Vol. 1—No. 48
U. S. Navy Pre-Plight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, August 21, 1943
Cadet Patterson Sets New IIO-Yd. Low Hurdles Record
CLEARING THE LAST HURDLE at the same time three cadets finished one, two, three in the finals
of the Regimental Championship 110-yd. low hurdles race here last week. The winner, running in lane
number four, was Cadet J. A. Patterson of the Mariner Squadron with a new record time of 14 seconds.
The old mark was 14.1. Cadet W. C. Eberle of the Vindicators was second, and Cadet V. B. Bennett of
the Buffalo Squadron was third. Eberle is in lane six, Bennett in one. Cadet J. H. Sonneborn, Coronado,
Cadet A. H. Ford, Helldiver, and Cadet R. E. Miner, Skyrocket, finished fourth, fifth and sixth respec
tively. All six cadets received the special Liberty Award last Saturday night.
Honorable Artemus Gates
Addresses 27th Battalion
The Honorable Artemus L. Gates, Assistant Secretary of the Navy
for Air, delivered the principal address to the graduating 27th Bat
talion here yesterday.
Arriving by plsne yesterday morning ]Mr. Gates was met at the air
port by Comdr. Gralf, Lieut. Comdr. Raugh and other officers from the
station. The party immediately proceeded to the mess hall where they
dined with the cadets. Honors®
were then rendered at Alexander
r^e far East
By Ens. W. O. Shanahan, USNR
' Academic Department
I That China is the base from
j which the final assault on Japan
I must be launched is the strategy
I agreed on by most military men.
Additional, weight has been lent
I to this opinion by Admiral King’s
recent public statement that Japan
Would be beaten by military forces
operating from Chinese bases. To
the average American these state
ments imply that the Chinese
masses will be equipped by our
factories to do the fighting and
that Anglo-American participa
tion will be limited to air forays
against Japanese industry.
This wishful thinking ignores
both the hard realities of China’s
plight and the real strength of
Japan’s outer defenses. The pub
lic is apt to forget that China is
subject to a complete blockade. No
major ports on the China coast re
main in Chinese hands. With the
fall of Burma the celebrated motor
road began to serve the enemy’s
I will. Except for an air route from
Chungking to India and tortuous
caravan routes to the Soviet Union,
China is cut off from the outside
world.
During the first year of the war
strategists were inclined to be
lieve that Burma was the keystone
of the Japanese Empire. They
pointed out that if this state could
be recaptured, communications
with China could be restored and
the Japanese might be pinned
down on the continent, thus by
passing all their conquests in the
Indies.
Now this prospect is viewed
more pessimistically. It is esti
mated that if the Burma Road
Were reopened, not less than two
years would be required to trans
port a minimum quantity of war
materials to the Chinese army.
While at least five years would
elapse before it could take the of
fensive. In short, without deep
See THE FAR EAST, page U
Hall.
Following the address to the
27th Battalion which completed
its Pre-Flight Training this week,
Mr. Gates witnessed a Regimental
Review by the cadets. After a
brief inspection of the station and
observation of the Sports Pro
gram, he returned to Washington.
Yesterday marked the first time
I Mr. Gates has visited Chapel Hill.
Movie Schedule
Aug. 21—Free movie at Village
Theatre, “Tennessee Johnson”
with Van Heflin and Ruth Hussey.
Show starts at 1553, 1930 and
2118. Complete show one hour, 48
minutes.
Aug. 22—Free movie at Village
Theatre, “Silver Queen” with Pa
tricia Lane and George Brent.
Show starts at 1318 and 1446.
Complete show one hour, 36 min
utes.
150 High School
Seniors to Sample
Pre-Flight Training
A sampling taste of Pre-Flight
training is in store for 150 high
school seniors attending the 5th
Annual Tar Heel Boys’ State
which gets underway in Chapel
Hill tomorrow.
On the schedule next week for
the 150 state delegates who will
be housed on the station are a
series of talks on various phases
of aviation, special movies, mili
tary drill, and instruction in hand-
to-hand, boxing, wrestling, swim
ming and military track.
Comdr. John P. Graff, USN
(Ret.), Commanding Officer, is
slated to address the seniors at
See BOYS’ STATE, page U