rl wg Ar AW .A xqmplw t it, u r 4 aitg Weather Fair' and Cooler VOL. LIV No. 18-S ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1944 PRICE FIVE CENTS Last Nazi Escape Route from Baltics Cut Lwow, Bialystok Taken by Soviets Sweep Through Poland Toward Reich, Czechoslovakia in Powerful' Surge By The Associated Press LONDON, Friday, July 28-Russian troops, inflicting the war's most staggering series of defeats on the Germans, yesterday cut the enemy's last big escape route out of the Baltic states and toppled the major fortress cities of Lwow, Bialystok and Stanislawow in powerful surges through Poland toward Germany and captive Czechoslovakia. Premier-Marshal Joseph Stalin in an unprecedented issuance of five orders of the day announced the fall of six major German strongholds, including Daugavpils and Rezekne in Latvia, on this "Black Thursday" for Germany. , Vistula'Crossed Southeast of Warsaw With Germany's peril becoming more acute hourly Berlin also announc- ed that Russia armies of the center had smashed across the Vistula River southeast of imperilled Warsaw. The crash of Russian artillery could be heard in Warsaw, Moscw dis- patches said. Stalin's fifth order of the day told of the capture of the strategic rail Junction of Siauliai, 73 miles southwest of Riga and 83 miles east of Memel in East Prussia. 30 German Divisions Boxed Up The fall of this "large communications center linking the Baltic with East Prussia" to Gen. Ivan Bagramian's First Baltic Army effectively boxed up 30 German divisions of perhaps 300,000 men under Nazi Col. General Lindemann retreating toward Prussia from Estonia and Latvia with other Russian armies in hot pursuit. The fall of two other big German bastions, Brest-Litovsk, 115 miles east of Warsaw, and Kaunas, former Lithuanian capital, appeared to be near. Red Army shock troops were reporting fighting in Brest-Litovsk's streets, and all adequate German escape routes already had been cut by other Soviet units attacking about 50 miles east of Warsaw. Lwow Falls After 2-Day Siege Lwow, nine-way rail junction which is one of the largest in Europe, fell after a two-day storm by Soviet shock troops. Stanislawow, another important rail junction 65 miles to the southeast in the Carpathian foot- hills on the road to Czechoslovakia, was taken by other units of Marshal Ivan S. Konev's First Ukraine Army. The fall of Lwow, old Poland's third largest city with a population of 317,000, will release thousands of Russian troops as reinforcements for the surge southward into the Carpathian mountains and westward toward Germany. Daugavpils, Latvia's third largest city with a peacetime population of 45,000, and Rezekne, important rail junction 52 miles to the northeast, fell to Andrei Yeremenko's Second Baltic Army, which was plunging northwestward toward Riga, Latvian capital on the Baltic, in an effort to trap scores of thousands of German troops stumbling in disorder toward East Prussia from the broken Estonian front. COMMENCEMENT : McNair Is Killed at Front Line General Hit While Observin gTroops By'rh Associated Press WASHINGTON, July 27-Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair, one of the nation's most able and most fearless military leaders, has been killed on the Nor- mandy front. Enemy fire struck him down while he was with a leading element of the new Allied offensive in France, ob- serving the work of the American ground army which he organized and trained, the War Department an- nounced today. McNair, commander of Army Ground Forces until he received an anks Break German Line GEN. LESLIE McNAIR Seanigall a Captured By Poles iroops Advance Up ltalian (-oast By The Associated Press ROME, July 27.-Driving up the Adriatic coast of Italy against weak- ening German resistance, Polish troops have pushed 17 miles beyond the captured port of Ancona and seized Senigallia at the mouth of the Misa River only 22 miles from Pesaro, Allied headquarters announced to- night. The German radio reported yester- day that the vengeful Poles had opened a full-scale offensive in the Adriatic sector as part of the general Allied push toward the enemy's "Gothic Line" defenses, but there was no Allied confirmation until to- night's special announcement. Outpost of Gothic Line Pesaro, next objective of the Poles, is believed to be an outpost of the "Gothic Line," whose main fortifica- tions are said to be anchored on Rimini, another 20 miles up the coast. British, New Zealand and South African troops engaged in closing a steel clamp on Florence gained up to four miles at some points in bitter fighting, winning positions within six miles of the Arno River west of the historic city. South Africans Destroy Tanks In beating back one strong Nazi counterattack below Florence, South African troops destroyed two huge enemy "Tiger" tanks. British forces inflicted heavy casualties in driving four miles beyond Greve to a point about ten miles from Florence. Other Eighth Army troops pushing up northwest of Poggibonsi were re- ported within six miles of Montelup, a communication center on the Arno ten miles west of Florence. Indications grew that American troops drawn up along the Arno from the west coast inland would be forced to take the ancient city of Pisa by storm and perhaps turn their artil- lery against the celebrated leaning tower, which the Nazis had converted into an observation post. Simmons Will Lecture Today Russian Literature To Be Topic at Rackham Dr. Ernest J. Simmons, chairman of the Department of Slavic Lang- uages and director of the Intensive Study of Contemporary Russian Civ- ilization courses at Cornell Univer- sity, will deliver the second in a series of lectures on contemporary Russia on "Soviet Russian Literature" at 4:10 p. m. today in the Rackham am- phitheater. This series of lectures and films on Russia., sponsored by the Office of the Summer Session, brings to this campus men from leading universi- ties throughout this country to ad- dress students on various aspects ofI the culture and life of the peoples of the Soviet Union. Everyone is cordially invited to at- tend the lecture and no admission is harged. Polish Premier Goes to Russia LONDON, July 27-(AP)-Stanis- aw Mikolajczyk, peasant-born pre- nier of Poland's government in exile, left today for Moscow to confer with Premier Stalin and seek a remedy for the long-ailing Polish-Soviet rela- tions. Out of the conferences may come a merger of Mikolajczyk's London administration and the rival Polish Nnrtinnol ihparena~n Cmmitan P - a The first summer Campus Sing will have Oswald Lampkins, baritone, as the guest soloist on the Varsity Glee Club's program from 7 to 8 p. m. today in front of the Main Library. More than a dozen Michigan songs will be sung by the Glee Club and the audience including "Varsity," "When Night Falls." "I Want to Go Back to Michigan,'' "Old Friars' Song," "Col- lege Days" and "The Bum Army." Others will be "Laundes Atque Car- mina," "Tis of Michigan We Sing," "Victors," "Michigan Men," "God- dess of the Inland Seas" and "The Yellow and Blue." Admiral Hart To Speak at Medical School Graduation OSWALD LAMPKINS . . . to appear with Glee Club at Sing. * * * * * * TIME TO VOCALIZE: Larnpkins To Be Soloist at First Campus SingToday Adm. Thomas C. Hart, U. S. N., Ret., will address medical school graduates at commencement exer- cises tomorrow in Rackham Auditor- ium when 85 of the graduating class of 114 will enter the armed forces. This class is the first class to be graduated from the accelerated program, having completed four academic years in three. It is also unique in containing the largest proportion of graduates entering the armed forces in medical school history. Capt. Richard E. Cassidy, com- mandant of the Navy unit at the University, will administer the oath of office to 26 graduates who will en- ter the Medical Corps of the U. S. Carrier Planes Sink Jap Ships Near C arolines WASHINGTON. July 27.-()-A Japanese destroyer, an oiler, a de- stroyer escort or minelayer, seven small cargo ships and many smaller craft were sunk by American carrier based planes in a series of attacks in the Western Caroline Islands, the Navy reported tonight. Marines Capture Height With the American attack on the Japanese inner circle of outposts being maintained at a fast tempo, the Navy also announced that American Marines now control the northern one third of Tinian Island, including Mount Lasso, the island's command- ing height. Aerial support is being extended the marines by Army Thunderbolt fighters based on Saipan, neighboring island in. the Mariana r.hain. Naval Reserve as lieutenants, junior grade. Ten will be ordered to active duty as Navy internees, while 17 will go into civilian interneship. The 57 graduates of the Army's training program will be sworn in by Lt. Col. Reginald C. Miller and will receive commissions as first lieutenants in the reserves. The commencement ceremonies will begin at 10 a. m., preceded by an academic procession at 9:30 a. m. The procession which will march from the Medical building to the Rackham building, will include re- gents of the University, faculty mem- bers and students. President Alex- ander Ruthven will preside at the exercises and introduce Admiral Hart. The Navy V-12 Choir will sing at the exercises. Born in Davison, Mich., Admiral Hart attended the U. S. Naval Academy and saw service in the Spanish-American War and World War I. Given supreme command of the United Nations naval for- ces in the Pacific after Pearl Har- bor, he was decorated by the Dutch government for his Pacific service, He was advanced to the rank of full admiral just before his retire- ment. Following his retirement he was appointed to the Navy General Board and is now directing the government investigation of the Pearl Harbor disaster. U a 1 s; h unspecified but "important" overseas assignment a few weeks ago, had gone to the battlefronts of this war twice. On his first visit, in March, 1943, to Tunisia, he was wounded by shell fragments. On his second visit he met death. He was the highest' ranking Ameri- can officer to die in action in this war. Four other generals have been killed in battle, in addition to a num- ber of other deaths, including eight who died in plane crashes while traveling to or in war zones. "Had he had the choice, he prob- ably would have elected to die as he did, in the forefront of the attack," said General George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff. The 61-year-old McNair was gen- erally credited with bringing into being the vast and complex Army Ground Force. Cas ualtyList Is Announcec WASHINGTON, July 27-(AP)-1 Secretary of War Stimson released new battle casualty figures reflecting vividly the fierce fighting on far- flung fronts. Total American casual- ties now exceed 313,000, including more than 63,000 dead. The approximate casualties now are: (dead, wounded, prisoners, missing) Army, 207,283. Navy, 50,496. Saipan, 16,463. Guam, 3,018. Normandy, 24, 162. Air Forces, 11,665. Total, 313,084. Veterans on (U' Campus To Meet At Union Toda All honorably discharged veterans on campus who are interested in joining an organization to further their interests are asked to be present at a meeting to be held at 7 p.m. to- day in Rm. 304 in the Union, Laszlo J. Hetenyi; temporary chairman, an- nounced yesterday. The aim of this organization is thej solution of problems that confront all men who are returning from the services to collegiate or graduate studies, he said. "The various problems confront- ing veterans are usually similar in nature," Hetenyi said. "Whether it is housing, food or social readjust- ment that presents a problem to the former service man, he is bound to find some others who have experienc- ed or are experiencing the same diffi- culty. It will be much easier if these men get together and help each oth- er," he added, During the meeting definite plans for future actions will be discussed. Chinese Troos Retake Leiyang Capture of City Halts Drive To Split Country CHUNGKING, July 27-(AP)- Counter-attacking Chinese have re- captured Leiyang, southernmost point of advance from the north 'in the Japanese grand strategy to split China in half and seal her off from help from the Pacific, a Chinese com- munique announced tonight. Thirty-four miles to the northwest in Hunan Province, confused fight- ing raged inside and outside the beleaguered rail junction of Heng- yang, where the Japanese were ack- nowledged to have broken into the c~r -o - nf a_ o moi__ _ .+ +,._,+. In order that everyone may join in the singing, copies of the songs will be distributed to the audience. "This is designed especially to ac- quaint the new students on campus with the Michigan songs," Prof. Da- vid Mattern, director, said, "although all are invited." Will Sing Four Songs Mr. Lampkins, who was with the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Tennessee for eight years, will present four selections: "Song of the Open" by La Forge, "Zueignung" by Strauss, "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Val- ley" and "Deep River." , As soloist with the singers, he tour- ed the country giving concerts in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Philadel- phia, Dallas and St. Louis. In the spring of 1936 the group appeared in Ann Arbor at the Lydia Mendel- ssohn theatre. First Summer Appearance The Campus Sing 'will mark the first summer appearance of the Glee Club which now has both civilian students and servicemen as members. Also in conjunction with today's con- cert will be a carillon program of Michigan songs by Prof. Percival Price before and after the Sing. Blood Donors Needed -Here Coeds Social To Register with Director Today Registration will be held from 1 to 3 p. m. today in the Social Direct- or's office in, the League for coeds who wish to participate in the Red Cross Blood Bank, which will be held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 11 and 12, in the Womnen's Athletic Build- ing. Civilian men may register between 0 a. in. and noon and 1 and 2:30 p. in, Monday on the Diagonal. A quota of 200 men and 75 women has been set. If today's registration hours are inconvenient, coeds are asked to sign up with the League Social Director before August 1. Persons who are under 21 years old must bring writ- ten parents' consent to registration. Pam Watts, '45, secretary-treasur- er of the Women's War Council; heads the War Council drive for blood don- ors. Sandy Perlis, a member of the Navy V-12 unit, is in charge of the Union drive. Whitney Theatre Has Midnight Fire A fire of undetermined origin started last night in the basement of Two Cities Crumble in Yank Push American Advance Imperils Coutances By TheAssociated Press SHAEF, July 28, Friday-Lightning U.S. tank columns shattered the Ger- mans' western Normandy line yester- day in a sudden breakthrough that plunged the enemy into chaotic re- treat and drove to within five miles of strategic Coutances, whose fall might trap the entire 4th Corps of seven battered Nazi divisions. Thundering lines of tanks, half- tracks and self-propelled artillery, revealed by Supreme Headquarters -for the first time to be striking in divisional strength in the greatest armored blow since D-Day, smashed all organized resistance, field com- manders declared. Lessay Yielded Without Fight Without a fight the enemy yielded the old seacoast strongpoint of Les- say, 12 miles north of Coutances, and Periers to the west, and fled south under a hail of bombs and shell fire to try to make a stand, possibly around Coutances. But the midnight communique dis- closed that besides the column driv- ing head-on toward Coutances from the east, a second column fanned out four miles southwest of fallen Canisy in what may be an outflanking threat to that next stop on the American drive deeper into France. Coutances in Firing Range Coutances already was within ar- tillery range and it appeared it outld not hold out for long with the spor- adic resistance the bewildered enemy is offering on this sector of the flam- ing 40-mile front. Prisoners up to noon totaled 2,600 and tank crews did not bother to corral them. The Alliesradmitted their forces had withdrawn from Esquay, 7 miles southwest of Caen, and had given up blood-stained "Crucifix Hill" which dominates the Orne - Odon River wedge, but said their positions south of Caen were strongly held. * * * Yanks Bomb Enemy Troops LONDON, Friday, July 28-(AP)- American fighter bombers plastered enemy frontline troops, tanks, guns and strongpoints and canopied U. S. troops from enemy fighter planes yesterday in supporting the biggest break-through yet made on the west- ern front while from Italy 500 Am- erican heavies bombed the Manfred Weiss works in Budapest, largest in- dustrial plant in Hungary. RAF Mosquitos blasted Stuttgart with 4,000 pound bombs last night, subjecting that German industrial city to its third raid in four nights, the British announced today. Argentine Out Of Peace Talks Nationalist Paraders Back Up Government WASHINGTON, July 27.- (-. The Argentine government, by its continuing support of the Axis, is considered in official quarters here to have forfeited its right to sit down with the United Nations in important war and post-war conferences, in- cluding whatever peace conferences may be held. This exclusion policy, already in- voked at the Bretton Woods Mone- tary Conference, has been given a new and more permanent base by last night's official United States declara- tion denouncing Argentina as a "de- serter" of the Allied cause. * * * BUENOS AIRES, July 27.-(P)-.-A harmless noise bomb exploded in front of the newspaper La Nacion builino +Mninsahtmn...wn.. n1fl-a WORSE MAY COME- Robot Bomb Raids Increase LONDON, July 27-(AP)-The Nazis' flying bomb barrage increased I British Lancaster and Sterling bombers are using their big six-ton factorv-busters to smash nossihl