Wilmington
Wonting &tar
North Carolina's Oldest Daily Newspaper
Published Dally Except Sunday
By The Wilmington Star-News
At The Murchison Building
r. B. Page, Owner and Publisher
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
is entitled to the exclusive use of all news^
stories appearing in The Wilmington Star.
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1942.
With confidence in our armed
forces — with the unbounding de
termination of our people—we will
gain the inevitable triumph — so
help us God.
—Roosevelt’s War Message
Star-N ewsPrograjn
To aid in every way the prosecution of
the war to complete victory.
Public Port Terminals.
Perfected Truck and Berry Preserving
and Marketing Facilities.
Seaside Highway from Wrightsvillo
Beach to Bald Head Island.
Extension of City Limits.
35-foot Cape Pear River channel,
wider Turning Basin, with ship lanes
Into industrial sites along Eastern bank
south ot Wilmington.
Paved River Road to Southport, via
Orton Plantation.
Development of Pulp W- od Production
through sustained-yield methods through
out Southeastern North Carolina.
Unified Industrial and Resort Promo
tion-ij Agency, supported by one county
wide tax.
Shipyards and Drydocka.
Negro Health Center for Southeastern
North Carolina, developed around the
Community Hospital.
Adequate uospital facilities for white.
Junior High School.
Tobacco Warehouses for Export Buy
ers.
Development of native grape growing
‘hroughout Southeastern North Carolina.
Modern Tuberculosis Sanatorium.
TOP O’ THE MORNING
I saw a star flame in the sky,
I heard a wild bird sing,
And down where all the forest stirred
another answering
All suddenly I felt the gleam
That made my faith revive.
Ah God, it takes such simple things
To keep the soul alive.
—HAROLD VINAL
_v_
Strikers And Mutineers
Seven hundred men, workers in the valve
division of the Pitcairn Company plant at Bar
berton, Ohio, members of the CIO Steelwork
ers Union, walked off the job in what their
regional director calls a “spontaneous flare
up.”
The plant’s output is stopped. Motors need
ed by the armed forces, who alone stand be
tween the strikers and the dictators, cannot
be completed because valves, without which
they cannot function, are not forthcoming.
Ninety per cent of the plant’s contracts are
for war production. This work is halted.
In the final analysis, this means the seven
hundred men who walked out are as’ guilty of
mutiny as would be the crew of a battleship
which refused to fight, and deserve no more
consideration.
Put it this way. Suppose seven hundred in
fantrymen, approximately half a regiment,
walked off the battlefield and refused to re
turn, in a “spontaneous flareup” over griev
ances, at a time when their presence might
easily be the deciding factor for victory.
Wouldn’t they be cowards and, after the bat
tle, receive the punishment reserved for mu
tineers?
In the strictest sense, every worker in a
war plant is on a parity with our soldiers, ex
cept that they are not armed and receive
four, five or ten times a soldier’s pay. The
seven hundred at Barberton wiP but get just
treatment if they are subjected to martial law
and forced back on the job under military
guard.
Not Well Posted
It would seem that Ben E. Douglas, state
chairman of Civilian Defense, has not kept
up with instructions and recommendations
from the Office of Civilian Defense.
This is indicated by his abuse of the Wil
mington area during Sunday’s alert. If he
knew what the OCD has to say about conduct
in blackouts and public morale it is quite pos
sible that he would have been less ready with
his condemnation.
Among the more important instruction books
issued for the guidance of civilian defense of
I
ficials is one entitled “Blackout.” It contains
this paragraph:
“Judicious praise and publicity should be
given in the press and on the radio by name
with citations for all outstanding achievements
accomplished during blackout operations.
Without placing blame on any particular per
sons or organizations, matters of negligence
or violations of instructions should be pointed
out and errors of judgment and execution
should be corrected by indicating what better
procedures must be followed. The mainten
ance of a high morale is most important if
the blackout system, a naturally unpleasant
and difficult one to put into effect, is to con
tinue to operate efficiently.”
In Mr. Douglas’ tirade, published in Asso
ciated Press member papers there was no
suggestion of “better procedures” to correct
any errors of judgment or other failures in
performance he fancied he h a d discovered
here during Sunday’s alert. On the contrary,
there was only blame and censure, which is
not very well calculated to stimulate a “high
morale,” upon which the OCD places em
phasis.
_v_
Lighting In This Area
Within the Wilmington area Army regula
tions governing the character and display of
lights have, on the whole, been observed. Such
exceptions as have been found serve to prove
this claim. And it may be said to the credit
of residents along the shore and in this city
that exceptions are steadily decreasing.
But it must be recognised that only when
all lighting and dimming rules are universally
practic«d can the people of this section consid
er they are doing their duty. One light gleam
ing in a dangerous place or direction could
result in inestimable damage. It is our mani
fest obligation to see that no such light shines.
It is entirely possible that some lights have
been burned with intention to aid the enemy.
There is no more reason to suppose this sec
tion free from enemy agents than any other
coastal area. But for the most part, it ap
pears, infractions of the rules have resulted
from ignorance or misconception of restric
tions. It may be helpful, therefore, to repeat
here the general regulations promulgated by
the Army.
These restrictions, says a bulletin from
Fourth Corps Area headquarters in Atlanta,
apply to all lighting “for a distance of 10
miles inland. . . and for all city lighting in
communities of 5,000 or more inhabitants with
in a distance of 30 miles inland. . .’’They for
bid illuminated signs-neon or othe — flood
lights on buildings or monuments, bright lights
for baseball and football games, race tracks,
tennis courts and “other such places of amuse
ment,” exterior lighting except street lights,
within 500 yards of the coast line, and bonfires
and all other lighting on beaches.
Restrictions on outside lighting require that
street lights must be shaded from above and
blacked out on the seaward side, if visible
from the sea, and where they shine upon re
flecting surfaces must be further shaded or
the reflecting surfaces neutralized. Show win
dows, store fronts, theater fronts, service sta
tions may use only lights reduced to an abso
lute minimum. Lights in all buildings of any
type within 500 yards of the shore must be
blacked out on all sides except that away from
the shore line.
Concerning motor vehicles, the bulletin de
clares none may be used on beaches at night.
Only parking lights will be permitted on ve
hicles within 500 yards of the shore when the
vehicle faces seaward.
As previously acknowledged, these rules, to
gether with the rule requiring dimmers only
be used within the Wrightsville Beach area
east of Airlie’s eastern line, are being gener
ally observed.
This is the best of all times to make sure
that no more violations occur.
-V
Tires For Everybody
This proposal by the rubber industry to sup
ply private needs lor motor vehicle tires lor
two years deserves to be carelully, even sym
pathetically, studied by the federal rationing
authorities, on the score that the men who
make it or neither ignoramuses nor morons
and may possibly know as much about the
rubber situation as the men who have placed
an embargo on the sale ol new tires and strict
rationing ol recaps.
It is certain that they, whose future is as
gravely involved by a possible defeat in this
war as anyone’s, would not wittingly suggest
a program which would jeopardize the United
States war effort.
They estimate that 48,174,000 tires, in addi
tion to those now on the ground, would meet
all needs through June, 1944, and would like to
provide them by placing on open market 4,680,
000 new tires held by dealers and manufac
turers, by recapping 30,291,000 used tires, and
manufacturing 13,223,000 new ones.
The only satisfactory way to determine il
this is leasible is to weigh the amount ol raw,
reclaimed and synthetic rubber they would re
quire against the amounts on hand in the first
two classifications and the total ol the third
to be produced by the expiration ol the two
year period and balance both against the war!
needs. Their plan contemplates the use ol 3,332
>ong tons ol raw, 97,420 long tons ol reclaimed,
2,475 long tons ol butyl and 33,188 tons ol
.hiokol rubber. 11 this quantity can be made
available and the war program still go on
without a rubber bottleneck it ia clearly the
duty of the rationing authorities or other exe
cutives in governmental’s departments to re
move present restrictions on tire sales. ,
The American people are pretty well con
vinced that they are in a war. Rationing not
absolutely essential to the war effort is not
needed to make them war-conscious. There is
[no occasion to keep them walking merely to
persuade them that they have a part in the
war program.
This is not to say that tire rationing is non
essential. We don’t know. It is, however, in
tended to imply that if rationing is being over
done, or if the proposal of tire manufacturers
can be carried out with no harm to the war
effort, the federal authorities having proper
jurisdiction ought to ease off on rationing and
encourage the tire industry to keep motor ve
hicles rolling.
-V
Washington Daybook
BY JACK STINNETT
WASHINGTON, July 22—The Capital in War
time:
He’s the head of the multigraph and mimeo
graph division of one of our war agencies
He called his procurement department and
told them that he had to have, as soon as
possible, a can of talcum powder. (As nearly
as I can get it, it is used as an ink dryer for
rapid duplications.)
A week went by and no can of talcum. After
his fourth frantic call, he was informed: “We
are getting that from the source of supply,
which is the middfe west. It ought to be along
any day now.”
Ten days later, after numerous additional
frantic pleas, the order came through—24 cans
of talcum powder.
The division chief, tearing out his mustache,
whisker at a time, finally got the procurement
boss on the phone. “Why,” he shouted, “24
cans?”
•’We can save a cent a can that way,” pro
curement answered proudly.
The m. and m. division head nearly fainted.
Before hanging up the receiver, he said weak
ly, “But man, don’t you know that 24 cans will
last us exactly 24 years?”
* * •
Few congressmen who have been on the war
front observation lines have made such an im
pression on Washington as (Sen.) Maj. Henry
Cabot Lodge, Jr., who has just returned from
Egypt, where he witnessed first-hand Rom
mel’s drive across the Egyptian-Libyan border.
On the record and off, the Massachusetts
Republican Senator has had a lot to say about
the performance of American tanks, desert
warfare, th eNazi’s 88-mm anti-tank gun, and
the sly strategy of that .wily desert rat, Rom
mel.
Even his on-the record comments have been
most revealing and what he had to report to
the War Department must have been just a
shade short of sensational.
Still, the Senator’s military observations are
just a minor flurry compared to the political
whirlwind he has kicked up.
* • •
It started when Secretary of War Stimson
(Republican, but all-out anti-isolationist) wrote
Senator Lodge (formerly identified as a mem
ber of the isolationist bloc, but No. 1 member
of the upper house to leap into the thick of
war) a highly commendatory letter, suggest
ing that his continued service in the senate
would be most valuable.
Senator Lodge is up for re election. His op
ponent is Rep. Joseph E. Casey (Democrat)
who has been anything but isolationist. The
campaign is a hot one. That letter could be
vitally important.
But no sooner had the Secretary of War
protested that the letter had no political signi
ficance than out came the White House with
instructions to put all congressmen in the
army, navy, etc., on inactive status.
The implication—that military-minded mem
bers of congress are more important in the
legislative body than on the war fronts. 3
-V
Editorial Comment
OPA AND THE FARMER
Fayetteville Observer
Farm prices have climbed 71 per cent dur
ing a period of 33 months according to the
Office of Price Administration and there is a
distinct warning to the farmers in this simple
statement.
It shows that the OPA is turning its eyes
in their direction in its effort to control prices
of commodities and is making out a case for
legislation to put ceilings on prices to be paid
the farmers.
The 33-month period mentioned by the OPA
ended April 1 of this year. That means it
started on July 1, 1939, two months before
Hitler marched into Poland.
During the same period there have also
been drastic increases in wages paid indus
trial workers. This has been less marked in
the wages of workers who have steady em
ployment such as automobile workers and
miners and textile workers and more marked
in the wages of workers who had what might
be called intermittent work such as plumbers
and carpenters and metal workers.
Similarly some farm products have in
creased in price heavily while others have in
creased to a much lesser degree.
Today the advance in farm products, labor
and non-agricultural products, plus increases
in taxes, has resulted in an increase in the
cost of manufactured products.
This cost is butting its head against the
ceilings on retail prices which have been es
tablished by the OPA; and the OPA is com
ing to realize that if the costs of manufacture
increase much more it will have to ask \he
government to subsize manufacturing plants
or will have to crack its own ceilings and
thus bring about an increase in the cost of
living and bring about a further demand on
the part of labor for wage increases and thus
bring about another upward whirl of the dizzy
spiral of price and currency inflation.
Naturally the OPA does not wish to see in
flation: that was what it was created to pre
vent.
Realistically the OPA understands that it
will have a battle on its hands getting Con
gress to vote subsidies for manufacturing
plants.
Immediate problem of the OPA therefore is
to bring a halt to the advancing cost of pro
duction.
It can tackle this either be stabilizing wages
and making industrial workers angry, or by
stabilizing farm prices and making the far
mers angry.
Farmers and workers constitute the bulk of
the American population.
If they are to be called on to make sacri
fices they should be called on to make sacri
fices together and equally.
If the interests of one great class of Ameri
cans is subordinated to the interests of an
other great class of Americans there will be
created a schism in the fabric of American
government which will be unfortunate and
dangerous in the highest degree. 4
-V-i
This is really one war. You cannot entirely
disassociate one area from others. You have
to consider the picture as a whole. You cannot
say you will concentrate on one thing and neg
lect the others, as, for instance, in supplies.—
Dr. Elco N. van Kleffens, Netherlands foreign
minister.
^ „ '
THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN
Civilian Defense
Timetable
BASIC TRAINING COURSES
All courses meet at 8 p. m., In
High School room 109.
Fire Defense A: Every Monday.
General Course: Every Tuesday.
Gas Defense B: Every Wednes
day.
SPECIAL COURSES
Fire Defense B: Thursday July
23, 8:00 p. m. at Fire Dept. Head
quarters, 4th arid Dock St.
MEETINGS
Wrightsboro: Friday, July 24th,
7:45 p. m. at Wrightsboro Baptist
church, Public invited.
Air Raid Wardens, Zone 2 in
City: Thursday, July ,23rd in room
109 High School at 7:30 p. m. All
other Civilian Defense volunteers
living i nthis zone invited to at
tend.
PRACTICE DRILLS
Thursday, July 30. From 8:00
9:30 p. m.
NO BLACKOUT. 3
If you hear or observe anything
suspicious in character report it
promptly to:
Wilmington Police, 5244.
WrightsviUe Beach Police, 7504.
Captain of the Port, 2-2278.
County Defense Council, 3123.
Sheriff, 4£52.
—-V
Factographs
During March, 1942, Toledo O ,
is said to have led all Ohio cities
in employment increases. Its in
crease was 4 per cent.
♦ • *
The inner surface of the lungs
amounts to 90 square meters,
which is about 100 times the skin
surface of the body. 2
* * *
The ancient Greeks collected
pottery made in the earlier Minoan
civilization; the Romans collected
Greek wares. The Italians of the
Renaissance collected Roman
ceramics.
The Washington Merry-Go-Round
By DREW PEARSON
(Major Robert S. Allen On Active Duty)
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IRKED BY SEVEN OLD GENERALS AT
SABOTEURS’ TRIAL; THEIR LACK OF EXPERIENCE IS BLAMED
FOR DRAGGED-OUT PROCEEDINGS; JOHN LEWIS WILL HAVE
CHANCE TO SHOW HOW FAR HE’LL SUPPORT WAR; FRANK
FURTER CORCORAN FEUD JAMS DRUG SHIPMENT TO LATIN
AMERICA.
WASHINGTON, July 22—Private-'
ly, Justice Department officials are
getting more and more irked with
the seven old generals sitting in
judgment on the eight Nazi sabo
teurs. Due to their dilatory tactics,
Justice Department officials say,
the trial dragged on longer than
anyone ever expected.
This is due to the fact that some
of the generals haven’t had any
active law experience for years,
almost never cross-examined a wit
ness in their lives. The trial is
featured by such tedious cross-ex
amination that it almost puts other
persons in the court room to sleep.
Hours and hours also have been
consumed in reading lengthy rec
ords.
At first the Justice Department
sympathized with the War Depart
ment’s idea of secrecy, because it
thought information might be dis
closd which would lead o detec
tion of other spies. But now, Jus
tice officials are inclined to think
that the retired generals wanted
secrecy so no one could see how
rusty they were on law.
Instead of this cumbersome pro
cess, Justice officials say it would
have been far better to have sub
jected the eight Nazis to a good
third degree conducted by skilled
young investigators, and then shot
the saboteurs at sunrise. This will
be the last of these star chamber
proceedings if they can help it.
Since Attorney General
Biddle is one of the prosecutors,
he had to remain at the trial until
6:30 p. m., and then had to conduct
all the Department’s affairs after
that. As a result the Justice De
partmerft’s work has been tied up
in knots.
IT’S UP TO JOHN
Job/ L. Lewis will have an early
opportunity to demonstrate how far
tr
he’s willing to go in support of the
war effort. . »
The War Production Board is se
riously concerned about a coal
shortage next winter; feels the sit
uation will start getting tight about
November unless coal production
is increased. And the only way to
increase it is by longer working
hours in the mains.
So Wendell Lund, head of WPB’s
Labor Division, has written to Tom
Kennedy, secretary - treasurer of
the United Mine Workers, asking
whether the union would agree to
longer hours.
Although the letter went to Ken
nedy, the real decision will be
made by Lewis. So far there’s been
no answer.
DRUGS TO LATINS
Personal jealousies still play a
big part in many Washington de
cision.*, despite the war. For in
stance, one of the bigger and bet
ter bagjrstage feuds is between Jus
tice Felix Frankfurter of the Su
preme Court and his one-time stu
dent, Brain - Truster “Tommy the
Cork” Corcoran.
For years Tommy performed all
sorts of chores for Felix, was the
biggest persuader in getting him
on the Supreme Court. But now the
Justice has turned against Tommy.
This is the main issue involved
in the current fuss about $3,000,000
worth of drugs scheduled to be sent
to Latin-America by Sterling Prod
ucts, former client of Tom Cor
coran.
The Bureau of Economic War
fare okayed the shipment, ruled
that we had agreed under the Good
Neighbor policy to supply Latin
Americans with drugs.
But in the State Department, it
happens that Justice Frankfurter
has placed one of his most potent
and charming satellites — Dean
Acheson, Assistant Secretary of
State. And when the Sterling Prod
ucts export license got over to the
State Department, some of Ache
son’s boys (most of them having
been appointed by Frankfurter)
raised a furor, demanded a Senate
investigation.
Real fact is that Sterling Prod
ucts, now purged of its former Ger
man connections, is doing an A-l,
job in Latin-America. One of its
features is a streamlined version
of the old-time medicine show—in
this case a sound truck equipped
with a motion picture theater and
loud speaker.
The truck travels through vil
lages where no American has ever
penetrated, attracts a crowd, and
then shows propaganda pictures
supplied by the Rockefeller Com
mittee. At the end of the show,
Latins have a chance to buy Sterl
ing Products medicine, but not un
til after they have seen some care 1
fully selected films on U. S. A.
NO LADIES’ HANDBAGS
Last week an official of the Bu- j
reau of Economic Warfare, return- i
mg from South America, bought
his wife an alligator handbag i„ !
Havana. But in Miami, the bag
was taken by Customs officials.
“It’s an order or the Bureau of <
nii0°rf?1C4lWar,are’” Customs re- i
plied to the demand for an ex- i
planation. * ' ’
“But I’m an official of the Bu- ;
reau of Economic Warfare. IM'*
heard of such an order.”
“Sorry, sir, but we’ve got to taw
your handbag.”
Returning to Washington,
BEW official found that Custoffl
was ■ stupidly mistaken on ^
counts. The order was not no.j
BEW but WPB, and it did not ap
ply to handbags. ,
War Production Board naa P
out an order limiting importau *
to essential articles, to conse
shipping space. They had never
tended to restrict anything '
could properly be import lD"
sonal luggage. ,
But Customs, acting hy tv
thumb, declared that
of ladies’ handbags would mi
with the war effort. ...
PATRIOT JAP-AMEEP-'
The War Department toUt
one Japanese internee fee S,the
his enforced confinement a
Mananar. Calif., concert*
camp. They have a letter he
to a friend, & longshorema ■
“The workings of democras ^
clearly demonstrated betor
eyes,” said Karl Yonada,
ternee “There are many “
members here. Every »ne
ciates the treatment g>ve!V j,
t h e government authori11 *
charge. Those of us who arew
ican citizens of Japanese 3
are grateful to our governm®"'
the way this grave question a
cuation is being handled.
difference from Fascist control
:ountries! „^na;n
“We are conducting a ca ^-P ^
>n ‘it’s a sin to waste tm’ a „ jn
saving old newspapers aS " D0St
iwo weeks of operation lne ^[(jS
>ffice sold over $500 in '■>'ar
tnd stajjaiis.”
The Literary Guidepost
By JOHN SELBY
“THE JUST AND THE UN
JUST,” by James Gould Cozzens
(Harcourt, Brace; $2.50).
James Gould Cozens” “The Just
and the Unjust” is the longest and
the most complicate^ novel he has
written. It attempts to do mere
than any of the others, and it suc
ceeds. It has been made the Aug
ust Book-of-the-Month, and will
therefore have very wide distribu
tion. But if this were not so, it
may be doubted whether the pub
lic would fling any huge amount
of money into Mr. Cozzens’ pock
ets, for the novel is difficult read
ing.
The author uses a very old de
vice, that of a murder trial in
progress. The trial is only the
framework upon which Mr. Cozz
ens hangs a description of a
whole town, and that is meant
literally. There must be hundreds
of characters, and each of these
important or otherwise, is de
scribed down to the last shoelace.
Since even the least important
people are thus minutely pre
sented (even the court tipstaffs,
the boy in the all-night lunch
room who appears only once, the
proprietor of a roadhouse who
also is seen one time only) the
balance of the novel as a whole is
precarious. The reader is constant
-—--- ... --- - I
ly expending his energy in blind
alleys.
The next most difficult condition
has to do with Mr. Cozzens and
his charmed View of the law. He
must have studied intensely, for a
third of the book is a discussion
of the law and its application,
sometimes its application to things
completely outside the framework
of the novel. Even after the book
is done, there is a nine-page scene
in which old Judge Coates ana
hzes certain legal maters
Some other things might be
mentioned chiefly the extreme
dullness of the hero’s love affair
But the reader will find that out
oi the fog emerge beautifully
!frr- P1Ct"res of Ab- assistant
district attorney upon whom the
non! Clnters; of Marty. the clever,
cool, efficient district attorney: of
the criminals themselves; of the
two Judges; 0f much of the tQwn
He will know the town spiritually
as well as physically, and he will
have a changed and valuable con
ception of the law and its diffi
.,FmaI1y> he will respect
riIJ ,maSnship of ‘he author
£ for even « there is much
’.evan .confusing, work in
wh 00^’ good work
when viewed independently. Mr.
ThrmvaS ’’w’iJ13'1 a miid attack of
-Thomas Wolfishness. 4
Interpreting
The War
Russian Situation Grat(
If Nazis Claims Are
On Crossing Of Qon
KIRKE I, SIMPSnv.
Wide World War Anal™
The gravity of the situs?
Russia is underscored ?: «
Nazis’ boasts that they have
ed the lower Don on a wide?!'
east of the Donets confluej?
If that is true, Marshal \
shenko’s position on the lee)'5
of his 300 mile Don battle
critical. A Nazi surge 3
along the left bank of the Don
force a precipitate Russian!? v
from the whole nortnwesJ fi: i
tor of the Caucasus to *'•
circlement. "v- «>•
Timoshenko’s main reliant,.
its defense is the wideniwC
Don below the Donets coiifK
tothe/e“°'Azov- T»atft
span of the Don, with its mul?
mouths west of Rostov form,T
strongest natural barrier to J?
anied attack discernible on ?
whole 2,000 mile Nanji
front.
The German claim to
breached the Don narrows hi.
UP above the Donets junctor
miles east of Rostov indicate
an attempt to out-flank the m"
Red defenses of the Caucasus £
fore Timoshenko’s troops had
settled down behind that bath?
for a last stand. Not only Rostov
on the right bank of the river br
access to the system of railroad
highways and pipelines that lead
up from the south to cross the Dor.
at that point is in imminent peril
The situation is no more brink
eastward. A Nazi surge up the let
bank of the Don from the claimed
crossings would carry them to the
Volga southeast of Stalingrad and
mean a complete rupture between
Russian forces in the Caucasus and
those driven behind the Jow^rVol.
ga with theii flank on the Caspian.
That now appears the major de
sign of the German offensive, ani
it is terribly close to realization. ‘
Because many details are lack-'
ing, it is almost impossible to trace
the battlefront on the lower Dor,
or to gauge The extent of Russian
peril although Moscow admits it is
great. It seems possible that what
the Germans call a Red collapse
in the Rostov sector is in fact the
beginning of a Russian evacuati*
of the right bank of the Done |
that point, including the main pc- |
tion of Rostov city itself which lie f
on that (north) bank.
The loss of Rostov has been in
dicated for several days. From this i:
distance it looks as though Time- ,
shenko had held it against three
converging Nazi columns only to
cover a general withdraw/ south
of the river.
The Don moat, from the Donets
confluence to the sea of Aw, and
the water hazard extending to the
narrow Kerch strait which separ
ates the Caucasus and the Crimea,
is the prime Russian defense front
for the Caucasus. The fall of Ros
tov would impair it. but not nec
essarily mean its collapse.
That is not true of the Donets
Konstahtinovskya gateway to to
Caucasus. If the Germans have
broken through it in force, the
plight of the Russians on the south
ern end of the Don front is critic:
beyond words. Neither Kussi:
counter attacks far up the Don j
the Voroneh-Don wedge, or err
a limited Anglo American secorc*
front diversion, could greatly af
fect the lower Don situation soc;
enough. Timoshenko must halt ths
thrust himself if it is to be halted
Is That So!
,__j
Radio studio audience during to
summer months can keep their ap
plause technique ir, good form t
swatting mosquitoes.
■ * * *
The best way to spend your»
cation this yaer, says Zadoij
Dumbkopf, is to skip it until aftc|
the war. __