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VOL. LIV No. 9-S ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1944
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Red
Forces
20
Miles
from East
Prussia
Democratic Camp
Divides on Wallace
Early Delegation Arrivals Agree on
Strong Foreign Policy Plank for Party
By The Associated Press
CHICAGO, July 14-Early arrivals for the Democratic National Con-
vention divided today into Henry A. Wallace and anti-Wallace camps on
the topmost issue of a vice-presidential nomination although they found
themselves united for a short platform with a sturdy foreign policy plank.
"It won't be Wallace," said Representative Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.,
of Maryland, but other delegates in hotel lobby interviews declared Wal-
lace still is very much in the picture.
The 29th party conclave will convene Wednesday to give President
Roosevelt. a fourth nomination. Most of the platform builders came on
the scene during the day and, at an organization meeting, decided to start
Nazis Withdraw
Resistance Near
Port of Livorno
Poggibonsi Falls to
French on Bastille Day
By the Associated Press
ROME, July 14.-German resis-
tance to the advancing Americans on
the Fifth Army front has suddenly
withdrawn, front line dispatches re-
ported tonight, with the doughboys
making gains up to five miles along
most of the line in a bid to enter the
big port of Livorno (Leghorn) pos-
sibly this week-end.
While hard-fighting French troops
celebrated Bastille Day by capturing
the important communications cen-
ter of Poggibonsi,.21 miles southwest
of Florence, after two days of combat
in the outskirts, the Americans were
moving up against enemy artillery
fire described as merely harassing,
and against small rear guard groups
of eight to ten German riflemen.
Counterattack Unsuccessful
An unsuccessful counterattack by
eighty Germans north of Castellina
was described as a comparatively big
action, in sharp contrast with the
yard-by-yard fighting advances of
the past fortnight.
In their thrust toward the Arno
River the Americans still were run-
ning into minefields and demolitions,
but the character of German opposi-
tion had weakened noticeably during
the day after some hard, close combat
yesterday.
Allies Get Major Base
Possession of Poggibonsi, situated
on the main highway between Siena
and Florence, gives the Allies a major
base from which to drive directly on
Florence as well as down the Elsa
River valley toward Empoli on the
Arno River.
It was a fitting victory for France's
national holiday, for among Gen.
Alphonse Juin's troops were officers
and men who could recall vividly the
despair that gripped their homeland
four years ago.
Raids on Guam
Foreshadow
New Assault
U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEAD-
QUARTERS, PEARL HARBOR, July
14-(AP)-For the tenth straight
day, Guam was ripped by bombs
and rockets of Vice Adm. Marc A.
Mitscher's task force Thursday in a
continuing action which suggested
impending developments against that
former U. S. outpost.
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announc-
ed tonight in a press release the fir-
ing of ammunition dumps, gun posi-
tions and other installations on
Guam in the July 13 attack by car-
rier planes.
(Yesterday Tokyo radio told of the
assault but added that a battleship
also had twice bombarded Guam
Thursday).
Thursday's raiding force also hit
Rota, an enemy-held island between
Guam and newly conquered Saipan.
All planes returned from the Guam
and Rota attacks.
Demonstrating mastery of Mai-
anas waters, an American destroyer
moved near Guam the night of July
10 and sank a small Japanese coastal
public hearings Monday. The plat-
form subcommittee is headed by Rep-
resentatives John McCormack, Mas-
sachusetts, and Mary T. Norton, New
Jersey.
lannegan Awaited
Word filtered through hotel lobbies
that National Committee Chairman
Robert E. Hannegan will arrive to-
morrow, possibly with a tentative
platform and the latest "lowdown"
on presidential wishes for a running
mate.
Pro-Wallace sentiment was ex-
pressed by Senator Claude Pepper of
Florida, who said: "I think Wallace's
name will go before the convention,
and I expect to vote for him."
Pennsylvania Assures FDR
While word came from the big
72-vote Pennsylvania delegation at
Harrisburg that it would go to the
man the President desires, Gessner T.
McCorvey, chairman of the Alabama
state Democratic executive commit-
tee, said at Mobile that "A number"
of party chairmen in 14 southern
states agree with his suggestion that
Dixie delegates unite behind a strong
southerner for the second place nom-
ination.
McCormack, House Democratic
leader, told reporters the platform
makers should "take realistic action'
if we are going to prevent another
war 25 years from now."
.* * *
FDR Expresses
Desire For Wallace
NEW YORK, July 14.-(/P)-Presi-
dent Roosevelt has written to Demo-
cratic National Chairman Robert
Hannegan expressing persona' pref-
erence for Henry A. Wallace as the
Democratic nominee for vice-presi-
dent, the New York Post said it had
learned today.
Hannegan, now on his way to Chi-
cago to make arrangements for the
opening of the Democratic National
Convention there next Wednesday, is
expected to make the letter public
in Chicago, but it is uncertain wheth-
er he will do so before the convention
meets, a dispatch from the Post's
Washington correspondent said.
Chinese Storm East
Gate of Tengchung
CHUNGKING, July 14-(AP)-
Chinese troops are storming at the
east gate of Tengchung, big Japanese
base on the road to Burma, and
great fires rage in the city after U.
S. air attacks, the Chinese high com-
mand said today.
Fighters and bombers of Maj. Gen.
Claire L. Chennault's 14th air force
swarmed over Wednesday and un-
loaded explosives and incendiaries in-
side the walls.
Yanks Take
10 Towns in
New Drive
Allies Advance on
Lessay-St. Lo Road
By the Associated Press
SUPREME HEADQUARTERS, AL-
LIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE,
July 15, Saturday-The American
First Army pushed south today with
gains up to three miles, took ten
French towns, pinned down the coas-
tal stronghold of Lessay with artil-
lery fire and hurled back the stub-
born enemy in the center with a blow
that menaced the big lateral road
linking up the German front.
"The whole U.S. Army front from
St. Lo to the sea is on the move," said
supreme headquarters, and the night
communique declared salients had
been driven into enemy defenses be-
fore the Lessay-St. Lo road. Some of
these positions were less than two
miles from the highway.
Yanks Gain Along Taute
The communique located the gains
on both sides of the Taute River,
below Auxais, from 2% to 3 miles
from the highway, and front dis-
patches presumably based on later
information placed vanguards within
two miles in fighting farther east.
Stalled before St. Lo, the Ameri-
cans began sweeping around to the
north, and supreme headquarters
said one thrust carried to the out-
skirts of Le Mesnil Durand, three
and a half miles northwest.
Big Push Near Lessay
The biggest gains came northwest
of Lessay, where doughboys sped
three miles south and captured St.
Germain-sur-Ay, Lessay'stharbor.
Germans on a spit of land jutting
out two and a half miles west had
escaped the trap and fled across the
Ay River.
Closing in from the north, where
Americans in Beauvais, less than two
miles away, were firing into Lessay,
other troops seized Laulne, three
miles northeast of the coastal anchor.
Unable to advance frontally against
the ruins of St. Lo, the Americans
deepened the lines on the south in a
drive which overran Le Barre de
Semilly, two miles east, and took the,
highest ground in that sector.
Allies Bomb
Oil Refineries
Raids on Hungarian
Railways Reported
LONDON, Saturday, July 15-(AP)
-American heavy bombers from
Italy attacked four oil refineries and
railyards in and near the Hungarian
capital of Budapest yesterday as the
worst weather since D-Day held
operations from the west to no more
than 1,000 sorties.
The German radio reported at 1
a. i., however, that raiders were over
the Hannover-Brunswick region of
the Reich in a night continuation of
the daylight attacks on Europe.
RAF Lancasters with fighter es-
cort attacked the flying bomb instal-
lations in northern France yesterday
afternoon without loss and a small
force of Liberator heavy bombers
followed Pathfinder planes to Am-
iens and bombed that Somme River
rail center by instrument.
Approximately 50 fighter-bombers
harassed rail.lines back of the Nor-
mandy front, engaged about 50 Ger-
man fighters, and shot down six for
a loss of four. They damaged 50
freight cars and three locomotives.
Niemen River
Line Broken
Near Grodno
-Daily Photo by George Shideman
AT THE END OF A DAY'S WORK-These University coeds were part of the crew that helped harvest
cherries Thursday. They are, left to right (kneeling); Ruth Sworman, Carolyn West, Jennifer Logan,
Mari. Rutherford, Joyce McCormick, (standing) Barbara Strong, Nora MacLaughlan, Barbara Snell,
Dorothy Leonard, Shirley Weemhoff, Janet Bottomley, and Marj. Snowden.
^'
CROP CORPS GROWS:
.*
90 Army Men Volunteer
To Pick- Cherries Today.
i
A volunteer group of 90 Army men
from the units stationed on campus
will leave at 1 p.m. today from the
East Quad to harvest cherries as a
result of an Army headquarters order
permitting them to offer their ser-
vices.
At the same time a group of eight
University coeds and two men were
in the fields yesterday and harvested
30 crates-480 quarts-of cherries.
Agents Get Army Aid
The county agent's office, desper-
ate to recruit a substantial labor
corps, discussed the current acute
labior shortage with Army Headquar-
ters and secured "wholehearted co-
operation" from Col. Edward H.
Young and Maj. Edward Gallagher,
Kenneth Russel, supervising the
work, said yesterday.
Unofficial reports from the various
Army units reported "immediate en-
thusiasm" and 'the men will leave in
trucks supplied by the University and
the orchard,.
Added labor forces were recruited
and placed in the fields from Willow
Run Village-sons and daughters of
Petitioning Begins
For Engine Council
Freshman or scholastically eligible
sophomores in the College of Engin-
eering may petition for a class posi-
tion on the engineering council,
Frank Arams, vice president, an-
nounced yesterday.
Civilians as well as Navy person-
nel are eligible. Petitions must be in
the office of the dean of engineering
by Wednesday, July 26.
Petitions must include the signa-
tures of 15 classmates, the candi-
date's qualifications for the office,
class, address and phone number,
Arams said,
bomber plant workers ranging from
eight to 12 years old.
Half of Crop Picked
Herman Franzblau, proprietor of
the orchard, four miles east of Ann
Arbor, where the present activity is
centered, reported half his crop in
yesterday and was elated at hearing
the news of the Army aid.
The cherry picking program came
to the fore on campus Wednesday
when the county agent sent out an
appeal to enlist the services of Uni-
versity students as part of a state-
wide campaign to lick the farm labor
shortage.
Russell outlined a dismal harvest
for most local farmers this summer
and fall if a continuous supply of
volunteer labor is not available
throughout the summer.
"Fruit farmers growing apples and
peaches will be needing workers from
now on," he said.
'Damnask Cheek'
o Have Final
Performance
The final performance of "The Da-
mask Cheek" will be presented by
the Michigan Repertory Players of
the Department of Speech at 8:30
p. m., today in the Lydia Mendel-
ssohn Theatre.
Written by John VanDruten, and
Lloyd Morris, the drama is laid in
1909.
Mrs. Claribel Baird, guest direct-
or with the repertory players, por-
trays the leading role of Rhoda.
Other members of the cast include
Blanche Holpar as the domineering
Mrs. Randell, Patricia Meikle as the
errant actress and Donald Hargis as
the cousin about whom the play re-
volves.
Windt Was Director
Prof. Valentine Windt, head of
dramatics in the speech department,
directed the production.
The next play to be presented by
the players will be "The Learned
Ladies", one of Moliere's most noted
plays and will run from Wednesday
to Saturday in the Lydia Mendel-
ssohn Theatre.
This amusing play gives the play-
wright bne of his best opportunities
to ridicule the foibles and shams of
French life in his time.
Trio of Characters in Lead
One of the main characters is
Chysale, an honest bourgeois, who
has to endure a pretentious wife, a
stupidly romantic sister and his pe-
dantic child. He becomes involved
in many of their plots and struggles
Admiral Hart r
To Be Speakert
At Graduation
114 Medical Studentst
To Receive Diplomas
Admiral Thomas C. Hart, USN
Ret., will address medical school#
graduates July 29 when 85 of the
graduating class of 114 will enter thet
armed forces.
Capt. Richard E. Cassidy, com-
mandant of the naval unit here, will{
administer the oath to 27 graduates,9
who will enter the Medical Corps of
the U.S. Naval Reserve as lieutenants,
junior grade. Ten will be ordered to
active duty at once as Navy internees,
while 17 will go into civilian interne-;
ship.
Army To Commission 58
Under the Army's training pro-
gram, its 58 medical graduates can
expect to receive commission in the
reserve corps as first lieutenants and
will be sworn in by Col. Edward H.
Young, commandant of Army forces
on campus.
A native of Michigan, Adm. Hart
was born at Davison and attended
the U.S. Naval Academy. He saw
service in the Spanish-American War
and in World War I he commanded
the U.S. submarine force in British
waters and around the Azores, re-
ceiving the DSM for his work.
Hart Directed Pacific Forces
After Pearl Harbor Adm. Hart was
given supreme command of the Unit-
ed Nations naval forces in the Pacific.
Later he was advanced to the full
rank of admiral and was decorated
by the Dutch government for his
Pacific service.
Following his retirement he was
appointed to the Navy General Board
and later was assigned by Secretary
Knox to take testimony in the Pearl
Harbor case.
Auto Industry
Is, Not Inspired
[By%- WPB Order
WASHINGTON," July 14.- ({P)-i
Members of the Automobile Industry
Advisory Committee displayed a lack
of enthusiasm today at news from
the War Production Board that they
are free after next week to design
new passenger car models against
the day of Germany's collapse.
Without a dissenting voice, the top
automobile executives reported that
their designers and engineers are
still so tied up with a continuing and
Pinsk Reported Among
315 Towns Captured
In General Baltic Push
By the Associated Press
LONDON, Saturday, July 15-The
Red Army, pushing westward along a
line less than 20 miles from East
Prussia, reported today it had broken
the Nazis' Nieman River line south-
east of Grodno and was closing with-
in seven miles of that big strong
point in part of a general advance
from the Latvian border region to old
Poland.
Among more than 315 towns an-
nounced as captured yesterday
against slowly stiffening opposition
was Pinsk, 100 miles east of Brest-
Litovsk, nearly completing liquidation
of the Pripyat Marshes resistance.
Grodno's Capture Near
Before Grodno, which dispatches
this morning indicated was doomed
to fall shortly, the Russians announc-
ed capture of Verstelishki, seven
miles east, and Zhidomlya, eight
miles southeast, but were silent on
German statements that Soviet pa-
trols already had twice been driven
from Grodno itself.
The troops approaching Grodno
reached the Niemen River on a wide
front, a Soviet communique supple-
ment said, and in a fierce engage-
ment crossed to the west bank of
that historic stream which Napoleon
crossed in the summer of 1812 to
launch his ill-starred invasion of
Russia.
Zholsi Falls to Reds
Northwest of newly-taken Wilno,
the Russians reported capture of
Zholsi, 30 miles from Wilno and only
20 miles southeast of the big Lithu-
anian city of Kaunas. They were
moving up in a great bulge all
through that area.
Other outstanding captures of the
day as announced in the regular mid-
night communique and two orders
of the day from Marshal Stalin in-
cluded Wolwowysk and Skidel, on the
approaches to Bialystok and Grodno
in old Poland, and the railway station
of Opochka, 24 miles east of the
Latvian border.
In a second order of the day,
Stalin announced the capture of
Wolkoysk, 50 miles east of Bialystok
and 80 miles northeast of Brest-Lit-
ovsk, as the Russians drew steadily
nearer to the Bug River line on
See RUSSIANS, Page 4
Yank Forces
Resist Attacks
In New Guinea
ADVANCED ALLIED HEADQUAR-
TERS, New Guinea, July 15, Satur-
day- ()- American forces are
fiercely resisting Japanese attacks
near Aitape in British New Guinea,
headquarters announced today,
Trapped Japanese forces were at-
tempting to fight through Allied
encirclement.
Allies Take Sawar Airdrome
Farther west, Allied forces cap-
tured the Sawar airdrome, three
'miles west of the Maffin Bay air-
drome, July 12 without resistance.
Japanese resistance in the Maffin
Bay area has collapsed.
The initial Japanese drive in the
Aitape area carried them across the
Driniumo River, 21 miles east of
Aitape, but stubborn American resis-
tance forced the enemy to reorganize.
A total of 268 Japanese have been
buried in the Aitape area, since the
current push began with skirmishes
Monday. Naval and air forces pound-
ed the Japanese rear areas,
Fighting Lines Fluid
The fighting lines are fluid in the
Driniumo River valley, with Yanks
and Nipponese on both sides of the
river.
(This announcement indicated the
first well-organized Japanese assault,
which began Wednesday at dawn
Shad forced the withdrawal of Allied
outpost positions.)
Fotitch Sees Civil
jWar in Yugoslavia
WASHINGTON, July 14.- (M-
SHORTAGE EXPECTED IN FALL:
Summer Students Find Housingff Adequate
There has been no difficulty in
housing women at the University this
summer with a surplus of rooms
available in contrast to the serious
shortage during the two past seme-
sters, Miss Alice Lloyd, Dean of
Women, said yesterday.
However, many more women have
applied for rooms for the fall term
than had applied at this same time
last year, Miss Lloyd stated, and an
acute housing shortage is anticipat-
ed in the fall. It has been necessary
to send applicants "very discourag-
Registration of men for both the
summer session and term has fal-
len to less than 1,400. Enrollment
of women for the summer term and
the summer session is about the
same as that last summer with
more than 1,000 for the term and
1,249 for the session. Dean Bur-
sley also predicted a great influx
of women students for the fall
term.
A main reason for this increased
enrollment of women is that many
families have more money during
ed skills in connection with the prose-
cution of the war, Dean Lloyd sug-
gested, and this is an incentive for
women to take college training.
A main contrast between the
housing situation this summer and
last is that "almost all the women
have wanted rooms this year where
they could get food", Dean Lloyd
said. She explained that the stu-
dents find it expensive and unsat-
isfactory to eat out now although
in previous years this has not been
the case.