Victory In Europe coition
THE WAYMESV1LLE MOUMTAlN tiEK
'One Day Nearer
World pj
Homing Pigeons Play
Important Role With
War Communications
MIAMI, Fla. Dusty, lh hom
ing pigeon at the Army Air Trans
port Command's 36th St. base here,
is no longer a "Kourmet.V specialty"
squab on toast but, rather a
feathered soldier in the I'mted
States Army.
Dusty is an armv messenger
who bails out at 35,000 feet to fly
through flak and natural phc
n omen a over hundred miles of
ocean and land U bring to bis
home base the message upon which
may depend the lives of bis ciey
mates. The pigeon is represented in all
branches of the aimed services.
Combat units carry their pigeons
alnnp tliey are parachuted down ,
to men in isolated ureas to sub
stitute for watllke-tnlkie radios '
when dense jungles make tin- short j
range radio ineffective. I
Thp pigeons chief rob- is to sub- J
etitute for other form of .-..m- i
munieation. I
When the Army Air J''.n . ; Ay- j
cided to adapt the bird for u- in I
aircraft, they ran into some difii- (
culty. Releasing the pig-eons from j
ground cages, to pick their own I
altitude lor nying-, was one iuijik;
..t ;ni,- Hi.. Klin.
Htream of a four-motored bomber j u'; 'J''1
roaring aloiig at 300 miles an hour
at altitudes up to 35,000 feet, where
sub-zero temperatures will freeze a
man's hands or face and where an
oxygen mask must be worn was
something else. The 1)1 ast from
the propellers threatened to shear
tkeir wings off.
Th Army solved the problem by
placing the bird in :t paper hag,
hlit down one side, before dropping
him out. The second it take- him
to fight free is enough to sweep
him clear of plane unci propeller j
wash. i
Flight surgeons wire pn'.bd
over the pigeon's complete immun
ity to freezing temperatures and
lack of oxygen. During flip))! the
pigeon is oblivious to altitude while
the crew men work in oxygen
masks. The mystery was lor a
time second only to the question,
how dO a pigeon pick a straight
course home from ft distance of
several hundred milee?
The answer, however, w.v soon
found by flight surgeons. 'I bey
discovered that the pigeon's banal
metabolic rate was so low that ev
en the oxygen present at :!.",00(j or
40,000 feet is sufficient to keep Hit
bird alive. His oxygen intake
low and he is able to withstand the
cold because of a slightly higher
body heat, the medicos explained.
U. S. Chief of Staff
W.m.m , J'JM.l.!ij ilium
Holding Stalingrad
Was Turning Point
General George Catlett Marshall
kiived as chief of staff daring the
entire war. Daring World War I
lie served as ulile-de-eimp to Gen
eral Pershing.
hi addition his body insulation can
! be doubled by Huffing out his
in catch warm particles of
:iir
The Aii- Transport Command's
3(11 h SI. Imsf began using pigeons
five moid lis ago. It. now has 1,800
bud:- with other thousands scat
tered al stations throughout the
Caribbean and South American
I base-.
Tachlaal ships leaving the
Miami bas-e and combat planes fer
ried to overseas theatres carry a
crate of lour pigeons two to fly
home tn tin- Miami base and two
who will My to the ext. base on
I he route.
If i be plane lands at sea, all
bird are set. free with messages,
which !'ivi ; l he location, time,
identity of ship and any other in
formation which might be neces
sary. The pigeons are put through, a
regular "basic training" at ATG's
bases at 3tith St., Homestead and
Morri.-on Field, Fla., under the di
rection of Lt. .John Regan, a for
mer Boston College football star.
Pigeons sometimes break loose
from their cote. One recently flew
from St. Lucia Island in the lower
Caribbean and turned op five days
later at Morrison Field a flight
of 1,750 miles.
An experienced pigeon can fly
from 12 to 15 hours steadily but
lie won't fly during .a heavy tain
By September 7, 1942, the im
mense and highly mechanized Ger
man army bad forced the Russians
back 1,100 miles from their borders.
On the 13th began the siege of Stalin
grad, Russia's great steel-producing
city. Here the Russians determined
to make their stand. With equal
firmness, the Nazis decided to take
the city, although sounder military
judgment would have dictated by
passing it. As the months dragged
on, the city became a symbol and a
point of honor on both sides. Hitler
gave orders to capture Stalingrad at
any cost. Stalin told his troops to
die in place rather than yield an
inch.
Slowly the Germans cleared the
suburbs. Then the battle for the
city itself opened. Attack and coun
terattack held the fighting to the
outskirts day after day. Sometimes
the Nazis would claim a small ad
vance. Then the Russians would an
nounce that they had repulsed the
enemy. The slaughter was fright
ful, with neither side apparently car
ing what the cost In lives would final
ly be.
Street Fighting Begins.
Fighting in tie streets started
about the 17th, in the northwestern
corner. Bitter liand-to-hand strug
gles held the Germans at the bor
ders. Meanwhile bombing planes
and artillery were leveling the build
ings as the Nazis blasted at the stout
defenders. All the civilian popula
tion had long since evacuated. There
was an army in the city, and one
without.
On November 9 the Russians
launched an offensive south of Stalin
grad and a smaller one north of
the city. Gradually the prongs of
these curled together, cutting the
Nazi supply lines. Nevertheless,
fighting of unprecedented ferocity
continued within the city. Every
weapon known was employed, from
siege artillery to bayonets. Men
struggled from building to building,
month after month. The dead lay
where they fell. There was little
heed paid to wounded. It was sav
age beyond description.
Nazi Feel Pinch.
By the end of the year the isolated
Nazis were beginning to feel the
pinch. The generals in the field ad
vised abandoning the siege, fearing
a disaster. But Adolf Hitler, always
mindful of prestige, sternly ordered
that the city be taken. His "intui
tion" told him to tell his. men to
hold on, to continue fighting in hitter
cold, without supplies, "against an
enemy who hsd no thought of yielding.
At Gates of Stalingrad
MwiKWiKiiiu.itMiW'Uuii'iiiinMiJU.iiiiiiniiiaa iim lunBWvuuviMwjfci? (n
Lend
u
Lease
Aid To
I otals
Russia Now
Over Eight Billions
The siege of tslallngrad and ita defeat by every man, woman ami
elilld in the Red elty, will Iwy be considered as a classic, of the
war. No eily In lilitory ever wUhitoad ItR'h pewerful siege. It. proved
the turning point in the war between Russia and Germany.
Invasion of France
A Triumphal March
For Allied Armies
due to the weight of the water on
his wings.
A pigeon will not fly after dark
even though he may be over the
ocean. He will Kettle down into the
water and drown.
WE'LL MAKE
OUR PRESENTS
FELT
Like a bat over the head! . . . with
bullets, bombs and torpedoes from
every direction! "T. until the "Hon.
Japs learn the meaning of justice to
the tune of Unconditional Surrender!'
.iii.i .i . 4
wirn mat as our goal, there s no
room for a let-down here at home.
Get in with everything you've gt
conserve, salvage) Buy More.War
Bonds? . . . for Victory! r
I
MMTKJ ELECOTC CO.
t PHONE 31
MAIN STREET
After many anxious months of
preparation:;, llie invasion of conti
nental l'lu rope from Ihe West be
came practicable, fleneral Eisen
hower avo the momentous order.
and on June C. 1944, known in mili
tary terms us "M-day," i he great
landing craft hee.an moving across
the channel fr.m Kngland to
:.t retch of Ix-acn m the coast Of
northern I'r aiKc. in ihe department
of Norn.aiiiiv Moie than 4,000 ships
and many ihous.md smaller craft
plied hack ,,nrl fonh in the choppy
waters, under (lie protectfon of 11,000
airplanes and irmts of the British
and American navies. Men ami tn
Ici'iel inured astiore in unendinf
streams, 'i'his landing, without port
facilities, was the ureatest in hit-
tui-y, and was possible only because
of the newly developed American
landinK eralt.
Meanwhile, paratroopers had been
dropped river Caen, a strategic town
tight miles inland. Fighting broke
out ai many points' along a 100-mile
front, as comparatively weak Ger
man forces tried to halt the onrush-
inj; horde of American and British
troops that kept arriving, hour after
hour. LSombing planes pounded
many points of Germany in the first
hours of the invasion, not only near
the beachheads, but- far inland.
There was consternation reported In
Germany among the tireo) civilians,
and the Nazi high command seems
to have been .successfully deceived
as to the tune and place of the
landings.
Tanks Start Smash.
The next day. June 7, Allied
tanks began to drive into the coun
try. Cams of five to seven miles
were marie, as the bhhead was
deepened. Chief areas of conflict
were around Caen and Bayeux,
uhere more obstinate German re
si'tanrc developed as reinforce
ments came up. Nazi counter
attacks, hov. ever, were successfully
(epelled, and t;:iins continued. On
Jin.- !i, American armored coj.
urnm: leached a point 17 miles from
Cherboui the large port city of
the Normandy peninsula, and one of
the major objectives of the cam
paign. On June f5, Cherbourg was
entered by victorious Allied troops.
The "bit' push" was accomplished
v.itli comparatively light losses. It
was otllcially announced that up to
June 21, 3 082 Americans had been
killed, 13.121 wounded, and 7.0S9 re
ported missing. The British and Ca
nadian combined force, numbering
about half the American contingent,
lost 1.B12 killed. 8.099 wounded, and
3,131 missintf. German total casu
alties were estimated at 70,000,
Which included larpe numbers of
pi isoners.
Fan Out In Wide Sweeps.
The first week of August saw
American armored columns support
ed by airplanes, and closely followed
by infantry, fanning out in wide
sweeps sometimes advancing 30
miles a day. All during August sen
sational speed was maintained, as
German resistance broke and crum
bled. The enormous Allied army In
northern France seemed to advance
almost at will, limited only by the
necessity of maintaining supply lines.
Lieutenant General Pattern's armored
cpearhead, in particular, thrust
across central France at a pace that
far exceeded the Nazi MiMcTlef of
1940.
By September 1, the fifth, anniver
sary of the war, astonishing victo
ries had been achieved. Paris bad
been. liberated; an American thrust
had reached the fortress of Verdun,
last obstacle before the German bor
der; another column was pushing
north toward Belgium to Isolate the
roxJset-bomb-launchlng coast. Still
other drives were advancing south
east toward Lyon to make 1 unction
with the second invasion force mov
ing up from southern France; small
er segments smashed toflthwest and
northwest in what were gigantic
mepping-up activities, clearing such
remaining points of resistance ai 1
Havre, Dieppe, Orleans and Tours,
- Tar fisfe Shaving
Place a light on each side of the
bathroom mirror for safe ihsrln
Buy Bonds keep them.
I?uy War Bends and Stamps.
WASHINGTON In turning back
the German armies, Russia has
h,.,.n aided bv $8,255,000,000 worth
of American Lend-Lease materials
chimtpH in the period from Octo
ber, 1941. through Februarj. 1945.
Leo T. Crowley, Foreifin Economic
Administrator has disclosed.
This represents 16,250.000 short
tons of war material, but does not
include 13.000 planes flown to
Russia from the United States by
American and Russian pilots the
largest number of aircraft trans
ferred to any ally during the war
The Soviets have received 31 7
per cent of all Lend-Lease sup
plied to the Allies, according to
Mr. Crowley s statement. Included
in this are nuinlions valued at
$:l, 980,000, 000; war production and
industrial equipment valued at $2
820,000,000. and food and other
agricultural products totaling $1
455. 000.000
The Red Army has been aided
in its task by 12.850 United States
made combat vehicles, including
tanks, sell-propelled guns, half
tracks, and armored scout cars,
1,900 ordnance service vehicles
J and about 50.000 jeeps.
, Signal equipment valued al
! more than S170.000.000 has been
i delivered, in addition to 1.355
' steam locomotives. 50 diescl-elee-'
trie locomotives. 9.272 flat cars,
1.000 dump cars, 100 tanks, and
24 heavy machinery cars.
I Russia has received 308,000
trucks arid other vehicles in which
! more than one half of all sup
plies have been transported to
I Soviet troops on some sections of
! the Kastein front.
German armies on the Kastein
I Front have reeled under the added
I weight of 135.000 United States
, manufactured .submachine guns,
i 13,0(10 pistols, more than H.200
' antiaircraft guns, and 300.000 tons
: ol explosives.
! The growing Mood of Lend-Lease
tu Russia is m-i'ii in year-hy-year
totals It bcj'.an in 1041 with a
Uiicc-niunlh total of 217. 2H0 tons.
In 1942. (lie first lull year it rose
2.7(i4(KJ(l tons, according to .the
Crowley report
In 1943 it increased to a total of
5. 309.000 tons, and in 1944 the to
tal was 6.964.000 tonTTl
and Februarv ... . , '1
SCO .000 tnnv,. ,
Foodstuffs cir.r0 i
i.t Soviet i,f-i,.,. , - IuH
siixai and , , "f I
"" '"r.,K
Hie Russian.- I,,,,
cent of i In-;.- ... .
the Ilk.-: , ljr.J
v oiil'iit-, ,t
the rep,,,-.
country fm-,.,i .
of mnmi:o;.,., .. "
war workinn ,i Jl
cult months. s,tu, 'H
II.IW llfMnu ......I. 1
-- - -- ,ui,ll,
ahly yield ,(s h,,;
Naval and
foil. th.. It.-. . . "" ttj
h:. ini.lil...i I'.
...... UUVU -Ulltn;,..,,,,
torpedo boats ;!l;,u."
iu.iu.i.k cratt
m :...h. ,,..., .i. k! I
'"''His
stations, sul i i . i .- i i
hoi-K r.l.l,.;... i ""itV
o. in. aim J.1IUO ptirtnn ,
tug boats. '' "
Naval artilh-i .
has included o, i u',,', " P
guns, and nll-cnil),,.
ill JlTl,;.
Mother's fU(m1
Recommeiide,
pedant mother
milk daily; i ...
green or yell,,
i-ervings of f,
tables every .!..
lalfce s.ervir.g ,
day; whole gi-,,.
twice daily ;
amounts of v.a'
mill f) secured
or fish live
: 1 -'"V ci (
'HA-.
:.i.(l i
d.
...t-i
(Ji
vv Mw
To Those Who
Sacrificed
o o
Some men are awarded the Purple Heart
posthumously.
Some live to wear it with pride and mem
ories. Memories of by how slim a chance they
lived while others died.
The spirit of those who fall and of those
who survive is the same. Each hero in bat
tle WOULD give all with a full understand
ing that only the perpetuation of freedom is
worth such sacrifice. . .
We can help the living - and honor our
dead heroes; only by doing all we can to
shorten the war!
fa)
Z
(Sa
'Home Of Better Values"