LIVES 84 DAYS
IN ARCTIC
AFTER CRASH
* • x • « '■■■ ■■■ —
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Mar. 17.
—(Via Canadian Press)—First
Lieut. Leon Crane, 24, of Philadel
phia, reached here today af.er 84
days in the sub-Arctic wilds, and
brought the first word of the fate
of a United States bomber crew
with five men aboard, a Libera
tor bomber, which crashed De
cember 21st.
The other four men are still
missing. They were Lieut. Harold
Hoskins, pilot, of Houlton, Maine;
First Lieut. James Sibert, techni
cian, of Norfolk, Va.; Master Ser
geant Richard Pompeo crew chief,
of Mount Holly Springs, Pa.; and
Staff Sgt. Ralph Wenz, assistant
crew chief, of Pinedale, Wyoming.
The families were notified of
the disappearance soon after the
plane failed to return.
The crew were members of the
U. S. Air Transport Command,
and were said to have bailed out
of the Liberator when it went into
a spin at between 10,000 and
15,000 feet, Crane said.
The first nine days Crane had
no food, and spent most of his
time huddling in the folds of h.s
parachute to keep from freez.*ig.
He eventually reached an unoccu
pied cabin, which was stocked
with food, where he lived a soli
tary existence in the upper Yukon
valley until the first of March,
when he met Albert Ames, a trap
per, who led him to Woodchopper,
Alaska, a min.ng camp, where he
waited for the arrival of the mail
plane, piloted by Bon Rice, an
Alaska pilot.
Arriving in Fairbanks Tuesday,
Crane was the only known survi
vor of the crew of five men when
the Liberator crashed in the wilds
about 100 miles east of Fairbanks,
after nearly three months ol
travel from the crash site.
Crane recalls seeing one para
chute on the way down, and saw
the plane crash in flames. But
once on th eground, he could f.nd
no trace of the other man or
his “chute”.
He followed a frozen stream for
nine days belorq finding a bite of
food. Crape still weighed close to
his normal 170 pounds, and was
pronounced well, physically.
He talked on the phone with
his parents, the Louis Cranes, cf
Philadelphia.
Lieut. Crane is a graduate of
Boston Tech, and has been in
Alaska since last October.
TWO ARE DEAD
IN FAIRBANKS
KNIFE BATTLE
. £ •* ■> 1 < -I
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Mar. 17..
—(AP)—Two men are dead as the
result of a cutting fray Monday
night of this week, after a drink-;
ing party held in a cabin here
Wednesday night. The dead are
Willard McCann, 47, brother of
Mrs. Gertrude Pelle of San Fran
cisco; and James C. Ivan, 46, a
restaurant worker.
Two others are in the hospital,
John P. Harts and an unidentified
soldier.
James H. Cox, 49, was arrested
by citypolice, and held in the
federal jail on an assault charge,
before the victims died.
All four were stabbed in the
abdomen with a hunting knife,
Police Chief George Norton said,
when the four intervened in a
fight between Cox and a Native
girl who rebuffed his attentions.
Police were called by a Native
boy and followed the Cox car
> several blocks to arrest him and
the girl, whose clothes were most
ly tom off.
At the inquest yesterday, Cox
was bound over to the grand jury.
ARCTIC CLUB MEMBERS 1
A club dinner-dance for
members will be given at the
Nevada Lounge Thursday.
March 23rd. Time: 6:30 p. m.
Tickets, $3.00 each. Phone the
club secretary at Main 129 for
reservations before March 21st.
NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. 47.—No. 32. NOME, ALASKA, MARCH 17, 1944 PER COPY—15«
. . ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■' ■ '
[
DOWN 125
MORE NAZI
PLANES
LONDON, Mar. 17.—<AP)—1The
American Air Force chopped an
other hole in the Nazi air de- ;
lenses, downing 125 enemy planes
including some which were paint
ed black for night lighting, and
sent up to help the daylight ,
fighters ward off the heavy day- ,
light attack, on Ulm and Freder
ickshafen, in southern Germany,
yesterday.
The U. S. communique said the
Fortress and Liberator gunners
accounted for 48 of the enemy
single and twin-engine lighters,
which swirled about the American
formations, while the fighters
downed 77.
Twelve American fighters were
lost and 22 bombers failed to re
turn.
The smash at the southern Ger
man targets was followed last
night by a small but heavily
freighted bombardment when
fleets of"1 RAF bomber-fighters
struck again at German transpor
tation in France, pounding the
Miehelin tire factory at Clermont
Ferrand, about 30 miles southwest
of Vichy, and also hit the rail
yards at Amiens, both of these ob
jectives being master cogs in Hit
The RAF unloaded some of its
ler's anti-invasion machinery,
new 12,000-pound “Factory Dust
ers” on the Miehelin works in a
precision attack.
DIPLOMATIC I
RECOGNITION j
NOT GIVEN
'irt iitf
WASHINGTON, Mar. 17.—<AP>
—Secretary of State Cordell Hull ‘
made it clear that the United
States did not consider the extend
ing of diplomatic recognition to
the Badoglio government in Italy.
Hull also disclosed in a news
conference, that the United States
was not consulted by the Soviet
government prior to Moscow’s de
cision to exchange official repre
sentatives with the Bagdolio re
gime.
There has been speculation that
both Washington and London have
approved Russia’s move, and ac
cording to this theory they wanted
to see the regime strengthen its :
power.
TROOPSLAND
ON ISLAND
_
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC,
Mar. 17.—(AP)—U. S. cavalry
troops landed Wednesday morn
ing on Manus, the largest of the
already invaded Admiralty Is
lands, and within four and one
half hours, pushed within one
half mile of the Lorenzau air
field, under support of destroy
ers, bombers, and artillery, suf
fering only minor casualties.
Manus has been the goal of
General MacArthur’s forces since
the beginning, as it is the main
base in the Bismark Sea group,
lying athwart the supply lines
from Truk to New Guinea.
Wg
IN THE S A E—Capt. John H. Cusadr. USN, skipper of the
aircraft carrier Saratofa. pears through the porthole of the wheelhotue on a South Pacific mission.'
OBJECTIVES
ARE BOMBED
IN VIENNA
NAPLES, Mar. 17—(AP*_Al
lied headquarters announced that
military objectives at Vienna were
bombed by Fortresses and Liber
ators from the U. S. Mediterra
nean Air Force
The attacks were made in great
force and met no German fighters
but the first formations ran
through intense anti-aircraft fire
Other formations said the
ground resistance was only mod
erate, and toward the end of the
attack crewmen reported none at
all.
GERMANS ARE
UNABLE TO
HOLD RUSSIANS
MOSCOW, Mar. 17.—(API—The
German army appeared unable to
hold the mounting Red Army
drives on Odessa and Nikolaev,
where the trapped Nazis are seek
ing to escape by rail and sea,
while the Russians are tightening
their hold on the vital communi
cations, rapidly expanding their
forces on sections of the Odessa
Lwow, trunk and main line north
and south route of Von Mann
stein’s German armies in lower
Russia, producing the fierce*.
fighting on the Ukraine front. '
The Nazis are trying to protect
the railway leading westward into
Cezcho-Slovakia, and two escape
railways into Bessarabia, but Mar
shal Konev’s light cavalry and
tanks, and infantry, are already
advancing on the junction.
PROCLAMATION
FOR RED CROSS
Once again you. are called upon
to join in the War 'Fund Drive
of the American Red Cross, which
has set aside the month of March
for its annual appeal to the na
tion. . ^ .
The American Red Cross de
sires to raise $95,400 in Alaska to
meet the war-time needs of the
national organization and the
local chapters. This year more
than 87 percent of the funds rais
ed will be devoted to Red Cross
services to the armed forces.
It is scarcely necessary to tell
the people of Alaska about the
invaluable service of the Ameri
can Red Cross Its activities have
long been notable throughout the
world, and the Territory has
played its part both in giving sup
port and in receiving - benefits
from this organization.
It is, therefore, my pleasure and
duty to issue this proclamation
urging Alaskans to contribute
more generously than ever before
to this American institution which
particularly serves our army and
navy, including the Coast Guard
and the Marine Corps, and like
wise comes to the aid of civilian
communities in distress.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, 1
have hereunto subscribed my hand
and caused the Seal of the Ter
ritory of Alaska to be affixed.
Done at the City of Juneau this
first day of March in the year of
our Lord, nineteen hundred and
fgrty-four.
ERNEST GRUENING,
Governor of Alaska
War Bonds are being sold at
the same old stand—and for the
same purpose—TO WTN THE
WAR! Let’s make up our minds
anew, we’ll still buy more of them.
ALLIES FIGHT
WAV THROUGH
CITYOFCASSINO
NAPLES. Mar. 17.—<AP>—'The
Allies have now fought their way
through the demolished city of
outskirts,
and have captured several strate
gic heights overlooking the ruined
town.
The New Zealand troops who
plunged into the rubble immed
iately after the 2500-ton raid, en
countered strong resistance but
final'y drove through except in
one small corner of the town
where the Route 6, through Villa
Casilina. leads up the Liri Valley
to Rome.
Germans an still occupying the
ruins of the ancient Monte Cassino
Abbey overlooking the town, and
from there are directing the ar
tillery fire against allied positions
in the valley.
NELSON TELLS
OF ‘YOUNG
MAN’S ARMY
WASHINGTON. Mar. 17.—fAP)
—“Build a young man’s army,”
the high command decided, if nec
essary, at the sacrifice of war
production, the steel industry was
Informed by Donald Nelson, WPB
head. n
“The military requirements call
for combat use of virtually every
able-bodied man under 26,” high
ly reliable sources quoted Mr. Nel
son as saying in a closed meeting
with officials of the steel industry
advisory committee.
The official account quoted him
as saying. “The army and navy
needs men, even if it means the
lessening of production.”
DEPARTMENT
CONFIRMS
LOSS OF MEN
WASHINGTON, Mar. 17.—
(API — Th* War Department
confirmed the lose of 410 Amer
ican paratroopers in action over
Sicily, when Allied ground and
naval anti-aircraft gunners mia*
too 23 U. S. transport planes
for enemy ships and joined th*
enemy artillery in shooting
them down.
The story was first disclosed by
Sgt. Jack Foisie, correspondent
for the Army's overseas newspa
per^ Stars and Stripes, in an ad
dress Wednesday in San Francis
co.
Military censorship kept secret
the aci.on. w men occurred more
than eigni mounts ago, on the
night ol juiy toih and 11th, 1943.
tne army disclosed that the
planes were part ol a flight in
winch liauu troops ol the Blind
atr-oorne division wer efiown
alio the Geia area,
me 1 light arrived in the battle
area immediately following an
enemy bomoing aitack and while
their flares were still in the air,
ana with the combination ol cir
cumstances involving the approach
immediately in the rear of the
hostile bombing attack at night*
at relatively low altitude, wrere
iactors responsible for the loss ^P
Uie planes.
OFFENSIVE
SAID TO BE
IN OFFING
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC*
Mar. 17.—<AP>—General MacAr
thur, at a Canberra. Australia, din
ner given in his honor, on the oc
casion of the second anniversary
of his arrival in Australia from
the Philippines, said:
"One of the greatest offensives
of the war will be launched for
the purpose ol returning to free
the Phil.ppines from the Japan
ese yoke," m a renewal of his
promise, and he continued:
"1 have complete confidence in
me ability of me allied forces to
ao so, unu noming is more certain
man our ultimate re-conquest and
liberation from tue enemy ol those
and adjacent islands.’’
General iviacnrthur was decor
uieu wnn me Grand Cross of the
ciruer of Ham, by Governor Gen
eral Lord Gourie.
10 SEND CREW
TO TERRITORY
WASHINGTON, Mar. 17.—-tAP)
—"The navy department is send
ing a crew of technical expert*
and “Sea-Bees’’ to Alaska, to be
gin exploration of the 35,000
square mile Point Barrow oil re
serve," Representative Poulson of
California said, describing the
navy’s decision to send crews.
“This is the first step in a defi
nite program for development of
the Arctic reserve," he said.