v\. 1—No. 46
U. S. Navy Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, August 7, 1943
Russian front
Ens. W. O. Shanahan, USNR
Academic Department
On every other sector of the
1800 mile Russo-German battle
Jine, there is a deadly quiet. It is
mid-summer and it appears
I '^ery unlikely that a powerful of
^ fensive, such as the one thrown
^'"rainst the Volga and the Cau
casus last year, will be started by
the Germans. Instead, their High
Command shows a disposition to
Conserve strength and trade space
for time.
Unlike Hitler, the Generals are
'villing to yield forward positions
^nd sacrifice prestige if lines of
i Communication can be shortened
^nd the supply system can be sim
plified. It must not be forgotten
that the Germans are still deep in
J^ussia. They can retreat enor-
I '^ous distances and still keep the
I^ussian armies away from the
heart of their military empire.
A new phase of the war has be-
Sun marked by an increase in Ger
man defensive strength and the
Reluctance of the German High
Command to launch costly offen
sives. After the defeat at Stalin
Srad the Nazis combed out their
^^anpower anew and by drastic
curtailment of civilian production
Replaced the lost divisions. Air
craft manufacturers now empha
size fighter planes at the expense
of bombing aviation, for the de
fense of western Germany has put
^ new strain on the fighter com
mand of the Luftwaffe.
Since the Germans still hold the
I^rincipal north and south railway
lines of western Russia, and re
gain a firm grip on Kharkov, the
^*ittsburgh of the Ukraine, their
Military plight is not yet serious,
^ith the fall of Orel in the cur
rent fighting, Bryansk and perhaps
Smolensk will be menaced. Both
cities have been in German hands
^Iniost two years and they are cer
tainly fortified.
In the south the Nazis dominate
the Crimea and maintain a pre-
See RUSSIAN FRONT, page k
Sports Muster-A Bird’s Eye View
A PRE-FLIGHT PHOTOGRAPHER took to the air last Monday afternoon to catch this view of the
regular sports muster in the stands of Fetzer Field. Woollen gym is shown on the left, and Alexander
Hall and cadet dormitories in the upper center.
Group Singing Added
To Movie Program
The introduction of group sing
ing at the Wednesday evening
Pre-Flight movie showing in Me
morial Hall proved very popular
with the 500 cadets in attendance
last week. The singfest, led by
Chaplain George J. Grewenow,
adds zest to the program and will
precede future showings, starting
at about 1920.
On the film schedule for next
Wednesday are “Identification of
U. S. Cruisers,” “The Navy and
Its Men” and “Japan—The Land.”
Chaplain’s “Open-House”
In order that Cadets may be
come acquainted with the Chap
lain and may discuss with him
their problems, the Chaplain will
be in his oflSce each Monday and
Wednesday until 1800.
Movie Schedule
Aug. 7—^Free movie at Village
Theatre, “The Falcon Strikes
Back” with Tom Conway and Har
riet Hilliard. Show starts at 1545,
1930 and 2043. Complete show one
hour, 13 minutes.
Aug. 8—Free movie at Village
Theatre, “Flight for Freedom”
with Fred MacMurray and Rosa
lind Russell. Show starts at 1310
and 1459. Complete show one hour,
49 minutes.
Crew Picnic Today
This is crew picnic day, and all
members of the ship’s company are
urged to join in on the fun.
The place is the Chapel Hill
Country Club. Eating time is
1800. Music for the occasion w^ill
be turned out by the swing section
of the Pre-Flight band.
Come one and all, and bring the
family and girl friends!
Picnic Planned
For All Officers
At Hogan’s Lake
An informal outing for the of
ficers and their families, giving
the many new officers here good
opportunity for getting better ac
quainted with each other, is being
planned for Hogan’s Lake, start
ing at 1630, Saturday, Aug. 14.
Dress for the picnic will be op
tional—sport clothes, slacks, etc.
A charge of 50c per person will
cover all expenses, including cold
plates to be served for the even
ing meal and plenty of soft drinks.
Horseshoes, softball, ping pong
and other games will provide
recreational activity for the day.
Hogan’s Lake is located about
5l^ miles northwest of Chapel
Hill. A car pooling arrangement
See OFFICERS PICNIC, page 4