March 17, 1944

Por

Urges Finns to quit war

WITH THE FIFTH ARMY AT CASSINO, March 16 -- The Allies' infantrymen worked their way across massive piles of rubble today to occupy approximately three-fourths of smashed Cassino, but everywhere they continued to meet amazingly fierce resistance from pockets of German defense sending sheets of rifle and machinegun fire from the piles of ruins and backed by intensive mortar and Nebelwerfer concentrations.

4 munic colls: Rapp-Coudert Com NYC subcom rept urges Higher Educ Bd reorganization, State aid principle acceptance and faculty rank and salary promotions

US troops aided by sea-air forces land on Manus Is near Lugos Mission push to within 1/2 mi of Lorengau airfield; casualties reptd minor despite strong opposition; planes attack Wewak and Rabaul; map

RAF raids Stuttgart, Munich and Amiens, dropping over 3,360 tons of bombs; US follows with daylight raid over same area; Stuttgart fires reptd; Ger fighter defense heavy; 82 Ger planes downed, 79 Allied planes lost; Leipzig reptd deserted and in ruins; map

replies from half of States to Roosevelt wire show divided views on Fed ballot use; some States undecided

1st attack on Truk atoll by US land-based planes reptd; Eten and Dublon Islands and Ponape and Oroluk atolls raided; US Navy scout plane hits Pingelap atoll

Koneff army again cuts Odessa-Lwow rr with Vapnyarka capture; Gers reptd retreating toward Bessarabia; Russians take towns in Vinnitsa and Zhmerinka drives; Gers in Snikinovsky-Bereznegovatoye trap surrender; Malinovsky forces take Griegovo, Novaya Odessa and Rovnoye in Nikolayev area; fierce fighting reptd near Proskurov; map

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Members of Congress awaited amid much speculation today the replies of State Governors to President Roosevelt's telegraphed inquiry as to what had or would be done to authorize the use of the Federal (short) ballot under the soldier vote bill sent to the White House by Congress yesterday.