Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / April 21, 1942, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Served By Leased Wire Of The ASSOCIATED PRESS WIDE WORLD With Complete Coverage Of State and National News VOL. 75—NO.~203 -_ _____ ---- C., TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1942 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867. 1,500 NAZI DESTROYED IN SIX-WEE 1,000 Of Them Knocked Out In March Alone, Russians Claim ALSO WIN IN BALTIC Russian Big Guns Reported Drawn Within Range Of Smolensk Bv NOLAND NORGAARD LONDON, April 20.—(fP)— Soviet pilots and ground bat teries destroyed 1,500 Ger man planes in the six weeks ending April 14 to amass one of the biggest scores of the air war, the Moscow radio announced tonight. The reported bag was re markable in itself but all the more so because 4,000 of the Nazi craft were declared knocked out during March alone, when blizzards caused some of the worst flying weather encountered by Red airmen. Aerial warfare has exploded in the far north with the Soviet air force smashing heavy Nazi as saults upon the Red northern fleet, the Russians announced. In one engagement 15 German craft were declared downed without a Soviet loss. The biggest news from the East ern front was the report that the Russian army of the center had drawn its big buns up to within range of Smolensk, center of Ger man military power, about 230 miles west of Moscow, while north ern Russian forces were violently j assaulting the main German and { Finnish lines about Leningrad. Dispatches from the Russian! front said these attacks in the1 north, apparently a supreme effort to relieve the second city of the Soviet union before the spring thaw becomes general, were loosed along the Volkhov river south of Leningrad and against the Finnish lines on the Svir river and on the Karelian '-‘hmus. The Germans, said unofficial ad vices received here, vere hurling every ounce of their strength into the struggle in an effort to hold on at any cost until the ice of the Volkhov melts and it becomes again a strong and fluid barrier to protect the German flank and rear. Acknowledge Attacks The Nazi high command ac knowledged “local enemy attacks” in both the northern and central sectors but claimed that all had been broken and that German counter-attacks in the north had been locally successful. On the Svir front, northeast of Leningrad and east of Lake La doga, the Russians claimed an ad vance of two miles at one point, while Berlin itself acknowledged (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) laneyIsMed HEAD OF CHAMBER New Officers Will Be In stalled At Meeting Thursday Night E. A. Laney, president of the Morris Plan Bank, was elected president of the Greater Chamber of Commerce at a meeting Monday of the newly-elected board of di rectors of the organization. Other officers chosen were H. A. Marks, first vice president; E. E. Bugg, second vice president, and Harmon’ Rorison, treasurer. Harriss Newman and John L. Morris were renamed national councilor and executive secretary, re'pectively. Elected members of the execu tive board were Mr. Laney, A. E. Jones, Mr. Marks, W. D. McCaig find 0. H. Shoemaker. The new officers will be installed 81 the annual meeting of the or ganization scheduled for 7:30 0 clock Thursday evening at the Eape Fear hotel. A report on the Community Chest' survey was heard by the directors, v ho told Executive Secretary Mor r‘s to call a meeting of charity Agency heads and advise them to Mi m a Community Chest. Endorsement of the city council -'uunty commission action in call ing for a conference with the 1 aic Utilities Commissioner Stan ly Winborne on power rates in ™s area was voiced.' Executive Secretary Morris was fileeted by the directors as the or ganization’s delegate to the United otutes Chamber of Commerce con vcntion in Chicago April 27 to' 30. Corregidor Pounded By Heavy Artillery WASHINGTON, April 20.—HP) —With nine-inch sheila from the heaviest guns they have, the Japanese pounded beleaguer ed Corregidor today in a punish ing cross-fire from fresh posi tions, inflicting “some casualties and some damage,” in the words of a laconic communique. The War department’s report at the close of the day made no mention of answering fire from the American and Filipino de fenders, although a forenoon communique told of telling blows delivered yesterday by gunners of the main fortification and he lesser Manila bay forts. Three or more additional ene my batteries were silenced then and one bomber was hit, giving a reply to periodic Tokyo asser tions that the anti-aircraft de fenses had been crushed. The Japanese used weapons of 240 mm caliber in the assault, launched yesterday, on the forts, the last remaining center of resistance to the enemy in vasion of the Philippines. For the first time since the loss of Bataan, dive bombers as well as high-flying enemy war planes joined in Sunday’s at tack, but today hostile air raids were reported to have decreased in number and intensity. On the island of Panay some 150 miles to the south the invad ers made landings in the vicinity of San Jose on the southwest coast. Sharp fighting occurred in the northern part of the is land near Lambanao where counter-attacks of American Pilipino defending forces tem porarily halted progress of the occupation. In a distant area of the Phil ippines on the southern island of Mindanao one of the isolated forces which have been success fully harassing the invaders scored again by ambushing two busloads of Japanese troops near Zamboanga. Numerous cas ualties were inflicted. Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright’s report of the opening of the latest phase of the Corregidor siege was con tained in a morning communi que which failed to disclose how the bay fortifications with stood the shelling. Military of ficials said the artillery ham mering unquestionably was the most intense experienced thus far although air attacks prob ably have been heavier. U. S. Sub Torpedoes Jap Undersea Raider Official Report Says It Was Damaged, But It Was Believed Sunk _ By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER WASHINGTON, Apr. 20— UR — An American submarine homeward bound from patrol deep into Jap anese waters recently torpedoed an enemy undersea craft, the Navy reported today in a fresh account ing of some of the daring raids which U. S. subs now are con stantly carrying out. The official report said the Jap anese submarine was “damaged” but naval experts speculated that k may have been sunk. Since three torpedoes were fired at it, one must have struck home iij or der to damage it and no subma rine ordinarily can withstand such an explosion. The U. S. submersible was com manded by Lieutenant Command er Elton W. Grenfell, 38, of Rad burn, Fairlawn, N. J., and it was announced that he had been award ed the Navy Cross. Three other sub skippers also were decorated for bold, successful raids. Togeth er, the four undersea craft had sunk six enemy ships totalling 45, 000 tons. Counting the Japanese subma rine which Grenfell torpedoed as damaged, the announced total toll of U. S. subs carrying on the war of attrition against Japan now stands at 36 ships sunk, 12 prob ably sunk, and 11 damaged. The officers awarded Navy Crosses in addition to G r e nfell were Lieutenant Commanders Da vid C. White, 38, of San Diego, Calif.; Lewis S. Parks, 40, of Wil mington, Del.; and Stanley P. Moseley, 38, of Fort Worth, Tex. Grenfel already had met with some success in his patrol, having sunk a 5,000-ton vessel, when he was advised while en route back to his base, that Japanese sub marines were in his vicinity. He changed course to intercept them and soon afterward took his boat up to periscope depth to have a look around. There dead ahead and presumably only a few hun dred yards off was a Japanese submarine. To have been spotted so quickly it must have been cruis ing on the surface. Grenfell loosed (Continued <tn Page Two; Col. 2) STATE’S BERRY MARKETS OPEN Prices Range From $3.50 To $7.25 Per Crate; Quality Is Good RALEIGH. N. C.. Apr. 20—(A>1— North Carolina’s strawberry auc tion markets opened today, and A. B. Harless, agriculture depart ment marketing specialist, report ed that berries brought from $3.50 to $7.25 per 24-quart crate. Prices were slightly above the 1941 opening averages. Harless re ported, and quality of the berries “is improving daily.’’ Approximately 2,000 crates of Klondike, Missionary and Blake more berries were sold on six of the seven markets. North Carolina strawberries were sold wholesale at $5 to $6 per crate at Washington today com pared with $4 to $4.50 for first day sales there last year, the ag riculture department reported. Reports from markets follow: Chadbourn—65; crates Klondikes sold: $3.05; to $4.65 per crate, most sales $4 to $4.25. Mount Olive—89 crates Mission arys sold $4.35 to $4.90, mostly $4.50. Tabor City—200 crates Klondikes sold, $4 to $5.00, mostly $4.30 to $4.75. Wallace—1,500 crates, mostly Blakemores, sold, $4.50 to $7.25, mostly $5.50 to $6. Light shipments were reported from Burgaw and Rose Hill. Clin ton, a new market, is scheduled to open Thursday. -V Roosevelt To Decorate Navy’s Air Hero Today WASHINGTON, April 20—W—Lieut enant Edward H. O’Hare, who shot down six Japanese bombers iir an air battle off the Gilbert islands, will be decorated by President Roosevelt tomorrow (10:45 a.m. Eastern War Time). Officials said he probably would receive the Con gressional Medal of Honor. Prosecute Offensive War, Republicans Ask CHICAGO, April 20.—Iff'—The Re publican National Committee to night demanded' that the nation prosecute an offensive, uncompro mising war until peace with vic tory is attained and declared that the United States should assist in bringing about cooperation among the countries of the world in the post-war era. A resolution embodying those sentiments was approved by the committee at its first meeting since Pearl Harbor, and Wendell Willkie, the party’s 1940 presidential noprn nee, commented quickly that it re presented an “abandoment of iso-1 lationism.” Walter S. Hallanan of West Vir ginia, who presented Willkie’s pro posals for a stand against isola tion to the committee, contended that the pronouncement was a vic tory for Willkie. Pertinent paragraphs in the state ment endorsed by the committee were these: “We demand the prosecution of an offensive war, relentlessly and without reservation,1 whatever it may cost in wealth, energy and hu man life, until the United States (Continued on Pate Two; Col. 8) T Japanese Say Raiders Came From Carriers Reports Of Number, Desti nation And Damage Conflict, However WASHINGTON SILENT Reports Indicate Enemy Is Baffled By Sudden At tacks Upon Cities (By The Associated Press) The Japanese, apparently still trying to learn how Tok yo and three other of their greatest cities were bombed Saturday, suggested • yester day (Monday) that planes came from three United States aircraft ' carriers and then sped on to havens in China. In raising this possibility, however, the Japanese Im perial headquarters identified the planes as North American B-25’s, which are big two motored Army bombers never known to have been launched from the short flight decks of carriers. Tending nevertheless to support the Japanese conclusion, the reu ters news agency in London quot ed “well-informed quarters’’ in Chungking as saying United States planes which raided Japan had ar rived safely at their destination. Chungking had said previously the raids were not launched from Chi na. Washington Silent Washington or other capitals of the United Nations were silent as the Japanese aqcounts continued to contradict themselves and to im ply that Japanese "face” and pub lic morale had suffered, in addi tion to the damage done. An Imperial headquarters com munique Monday said: "A hostile navy unit centering around three aircraft carriers ap peared April 18 at a distant point off the Eastern coast of Japan proper, but, fearing Japanese counter-attack, fled without ap proaching Japanese shores. "On the same day approximate ly 10 enemy aircraft of the North American B-25 type .appeared over Tokyo and other areas, flying sing ly or in pairs. "The hostile planes which man aged to escape being downed ap peared to have escaped to China. “Damage caused was extremely slight.” Previous accounts had said nine of the planes which raided Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya were shot down. The Japanese said an (Contlnued on Page Two; Col. i) 40 japplanes ARE DESTROYED Grounded Craft Laid Waste During Week-End Raids By Allies UNITED STATES ARMY HEAD QUARTERS, Australia. April 20. —(fit—Destruction of 40 grounded Japanese planes in two weekend raids on Rabaul was reported to day as Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Prime Minister John Curtin discussed operations of the south west Pacific command. The conference which other Al lied war chiefs attended was de scribed officially only as dealing with a “highly confidential’’ sub ject. The American general’s new command is under instructions to prepare an offensive, and the in creasing air attacks on the Japa nese footholds on the outer rings of islands possibly presages an early effort to (jrive the invaders from those bases. In the attacks Saturday and Sun day on Rabaul, in New Britain, thousands of pounds of explosives were dropped on Lakunai air drome, wrecking runways and planes, and on Japanese flying boats in the harbor. A ship also was reported dam aged. The United States and Aus tralian airmen drove through trop ical rainstorms and heavy anti aircraft fire to accomplish their mission. Australian Air Minister Arthur S. Drakeford declared he had “cheering news that numbers of the latest American aircraft will be added to the powers of at tack.” Reports seeping through from Rabaul said that the Japanese were suffering acutely from hun ger because their supply ships had been sunk and that Australian cap tives were in good spirits despite forced labor on the wharves. 2 FRANCE COMMITTED CRIME IN GOING TO WAR AGAINST GERMANY, DECLARES LA VAL TUR.TO liUKiiNC ITS Fju-.sT ‘AIK RAID’ - This air view of Tokyo shows the city after the Japs dropped “bombs” in a test air raid drill. According to the Japanese radio, this scene was repeated in reality, as enemy bombers attacked the city for the first time in the current war, inflicting tell ing damage.—(Central Press.) Drydock Co. Blamed For Normandie Fire Full Responsibility Placed j On Its Workers By Navy Board Of Inquiry J The Navy announced today that j I a court of inquiry had placed full \ responsibility for the disastrous Normandie fire in New York Feb ruary 9 on employes of the Robins Drydcck and Repair company of Brooklyn, N. Y., which was con verting the former French liner into a troop transport named the U. S. S. Lafayette. An official summary of the na val court’s report said the “direct and sole” cause of the fire, which led indirectly to the capsizing of the 83,423-ton ship, was “gross carelessness and utter violation of rules of common sense,” by the company’s workmen. The court recommended that proceedings be instituted against the Robins company for damages to the full extent of liability. One section of the contract, it was brought out, said liability for damages from fire or other causes should not exceed $300,000 b ut whether that limit would ap p 1 y specifically in this case was not stated. Two officers, one a coast guard and the other a naval man, were said officially to have failed to take all proper precautions to prevent such a disaster as occurred. Sec retary of the Navy Knox in a letter accompanying the board’s report said that this failure should be made a part of their personnel records for consideration when they become eligible for promo tion. They were named as Lieutenant Commander Earl G. Brooks, (87 Dartmouth street, Valley Stream, commanding officer of the coast guard detail guarding the s h i p, and Lieutenant Commander Lester C. Scott, (80 Cranberry st r e e t, Brooklyn), naval inspector in charge of the conversion work. WEATHER FORECAST North Carolina: Slightly warmer 'Tuesday. South Carolina: Not much change in temperature Tuesday. Eastern Standard Time (Meteorological data for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday.) (By U. S. Weather Bureau") Temperature 1:30 a. m. 53. Maximum 66. 7:30 a. m. 48. Minimum 47. 1:30 p. m. 64. Mean 56. 7:30 p. m. 58. Normal 63. Humidity 1:30 a .m. 93. 7:30 a. m. 78. 1:30 p. m. 38. 7:30 p. m. 65. Precipitation Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m. 0.00 inches. Total since the first of the month 0.87 inches. Tides For Today (From Tide Tables published by U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey) High Low Wilmington _ 1:36a 9:02a 2:02p 9:01p Masonboro Inlet _ 11:24a 5:27a ll:40p _ 5:34p Sunrise: 5:34a. Sunset: 6:48p.* Moonrise: 9:55a. Cape Fear River stage at Fayette ville on Monday at 8 a. m. 10:15 feet. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) r Wilmington To Get 220 Trailers, 800 Demountable Homes WASHINGTON, April 20.—(/P) Tlie National Housing agency announced today approval ot' an emergency housing program for war industrial areas to provide 6,595 demountable homes, trail ers, and dormitories for 1,206 persons. Among the projects approved were: Wilmington, N. €., 220 trailers and 800 demountable homes now. and 1,105 demountable homes later. SYRIAN IS FREED IN DRAFT CASE Charles Kalaf Was Accus ed Of Threatening Offi cials If Son Was Inducted /_ Charles Kalaf, elderly Syrian born Lumberton man, was acquit ted here Monday afternoon by a Federal court jury on charges of interfering with administration of the selective service laws as the spring U. S. court term for the Eastern North Carolina district convened. The court heard Mrs. Mattie Wil liams, clerk of Robeson county draft board No. 1 in Lumberton, testify that Kalaf threatened her life if his son, Charles A. Kalaf. Jr., were called for induction into the army. She declared that the older Ka laf appeared at the board office in July with a pistol in his pocket and told her: “If you send my son to the army, I’m going to kill you.” Mrs. Williams, chief witness for the government, and Draft Board Chairman D. D. French said that Mr. and Mrs. Kalaf had made several attempts to have their son deferred and that finally he was sept to the army under special or ders by the state board. The youth (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) REDUCED POWER RATES ARE ASKED State Utilities Commission Urged To Take Immedi ate, Effective Action A resolution requesting that “the North Carolina Utilities Comission accept its responsibility and take immediate and effective action to | assure the people of New Hanover j county fair, equitable and competi tive” power rates was adopted by the County comission Monday on motion of Commissioner Harry E. Gardner. The resolution, prepared in the i office of Mayor Hargrove Bel lamy at the request of Mayor R. !C. Harrelson, of Tabor City, was mailed to the commission by May or W. D. Herring, of Rose Hill, who is secretary of the Electric Ratd® Adjustment committee. He wrote that Mayor Bellamy suggest J ed that each governing body in [the affected area adopt the x'esolu tion and send a copy of it to Utili ties Commissioner Stanly Winborne before the informal conference to regulate the Tide Water Power iCompany electric light and power rates, which has been scheduled for 11 o’clock Friday morning at the office of Commissioner Winborne. Mayor Herring informed the com mission that the resolution had been j passed by various governing bodies Jin the area. The resolution follows: I “Whereas, the County Commission I is of the unanimous opinion that the rates charged by the Tide Water Power company to its users residing in the county of New Hano ver are unreasonable,_ unfair, and discriminatory, and its services and equipment are not in keeping with the recognized requirements and standards of other utility compan ies, and “Whereas, the North Carolina Ut'lities Commission is vested with full power and authority to demand of all utility companies fair and equitable rates and to require of them that they render efficient and effective service, and “Whereas, it is the duty and re sponsibility of said commission, in accepting its public trust, to exer cise its power for the protection and interest of the consuming pub lic. “It is, therefore, resolved that this resolution be considered a for * (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) British, Chinese Take Offensive In Burma BY DREW MIDDLETON LONDON, April 20.— (#)—Chin ese infantry and British tanks teamed up in a bold counterattack to score their first offensive suc cess in Burma by driving the Japa nese from Yenangyaung in the center of the ruined oil fields by a headlong assault, it was announc ed today. British tanks smashed through the jungle ahead of veteran Chin ese infantry to erase the most dangerous Japanese penetration in Burma, and the RAF scoured the Arakan coast of West Burma look ing for signs that the Japanese were -s; r~ attempting to employ the tactics of Malaya—coastal infiltration to ward Akyab, small but only north Burma port behind the British lines. Sweeping 200 miles to the coast, the planes not only bombed Bas sein airport and Allanmjm on the lower Irrawaddy, but alsmsmashed barges and launches at Bassein and Gwa bay, 50 miles to the north. They attacked two schooners at Andrew bay and Sandoway, 75 miles north of Gwa bay. The American volunteer group— (Continued on Page Two; Col. 8) Peace In Europe Rests In Friendship Between Ger many, France, He Says REPUBLICANS BLAMED People Asked To Support Him As He Pleads Cause Of Rapprochement P 1 FRANCE COMMITTED By TAYLOR HENRY VICHY, Unoccupied France, April 20.—OP)—Speaking to night amidst new stirrings of unrest and Nazi orders for the execution of 30 more French men, pro-Axis Pierre Laval branded France’s 1939 declar ation of war a “crime” and told the French people the condition for peace in Europe lay in friendship between France and Germany. In his first broadcast as chief of government, Laval placed blame for France’s pre dicament upon the old Repub lican regime, declaring that he had “no responsibility whatever in the misfortune which has befallen us.” He appealed to Frenchmen to sup port his new government with the assertion tha*t their choice now lay between rapprochement with Ger many or “seeing our civilization dis appear.” Referring to the Anglo-Saxon pow ers. he said that ‘‘in the past I never have accepted or submitted to any foreign influence, and such is the explanation of the unleash ing of passions (o which 1 am so often subjected, above all in Eng land again.” UViy thoughts go especially to those among you who have suffered the attacks of our former ally, all the more fierce against our terri tories because she is incapable of protecting her own,” the bitterly anti-British Laval continued. “After having led us into war, after having abandoned us in bat tle. she tried to destroy our fleet; she killed our sailors and starved our people. “Today her airplanes are again in French skies; after deserting us in a moment of danger they (the British) would complete the destruc tion of our homes which the bat tles have left unscathed.” Reaching an understanding with Germany. Laval said, was “like an obsession” with him. After recalling the meeting he ar ranged between Chief of fe'tate I’e (Continued on Page Two; Col. 8) COUNTY WILLMAKE OFFER FOR LANDS Will Propose Same Figures Used In Purchase Of Other Airport Tracts After Chairman Addison Hewlett told of prices asked by two owners of land, which the county wishes to obtain for use by the airport, the commission voted on motion of Commissioner Harry R. Gardner “to offer them the same price per acre as we offered others’’ at the Monday meeting. The land in question is the rear part of lots facing on Carr ave nue which is needed in the re-lo cation of the north-south runway at Bluethenthal airport. Chairman Hewlett said H. C. Croom, who owns five strips of land facing on Carr avenue, wants $5,000 for the 14 and a fraction acres of cleared land at the rear of the tracks, which the county wishes to obtain. He explained that S. R. Croom wanted $250 per acre for the 2.87 acres of uncleared land at the rear of his tract. For property previously obtain ed at the airport, Chairman Hew lett explained, the county has paid $200 per acre for cleared land and $150 per acre for uncleared land. The property owned by H. C. Croom and S. R. Croom is all that is needed for re-location of the runway, Chairman Hewlett said. He added that 17.90 acres had been obtained from J. C. En nis and N. D. Buck. On motion of Commissioner J. M. Hall, the board voted that the baseball committee—a representa. tive from the shipyard, the Cape Fear league, high school and the American Legion—work out details of the schedule for games to be played at the stadium and pro vided something arises on which (Continued on Pjtfe Two; CoL U,'
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 21, 1942, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75