Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / May 22, 1941, edition 1 / Page 1
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Served prpw Tlle f f ^ <* ^ g Dedicated Tc The Progress Of SI tlmtttjgtntt iflmutuuj #tar '“*1— V°L-2— ---- WILMINGTON, N. C., THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1941 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 18(57 British Aver Nazis Have Not Made Gains In Drive To Take Island Of Crete, BITTER FIGHT rages Many Parachute Troops En gaged ; Attempt to Land By Sea Is Unsuccessful NAVAL UNITS ARE BUSY Nazis Claim Direct Bomb Hits on Seven Warships; London Is Confident (By The Associated Press Adolf Hitler’s attempt to crush the island of Crete by the sheer ferce of air and sea-borne troops raged on at a faster and more furious pace today but the des perately-fighting British claimed Ihe Nazis had not made any head way. The attack on Crete, where the Greek King and remnants of his cabinet fled with British Imperial soldiers after the fall of Greece, Jvent into its third day with Lon don sources saying there was ev ery indication 7,000 German para chute troops were now engaged. Struggle Continues The fateful struggle for Crete thus continued its deadly progress with British and Allied Greek units expending their utmost ener gies in hunting out and rounding up the swarming German para chutists. As for the attempt to land from the sea, British sources said it had failed utterly. It was hinted that strong British naval action blew up that attack but the British, as usual, were silent on their navy while the battle was in progress. The Germans claimed direct bomb hits on seven British war ships, including a battleship—but to these reports the\ British mere ly replied that the Germans were out on another “fishing expedition seeking to learn the locations of the British ships.” London Confident London manifested confidence that the Allies could hold the is land—the key to the middle east and thus perhaps to the safety of the Suez Canal itself—and Berlin adopted an attitude of great cau tion. Whatever their motive—and in this connection it was recalled that the Nazi high command had been similarly reserved in the opening Phases of nearly every great con test since the war began—German spokesmen implied that it was too early to talk much about Crete. True, they said, the Nazi para chutists had occupied certan stra tegic positions—but still Crete was a rough and harsh area and a hard military problem. The most recent information from Greek sources claimed that the Allies had the situation in hand and that groups of invaders still ^Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) FIRST KEEL TO BE LAID HERE TODAY Public Will be Barred From Event at N. C. Shipbuild ing Company’s Yards . _ Keel No. 1 of the North Carolina Shipbuilding company’s yards now Bearing completion at Sunset Park X°- 145 01 the U. S. Maritime commission cargo ship building Program—will be laid today at 10:30 o clock, it was announced yesterday ''P'-rnoon by Carl D. Fernstorm, gen Wal manager. There will be no ceremonies and •r public will not be admitted. However, Maritime commission B-pectors and officials of the ship* ^minued on Page Two; Col. 3) Release Of U. S. Citizens May BeDelayedBy Nazis BERLIN, May 21.—iJP)—Hopes speedy release for at least part g l‘:e 10 Americans from the gyptian steamer Zamzam, sunk v a German raider en route from s. Joric.to Alexandria, were ob ed tonight by tangled questions 01 'nternational law. ®ermans have stated unequi-. ah a j that all of the Americans1 tj ard the Zamzam, which for a Was feared lost with all 322 ,l engers and crew, were brought Saf jJgh the British blockade and »nri y at st Jean De Luz, France, ear‘y today a German spokes \ man forecast their speedy release for return to the United States through neutral countries. But later, authorized sources said German military authorities first would make sure that J4 American ambulance drivers who were en route to Africa aboard the Zamzam would be in no posi tion to reveal military secrets to the British. Donald Heath, first secretary of the United States embassy here, called at the foreign Office and (‘Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) Rehearsal For Invasion? -——___ -af> The large numbers of German troops who made a spectacular landing on Crete marked the first time in history gliders have been used in actual combat. Germany has large numbers of men skilled in motorless flying—trained from youth like the young Nazi above. Sitting in a small glider, he gets instruction fr'om an officer. Germany Shipping Arms Across Turkey To Iraq USING SQUEEZE PLAY Nazi Units Stationed in Iraq Threaten to Cut Im portant Railroad VICHY, France, May 21.— UP) — German military equipment al ready is crossing Turkey en route to Iraq by rail due to a Nazi squeeze play, diplomatic sources here reported tonight. Reports from Istanbul said pas senger traffic to Syria and Iraq had been stopped but did not men tion freight traffic. Diplomatic circles here said the situation was this: Threaten To Cut Road Small German military Units In Iraq quickly established themselves along the railroad to Turkey and threatened to cut this line north of Baghdad unless the Turks agreed to let German material move through Turkey to Iraq. Since this route to the Persian gulf is a principal source of im ports for Turkey now that the east Mediterranean is a war zone, the Turks had to comply. (The British have been reported in control of Basra, Iraq’s Persian gulf port, and presumably could use the same means to keep the Turks from bowing to German demands, but this dispatch made no mention of the possibility.) This asserted railroad deal was cited in Vichy as proof that Tur key was doing everything possible ♦ -> remain at peace. (A delayed dispatch from Istan bul, filed on Tuesday and deceived Wednesday, told of the cancellation of the rail passenger service which formerly ran twice a week ' from Turkey across Syria to Iraq. The Taurus express now stops on the Turkish side of the Syrian border, it said. Although Turkey and Iraq have a common frontier, there is no direct rail link. The dispatch (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) New Zealand Division Is Stationed on Crete SYDNEY, Australia, May 21. — (fP> —Army Minister Percy Spender said today a New Zea land division — about 12,000 to 15,000 men—as well as a sub stantial number of Australian troops went to Crete after the withdrawal from the Greek land. Spender said he did not know whether the Australians had later been replaced by British units, nor could he confirm re ports that part of the Australian Imperial force had gone to Cyp rus, the British island off Syria. MEDICAL SOCIETY SELECTS OFFICERS Dr. F. Webb Griffith In stalled as President At Pinehurst Meeting PINEHURST, May 21.—(£)—The North Carolina State Medical so ciety today chose Dr. Donald Cobb of Goldsboro its President-elect and decided to meet next year in Char lotte. Dr. F. Webb Griffith of Asheville took over the presidency. Others elected were Dr. Thomas Sparrow of Charlotte, first vice president; Dr. L. Carter of States ville, second vice president; and (Continued on Page Thre; Col. 1) WEATHER forecast * North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor gia and Florida—Partly cloudy and continued warm Thursday and Friday, (Meteorological data for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday). (By T7. S. Weather Bureau). Temperature: 1:30 a. m. 68; 7:30 a. m. 68; 1:30 p. m. 83; 7:30 p. m. 76; maximum 88; min imum 64; mean 76: normal 72. Humidity: 1:30 a. m. 87; 7:30 a. m. 79; 1:30 p. m. 49; 7:30 p. m. 60. Precipitation: Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m. 0.00 inches: total since the first of the month, 0.85 inches. Tides For Today: (From Tide Tables published by TJ. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey). High low Wilmington _ 7:00a. 1:53a. 7:30p. 2:07p. Masonboro Inlet_ 5:00a. 11:03a. 5:24p. 11.39p. Sunrise 5:05a.; sunset 7:12p.; moon rise 3:09a.; moonset 4:07p. Cape Fear river stage at Fayette ville on May 31, at 8 a. m„ 9.30 feet. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) MarineAir Base Bill Presented - <& c °duces Measure ^ ^4,990,000 Sta 5 Aon on Neuse River w - Plan other bases N. C. Center Would Be About 40 Miles From Barracks at Marines WASHINGTON, May 21. -i (S’) — Chairman Vinson (D-Ga) of the house naval affairs committee intro duced today a bill (HR 4S39) to au thorize construction of $31,115,000 of public works projects for the Navy. .Among The projects and amounts for each were: Marine aviation facilities, Neuse River, N. C-, $14,990,000. N Naval operation base, Newport, R. I., fleet operating facilities, includ ing dredging, $2,000,00. Naval operating base, Norfolk, Va., replacement of marine barracks, $500,000. Expansion of facilities at various training stations, $5,500,000. Expansion of various marine corps training facilities, $3,500,000. PART OF CENTER The funds authorized in the bill for marine aviation facilities on the Neuse river would carry forward plans, disclosed some time ago by the navy department, for establish ment of a tremendous $40,000,000 ma rine corps training center, composed, of a ground base in Onslow and an aviation facility in Pamlico county. Work on the barracks at Marines, on the north side of New River, cost ing approxiriiately $15,000,000, was started several weeks ago. Twelve hundred men are now employed on the project. Total estimated cost of the marine air base, to be located on the Neuse river in Pamlico county, is approxi mately $25,000,000. The proposed marine aviatioi? base would be located* about 40 wiles dis tant from the ground training cen ter. Informed Washington sources have placed the area at Minnesort Beach on the north shore of the Neuse river. The flying centc. with facilities for training Marine corps aviators and basing both land and sea planes, would comprise a five square mile area. CALCUTT SENTENCE UPHELD BY COURT Slot Machine Case Recom mended (or New Sentence On 2nd Count, However RALEIGH, May 21.—UP)—1The state supreme court today upheld a one-year road sentence imposed upon Joe Calcutt, Fayetteville slot machine distributor, in Wake su perior court last December on the first count of an indictment charg ing violation of the anti-slot ma chine laws. The court, however, remanded Calcutt’s case to the Wake court for a new sentence on a second count under which Judge R. Hunt Parker suspended a two-year ad ditional road term and placed Cal cutt on probation on several condi tions. These provided that Calcutt should pay a fine of $10,000, dis pose of his slot machine business, refrain from politics for three years, and not change his address without permission. In addition to the majority opin ion, Associate Justices Heriot Clarkson and W. A. -Devin wrote separate opinions in which they concurred with the action of the majority on the first count but dis sented on the handling of the sec ond. The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Walter P. Stacy, up held action of the Wake court in indicting Calcutt on two counts— (’Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) Decision On Enlargement Of Airport Here Delayed Despite appeals from civic lead ers who stressed the necessity of Wilmington possessing an A-l air port for commercial and national defense purposes, the board of county commissioners yesterday further delayed decision on the proposed enlargement of the coun ty airport, announcing that the full membership of the board would in spect the site Saturday before re suming conversations. Speaking for the Wilmington De fense Council and the Real Estate Board, of which he is president, Robert C. Cantwell, Jr., urged the board of commissioners to immedi ate participation with the WPA in increasing the length of two run ways at Bluethenthal field — the county airport on Gordon road—to 5,000 feet, and a third runway to a minimum of 4,000 feet. Cantwell declared that a com mercial airline is anxious to begin serving this area on its north-south run out of New York, but will not consider a Wilmington stop until the local airport is enlarged. To effect the proposed enlarge ment, surveys of which have been completed, the county would be re (Continued on Page Three; Col. 6) Wilmington Considered Possible Site For Plane Factory As Jones Allots $650,000,000 For Plants TO HIKE PRODUCTION U. S. Takes Two Strides Toward Increased Manu facture of Bombers NEW CONTRACTS MADE $350,000,000 of Funds Provided by Jones to Be Used For Plane Plants WASHINGTON, May 21.—UP)— The government took two strides to day toward the goal of a vastly in creased bombing plane production which President Roosevelt recently demanded. 1. Jesse Jones, Federal Loan ad ministrator, announced the alloca tion of $650,000,000 to build new gov ernment-owned airplane, aluminum and magnesium plants. 2. William S. Knudsen, director of the office of production manage ment, disclosed that four new con tracts were being negotiated which, with existing contracts, would pro vide 500 long-range four-motored heavy bombers a month. Production Rate This indicated that 500 a month apparently was the production rate sought by the president in his recent letter to Secretary Stimson, copies of which went to Jones and Knud sen. The latter said that the pro posed production rate was outlined in a separate memorandum, which was not made public. Knudsen said that 500 monthly would “bring us near what the president wants.” In discussing the huge loan allo cation at his press conference, Jones said the OPM had requested it to^ carry out the bomber program. The allocation was broken down Into $850,000,000 for airplane factor ies, $250,000,000 for aluminum plants and $50,000,000 for magnesium plants. It was believed that the air plane plants would be devoted prin cipally to engine production. The plants are to be financed and built by the government but operated by private companies under contract The OPM will determine their loca tions and other details. Neither Jones nor Knudsen dis closed when full production would be available at the 500 a month rate but the intention of building new plants apparently indicated that production could not be in full swing for a year ro more. Knudsen tied a press conference that “letters of intent" which pre cede issuance of a formal contract have been sent to the Ford Motor company, and to the Boeing, Lock heed and Douglas Aircraft compan ies. The latter three companies now are filling orders for bombers and Knudsen said they are “going to take on some more-.” The Ford company has a contract for manu facture of parts to be assembled into planes by other firms, but Knudsen said that under the new proposal it would assemble completed bombers. The Ford contract, he said, will be on a cost-plus-fixed-fee basis, and he declined to disclose either the amount involved or the probable number of planes Ford would build. The bombers will be assembled at the new plant the company is build ing at Ypsilanti, Mich. At the same time, Knudsen ex pressed satisfaction with the prog ress on four plants being construct ed to assemble bombers with parts made by the automobile industry. The Kansas City plant, which will be operated by North American Avia tion, Inc., and will use parts made by General Motors, is to be complet ed by October, Knudsen said. The Omaha, Nebr., plant, to be operated by the Glenn L. Martin company and supplied by Chrysler. Goodyear and Hudson, should be fin ished in December or January, he laid. *~ He would not estimate when the Fort Worth, Tex., and Tulsa, Okla., plants will be completed. Parts for assembling bombers in both of them will be supplied by Ford. The Fort Worth plant will be operated by Consolidated Aircraft corporation and the one at Tulsa by the Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc. HUGE AIRPLANES PLANNED IN 1942 KANSAS CITY, May 21.—WF) —A fleet of 80 huge 72-ton planes, an air armada capable of carrying 10,000,000 pounds of cargo from the United States to the Canal Zone in 48 hours, will be ready by next year, Jack Frye, president fo Transcon tinental & Western Air, Inc., said today. Each plane, Frye said, would he powered by four engines of 2,500 horse power with a top spetd of 350 miles per hour and a capacity for 64 passengers or more than 100 soldiers. The plane was developed by Frye and Howard Hughes, millionaire sportsman-pilot, and designed with their aid at the Lockheed company. TWA and Pan-Ameri can Airways each has ordered 40 of the air Leviathians, the first of which is scheduled for trial flight early next April. The plane, described as the largest and fastest transport of a land-plane type in the world, will be able to span the contin ent in 8Vi hours, the Atlantic ocean in 12 to 14 hours. It can be flown at a height of 30,000 feet. The government approved production of the huge ships, Frye said, because of their po tential usefulness as troop trans ports. “To give you an idea what a fleet of 80 of these ships can do,” said Frye, “listen to this: they can fly 10,000,000 pounds of car go from the U. S. mainland to the Canal Zone in 48 hours, can transport three modern divisions of troops to Alaska in 36 hours, 24,000 troops to the Canal Zone in 36 hours, or 15,000 troops to Hawaii in 48,” each ship can carry a 16-ton cargo.” Frye estimated that each would cost $500,000 and said the cabins would be supercharged to allow passenger comfort up to an altitude of 30,000 feet. U. S. Is Planning To Use Small Airplane Carriers WOULD GUARD SHIPS Secretary Knox Admits The Navy Is ‘Very Busy’ On Undertaking BY EDWARD E. BOMAR WASHINGTON, May 21. — (IP) — A hint that the United States is rushing preparations to employ num bers of relatively small plane car riers to safeguard merchant ships came tod^y from Secretary Knox, who fcaid guardedly that the Navy was “very busy” on the undertaking. Without explaining whether such craft might be used except under actual war conditions, the secretary said that in connection with the con troversy over delivery of munitions to Great Britain, it was “silly” to dwell exclusively on World war methods of protecting convoys from surface and undersea attack alone. Experiment A speedy former cargo ship al ready is being rebuilt experiment ally as a carrier, and a score of new type “transports” and conventional plane carriers are under construction or planned, but Knox declined to di vulge just what steps were being taken to cope with the problem pre sented by Germany’s aerial blockade of Britain. "It’s one of the things we are not talking about,” he told his press con ference. Knox reported at the same time that the Navy’s air force had been increased by more than 50 per cent within a year, with a net reinforce ment of 1,304 planes. On May 1 there were 3,476 naval aircraft of all types in service. Knox also announced that Ad miral Thomas C. Hart would be re tained indefinitely as commander-in chief of the Asiatic fleet after he reaches the normal retirement age of 64 next month. He described Hart as “an exceptionally good man (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) WALLACE BUILDING TO BE DEDICATED Postoffice Ceremony Today Will Feature Annual Strawberry Festival WALLACE, May 21.—Wallace’s handsome new $70,000 postoffice building will be dedicated with for mal exercises at 4 o’clock tomor row afternoon as a feature of the fourth day’s program of the sev enth annual Wallace Strawberry Festival. Mayor Aubrey Harrell will pre side and present Congressman Gra ham A. Barden, who in turn will introduce Joe Betterly, of Wash ington, D. C., assistant director of postoffice quarters, the principal speaker. A host of other dignitar ies, including visiting city officials, postmasters, and officers from Camp Davis and Fort Bragg are expected to attend the exercises. Formal exercises dedicating Wal lace’s new WPA community build ing will follow in the afternoon. Betterly and Congressman Bar den are scheduled to arrive here tomorrow morning and will be en tertained at breakfast by E. J. Johnson, postmaster, dinner by Dr. Charles bearing, director of the (Continued on Fasre Three: CoL 1) Wilson Asks Greater Use of Newspapers JACKSONVILLE, May 21.— The 22nd annual convention of thee Southeastern Association of Food and Drug Officials was told today that newspapers should he used as much as possible as aids in enforcement of regulatory and inspection laws. Louis H. Wilson, editor of the publications division of the North Carolina department of agriculture, told the delegates from the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. “The newspaper is as much a servant of the public as the regu latory or control agency and, generally speaking, the news papers give generous space to inform and protect the public. It remains for all courageous con trol officials to take advantage of this means of consumer pro tection.” NAZIS PUNNING TO KEEP PARIS Possibility of Restoration Of City as France's Capital Is Ended VICHY, France, May 21.—UP!—1The possibility of the restoration of Paris as the French government’s full capital apparently was ended today by a German order for all foreign embassies and legations in Paris to withdraw their represen tatives by June 10. After the fall of France last June, the French negotiated for the Vichy government to return to the German-occupied city and set up offices there. Negotiations have been continuing but diplomats here said it was believed the Ber lin order today ended the possibili ty of any return by the Freeh gov ernment to Paris. The United States and other members of the foreign diplomatic embassies and legations in Berlin corps here received word from their embassies and legations in Berlin that they would have to get their representatives out of Paris by June 10. It was said the order came from the Wilhelmstrasse. Representatives of foreign gov ernments now in Paris have been occupied mainly with taking care of their citizens there and their in terests in the occupied zone. San Francisco Shipyard Workers Return To Jobs By The Associated Press AFL shipyard workers marched back to their jobs through picket lines of other union members yes terday after striking machinists had rejected a plea of Governor Cul bert L. Olson that they return to work in 11 shipyards in the San Francisco Bay area. John Frey, head of the AFL Metal Trades Council, led a group of 500 men into the Moore Shipyard in Oakland, saying defiantly, "God help the man who tries to stop me.” Frey and other AFL leaders have termed the strike unauthor ized. ^ J Smaller groups went back to work in other plants. A tousrna or more pickets made no attempt to stop them and no disorder was reported at any of the yard*. The machinists, members of both the AFL and CIO, are asking wage increases from a new contract scale of $1.12 to $1.15 an hour and double time for overtime. The 11 yards, closed for 12 days, have $500,000,000 of defense orders. Negotiations between Southern Bituminous coal operators and the CIO United Mine Workers were (Continued on Page Three; Cohj^k MARTIN VIEWS SITE Plant in Baltimore Operat ing at Full Capacity For U. S. and Britain OPTION IS OBTAINED Final Decision Will be Made By the Office of Pro duction Management By HOWARD SUTTLE Special Star-News Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON, May 21.— Wilmington is being consid ered as a possible site of a new airplane assembly plant, it was learned here today. Despite the declaration of President Roosevelt several weeks ago that most of the new defense plants will, in the future, be located in the inte rior, usually - reliable sources here and in Baltimore re vealed that strong considera tion is being accorded the possibility of a site near Wil mington as the location of a plant to be operated by the Glenn L. Martin company. The Martin plant, at Balti more, is now operating at full capacity in the manufacture of planes to augment the army and navy air fleets and to be sent to England in Uncle Sam’s “aid - Britain” program. The Star correspondent learned of the possibility that Wilmington may get the new plant following announcement by Federal Loan Administra tor Jesse Jones that $350, 000,000 was today allocated to finance new airplane factories in the defense program. Baltimore sources revealed that Glenn L. Martin, presi dent of the company, recently was in North Carolina looking over possible sites. While there, it was understood he obtained an option on a site near Wilmington, pending a decision by the Office of Pro duction Management concern ing sites for the new plants. Mr. Jones said today that OPM would select the sites. BRITISH REPORT GAINS IN AFRICA Air and Land Successes Are Also Claimed in Cam paigns in Iraq, Syria CAIRO, Egypt, May 21.—(#>—Air and land successes against the Ger man, Italian and Iraq foes were re ported by the British Middle East command today on the far-flung battlefronts of Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Ethiopia. In Iraq, where the action con tinues to be largely aerial, the Brit ish gave this picture of the situation: British positions were consolidated around Fallujah, Euphrates river town just west of Baghdad, which air-borne British troops have seized. German air attacks were driven off by RAF patrols. Numbers of Iraqis were taken prisoners. The RAF inflicted “considerable damage’’ on hangars and other buildings of the Iraqis’ Raschid air drome near Baghdad. The Junkers troop-carrying planes were hit in continuing RAF raids (Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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May 22, 1941, edition 1
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