Southern France Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 25, 1945, Nice, Provence Alpes Cote d�?TAzur                               Good Swap Sandy  stole 65 dollars from Bob Smith but they left a tire which held 1.000 dollars and a 500-Dollar War Bond. Nice Marseille edition daily newspaper of . Armed forces the european theater the weather forecast for Nice a or Settle area Friday generally fair gear in my in tag scattered Douds i afternoon maximum temperature 76. Vol. 1�?no 73 Friday May 25, 1945 one franc Himmler commits suicide bespectacled thin Heinrich Himmler who As head of the nazi Gestapo became probably the greatest murderer in All history has killed himself to avoid trial before an International bar of Justice. Official announcement of Himmler a suicide was made yesterday at British second army he. In Germany where the onetime no. Two nazi took his life by biting open a vial of potassium cyanide which he had secreted behind his Gums. Himmler died at 11 04 pm wednesday. It was an easier death than those which he ordered for countless thousands of tortured jews political prisoners and War prisoners who fell in the nazi grasp. Hid vial for hours Himmler had managed to hide the deadly vial in his Mouth for hours. X at a medical examination the doctor stuck a Finger in the Gestapo Chieffe Mouth. Himmler made a Quick movement with his head and bit quickly on a Black spot which proved to be the stopper of the vial. He fell to the floor and within 15 minutes was dead. Reports from 21st army up. He. 6&id adm. Hans Georg von Friede Burg German naval commander took a fatal dose of Poison shortly after his arrest at Flensburg wednesday vacates office 700,000 fire bombs a. Claude Wickard succeeded by congressman 8treictier captured with 101st airborne div., May 24�?julius Streicher no. 1 nazi jew baiter was captured yesterday by a patrol of the 502nd Parachute inf. Regt. Election snacks plan for talks London May 24�?responsible government quarters believed today that the bickering and uncertainty sure to be generated by Britain a first general election in ten years might erase the possibility of an Early meeting Between president Truman prime minister Churchill and marshal Stalin. Until Churchill broke up his Quot blood sweat and tears coalition government by resigning yesterday a meeting of the big three to discuss such problems As Poland Trieste the Balkans and Austria had been regarded As imminent. Three resign from Cabinet Washington May 24 ans a president Truman revamped his Cabinet yesterday accepting the resignations of Secretary of labor prances Perkins attorney general Francis Biddle and Secretary of agriculture Claude Wickard. Federal judge Lewis b. Sch wet Lenoach former democratic senator from Washington will succeed miss Perkins. Tom o. Clark texan who now is assistant attorney general will step up to the Post of attorney general. Rep. Clinton p. Anderson Ltd. . Will become agriculture Secretary. Resignations voluntary the changes Are to be effective june 30, when Robert Han neg amp a chairman of the democratic National committee will succeed Frank c. Walker As postmaster general. While rumours of a Cabinet shift had been afloat Ever since or. Truman took office last month he declared he had not requested any resignations. However practically All appointive government officials offered their resignations in accordance with custom when the administration changes. The president denied that treas continued on Page 8 Guam May 24 ans a both flanks of the japanese defense line across Southern Okinawa Hove been turned and . Troops threaten the enemy rear. Despite rain and High wind the sixth Marine div. Yesterday entered Naha Western Anchor of the line and capital of the Island adm. Nimitz disclosed today. Earlier two army divisions took Yona Baru Eastern Anchor of the defences. The Naha entry described As in Force was made with the supporting fire of warships offshore but without Benefit of Armor. Tanks 8tuck in mud while the marines forded the Asa to River and hacked their Way into Naha their tanks bogged Down in mud and failed to reach the front. Near the East coast of Okinawa the seventh and 06th in Quot dive. Firmly held Yona Baru As Well As its Airfield and commanding Hills 1,200 Yards to the South. In the Center of the line the 77th inf. Div. Continued efforts to capture Hills guarding the fortress City of Shuri. Air bases on Island to rival Britain a Guam May 24 up a despite the Battle raging in Southern Okinawa . Engineers already Are converting the Island into an air base that will be second in size Only to Britain. As Britain was the springboard for the invasion of Continental Europe so Okinawa May be the base from which the final Battle of the Pacific is launched. Already Okinawa based planes Are attacking enemy shipping. Several strikes have reached As far As koreans coast most recent raid resulted in sinking of three Small enemy ships off Tokyo Harbor. 25,173 mail bags reach Europe Paris May 24�?some 25,173 sacks of parcels postmarked in the . About april 15, have reached the continent and Are in route to proper destinations theater postal officer announced. A vessel believed to have turned Back on be Day proceeded instead to Southampton and discharged 16,040 sacks. Two other vessels also made their deliveries. Brass release put at 30.000 an estimated 30,000 officers in Eto will be candidates for release from the army in the next year theater Headquarters said yesterday. A adjutant generals figures show nearly 215,000 officers excluding nurses now in Eto. Redeployment chiefs noted that officers will be released Only if air ground and service forces Oom Manders in the a. Do not want them. Approximately 40,000 officers Are expected to be declared surplus to the theater s needs. The 10,000 officers with lowest Point scores Are almost certain to be reassigned when they reach the u.8. Pacific bound Hodges in . New York. May 24 an3>�? Gen. Courtney h. Hodges first army commander was Home today from his victories in Europe to plan the Pacific Campaign assigned his army. He said a Quot High proportion of his men would see action in the Pacific but added to Don t know exactly which units will stay in Europe on occupation duty and which will go to Japan. They re All Good Hodges flew to his Home state Georgia Early today for a two Day Celebration in Atlanta. He reached new York by plane yesterday accompanied by it. Gen. Lewis h Brereton first Allied airborne army commander it. Gen. Troy h. Middleton Viii corps commander maj. Gen. Ira Wyche 70th inf. Div. Commander and 46 other first army officers and men. Guam May 24 ans a a More than 550 super fortresses Early today dropped 700,000 fire bombs on the congested heart of Tokyo in the greatest Aerial Blitz of the Pacific War. The 4,500 tons of to fobs started fires which fliers re turning to their Marianas bases saw from 200 Miles away. The Shinagawa Region seat of aircraft parts shops other factories docks and marshalling Yards through which a third of Japan a railway traffic flows was the target. Opposition is Light a 21st bomber command spokesman described the target As Quot one of the happiest combinations of i flammability and congestion to be found anywhere. Pilots said flak was Light. Six or eight japanese Jet propelled planes were in the air but gave the b20s no trouble. Previous to today a assault 32 Square Miles of Tokyo had been burned out or wrecked by go poor saves. Tokyo radio said 180 Carrier based planes today attacked a Chain of air bases on Kyushu southernmost japanese Home Island. A How s the .-Rod War a German civilians query by Earl Mazo stars and stripes staff writer Magdeburg May 24�?from the wild rumours making the rounds of German civilians concerning Quot the impending War Between Russia and the Anglo americans it is apparent Goebbels propaganda still is showing signs of life in Germany. In Bremen a couple of Days ago German civilians were asking anxiously Quot is it True you. Are fighting the russians How is this new War going a Here in Magdeburg civilians have been interpreting i Bridge building operations As american defensive preparations and germans As far Back As Hanover have spread word russians and Anglo americans have been digging in frantically on both sides of the Elbe part of the Rumor May be classed As Wishful thinking and May be charged to the fact that if the German is without a radio to tune in Allied broadcasts he is without news. But from the Way the Story holds up in details and affect Over so much of Germany from the Rhine to the Elbe it is apparent the Rumor was organized and Well worked out before released to the German people. It shows perfect markings of Goebbels information mar Chine. Allies prepare answer to Tito Rome May 24 do a the Allied High command will make a counterproposal in its reply to marshal Tito a latest note on Trieste it was reported today. It was Learned that Tito All but guaranteed a peaceful settlement but details of Liaison Between his followers and Allied military government remained to be worked out. Tito wants his men retained in civilian posts under am bases pledged in Philippines Manila May 24 ans a the a. Will be granted military bases in the Philippines with Quot full support of the filipino people a when the islands become Independent sometime before july 4 of next year president Sergio Osmena pledged today. Even As he spoke a. Doughboy continued to clean the enemy out of Luzon and Mindanao. Doughboy supported by planes were pushing toward the Mouth of the important Layagan Valley in North Central Luzon. Three columns were within eight Miles of a Junction in Central Mindanao. Next War final Jet expert says Berkeley. Calif., May 24 Reu ter a Hall Hibbard who designed the a. Army s new Jet propelled fighter plane the Quot shooting Star a said Jet and rocket propulsion have reached such a degree of perfection that they would wreck civilization in a third world War. Allied bomb plan faulty germane say Hamburg May 24 api German railway officials consider Allied bombing technique was wrong and could have had a far. More devastating effect on Germany s rail system according to Ralph Russell a Pennsylvania Railroad official touring Western Germany As head of the rail transport Section of a. Strategic bombing Survey. The germans pointed out that Allied attacks were aimed chiefly at marshalling Yards where thousands of workmen were at hand and the bombed sections easily readied