Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS western front aflame as nazis strive to hold allied advance congress shapes postwar aid 1 released by western newspaper union expressed in these columns its er a r a or EDITORS NOTE when cpin lons are ser western no unions news analysts and not necessarily or th n e w Z A bilk 1 11 1 aft w 4 K 7 As war comes to their soil german civilians pack belongings and move from battered villages in war zone to safety EUROPE battles rage in some of the bloodiest fighting since D day the whole western front from holland down to switzerland was aflame with allied forces slugging through stubborn enemy defenses and then holding their own against german counter attacks especially bitter fighting occurred on gen george S pattons Pat tons third army front where U S tanks spearheaded spear headed a drive on germanys germanas Germ anys famed coal and industrial basin and the enemy lashed back with strong armored forces As pattons Pat tons men edged forward the enemy fell back on the rugged and wooded slopes of the mountains where they were expected to make a stand before retiring to the siegfried line to their rear stiff german resistance and repeated armored counter attacks also slowed progress ot of gen courtney hodges first army to the north of pat tons third in this sector enemy strength concentrated about trier and stolberg in an effort to throttle hodges drives to the great rhineland industrial cities of colo colone cologne ne and coblenz in holland an estimated germans fought against entrapment by allied ground forces driving up the eastern border of the co country toward the duider zee and paratroopers dropped in their rear effect of the allies drive not only was to threaten the pocketing of these six divisions in western holland but also to put the them in into position to drive around the siegfried line ending to the south of this sector and burst out into the ruhr valley clawing through the battered gothic line under the cover of the rolling barrage of their massed artillery allied forces looked out onto the rich po valley in northern italy as german armored formations sought to stem their rolling advance in this great agricultural and industrial du region russ breakthrough break through heaviest fighting on the eastern front centered in the north where the germans claimed more than russian troops were attacking ing to clear out the baltic states of estonia latvia and lithuania despite the germans hard defense of their lines built up in the swampy lake country of estonia and latvia the reds punched out sizeable gains the old polish capital of warsaw was a fiery inferno as the reds pumped shells into the german defenses of the city and red troops surging across the vistula river came to grips with enemy units armistice terms calling on the nation to 11 stick to reality and try to build up exi existence stence with the opportunities that are left to us finnish acting prime minister ernst von born disclosed russian armistice terms to a heavyhearted people including restoration of the 1940 russo finnish border cession of petsamo to the reds leasing of the porkkala torkkala Pork kala peninsula on the gulf of F inland finland for a russian naval base and reparations payments of the armistice terms were described as the hardest in our history by von born restoration of the 1940 border meant Fin lands surrender of its most highly developed industrial region containing 10 per cent of its population and cession of petsamo meant the count rys surrender of rich nickel mines PACIFIC no pause even as U S marines and dough boys cleaned up resistance in the pala islands miles east of the philippines american airmen were on the go softening up other enemy strong points again the philippines were the principal targets hopping off f from born new guinea army bombers blasted the southern port of dabao shuttle point for enemy troops and supplies in the area and carrier planes operating in the third fleet hammered shipping airfields and military installations in stal lations around manila bay nerve center of the islands in striking the southern falaus whose conquest placed U S forces closer to the vital enemy water route from the indies to japan american troops encountered fanatical resistance more than nipponese soldiers out of a force of fighting to the death on the main island of Pel eliu FIGHTING I 1 SHIPS SHIPS allied might alight recognized naval manual of the world the edition of janes fighting ships noted the increasing strength of allied might on the high seas and the continued decline of axis strength indicative of the growing power of the U S navy janes revealed that it numbered ships last january exclusive of thousands of landing craft with high watermarks water marks including the scheduled launching of two new ton battleships this year the development of a fleet of aircraft carriers and the construction st of new 2200 ton flotilla leaders referring to axis naval strength janes reported that disablement of germanys germanas Germ anys and gneisenau removed its last big capital ships from service and despite the launching of two new ton battleships japanese shipbuilding facilities were running behind demands CONGRESS charts with the fall elections rapidly approaching pro aching and congressional leaders pressed to assemble sufficient quor ams the house and senate made preparations for handling the postwar economic crisis and then moved toward a recess until november first bill to get an OK a and nd be sent up to the white house for the presidents signature was the one providing for a three man administrative board to supervise the disposal of an estimated billion dollars of surplus war goods with no As the first major step to enable the automobile industry to prepare for peacetime manufacture manul the ff war ar production board authorized chrysler ford and general motors to permit technicians to plan correction ol of weaknesses in 1942 models bring material specifications to date map plant layout and design minor changes in 1942 models none alone of the companies are permitted to spend more than monthly for or tabor labor or material in this work discrimination to be shown against little business and sale of all war plants over subject to congressional greA ional approval the second bill passed called for establishment of an office of which would coordinate the work of al all government agencies in the switchback switch back to peacetime conditions and also authorized the lending of funds to states if needed to meet unemployment compensation payments GREAT BRITAIN building needs that rebuilding will provide the base for great britaina Brit ains postwar economy was indicated by the governments ern m ments e n ta recent cent announcement that erm 1 25 0 0 w workers sark ers would be nee needed dedin tn the cons construction truc tion industry to repair bomb damage contributing to the tremendous damage wrought by the war have been th the deadly german robots some of which have individually wrecked as many as 1500 houses with the average being about sc square juare yards of board window frames and doors have been ordered to help repair buildings damaged by the flying bombs at the present time people are engaged in the construction industry it was revealed with many thousands of these women Post postwar ivar wages that british labor will put up a battle to retain its wartime wage increases in the postwar world was indicated by the strike of auto workers in birmingham england over assign assignment ment of employees t to 0 th the assembly of a reputed peacetime product tat at lower wages than those being paid in the munitions department under the stimulus of wartime conditions with manufacturers bidding for labor british wages shot up from about 15 a week to 25 for men and from about weekly to 13 for women worn en because of the competition between themselves and foreign countries however british industrialists are expected to resist present high wages unless production costs are chopped through an increase in labor efficiency or greater use of machinery AMERICAN LEGION wants strong U S american cooperation with other nations to keep the peace forceful occupation of germany and italy to bring the lessons of war home to their populations and compulsory military training for youth were among the resolutions adopted by the american legion at its annual convention in chicago also advocated was retention of necessary bases maintenance of the 1 kv 0 legion hi jinks sees claude duzick po posed sed a as mae west escorted by hap Gor goldenson Gorden denson soa navy at full strength preservation of free enterprise within the U S stoppage of au all immigration until unemployment should fall to around and deportation of all subversive aliens to their native countries active in legion affairs in his home state where he was credited with bringing legion membership up to edward N of albany N Y was elected national commander mrs charles B gilbert of norwich conn conna mother 0 of f two sons in service was elected president of the legion auxiliary RAIL TRAFFIC safety problem answering sen burton K wheelers charges that railroads have failed to heed congress direction for the installation of safety equipment which might prevent fatal train wrecks company officials declared that many wartime accidents could be attributed to inexperienced help because human failings more often than not have been shown to be the cause of many accidents a large number of the roads have broad educational programs it was said in addition to a reliance on new help abt and inability to obtain materi mat als for safety devices because of priority restrictions rail officials said the vast increase in wartime freight and pas sanger traffic has multiplied the chances of mishaps mishap S pointing out that congress empowered the interstate commerce C orn merce commission att to 10 order the railroads to install safety equipment 24 years ago senator wheeler said the gov ew may be compelled to such action 0 il if the failed to S force for action on pre SS |