Vol. 1—No. 47
U. S. Navy Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, August 14, 1943
Italy and
The Balkans
By Ens. W. O. Shanahan, USNR
Academic Department
With the fall of Sicily virtually
assured, the United Nations may
now look forward to the strategic
exploitation of their conquest. Po
litical as well as military obje&
tives stand before the conquerors.
Italy’s defection from the Axis
would have enormous repercus
sions in the Balkans and it is there
rather than in Italy that mortal
blows can be struck against Ger
many. Moreover the fall of Fas
cism after the loss of but a single
province to the enemy cannot be
without significance for the Ger
man people. For the future these
political considerations outweigh
any military use we might make
of our positions in Italy.
Still the conquest of Sicily has
not been without important stra
tegic results. First among these
is freedom for our shipping in
the Mediterranean. Once more
the great sea route from Gibral
tar to Suez may be safely plied
by our convoys.
Everywhere along the route
land-based aircraft can patrol the
skies while the dread passage be
tween Sicily and Tunisia has been
robbed of its terrors. The gain in
the effectiveness of our merchant
tonnage and the increased ease of
supplying our middle eastern
armies and our ally, the Soviet
Union, are of incalculable benefit.
From a newly won foothold in
southern Italy the invasion of the
Balkans would not be easy. The
main communication lines in Jugo
slavia (the Morava and Vardar
Valleys) are not exposed to
thrusts made from the west. Inva
sion of Greece by way of Albania
is feasible but the transportation
facilities are abominable. Never
theless such a drive into Greece
would flank the powerful Axis)
See ITALY, page U
Rear Admiral Buckmaster
Visits Pre-Flight Activity
Rear Admiral Elliott P. Buck-
master, USN, came aboard Friday
morning with members of his
staff to inspect this Pre-Flight
activity.
Admiral Buckmaster, who was
Commanding Officer of the York-
town at the Battle of Midway
last year, is now Chief of Naval
Air Primary Training with head
quarters at Kansas City, Kan.
The visit was his third to this
Pre-Flight School.
12 Enlisted Men
Are Advanced
Twelve enlisted men received
advancements and another was at
tached to this activity during the
past week.
Advancing from PhMSc to
PhM2c were William Edwin Ash
craft, Dean Harold Walton, El
mer Herbert Crosby, and Donald
See ENLISTED MEN, page U \
Officers, Families
To Picnic Today
At Hogan’s Lake
Pre-Flight officers and their
families will picnic this afternoon
at Hogan’s Lake, starting at
1630. Dress will be informal—
sport clothes, slacks, etc.—and a
charge of 50c per person covers
expenses, including the evening
meal and cold drinks.
Hogan’s Lake which is located
5^ miles northwest of Chapel
Hill may be reached by proceeding
along highway No. 86 and follow
ing signs posted along the route.
Bus transportation will be pro
vided for those without other
means of getting there.
Recreational activities will in
clude swimming, fishing, horse
shoes, softball, badminton and
ping pong.
New Cadet Regimental Officers
THE NEW CADET regimental officers selected from members of the
senior 27th Battalion are (left to right) Eugene Udell, Philadelphia,
Pa., regimental petty officer; John C. Weadock, Washington, D. C.'
regimental sub-commander; Spencer D. Moseley, Highland Park 111.
regimental commander, and John K. Sands, Wawa, Pa., regimental
adjutant.
Navy Band To Give
Series of Concerts
The first in a series of Sunday
afternoon public concerts will be
given by the Navy Pre-Flight band
tomorrow in the outdoor Forest
Theatre opposite Navy Hall start
ing at 1630.
The music will be of the semi-
classical and popular variety.
Guest artists scheduled to appear
are Isadore Ogelsby, lyric tenor
from North Carolina State College
for negroes in Durham who was
formerly soloist with the famous
Hampton choir, and Miss Nannie
Bridgeford, lyric soprano from
Fisk Conservatory. Miss Bridge
ford and Ogelsby have been col
laborating in entertaining at U SO
and other service shows.
An added attraction will be the
Quartones, a popular girl quartet
from Durham whose vocalizations
are on the swing and torchy side.
Similar concerts, featuring
guest artists, will be held on alter
nate Sundays during August and
September.
Wednesday Evening Movies
The series of films on Japan will
continue at the Pre-Flight show
ing in Memorial Hall next Wed
nesday evening when “Japan—
Dream of Empire” will be un
reeled. Other films scheduled for
that evening are “Identification of
U. S. Cruisers” and “History of
Naval Aviation.” As usual, group
singing will precede the movies,
starting at about 1920.
Movie Schedule
Aug. 15—Free movie at Village
Theatre, “The Amazing Mrs. Hol
liday” with Deanna Durbin and
Edmund O’Brien. Show starts at
1553, 1930 and 2116. Complete
show one hour, 46 minutes.
Aug. 16—Free movie at Village
Theatre, “Yankee Doodle Dandy”
with James Cagney and Joan Les
lie. Show starts at 1310 and 1520.
Complete show two hours, six
minutes.