Served By Leased Wire Of The
associated press
news and features
With Complete Coverage Of
State And National News
i^T79—NO. 94 ------
—— ' ~ ~~ "— . ESTABLISHED 1867
Dakar Gives ‘Safety Zone’ For Allied Supply Lines
■. ..... i.^.rrmiu^
Now that the important port of Dakar (A) has become available to the United Nations as a transport
base, ail of French \Vest Africa and French North Africa, with the exception of Tunisia, becomes an Al
lied camp. The lined area oil this map denotes the vast extent of the territory. It also gives the Allies
a valuable base for guarding sea supply lanes (black arrows) to Africa and Suez. Moreover, it shortens
considerably the route for flying bombers to the African battle zones and provides a port from which to
battle the Axis l -boat menace in the South Atlantic. The net effect is to make easier the problem of
supplying Allied armies fighting near Tunis and Bizerte (1) and near El Agheiia.
Population Of City Set
At 90,000 By Officials
- .
Wilmington is estimated to have
a population of 90,000 at present
End New Hanover county, includ
ing Wilmington 120,000. exclusive
oi Army personnel, F. O. Focklei,
secretary of the local chamber of
commerce, told members of the
House Small Business committee
Friday morning in Charlotte, where
a special study is being made ol
wai problems in the south.
The Congressional committee
hearing was scheduled to learn
first hand from the various com
munities of North Carolina just
how the War Industrial program is
affecting the state.
‘Our problems in Wilmington, in
all probability, will appear quite
diiferent from any other com
munity in North Carolina, and with
few exceptions, in the south,”
Foekled told the Congressional
tommittee.
He first pointed to Wilmington
as it appeared two years ago with
a population in 1940 of 33.407, and
New Hanover county, including the
city. 47.937.
"Our port, one of our most val
uable assets as always and on its
way to becoming increasingly more
important, handled $70,0000,000 to
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3)
tr
YOUTH ARRESTED
FOR THEFT HERE
E. J. Bellamy, White, In
Custody Charged With
$470 Wallet Robbery
E. J. Bellamy, 19-year-old white
youth was apprehended by investi
gating officers Harry E. Fales
and Sergeant W. D. Thompson
late Friday night, and charged
with assault and highway robbery
when he made a full confession
to the robbery of $470 belonging
to T. N. Tillis, railroad boiler
maker.
The officers said that Bellamy
tad S238 in his possession when
he was arrested, and that he had
spent over $100 Friday in down
town stores on clothes and a wrist
watch.
Bellamy, living at 308 South
Second street, came here Wed
nesday from Fayetteville. Fales
®d Thompson said Friday night
that he had been placed in jail,
pd a hearing would be scheduled
m Recorer’s court as soon as Mr.
'Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
WEATHER
vac Forecast:
*i°n todav CAROLINA- Rain east P°r'
(Eastern Standard Time)
-,, tB-v l>. s. Weather Bureau)
eJi.„°-oiigical data for the 24 hours
.,;30 p. m., yesterday.
,Temperature
ni "a,,m" 51; 7:30 a. m., 51; 1:30 p.
mi’‘ ;30 p. m.. 52. Maximum, 60;
mi»imum, 48; mean. 54; normal 50.
i Humidity
ti * m., 92; 7:30 a. m„ 96; 1:30 p.
‘6: 7:30 p. m., 98.
Total . Precipitation
IU no. ?r the 24 hours ending 7:30 p.
■ “-08 inches.
107° it ,since the first of the month,
u| inches.
Tides For Today
v'Hmington -;T 12:51a L°:58a
^tonboro Inlet __ lUlTa *:46a
■Moo,. , 11:40p 5:31p
° c 5 Inlet _ 11:22a 4.:51p
Jfev- T„ , ll:45p a :36p
> lopsai! Inlet_ 11:27a 4:56a
,V„ - ll:50p 3:41p
Al‘ Eastern Standard)
Continued on Page Two; Col. 2)
WARNING GIVEN
FOR BLACKOUTS
Citizens Defense Corps No
tified To Prepare For
Surprise Raid Test
The New Hanover Citizens’ De
fense Corps was notified Friday
to be prepared for surprise black
outs to be called by the Fighter
Command as and when desired,
Commander C. David Jones said.
The North Carolina Shipbuilding
company will be exempt from par
ticipation in the practice blackout,
he said. The shipyard |jas pre
viously participated in five prac
tice drills, and as a result has per
fected a strong defense, organiza
tion for its plant which will en
able It to blackout within one
minute of receipt of the warning
signal.
Because of defense corps and
work being so vital to the war ef
fort, the shipbuilding company has
been declared exempt, he stated.
The state director of OCD re
ported to Commander Jones that
North Carolina is in a state of
preparedness for the surprise black
outs, and that “1tTe are now ready
for the real test. Henceforth, the
drills will he under exactly the
same circumstances that will be
met in real alerts, if we are in
vaded without warning.”
Commander Jones stated that
when the signal is flashed by the
district air raid warning officer,
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 5)
T T
C. Of C. Wrapping
Service Big Aid
To Mail Services
Wilbur Dosher, postmaster,
said Friday that the wrapping
service at the Chamber of
Commerce had helped greatly
in relieving the conjestion at
the postoffice windows, in the
mailing of Christmas packages.
Packages wrapped at the
Chamber of Commerce mailing
center are already completely
stamped and wrapped for mail
ing when they arrive at the
Postoffice. This means there
is no delay in getting them
started to their destinations.
Mr. Dosher stated tliat peo
ple seemed to be cooperating
with the “mail efrly” request,
and that no official check had
yet been made as to how many
Christmas parcels had been re
ceived by post office workers,
the real check would probably
be made sometime next week.
EX-SERVICEMAN
NEEDS AID HERE
Invalid And Family Wait
Patiently For A Bit
Of Chirstmas Cheer
A serviceman from the last
World War, his wife, and his five
children are looking to the Empty
Stocking fund for their Christmas
cheer, Captain James Neighbours
said Friday. This veteran of the
1918 campaign is in the hospital,
and the entire income for his fam
ily is in the form of a small pen
sion check, Inadequate for the
needs of seven persons.
If it was now Christmas night,
there would be only two dollars
for food, clothing, medicine, and
toys for each of the 100 families
to be covered by the Empty Stock
ing fund in 1942 — not nearly
enough. The pennies, the nickels,
the dollars that some readers have
already sent in are being put to
good use, but more of them are
wanted if every stocking in the
(Continued on Page Three; Col, 7)
_\r_
S. S. POCAHONTAS
TO BE PUNCHED
Virginia Students To Take
Part In Sponsoring Of
Liberty Ship Here
The fine participation of Virginia
school children in the recent na
tion-wide scrap metal campaign will
be recognized Sunday afternoon at
the North Carolina Shipbuilding
company as it launches the Poca
hontas, named by the youngsters,
with a delegation from the Old
Dominion state present as the
guests of honor.
The privilege of selecting a name
for the Liberty ship was given the
young salvage collectors as reward
for their good work in the cam
paign. It will be the second built
here w'hose name was proposed in
that manner.
According to arrangements made
by shipyard officials, the exercises
will open about 3:30 o’clock.
The program will include pres
entation of the second Maritime
commission Gold star to the ship
yard for continued outstanding
achievement in production of Lib
erty ships. The award will be
made by Morales C. Vendig, resi
dent plant engineer of the com
mission at the shipyard. The com
pany received the commission’s
$80,000,000 annually in business.
Our population had remained at a
fairly level point over a period of
a good many years, our industries
employment remained steady ex
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 5)
Fuel Rationing Coupon
Work Will End Shortly
“We expect to get the majority
of the fuel rationing cards out by
pext Thursday, December 18,” O.
H. Shoemaker, chairman of the
local war price and rationing
board, said Friday.
Mr. Shoemaker urged citizens to
hold fast to their fuel coupons,
for once lost they cannot be re
placed. “We have been issuing
fuel ration for only 48 hours now.”
the chairman declared, “and al
ready two persons have lost their
coupons. Money can t buy tnem
any more.”
The war price and rationing
board further advised: Improper
and impatient conduct in the ration
office may cause a person’s title
to all rationed products to be en
tirely removed; there have already
been revocations because of un
sightly conduct.
Mr. Shoemaker reiterated that
his board cannot allow extra gaso
line for funerals, for Christmas
driving, or for furloughs. ‘‘This
order is final,” he said.
'RMAN COLUMNS HURLED BACK
LUES IN TUNISIAN ENCOUNTER;
RUSSIANS DESTROY AXIS TRANSPORTS
REDS ADVANCING
Occupy Heights Of ‘Stra
tegic Importance’ Near
Velikie Lukie
36 TANKS DESTROYED
60 Large German Troop
Planes Knocked Down
In Stalingrad Sector
MOSCOW, Saturday, Dec.
12.—(/P)—The Russians have
destroyed 60 more big Axis
;ransport planes in the Stal
ingrad area, making a total
of 133 in four days, and the
Red army has “occupied
heights of considerable tacti
cal importance” in the area
of Velikie Luki on the froz
en central front, the Soviets
announced early today.
The midnight communique
said the Russians destroyed
36 Nazi tanks and killed
more than 1,000 Germans du
ring yesterday’s operations
which were marked with re
peated German counter-at
tacks on both fronts and
Russian consolidation of po
sitions wrested from the en
emy.
Not Much Change
Aside fronj the “violent engage
ments” near Velikie Luki which
resulted in the capture of impor
tant hiHtops, the Russian bulletin
did not mention any changes in
the general situation.
Fighting a steady war of attri
tion apaid snow storms after the
early momentum of their twin of
fensives had slackened, the Rus
sians appeared still to be trying
to encircle and reduce the two
German strongholds of Velikie
Luki and Rzhev on the central
front northwest of Moscow. Seg
ments of the railroad highway be
twen the two points were report
ed to have been recaptured by
the Russians weeks ago.
But the Germans still were coun
ter-attacking in most sectors. The
communique said several Nazi
efforts were beaten down yester
day near Rzhev where the Ger
mans lost 21 tanks and several
hundred men. The enemy also
lost heavily in numerous charges
across the snow near Velikie Luki,
it was said.
Two Nazi infantry companies
also were reported wiped out and
five tanks disabled on the eastern
bank of the Don river northwest
of Stalingrad. The Germans lost
seven more tanks, all they em
(Contlnued on Page Three; Col. 3)
17
MANY U. S. BONDS
SOLD IN REGION
Victory Fund Group Re
veals $435,657.50 To
tal In Issues Bought
According to figures received
yesterday from the Federal Re
serve Bank of Richmond, by mem
bers of the Victory Fund commit
tee here, a total of $435,657.50 in
government securities, exclusive
of series E war bonds, were sold
in this region from November 30
through December 5.
Officials of the committee here
said Friday, that these figures did
not include bonds purchased by
commercial banks, which indi
response from individuals, firms,
^Continued on Eage Two; Col. 7)
-V
Fire Chief Expects
To Report On Probe
Into Hazards Here
Chief Ludie Croom of the
fire department announced
Friday that data from his fire
inspectors is being turned in to
him, and he would probably
have a report next week on the
results of the inspection.
Chief Croom had previously
announced the undertaking by
his department of an inspection
for the purpose of determining
if all public gathering places
in the city had adequate fire
proof facilities.
Chief Croom said Friday that
his inspection was also includ
ing all hotels, rooming and
boarding houses, downtown
stores, and night clubs.
Water No Barrier To U. S. Troops In New Guinea
- ' —***■ 1 ■ -
United States soldiers, laden with packs and follivved by native porters, wade into a turbulent junp^
stream in New Guinea in their advance toward .Japanese bases on the northeastern shore of the island
Allied forces have driven a hole in Jap lines and have reached the beach near Buna, principal Japanese
base in that area.
Repeated Jap Attempts To Break
Out Of New Guinea Trap Repelled
___M - .. _A_
JAPANESE STAB
AT YUNNAN LINE
About 6,000 Troops Be
gin Offensive Against
Chinese Defenders
CHUNGKING. Dec. -11—Vet
eran Japanese troops, with fresh
reserves from Burma, are stab
bing repeatedly at the far-flun‘g
Chinese lines defending the moun
tainous heart of Yunnan province
from invasion, the high command
reported tonight.
About 6,000 Japanese, striking in
three columns, began offensive op
erations December 6 against Chi
nese forces in western Yunnan in
the area north of Tengyueh and
west of the Salween river’s upper
gorge, a communique said.
The report did not specify wheth
er the fighting, heavy the first
twc days and still continuing, was
the start of the large-scale enemy
drive that an army spokesman
here had forecast would be made
with Kunming, Yunnan’s capital,
as its ultimate objective.
Resisting fiercely, ngntiy-armea
Chinese infantrymen were said to
have held their lines in the face
of repeated Japanese assaults. Ri
fle and machine-gun fire checked
a series of ight charges Decem
ber 7.
The old Burma road to Kunming
runs south of the Tengyueh area,
where hostilities have resumed, but
a Japanese advance across the
Salween there would constitute an
out-flanking of Chinese forces
along the road. Thus far the ene
my apparently had not penetrated
beyond the small slice of Yunna
nese territory which was occupied
after the fall of Burma last spring.
Since Burma’s conquest, scores
ot American army transports have
been flying lease-lend supplies
from India to China across Yun
nan, with Kunming as a refueing
point.
From Chekiang province, the
high command said, came news
of a considerable Japanese re
verse. Seven thousand troops of
a puppet Chinese command joined
Nationalist forces last week and
(Continued on Page Col. 4)
NOTICE!
If your carrier fails to
leave your copy of the Wil
mington Morning Star,
Phone 3311 before 9:00 a.
m. and one will be sent to
you by special messenger.
Allied Hold On Narrow
Beach Head Impregnable
To Enemy Assault
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
AUSTRALIA Saturday, Dec. 12—(lP)
—Repeated Japanese attempts to
break out of the Allied lines pin
ning them on a narrow strip of
New Guinea coast in the Buna
area have been “bloodily repuls
ed,” the Allied high command re
ported today.
The Japanese struck south of
Sanananda, between Buna and
Gona, but, as on the previous day
when they counter-attacked in
vain, they were unsucessful in
breaking the allied hold.
The allied command reported
that Japanese planes dropping sup
plies operated over the Buna area
yesterday.
“South of Sanananda, the enemy
repeatedly counter-attacked but
we.s bloodily repulsed,” the noon
communique from General Douglas
MacArthur reported regarding the
'Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
1T
HITLER CONTINUES
PARTY DOMINATION
Nazi Chief Carries PoKcy
Step Further Following
Staff Shake-Up
LONDON. Dev. 11. — tPl—Adolf
Hitler carried the policy of Nazi
party domination over Germany a
stride forward today following the
shakeup of the high command
which has made Gestapo-trained
General Kurt Zeitzler the chief of
the general staff.
A decree broadcast from Berlin
by DNB said Gauleiters, heretofore
simply district party leaders, hence
forth would have the authority of
district defense commissioners. As
such they are responsible to no one
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 4)
BIG ARMY BOMBER
UNLUCKY TO JAPS
Flying Fortress Knocks
Down 5 Zeros Over
New Georgia Island
WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 — UP) —
A lone Army Flying Fortress re
cently fought off 15 Japanese Zero
fighters over the island of New
Georgia, destroying five of them,
and returned safely to its base,
the Navy announced today.
A communique reporting this in
cident announced also that the aux
iliary cargo ship Alchiba, a 6,198
ton vessel taken over from the
Ivioore-McCormack lines had been
sunk in the Solomons area by ene
my action.
Reports reaching here indicated
that only three men were lost
in the destruction of this ship and
those were listed as missing. The
skipper, Commander Jarftes Shep
herd Freeman, 42, of Jasper, Ala.,
was reported to have survived.
The communiques gave no de
tails of the encounter between the
Flying Fortress and the squadron
of enemy fighter planes except1 to
say the big Army bomber was
on a reconnaissance flight ov-r
New Georgia, inathe central Solo
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
Mayor You) Named
Director Of N. C.
Municipal League
Mayor Edgar L. Yow has
recently been appointed League
director for the third district
of the North Carolina League
of Municipalities, to fill the
unexpired term of Hargrove
Bellamy.
The acting executive secre
tary of the League informed
Mayor ¥ ow of his appoint
ment in a letter, a copy of
which was received by the
Star Friday.
Axis Temporarily Loses
Initiative, Declares FR
WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.— M* —
President Roosevelt said today
that the Axis has lost the initiative
on a global scale “temporarily at
least,” ana revealed that Ameri
can troops overseas will toral more
can troopS overseas will total more
month.
At the same time he reported
that lend-lease assistance to Amer
ica’s allies aggregated $2,367,000,
000 in the quarter which ended
on November 30. The figure was
almost a third greater than that
'for the preceding quarter, he said,
and represented an annual rate of
$10,000,000,000 or about 15 per cent
of the nation’s over-all war ex
penditures.
Mr. Roosevelt informed Congress
of these developments in his sev
enth quarterly report on lend-lease
progress, a document which placed
heavy emphasis upon the interde
pendence of all the United Na
tions, a necessity for a “single
world strategy,” and joint oper
ations both in the war zones and
(Continued on Page Three; Col. *)
‘ AIRCRAFT ACTIVE
New Fighter Planes Play
Big Part In Stop
ping Nazis
FOE’S TANKS DISABLED
Many Armored Units Left
Behind In Retreat Of
Enemy ' Troops
LONDON, Dec. 11.—(/P)
— (Delayed) — Newly-arriv
ed fighter planes, hitting in
perfect coordination with Al
lied ground troops, played a
big part yesterday in stop
ping and hurling back twin
Axis armored columns that
struck at the Allied Tunisian
base of Medjez El Bar, 35
miles southwest of Tunis.
One of the Axis columns
lashing out in a threatening
flanking movement to the
main Allied forces before Te
bourba was struck by a sharp
allied counter - attack and
driven back with the loss of
a number of tanks, a report
from Allied headquarters re
ported.
Get Concerted Blasting
The second Nazi column, ap
proaching from the east, was per
mitted within 2,000 yards of Med
zej El Bab before it came under
a concerted blasting from Allied
tanks, artillery, infantry and air
craft and was gent reeling from
the field, leaving a “substantial
number” of its tanks behind. In
both clashes Allied tank lostes
were said to have been “much
lower” than tho>e of the enemy.
I An Allied spokesman was lanrish
in praise of the aerial support
giving the defending forces, say
ing that fighter planes swooped to
attack the Nazis quickly after the
battle began and “strafed the ene
my like hell.”
Both U. S. fighting planes and
British Spitfires participated in the
assault on the retreating Germans,
■ he said, while American forces in
i General Grant tanks “distinguish
ed themselves.”
After repulsing the twin attacks
the Allies were said to be still
in possession of high ground north
. east of Medjez El Bab, and the
result of the day’s fighting was
described as “encouraging.”
, The Allied spokesman acknowl
edged that American and British
' forces in recent days had with
drawn from the crescent-shaped
line which they had held between
1 Tebourba and Mateur and said
that their line between those two
. (Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
OPA HEAD DEFENDS
FUEL RATION IDEA
Henderson Says Compli
cated Program Good Job
Done In A Hurry
WASHINGTON, Dec. 11. — W) —
Price Administrator Leon Hender
son defended his system of fuel oil
rationing today after a Senate
committee had said the complex
formula would render many homes
“uninhabitable” in winter months.
Henderson addressed his re
marks to a press conference after
DATES EXTENDED
NEW YORK, Dec. 11——
The dates of expiration of fuel
oil ration coupons numbered
one and two have been extend
ed one week each, the Office
of Price Administration an
nounced here today.
the Senate’s special defense inveS'
tigating committee had issued a
report in which it agreed that
fuel oil rationing was “absolute
ly essential^’ but deplored the for
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 7)
Shopping iaus
till Christinas