender before
it is too late.
"The longer the war lasts," the
statement said, "the greater will be
the, suffering which the people of
Japan will undergo-all in vain."
Lights Go On
fit AztiArbor
Lights, neon and store display, went
on in Ann Arbor last night for the
first time in months, following the
arrangement that V-E Day would
mark the end of the brownout
throughout the nation.
Downtown Ann Arbor looked nor-
mal, although most of the stores had
closed for V-E day. One neon sign
was aglow on State St.
"It seems kinda funny to see the
lights on," one police officer said,
"but we'll get used to it in time."
Meanwhile, local and county police
reported that the County took V-E
day "in stride" with few traffic and
other city ordinances violated.
DENAR..:::Sea y
HELGOLAND7 oal ~i q4
K ENIGSSERG KikUNAS
--EMDEN LUEBENGCERK
ttHEtMS- " OSTOCKt
HAVEN HAMBURG . EAST
NETHERLANDS \*8 REM.EN : oQ ,
STHENTE 7TPRUSSIA
HANNOVER4
D a U POSEN ........
DUESSELDORF G E R M * Pre~war WARSAW
COLOGNE *ASSE: :. borders,
EC' ?eEIPZIG "+ - "
1R _-_ RESD N P O L A {N
BRESLAU
LUX.FRANKFURT
lts MANNHEIM SAYEUT PRAUE '~' -
ANN{E BAYREUTH -1
NUERNBERG PLSEN
C - tr 1 KOW tt
STUTTGART .r- "-F
G * t s
FREISLRG SUG PASSAU 0
RE ut AUGSBURG
MUIH,.4 LIN?
INNSC.. t.." ALzBURG VIENNA
S N Brenner Pau
[ T : . :::.
SaYUGOSLAVIA A eohires MrIs
AIRPLANES >i MACHINERY ELECTRICITY 1IRENL&A MUNITIONS CHEMICALS COAL ReTRAN ORTATION
ECERS
GERMANY PRIOR TO HITLER'S invasion of*Austria in 1938 is represented by the dotted lines on
the map, the symbols directly below mark important industrial and resource areas that have since been
destroyed by Allied bombing and artillery fire.
Moscow Acknowledges Nazi Surrender;
Churchill Formally ProclaimsvE Day
Announcement Finally
Mfade by Moscow Radio
Germany Bowed Under Most Crushing
Defeat Ever Inflicted upon a Nation
By The Associated Press
PARIS, Wednesday, May 9-Germany bowed today to the most crush-
ing defeat ever inflicted upon a nation, her abject surrender proclaimed to
the world by the United States, Britain and Russia.
The Moscow Radio in behalf of Premier Marshal Stalin, whose Red
Armies broke the armed might of Hitler's Reach on the Eastern Front,
announced the unconditional surrender to the Russian people at 1:10 a..m.
today, ten hours and ten minutes after President Truman and Prime
Minister Churchill proclaimed V-E
Day.
The announcement said the final
articles of capitulation were signed
yesterday in Benqin; the ruined cap-
ital symbolic of the fall of the Third ner Thn ks
Reich.
Keitel Signs Articles In Services
Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, chief
of the German High Command, sign-
ed the articles in the presence of Additional Ceremonies
Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov, assistant To Be Held Sunday
Commander of the Red Armies; Air
Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, An atmosphere of quiet thankful-
Deputy Supreme Commander in the ness softened by determination to
West; Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, Chief of win the war and the. peace ahead
the U. S. Strategic Air Forces iii Eu- pervaded the V-E Day ceremonies
rope, and Lt. Gen. Jean De Lattre De held by Ann Arbor churches yester-
Tassigny, Commander of the French day
First Army. Most of the churches drew at least
For Germany it was a crowning ig- their usual number in the congrega-
nominity-Von Keitel, whose armies tion despite the fact that they will
all but mastered Europe, forced to alondVpEtereson th undhywin
sign in the ashes of Germany's first also hold V-e services on Sunday in
city the surrender articles which accordance with the proclamation of
stripped the Reich of its last vestige President Truman.
sfltripped tenghFuture Victory Emphasized
Guns Fall Silent Tle Rev. Walter Geshke of the
The guns of Europe, which through Bethlehem Evangelical Reform Chu-
five years, eight months and seven rch and the Rev. Edward H. Redman
days of, unexampled war inflicted of the Unitarian Church both emn-
possibly 40,000,000 casualties, fell si- phasized that the victory of equality
lent at one minute past midnight and freedom is yet to be won. This
today (6:01 p. m. Tuesday, Eastern battle for their achievement is of a
War Time.) more difficult and subtle nature but
of equal importance to victory on the
Actually, guns on the western front battlefield, they declared.
were stilled yesterday to prevent fur- "In attaining victory in company
ther bloodshed as the Allied world I u aiesng ve dn c y
celebrated V-E Day 11 months and with our allies we have done much
ceertdVEDy 1mnh n to reacquire. the senlse of purpose-
two days after Gen. Eisenhower's ar-
mnis sormd itoFrace o lbertefulness without which democracy'can
stormed into France to liberate have no meaning: we have learned
a Europe in Nazi chains. again how to subordinate private
The last shot on the Western Front happiness and personal concerns for
was fired in Czechoslovakia by the the larger welfare of all," the Rev.
80th Infantry Division of Gen. Pat- Redman asserted.
ton's Third Army, the last to remain Interdependence Must Be Applied
in action. Patton issued his cease fire "This lesson of interdependence of
order at 8 a. in., today (2 a. in., East- all peoples and of the common need
ern War Time). of all peoples, one for another, is one
Prague Finally Quiet which we must not forget. Having
The stubborn Nazis in Czechoslo- learned it in war we must now apply
vakia-the last to submit-agreed to it in peace," he said.
the terms of unconditional surrender, "The Bond of Peace" was the
and a "cease fire" order was issued topie of the sermon delivered by
in Prague at 1:25 p. m., (Eastern Father John F. Bradley at St. Mary's
War Time). Father John F Bradley.at. Mar,,,
a,
l
61
l
r
s
z
p
r
e_
e
Y
s
Only Reds Are at
Peace with World
By The Associated Press
V
G4
LONDON, ' Wednesday, May 9.--
The Moscow Radio, announcing the
German capitulation to the Russian
people for the first time, said today
that unconditional surrender articles
Ptad been signed by the Nazi High
Command at Berlin.
The announcement, mace in behalf
of Commander in Chief Stalin but
not by the Premier-Marshal person-
ally, said the surrender was signed
yesterday by Field Marshal Wilhelm
Keitel for the German High Com-
mand, in the presence of Air Chief
Marshal Arthur Tedder, American
General Carl Spaatz, French General
De Lattre Tassigny and Russian
Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov.
Russia, with the signing of the
capitulation, became the only one of
the United Nations at peace with the
world. At war from the start only
against the European members of
the Axis, she had one-by one received
the surrenders of the minor satellite
nations, the junior partner, Italy;
and finally that of Germany.
Parley Gives
Top Priority
To fig Powers
By The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.- The
United Nations Conference agreed
today to give priority in its working
committees to big-power amend-
ments to a world charter for main-
taining peace.
Proposals of small countries will
have to wait their turn for consider-
ation under a pattern of procedure
approved today by the Conference's
executive and steering committees.
"Priority should be given by the'
technical committees to the consid-
eration of the amendments jointly
proposed by the sponsoring govern-
ments," the formula says. "These
amendments should be incorporated
in the Dumbarton Oaks proposals.
"The Dumbarton Oaks proposals
as thus amended should be re-issued
as the basic document of the Con-
ference for the work of the commis-
sions and technical committees."
By The Associated Press
LONDON, May 8.-Prime Minister
Churchill, with a solemn reminder
that Japan "remains unsubdued" and
still must be brought to justice, today
formally proclaimed the war with
Germany was ended.
Shortly afterwards King George VI
in a special V-E Day broadcast to
the British Empire from Buckingham
Palace called upon his people to
"give thanks to God for a great de-
liverance."
Churchill in a world broadcast
from 10 Downing St. said that the
unconditional surrender of Germany
signed at Rheims at 2:41 am., Mon-
day would "be ratified and con-
firmed" at Berlin and that all hostili-
ties would cease at one minute after
midnight, British Time (6:01 p.m.,
EWT).
Beaming broadly and smoking a
cigar, the 70-year-old Prime Minister
rode to Commons in an open car
through cheering crowds after his
historical official announcement of
the end of the European war.
Warns Japan Still
Remains Unbeaten
CORRESPONDENTS CONDEMN KENNEDY:
AP Asks for Abolishment of Military Censorship
Crohn Starts
Campaign for
Charity Funds
"We have come to a crossroads in
Jewish history. What we do today
will determine the future of Jewish
life for years to come," Lawrcence
Crohn of Detroit stated at the open-
ing rally of the Ann Arbor United
Jewish Appeal campaign last night.
Emphasizing that the preservation
of Jewish life is involved, Crohn stat-
ed that it is up to the Jews of Amer-
Student Chapel during a holy hour.
Among the prayers said were the
Litany of the Sacred Heart, the Con-
secration to the Sacred Heart, the
Parable of Benedict XV for Peace.
Prayers of thanksgiving and prayers
for those still fighting were also
recited.
The service at the First Baptist
Church, directed by the Rev. Chester
H. Loucks, was that prepared by the
Federal Council of Churches.
WU'Concert Band
To 'Broad cast Today
The University Concert Band will
broadcast today over Ann Arbor's
By The Associated Press
Kent Cooper, executive director of
the Associated Press. called on Gen-
was not permitted to file any story
or messages.
Kennedy therefore was unable to
render from the European theater of
operations for 24 hours after the
announcement.
for immediate publication in com-
plete defiance of the pledge," the
protest read.