February 28, 1945;CONQUEST OF IWO NEAR:

tHIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1945:

GALVESTON, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1945

Prisoners Scooped,

Up in Droves as

Yanks Rush Onward

PARIS, Feb. 27. AP

 American infantry and armor smashed across the flatlands of western Germany today in advances of ten miles or more, plunging all the way to the Erft River and within V/2 miles of Cologne in a great drive that threatened the whole industrial Ruhr. German prisoners were scooped up by the hundreds and town after town fell, to the waves of troops racing forward by truck and afoot.

The spearhead of Gen. Eisenhower, apparently demoralized t h a t a complete news blackout tonight was clamped on all operations of Ninth Army divisions which have broken through In this area. It was thought the Germans themselves might not know the full extent of the American break-through.

Conquest of Iwo

Seen in Few Days

United States Pacific Fleet

Headquarters, Guam, Feb. 28

(Wednesday). AP

The more than 200 Superfortresses raiding Tokyo Sunday burned out 240 blocks In the heart of the city, an area Including factories and the business districts, the 21 tit Bomber Command dlsclaimed today.

BY RAY CROMN Associated Press War Editor

The furious battle of Iwo Jima thundered into its 11th day today (Wednesday United States time) with the American marine commander predicting that this island

gateway to Tokyo probably will be conquered in a few more days.

Meanwhile It was  disclosed that Japan's airplane industry suffered a vital blow last Sunday when Yank carrier planes hit the Tokyo region. Five major assembly and

engine plants were virtually ruined.

Soviet Gains

Near Trapping

Danzig Nazis

Break-Through Told

by Stalin in

Order of the Day

London, Feb. 28 (Wednesday). AP

Smashing 44 miles n o r t h w a r d through permanent German fortifications

In Pomerania, the Russians yesterday drove within 22 miles of cutting the last enemy escape route from Danzig, the north Polish corridor and northeast Pomerania.

This continuing offensive by the second White Russian Army group threatened quick entrapment of the German forces remaining in that great 5000-square-mile arc along the Baltic Sea.

The break-through, which began four days ago in forested lake country, was disclosed by Premier Stalin in an order of the day.

Security Pact

For New World

Is Proposed

U. S. Postpones Action

on Measure Sought

by Latins

Mexico City, Feb. 27. X>

The United States managed to postpone for 24 hours today a surprise move to

commit all the American nations to guarantee the frontiers and political independence of the countries in this hemisphere with their armed might.

Sen. Warren Austin. (R-VA),member of the foreign relations committee, intervened just «J m commission of the inter-American conference here was about to pass the plan by acclamation. Dramatically entitled "the declaration of Chapultepec," the resolution, combines proposals put forward by Uruguay, Colombia and Brazil. Conference sessions are being held at Chapultepec castle.

The surprise came in the determination of the other countries here to forge links of steel among the American republics immediately, without waiting for establishment of a world security organization, at San Francisco.

The "declaration of Chapultepec" goes beyond the Dumbarton Oaks plan In one important point:

That signatory nations would be obliged to use force when aggression or a "sure threat" of aggression developed on this continent.