'^Tgy Leased Wire 01 The -
S assocated press REMEMBEB
nib Complete Coverage Of PEARL
State and National_ews^ -j|j|g HARBOR!
ESTABLISHED 1867.
0PYARD HERE GETS
CONTRACT TO BUILD
$ ADDITIONA L
.1000,000 Award Rep
> No. 1 Business
Story Of Year Here
|g hike employment
*" ?e rEx‘
>;ShrAreToBe
CmpleteJ By 1943
Announcement of the award
, "more than $80,000,000
mtrast for 53 additional
iberty freighters to the
oith' Carolina Shipbuilding
y by the Maritime
emission Monday was gen
allv regarded in Wilmrng
D business circles as the
umber One story of the
,ar, tantamount in impor
Me to the first announce
ent of the shipyard’s found
er last year.
Lost of the 53 additional
winch maxes a . total ot
/ Ldgnters the Maritime
Liiussion has given the
upuuuding company con
aas to ouila, are expected
oe completed by the end
iU43.
Award u£ the new contract will
a au increase in the number ot
lyiuyees, with a cunseiiuent iu
m in blending here, but no ad
uai shipways will be built, a
Aumau tor the shipbuilding' cum
B, alimented Monday atternoon
"ill unpoyees of tne company
i juins to make every effort to
a the new program and bettei
| imssiilt,1’ he added.
(; Jlay ltuiiil Drydock
Lisj ;rum Washington Monday
Lc tile announcement that the
ieminent is giving serious con
eraiion to the construction of a
M,m Aavy drydock, to be local
either here o£ at Southport,
it was pointed out that WUming
i is an lueal location for a JS'aVa.
ydock because the 30 miles be
eeu nere and the ocean reduces
e possibility of attack besides
thing drydock facilities available
the shipbuilding company here.
Such a plan was followed by the
xy in locating its drydock neat
e Charleston Shipbuilding com
ply at Charleston, S. (J., wrnen the
iyooch there was built.
'Commenting on the Maritime com
faiun’s program of ship building
1 speed the nation’s war plans,
Sutim L Mosher,f-chief of the edi
'hal section of the Maritime coin
(Cntlnuol on l‘age Three; to!. 1)
amouflaged oil
TANKS PROPOSED
K --
fork Will Be Carried Out
According To Type
Paint Suggested
jMesalers of petroleum prod
ei ^reater Wilmington
nL !, camouflage their oil
jest as soon as
fcritieceivecl frcm government
Jisas to the type and color
E" required
"aS tlecided upon Mon
ClTg at a conference be
»&rtatives °f the pe
wapd city Manag
riiJ^- Wallace and Chief
D and ^alden Casteen at city
"Pose of He,h Was held f°r th
er Precauti ei'mimng what lur
ken to wf°nary steps should be
lre i» the !gUard oii Properties
*til Planes Snt °f air raids
Sever! °r.Sabolage
std for t||ggesllons were put for
8 gasoline 'amouflaging of the
11811 were J ge lanks here,
lnS until direeiaSlde/Cr the time
1 t0 ^at co ;vord is ^^ved
*'■ governmen an(? design, if
c°ftimend. nt auth°rities will
during tu.
!erally agreedfheiiepce’ il was
* furious oil l*at the Plants of
Terentiy KUa^ panies here are
present as to ded,r‘ight and day
*8e d«ficuV°tomake acts of sab
°n * pro* , 3y the least
^ be bumt!hat oil storage
^tofsafel ?hperground as a
considerable’ ikCOnferees aft
‘ s"ch a Dr hscussion held
S“tsTfcrs
Sea level y b ut nine feet
Thousan / .df Men,
Forming New AEF,
Landed In Ireland
BY RICE YAHNER
WITH THE AEF IN NORTHERN
IRELAND, Jan. 2?.— (tf1 —Several
thousands of steel-helmeted yanks
—‘‘all pepped up and rarin’ to go”
—landed here safely today as the
vanguard of United States troops
dispatched to Europe in the second
World War.
Escorted safely by the U. S. and
British navies, their commander,
Maj.-Gen. Russell P. Hartle, 52,
stepped ashore to the strains of
"The Star Spangled Banner,” and
waves of cheers from those lining
the dock.
First To Land
After the general came first class
Private Milburn Henke, 22, of Hut
chinson, Minn., whose German
born father’s parting words were:
"Give ’em hell.”
Most of the huskies were from
the midwest, seasoned regulars
and drafted men. Women nurses
also were in the convoy, and the
Navy described the crossing as
“a routine operation.”
The American troops marched
down the gangplank, formed ranks
under the stock-taking gaze of Brit
ish, Irish, and American officials.
“Your safe arrival marks a new
stage in the World War, and a
gloomy portent for Hitler,” said
Sir Archibald Sinclair, British air
minister, who welcomed them.
“Your welcome arrival here to
day reveals part of one great plan
to smash the dictator powers
wherever they may be found.
“Its significance will not be lost
on General Tojo.”
General Hartle said: “It's a
pleasure to be here.”
There was no flamboyant wel
come. The secret apparently was
well-kept, and the curious who had
gathered on the docks appeared to
sense the evident grimness of the
(Continued on Page Three: Col. 2)
Building Of Drydock
Here Is Considered
Project Contemplated As
Naval And Shipbuilding
Aid At Wilmington
BY HOWARD SUTTLE
Wilmington Star-News
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26. — Ser
ious consideration is being given by
government officials to an appro
priation for construction of a dry
dock .to ccst $1,500,000 to $2,000,000
in Wilmington, it was learned here
today as the Maritime commission
announced award of contract of 53
more freighters to the North Caro
lina Shipbuilding company.
Such a program, it was said,
would insure permanency of the
Wilmington shipyards.
Today’s contract award . by the
Maritime commission bringes to a
total of 1,038 the number of Liber
ty ships in the merchant’s fleet pro
gram, and to 90 the number con
tracted for by the North Carolina
Shipbuilding Co.
The Wilmington yard has con
tracted for delivery of 37 vessels by
tlie end of this year. Two have al
ready been launched, and produc
tion and launching schedules have
been so arranged as to insure de
livery of the remaining 35.
Contracts announced today pro
vide for speeding up of production
in shipyards throughout the coun
try to meet the program, revealed
by the President in his recent
message to congress for 8,000,000
dead weight tons to be delivered dur
ing 1942. to be increased to 10,000,
000 in 1943. In the event the govern
ment decides to construct a dry
dock, it would be built by the Navy
department, known to be consider
ing such a project somewhere be
tween Charleston and Norfolk.
Representative J- Bayard Clark
has been engaged during the past
few weeks in conferences w i t li
Navy officials, who are contemplat
ing the location of a drydock either
at Wilmington or Southport, the lat
ter being the site of a naval sec
tion base.
John Morris, secretary of ' the
Greater Wilmington Chamber of
Commerce who started a move sev
eral weeks ago for location of a
drydock at Wilmington, was sched
uled to return to Washington with
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
PRICE CONTROL BILL
PASSED BY HOUSE
Measure Is Dispatched To
Senate Where Speedy Ac
tion Is Anticipated
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.— UPI —
After a three-hour attack by re
publicans and a few democrats the
wartime price control bill was
approved finally by the house to
day and sent to the senate, where
speedy action was forecast.
A powerful coalition led by Rep.
Wolcott (R-Mich) came within 20
votes of sending the controversial
measure —- compromised between
original senate and house bills—
back to conference with instruc
tions to revise it. The coalition
wanted to knockout a system of
business licenses designed to en
force price control and also be
lieved a board of review should be
set up to pass on price ceilings
that might be fixed.
The legislation, first requested
by President Roosevelt last July,
would give a price administrator,
who presumably will be Leon Hen
derson, authority to fix ceiling on
prices in his descretion, a well
as rents in defense areas. Licens
es f^uld be required for the con
duct of almost any business. If
provisions of a license were vio
lated, the offending party would
be warned, then the government
could petition a state court to su
spend it. That court might, after
a hearing, suspend the license for
not longer than 12 months and
the aggrieved party could appeal
through normal court channels.
With debate concerning largely
on that procedure and on the ad
visability or necessity for a board
of review to work with the ad
ministrator. There was compara
tively little discussion of another
controversial section which would
forbid the setting of farm price
ceilings below the higest of these
standards:
110 per cent of parity, the Oct.
1 or Dec. 15 market level, or the
average prices from 1919 to 1929.
Germans Leave Utter
Destruction Iii Wake
WITH THE RED ARMY ON
THE WESTRN FRONT, Jan. 26.
—V¥\—The Red Army is moving its
men and guns and machines back
to the west across the vast, snow
swept reaches of a countryside
bleak with winter, but even more
desolate with the destruction of
war.
Roads are marked with Macabre
milestones—wrecked machines, the
frozen dead, charred ruins and
homeless peasants.
Retreating, the German Army
which failed to reach Moscow is
putting the torch to everything that
will burn.
Around us houses and buildings
still are smouldering and off to the
right there is the constant rumble
of big guns which sounds strange
►
ly like summer thunder in this
scene of snow and ice.
Back at Unarovo and Borodino,
which lie behind us, were scenes
of utter destruction. Not a house
was standing in either town.
Amid the smouldering ruins of
what had been Russian homes
were dozens of empty bottles of
French wines. There were so many
bottles around some buildings that
it seemed* a question which the
Nazis used most, champagne, or
gasoline to set fires.
Women, children and old men
who had been living in nearby
woods now have gathered sorrow
fully around the ruins of homes.
Hangings Noted
A small boy pointed to a piece
of rope dangling from a telegraph
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 6)
<
17 Billions
To Finance
Navy Asked
Proposed Fund Would En
able It To Control Sea,
Air Wherever It Is
DEBATE OPENS TODAY
Measure Tops By $5,000,
000,000 Largest Outlay
Asked For Defense
WASHINGTON, Jan, 26. —iSt —
The greatest appropriations meas
sure in United States history, a
$17,722,565,474 proposed outlay to
finance the Navy’s aim of gaining
complete control of the seas and
the air wherever it operates, was
presented to Congress today.
Debate on the huge bill is sched
uled to start tomorrow in the
House. Congressional leaders in
dicated belief there would be little,
if any, opposition to the Naval e- -
pansion program, which the House
appropriations committee describ
ed as “stupendous.”
ine measure proposed naval out
lays of $4,292,225,500, in addition to
previous appropirations, during the
fiscal year ending next June 30 and
$13,430,339,974 for the year begin
ning July 1.
The new bill topped by $5,222,
565,474 the previous record appro
priation of $12,500,000,000 which the
House authorized for army planes
only last week. Added to vast sums
already voted for this year, the
measure would swell the 24-month
navy total to $24,751,758,471.
The House appropriations com
mittee, in approving the bill, ex
pressing confidence that the navy’s
“staggering” program would be
accomplished “with unbelievable
dispatch.”
Releasing a lengthy transcript
of testimony by high naval offici
cials, the committee disclosed the
navy’s belief that 1942 would be the
critical year in the battle against
the Axis powers.
Admiral Ernest J. King, com
mander in chief of the fleet,' told
the committee:
“If we can hold our own, and
even advance a little, then we will
be ready for whatever the expand
ed production will enable us to do
in 1943 and 1944.”
Four Great Objectives
Admiral Harold R. Stark, chief
of naval operations, said the ex
panded production was designed to
enable the navy to accomplish
these four great war objectives:
1. Increase plane and ship forces
to such an extent that they would
hold unquestioned supremacy
wherever the navy may operate.
2. Gain complete command of
the seas by destroying naval forces
of the enemies.
3. Cooperate with other branches
of the United States armed forces
(Continued on Pape Three; Col. 5)
WILMiNGTONBOY
DIES OF WOUND
Jimmy B. Williamson Acci
dentally Shoots Self
While Cleaning Gun
Jimmy B. -Williamson, 21 years
old, an employe of the North Caro
lina Shipbuilding company, was
fatally wounded Monday night at
9:45 o’clock when the gun he was
cleaning at his home, 702 Park ave
nue, Winter Park, accidentally dis
charged. The bullet lodged in his
chest.
A. W. Allen, New Hanover coun
ty coroner, who viewed the body,
said young Williamson was shot "ac
cidentally while cleaning his gun”
and an inquest was deemed unnec
essary.
According to the tamuy, Mr. Wil
liamson had cleaned one of his guns,
laid it aside and had taken up an
other one when the accident oc
curred.
He is survived by his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. O. W. Williamson,
Wilmington; one brother, Wayne
Williamson, a medical student at the
University of Maryland; two sisters,
Mrs. E. R. Hill, of Rocky Mount,
and Mrs. E. R. Mitchell, of Knox
ville, Tenn., and an aunt, Miss
Estaline Williamson, Wilmington.
The body was removed to An
drews Mortuary where it will re
main pending completion of funeral
arrangements.
-—V
Waccamaw Bank Board
Reelects All Officers
WHITEVILLE, Jan. 26.—At the
annual meeting of the stockholders
of the Waccamaw Bank and Trust
company held here, all members of
the board of directors were re
elected. Officers elected included K.
Clyde Council of Wananish, presi
dent; J. N. Coburn, of Whiteville,
executive vice-president, and cashier
for the Whiteville unit, Dr. R. C.
Sadler and Glenn F. St foie, of
Whiteville and Chadbourn, respec
tively, vice-presidents.
U. S. SUBMARINE TORPEDOES
JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER
IN MA CASSAR STRAIT BA TTLE
—---+----_
U-Boat Sinks
Ore Freighter
Off N.C. Coast
Masquerading As A Light
ship, Sub Lures Ves
sel Close For Kill
22 OF CREW MISSING
Nineteen Believed To Have
Drowned When Lifeboat
Is Swamped In Sea
By HARRY NASH
NORFOLK, Va., Jan. 26.—(An—
Masquerading as a lightship to
lure her prey closer for the kill,
an enemy submarine shelled and
torpedoed the American ore car
rier Venore off the North Carolina
coast early Saturday, leaving the
ship floating on her side and 22
members of her 43 man crew un
accounted for.
Allen Harte, able bodied seaman
of Baltimore, Md., one of 21 survi
vors brought ashore at Norfolk by
a vessel which picked them-up aft
er they had drifted for 38 hours
in a lifeboat, told newsmen that
“those Boches are certainly smart.
• • • They fooled us completely.”
“I was in the crow’s nest on
watch when we sighted a light,”
Harte related. “The light blinked
in code that the vessel was a light
ship. She told us to come over near
her. We started toward her, still
thinking she was the lightship
when a shell hit us in the bow. It
didn’t do much damage, but we
were called to our stations.
“Then the submarine moved
around to our port side and a tor
pedo hit us. A general alarm was
sounded and darned if that sub,
when it circled us that time, didn’t
signal with her lights as if she
were a buoy. She didn’t fool us
that time and when the second tor
pedo struck us we were ready for
it as much as you can be ready
for such a thing.”
Boat Swamped
Some of the survivors said they
saw the sea swamp a lifeboat car
rying 19 men and saw a third life
boat with two men in it but report
ed they were unable to go to the
aid of the others because their own
boat, with 21 aboard, was over
loaded and shipping water.
The Venore, which was carrying
22,000 tons of ore, was the Tanker
Charles M. Black prior to her con
version to an ore carrier. She was
owned by the Ore Steamship com
pany of New York.
Peter Karlson, 62-year-old quar
termaster of Baltimore, who was
at the helm when the attack be
gan, said he remained at his post
until Captain Fritz Duurloo took
over and ordered Karlson into a
lifeboat.
The captain still was in the
wheelhouse when last seen by the
survivors.
Praising the skipper for his con
duct under fire, Karlson said Duur
loo was “cool as a cucumber.”
Other crew members said the mas
ters only chance to have escaped
was to have launched a life raft
on the deck amidship.
R. L. Garrett, first assistant en
gineer of Christian City, Fla., said
Duurloo ordered the men not to
launch the lifeboats while the ship
was running toward shore at full
speed. Some of the men, however,
became panic stricken, Garrett re
lated, and lowered three boats, one
with 19 men aboard. This boat was
swamped as the ship moved ahead
(Continued on Pate Three; Col. 6)
WEATHER
XT FORECAST
North Carolina and South Carolina:
Continued mild; showers in the moun
tains.
(Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday)
(By XJ, S. Weather Bureau)
'Temperature
1:30 a. m. 56; Maximum 64; 7:30 a.
™. Minimum 47; 1:30 p. m. 60;
Mean 56; 7:36 p. m. 56; Normal 46.
Humidity
1:30 a. ro. 78; 7:30 a. m. 85; 1:30 p.
m. 46; 7:30 p. m. 53.
Precipitation
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p.
ni. 0.00 inches.
Total since the first of the month
1.26 inches.
Tides For Today
(From Tide Tables published by L).
S. Coast and Ceodetic Survey)
High Low
Wilmington _ 6:02 12:41a
6:23p 1:17]>
Masonboro Inlet 3:54a 10:18a
4:15p 10:27p
Sunrise: 7:13a. Sunset: 5:37p.
Moonrise: l:57p. Moonset: 3:12a.
Cape Fear river stage at Fayette,
ville on Monday at 8 a. m. 9.93 feet.
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
Wilmington WillHold
Air Raid Test Tonight
Wilmington is to have anoth
er air raid warning test Tues
day night at 6:45 o’clock—this
time to determine how well
and how far the alarm signal
can be heard.
City Manager James G. Wal
lace announced late Monday
that when-the raid test comes,
an entirely new signal will be
used—just what kind however
is being kept a well guarded
secret by Mr. Wallace and Air
Raid Warden Casteen. But in
any event, every citizen is urg
ed to be on the alert for the
new signal and officials will
appreciate reports on how far
and how well it is heard.
Mr. Wallace especially re
quests that all citizens of Wil
mington respond to the new
signal as rapidly as possible.
Adoption of the new form of
signal, whatever it may be,
will depend very largely upon
the strength of reports that are
received as to how well and
how far the signal is heard
Tuesday night. 3
Allied Forces Exact
Heavy Toll Of Japs
Air And Naval Arms, Strik
ing With Great Power,
Smash Convoy
BATAVIA, Netherlands East In
dies, Jan. 26.—(J1)—The allied air
and naval arms, falling with ter
rible power upon invading Japan
ese convoys in the Macassar strait,
hava exacted the highest price yet
paid by the enemy in a single op
eration since the Pacific war be
gan.
Dutch bombers and submarines
and American flying fortresses,
cruisers and destroyers by today
had certainly sunk at least ten Jap
anese transports and one destroyer
and had certainly damaged 17 oth
er vessel^, including ,a warship,
five cruisers, two destroyers and
nine transports, for a minimum
score of 28.
A recapitulation of communiques
covering this great running action
since Friday—an action defending
the water approaches to Java, the
keystone in the East Indies arch
and the site of headquarters of the
supreme allied command of the
southwest Pacific—indicated that
at least five additional enemy Ships
had gone down, and possibly
more.
So widespread was the action
and so tremendous the allied suc
cesses that it was yet impossible
to tell the whole story. Nor was it'
impossible as yet to estimate pre
cisely the thousands of Japanese
lives lost.
The known successes were divid
ed to date at a ratio of about two
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 4)
COLD WAVEGWPS
ALL OF EUROPE
Frigid Weather Adds To
Woes Of Ill-Fed, Poorly
Clad Millions
BERN, Switzerland, jan. 26.—Ml
—From Spain to Turkey and from
Stockholm to Naples a bitter cold
today added to the woes of Eu
rope’s ill-fed, poorly clad people
whether they were in fuelless
homes or on the battlelines.
In many places communications
and traffic were interrupted or
broken, while ice-locked rivers cur
tailed electric power -production
and reduced war output.
Moscow reported German sol
diers freezing by thousands on the
eastern front.
The Basel National Zeitung said
the Germans were operating sev
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
$11,000 AIRPORT
OFFER UNCHANGED
County Stands Firm On Re
considering Price Ten
dered For Tract
The Schutt property valuation
controversy received another air
ing Monday at the meeting of the
county commissioners when John
A. -Stevens, attorney, appeared be
fore the board to ask for a recon
sideration of the offer of $11,000
made by the commissioners for
the property which is needed to
complete the north runway of the
Wilmington airport. Mr. Stevens,
appearing for the owners of the
property, voiced the opinion that
the valuation placed on the prop
erty by a special committee of ap
praisers named by the commission
ers, might not reflect the true
worth of the property as it stands
today.
At their meeting on Monday, Jan.
19, the Commissioners voted to of
fer the owners of the Schutt prop
erty $11,000 for the ten acres in
volved. Situated on the property
are a twh-etory frame residence
and two five-room frame dwellings
and some small outbuildings. An
appraisal committee of the Wil
mington Real Estate Board had
previously appraised the property
at $15,650 but this , figure was re
jected by the commissioners as
being entirely too high.
Before setting the $11,000 figure,
the commissioners considered the
recommendations made by a spe
cial committee of experienced
building contractors which includ
ed L. T. Rogers, Frank Cox and
L. J. Coleman and who set a valu
ation of $7,100 on the property.
The commissioners valued the
property at $150 an acre, a total
of $1,500. To this sum was added
$500 for estimated landscaping and
other improvements and $1,900 to
cover the expense of locating, buy.
ing, and moving to new homes,
and for the discomfort of those
who would have to give up thei
homes.
Discussion cn the valuation of
the property waxed warm at
times, especially when Mr. Stevens
and Commissioner Coleman debat
ed the question of appraisal knowl
missioners decided to stand pat on
their offer of $11,000 for the prop
erty and gave the owners until
next Monday afternoon at 3:00
o’clock to accept or reject the of
fer.
To Execute Contract
The Commissioners also instruct
ed County Attorney Marsden Bei
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 1)
Manpower Mobilization
Board Proposed To FDR
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.—Mi
Creation of a manpower mobiliza
tion board with far-reaching pow
ers to say where and how men
and women should work during the
war has been proposed to Presi
dent Roosevelt by Paul V. McNutt,
Federal security administrator, it
was learned today.
The proposal, assailed by some
union sources as a plan to con
script workers, was said to be un
der study by the cabinet.
As outlined in a memorandum
prepared by the security adminis
tration, the proposal calls for a
board of seven authorized to fix
policies concerning labor controls,
compulsory registration, and trans
fers. The board would deal with
such problems as:
How should a national registra
r
tion of working-power be carried
out? What policy should be fol
lowed if and when skilled men in
the military services are needed
in industry? What controls soould
be established to assure maximum
and immediate utilization of the
available labor supply in critical
defense occupations? Should adver
tising by employers for persons in
critical defense occupations be reg
ulated or prohibited?
Should employers be required to
obtain employes for critical de
fense occupations through the Unit
ed States Employment Service;
should employers be prohibited
from discharging employes in crit
ical defense occupations without
goad cause; should workers in crit
(Continued on Fare Three; Col. 1)
iv
Surface Warships, Flying
Fortresses Take Fur- -
ther Toll Of Convoy
11 SHIPS DESTROYED
23 Others Heavily Battered
Since Great Engage
ment Opened
By WILLIAM R. SPEAR
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26__
(fP)—An American submarine
torpedoed and probably sank
a Japanese aircraft carrier in
the battle of Macassar strait
today while surface war.-hipa
and big flying fortresses took
further terrific toll of an in
vading enemy convoy.
' At least 11 ships have beet!
positivelysunk and 23 others
heavily battered by American
and Dutch forces since the
great engagement began last
Friday between Borneo and
Celebes islands.
Northward in the Philippines, a
tiny torpedo boat zipped again in
to Subic bay, past net and boom
defenses and heavy shore batter
ies, and sank another 5,000-ton ene- •
my vessel, duplicating a similar
daring attack of last week.
So fierce was the action and so
brilliant the success of American
arms, supported by Dutch forces,
against the Japanese invasion con
voy i the Macassar strait ap
proach to Hava that a Navy com
munique late in the day said it
was “still impossible to estimata
total damage inflicted by our com
bat vessels” but that "the known
results afe substantial.”
Believed Sunk
It also was not ascertained
whether the torpedoed aircraft car
rier went to the bottom but it was
“believed to have sunk,’* the com
munique announced. Authorities
here credited the Nipponese last
October with eight aircraft carriers
built and two under construction,
anging from 7,100 to 26,900 tons.
Thf largest ones can carry 50 to
60 planes but have a normal com
plement of 30.
The sinking of the second 5,000
ton enemy ship in Subic bay
brought the count of Japanese ves
sels definitely sunk by American
action since the Pearl Harbor at
tack to 51—or 52 if the aircraft
carrier be counted.
A torpedo boat commanded btf
Ensign George Cox of Watertown,
^Continued on Paffe Three; Col. 4)
U. S. AIRMENROUT
JAPANESE RAIDERS
Flight Of 40 Bombers Turit
Tail Before Reach
ing Target
RANGOON, Burma, Jay. 26.—OB
—American volunteer pilots added
still another stunning defeat to tha
Japanese air force today in tha
utter rout of 40 enemy raiders ap
proaching Rangoon while on tha
land front in southern Burma Brit
ish Imperial forces held the in
vader to a standstill.
The Americans boosted their
growing bag of Japanese craft by
downing three enemy fighters and
forcing the others to turn tail be
fore reaching their targets. One of
.the challenging Curtiss Tomahawk
fighters was lost.
RAF pilots, heretofore using
American-made Brewster Buffa
loes, got into the scrap for the first
time with their own hard-hitting
Hurricanes.
In recognition of their achieve*
ments the American volunteers,
who are attached to the Chinese
air force, have been named the.
“Fighting Tigers” by the Chinese
press. A Sei-official Chungking
compilation listed their score as
190 planes destroyed to only five
of their ow nlosses through last
Saturday. Over Rangoon alone
they knocked down 23 raiders last
Friday, 15 more Saturday.
On the Tenasserim front in the
south the British command an*
nounced there had been no change
in British positions established
over the weekend east of Moulme*
in, which is about 100 miles across
the Gulf of Martaban from Ran*
goon. i
Prospects of ah’offensive thrust
against the Japanese meanwhile
were brightened further by reports
ai an increasing flow of Chinese
troops into Burma and along the
northern border of French Indo*
Phinp