[sss j Umuujtmt itntuuj ^fau* iEH“
^ 1 ~ ------ • WILMINGTON, N. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1943 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867.
OPA WILL REVISE
POINT VALUES OF
RATIONED FOODS
0 LOWER UNITS
flange Thought To Bring
^out Reduced Cost
Per Can In Coupons
TO beannounced
Complete Details Of New
plan Will Be Made Pub
lic Sunday Morning
WASHINGTON, March 25.
V)_The Office of Price
idministration announced to
£ that a new table of
"■nt values for processed
Lts and vegetables — be
eved substantially lower
than pt'esoift coupon costs—
rfl be announced in Sunday
morning newspapers. .
disclosure w<is made Iri
statement advising store
keepers wholesalers and oth
L in the food business to
Lpiy at their post offices
'llondav morning for copies of
be pew chart, which will go
into effect April 1.
No Discussion of Change
While OPA officials declined to
discuss just what changes have
been made, they indicated that
numerous reductions will be made
in the point values of various
binds cf cans, bottles, and pack
ages—especially fruits and large
sizes ci other products.
These changes have been based
on the first few weeks’ experience
y:ith actual consumer purchases
of rationed fruits and vegetables.
Canners r.r.d store keepers have
complained generally that the pub
lic his not been buying canned
foods since the rationing began
Ibecauso the point values are too
ligh.
However, it is likely that in a
jfew cases, point values may be
increased because some items are
slag faster than they can be
Maced on store shelves.
OPA officials said the adjust
nent of point values is a normal
thing, which may be repeated from
lime to time as conditions change,
the first adjustment, however,
may be more general than later
ones because the original point
vilies, wir'ch went into effect on
feh 1, were based only on sta
tes and estimates, whereas now
OPA has actual experience to
Slide it.
Because or these imminent
[changes, most housewives may re
frain from using any of their April
fruit or vegetable coupons until
tte new points become effective.
Tie April stamps—the blue stamps
lettered D, E. and F in ration
look two — became valid today,
but do not have to be spent until
I* end rf April.
for the next six days, consuwi
!rs are permitted if they wish, to
Jse some of their April stamps
with the rest of their March
stamps to buy fruits and vegeta
ns The March stamps must be
wd by the end of this month or
"ev become worthless.
Tr.c new point value chart be
^'spared for stores will have
U'in'ed on the back the new point
alueo for meat, cheese, and fats
llld •*!* rationing of which begins
!® Monday.
rationing starts with the
M ^ stamps in the same coupon
:fk- but the first four weekly al
J‘mprt; of meat stamps will re
r,a;n available until April 30. Thus,
, ‘be second week of meat ra
!on*n’ left-over A stamps can be
:sed along with B stamps, with
ttbilar carry overs in the third
™ fourth weeks. No . expiration
,te bas been set yet for the
of the fifth week, which
:il start a few days before the
;s»Ps of the first four weeks ex
ire.
Public Is Requested
To Bring Donations
To Red Cross Office
Gasoline limitations are pre
venting some Red Cross solici
tors from reaching all the homes
in the community, and citizens
who have not been contacted
are therefore asked to bring
their Red Cross contributions to
headquarters in the Tide Water
Power company show room,
War Fund Director Walker Tay
lor said Thursday night.
“Don’t wait to be called on,”
is the request from officials.
Although officials of the cam
paign are optimistic, they em
phasize that only two days of
the drive remain, and that over
$10,000 is still needed to meet
the $35,000 goal.
At the count Thursday night,
the war fund neared the $25,000
mark.
Collections Thursday amount
ed to $1,958.68, it was revealed.
BATTLE UNDERWAY
OVER RUML PLAN
Stormy Session Opens In
House With Both Sides
Hurling Charges
WASHINGTON, March 25.—W)—
The battle on the Ruml plan open
ed on the House floor today in a
storm of adjectives and invective,
with the skip-a-tax-year proposal
alternately praised as the only
“fair and practicable” pay-as-you
go plan and condemned as an im
moral "tax heresy.”
Rep. Doughton (D.-N. C.) 79
year-old chairman of the Ways
and Means committee, lambasted
the Ruml proposal for two hours
with all the words and wit at his
command, at one time calling it
a “super-super monstrous mon*
strosity.” It bears the same rela
tion to sound tax policy, he said,
as “infidelit ydoes to true Bible
religion.”
Rep. Knutson (R.-Minn.). lead
ing the Republican fight for the
plan, countered by describing the
“no abatement” tax collection bill
drawn by the committee as "a
wonderous concoction of guile, bile
and rile.”
While the speakers exhausted
their vocabulary, coakrooms buzz
ed with talk of possible compro
mises. Blonde Rep. Clare Booth
Luce (R.-Conn.) came forward
with a plan under which taxes for
1942 would be cancelled on income
(Continued on Page Eight; Col. 5)
San Francisco Gives
Madame Chiang Great
Welcome With Parade
SAN FRANCISCO, March 25.
_UP)—Vivid, sunlit colors of
flags and costumes flashed
against the lush green of San
Francisco’s civic center as thou
sands of Chinese paraded for
more than an hour today past
a flower-banked city hall bal
cony to welcome Madame Chi
ang Kai-shek.
The wife of the Chinese gen
eralissimo told them and ad
ditional thousands in the square
that the welcome “has literal
ly left me speechless and
breathless.”
Led by units of the Army,
Navy, Marines and R. O. T.
C., and trailed by Red Cross
nurses units, Chinese of all
ages marched with eyes upon
their heroine.
In a brief talk accepting the
key to the citly, she said the
Golden Gate, whose "two
bridges looked from west to
east and spanned from north
to south, was a symbol of
eternal friendship and under
standing betwen our two peo
ples.” _
Continue To Seize Addi
tional Points In Push
On Smolensk
FOE NEAR KHARKOV
Soviet Unit Outflanks Ene
my And Knocks Out
Complete Garrison
LONDON, Friday, March
26. — (/P) — Russian troops
have overpowered another
German strongpoint and cap
tured additional villages in the
central front drive toward
Smolensk while repulsing
Axis efforts to crack their
defensive line east of Khar
kov in the Ukraine, Moscow
announced early today.
One Soviet column pushing
on Smolensk was near Duk
hovschino, 32 miles northeast
of the central front anchor,
and another was operating
near Dorogobuzh, 50 miles
east of the big base, but the
midnight communique did not
locate the areas in which the
villages were seized.
Short Skirmish Occurs
The bulletin, recorded by the
Soviet monitor, said one Soviet
unit outflanked a Nazi strongpoint
knocking out its garrison in a
short skirmish which ended in the
capture of an undisclosed num
ber of prisoners, an ammunition
dump, three guns, and a quantity
of rifles and hand grenades.
In the Belgorod-Chuguev sectors
above and below Nazi-held Khar
kov the Russians said German at
tacks had collapsed.
Around Gelgorod, 50 miles north
of Kharkov, the communique said,
that moj;e than 100 German auto
matic riflemen were killed when
a Nazi oompany of them attempt
ed to cross a water barrier. Soviet
artillery also disabled five tanks,
five anti-tanks guns, and dispersed
and annihilated part of an enemy
infantry battalion.
North of Chuguev, 22 miles south
east of Kharkov along the Russian
held Donets river defense line, the
(Continued on Page TwY>; Col. 6)
PRIORITY GIVEN
FOR SEWER UNE
WPB Grants Rating For
Pipe Extension To Maf
fitt Village Area
Materials for the construction of
sewer lines to serve the new di
visions of Maffitt Village have
been granted AA-3 preferential pri
ority rating by the War Production
Board, Kenneth Markwell, of Rich
mond, regional director of the
Federal Works Agency advised the
local FWA office Thursday.
Plans call for 6,000 feet of out
fall sewer, construction, of which
is scheduled to begin next Monday.
Contract to build the sewer line
was awarded to the A. H. Guion
company by the Federal Works
Ageney in February.
According to local FWA officials,
the project should be completed
within 90 days.
It is anticipated that work on
the water, line which will serve
the same area will start next
week, and that construction will
require 60 to 90 days for comple
tion. The priority rating for the
water line was granted by WPB
earlier this week.
Plans cali for approximately 13.
000 feet of 12-inch and 16-inch
cast-iron main to be installed along
Carolina boulevard, to extend the
city’s water distribution system to
the federal housing projects._
City Is Plunged Into Total Darkness
By 40 Minute Surprise Blackout Test
W'ilmington and southeastern
1,1 lfl < : ■ lina were plunged into
lil:ntS!= ]ast night (Thursday) for
^■minute test blackout that came
v* complete surprise to OCD of
t!'s arid citizens alike,
he city’s air raid sirens sounded
■■ the first blue signal at 8:50 p.
" all-clear was given at 9:30
■ m.
Rights over the city blinked out
ori' slowly than in the previously
ht’unced test blackout last Thurs
! olgl.i hut by the time the sl
"Piled again for the red sig
;it S:07 )T) the city, as seen
I''10 lop of the Cape Fear ho
"p" darker than for last week’s
OCD officials said that the re
sponse to the test was excellent.
Marvin Tresley of 109% Princess
street, was arrested by a city radio
car during the first blue period near
the intersection of Second and
Princess streets. He was charged
with speeding 30 miles an hour dur
ing the blue period when a 15-mile
per-hour speed is permitted.
Police headquarters said that con
trary to all instructions and re
quests to leave telephone wires
clear for official use during black
outs, the switchboard at headquar
ters’ was flooded with calls from
citizens inquiring about the reality
of the. blackout.
Brooks Cash grocery at Water
and Dock streets the Esso Service
station at Second and MarKet
streets and 409 North Fifth street
were listed by headquarters as fail
ing to extinguish lights during the
blackout. *
Neither the city police depart
ment nor the state highway patrol
reported any accidents during the
surprise test.
Chief of Police Charles H. Casteen,
chief air raid warden for the Wil
mington Air Raid Warning district
which embraces 10 southeastern
North Carolina counties, said the
surprise blackout was a success
throughout his district.
Lights in residences over* the city
and in the business district began to
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3)
ty
Papuan Advance
Allied troops occupied the Main
bare River Valley area, 40 miles
north of Buna and within 100 miles
of _ Jap-held Saiamaua, in New'
Guinea. Meanwhile, Gasmata air
field, on the south coast of New
Britain, was hit with 2000-ton bombs.
Also hit were Finschafen, Lae and
Madang. Japs raided Milne Bay.
TWO JAP VESSELS"
HIT AT AMBOINA
Allied Airmen Bomb Ene
my Cargo Ships With
Many Explosives
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
AUSTRALIA, Friday, March 26.—
M1)—Allied airmen attacking two of
the strongest Japanese bases in
the southwest Pacific scored hits
on two enemy cargo ships at Am
boina, and dumped a great weight
of explosives, including one - ton
bombs, on Rabaul where six hours
later smoke plumes still were ris
ing 3,000 feet above the burning
wreckage, the Allied command an
nounced today.
Liberators were used in both at
tacks, and the smash at Rabcul
found the four-motored bombers
raining explosives on the base for
two hours without encountering any
fighter interception, although anti
aircraft fire was intense.
“Large fires and heavy explo
sions were seen along the north
ern shore of the harbor,” the com
munique said of this raid.
“Six hours later one of our re
connaissance planes over the area
observed smoke and flames from
waterfront fires rising to 3,000
feet.”
The New Britain base of Ra
baul northeast of Australia was
the target for a mass raid three
days ago when 54 tons of bombs
were dropped on 250 Japanese
planes found parked on three air
dromes there. A substantial num
ber of the planes were believed
to have been destroyed or dam
aged in that raid.
Amboina island is in the Banda
sea some 600 miles north of Aus
tralia and its principal harbor
once was a big Dutch naval base.
“Our heavy bombers attacked
the enemy-occupied town and ship
ping in the harbor,” reported the
noon communique from General
Douglas MacArthur.
“Direct hits with 500 - pound
bombs were scored on two enemy
cargo vessels of 8,000 and 6,000
tons and large fires were started
in the wharf building area.”
The big Japanese naval and air
plane base at Rabaul, on the
northern tip of New Britain island
500 miles northeast of the Allied
base of Port Moresby, New Guinea
was raided for two hours by Al
lied heavy bombers.
Bombs ranging up to 2,000
pounders started large fires and
heavy explosions along the harbor
shore.
It was at Rabaul earlier in the
week that Allied bombers caught
more than 250 Japanese planes
grounded on three airdromes and
destroyed or damaged most of
them.
_v_
WEATHER
FORECAST:
North Carolina: Little change in tem
perature.
(Eastern Standard Time)
(By U. S. Weather Bureau)
Meteprological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m., yesterday.
Temperature
1:30 a. m., 48; 7:30 a. m., 45; 1:30 p.
m., 67; 7:30 p. m., 58.
Maximum 70; Minimum 44; Mean 57;
Normal 56.
Humidity
1:30 a. m., 83; 7:30 a. m., 70; 1:30 p.
m.f 22; 7:30 p. m., 61.
Precipitation
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30
p. m., 0.00 inches.
Total since the first of the month, 4.61
inches.
Tides For Today
High Low
Wilmington - 12:51a 8:11a
l:05p 8:llp
Masonboro Inlet-10:44a 4:56a
11:21p 5:01p
Moore’s Inlet - 10:59a 5:01p
11:26p 5:06p
New Topsail Inlet —-- 11:04a 5:06a
(Elmore’s) - ll:31p 5:llp
(All Times Eastern Standard)
Sunrise, 6:07 a. m.; Sunset, 6:28 p. m.;
Moonrise, ll:27p; Moonset. 9:22a.
Cape Fear River stage at FayetU:\ ilie
on Thursday, at 8 a. m.. 20.95 feet.
(Continued on Page Eight; Co!. J)
AMERICANS SEIZE CONTROL
OF VITAL TUNISIAN AREA
DOMINATING FOE’S LINES
FOE CLOSES HOLE
Story Of Axis Repulse Of
Eighth Army Told In
Blood And Sweat
RETREAT FOR 1ST TIME
British Fall Back Across
Gully For Initial Re
pulse Of Campaign
WITH THE BRITISH
EIGHTH ARMY AT THE
MAREH LINE, March 23.
— (Delayed)—(A5)—The Ger
mans, attacking the 100-yard
British bridgehead across the
wadi Zigbaou, poured tanks
and infantry into battle yes
terday in such number that
they closed this breach in the
Mareth line today after 24
hours of fierce fighting.
Thus the British troops
who had penetrated the Axis
line came back across the
“highway to hell” to dig in on
the east side of the wadi—
the first time they had fallen
back in their 1,700-mile ad
vance across Africa from
Egypt. ,
Thin Supply Line
The "highway to hell” was a
crude strip of rocks and brush
wood flung into the marshy land
of the wadi — the almost dry riv
er bed—by British engineers un
der artillery cover in their week
end attack against the Nazi strong
point. It became the thin line of
communication and supply across
the wadi for the British, fighting
grimly to maintain their gain.
For three days and nights the
road was raked by maehinegun and
shellfire and was thus at point
blank range of the German guns
during the night the Eigtli Army
attacked the Mareth line. Every
thing that moved across it ran a
gantlet of flying steel.
Every time a shell ripped out a
chunk of the road, men rushed
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 2)
PLANSCOMPLETED
FOR USO OPENING
AH In Readiness For Open
House At New Dor
mitory Tonight
All is in readiness for the for
mal opening Friday of the new
USO-YWCA recreation center at
223 North Third street, Miss Jeanne
de Graffenreid, director of the
unit’s activities, announced Thurs
day night.
The program will begin Friday
afternoon at 4 o’clock, when open
house will be the order. Promptly
at 7:45 p.m. the playing of the
Star Spangled Banner will signify
the beginning of the special dedi
cation features, in which city of
ficials. USO volunteers, an FSA
official and typical individuals who
will profit by the establishment of
the new club will participate. Mes
sages will be brief.
Following is the schedule of the
program which begins at 7:45
p.m.: National anthem, played by
Miss Emma Gade Hutaff; Mrs.
Herbert Bluethenthal, secretary,
USO council; piano solo, Miss Em
ma Gade Hutaff; Mayor Edgar L.
Yow; a soldier, Sgt. L. L. Newman
of Bluethenthal Field; defense
workers, Mrs. Edith Cagle and
Mrs. Margaret Bain; a service
man’s wife, Mrs. R. D. Marvel;
and a local girl, Miss Evelyn Dix
on; Mrs. W. G. Whitehead, presi
dent of the YWCA advisory com
mittee; piano solo by Mrs. Charles
Block, and Harry Willott, represen
tative of the Federal Security Ad
ministration, Chaplain Von Schlich
ten, will give the invocation.
Ushers during the program, to
which the public is invited, will
be senior service scouts and mem
bers of the High school victory
corps.
Refreshments will be served at
the club’s opening, and music will
be heard during the afternoon.
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.
*
U. S. And Turkish Chiefs Meet
Commander of the Allied forces in North Africa, Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower (left) is shown with General Salhi OmurtaU, head of the
Turkish Military Mission, after they had conferred at headquarters in
Algiers. U. S. Army Signal Corps Radiotelephoto. (International) ;
Patton Braves Axis Fire
In Visit To Front Lines
WITH U. S. FORCES IN SOUTHERN TUNISIA, March
24 (Delayed) (JP)—Lieut. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., a life
long exponent of the thesis that military leaders must take
an active part in battle action, rode through German artil
lery fire today to visit front line forces east of el Guetar and
compliment them officially for taking and holding the val
ley heights.
In the trip to the command post unit which stuck to
its positions despite a two-day heavy tank, artillery and in
fantry counterattack, the general was forced to dismount
irom ms command cars as sneusi
landed on a road bend head. He
finished the journey afoot.
As he began climbing a steep
hill to the outpost, heads of sol
diers popped out like rabbits from
foxholes to watch the tall spare
figure.
“It’s the first time I ever saw
him except in pictures,’’ said Pvt.
William Hazen, 27, of Hancock,
N. Y. “He looks like quite a
man. Bet he is a real bruiser.”
“It sure is good to see him in
the front lines,” said Cpl. John
W. Davis, 23, of 1705 Woodbind
street.) Brooklyn, N. Y. “I hear
he wants to get Rommel in one
tank and him in another and have
it out.
“If he ever does, I sure want
to have some money down on
him.”
•Several more artillery shells, ap
parently 88’s, landed only a few
score yards away before Patton
and Maj.-Gen. Terry Allen reach
ed a dueout shelter.
Dozens of soldiers temporarily
lost interest in the battle in their
eagerness to see the commander
known throughout the Army as
“old blood and guts.”
Gen. Patton studied the battle
zone almost an hour before work
ing nis way back down the rocky
slope, poking jauntily at boulders
with a silver-tipped cane presented
to him by a friend.
He wore, an aviator's leather
jacket over his uniform and car
ried his famous ivory-handled .45
revolver strapped to his waist.
Despite further shell bursts fired
by German batteries harassing
American military traffic on an
adjoining toad, the general refused
to hurry his pace.
He paused at one group frying
bgcon over a hand-made oil can
stove, joked with them a minute,
and before leaving praised them
for what he described as an ex
ceptionally good job.
“They know we are coming,
general,” said Cpl. Cecil Mooney,
23, of Afton, Okla., waving toward
the Germar positions.
(Continued on Page Eight; Col. 3)
2NEWGENERALS
NAMED AT DAVIS
Colonels Armstrong And
Underwood Are Ele
vated In Rank
Two Camp Davis colonels Col.
Edgar H. Underwood and Col.
Clare H. Armstrong, were pro
moted Thursday to the rank of
brigadier general by the President
of the United States.
Newly appointed Brigadier Gen
eral Edgar H. Underwood is com
mandant of the Anti-Aircraft Ar
tillery school at Camp Davis,
whicn is training personnel to
counteract enemy air forces. Born
in Knoxviiie, Tenn., the new gen
eral makes his home now in Wil
mington with his wife.
Although he sought a career in
chemical engineering when he went
to the University of Tennessee,
General Underwood has been in
the Army since November, 1916,
a few months after he secured
his college degree. In a competi
tive examination he scored so well
that lie was commissioned a first
lieutenant. Less than a year later
he became captain.
In August of last year. General
Underwood came to Camp Davis
as director of training publications,
anti-aircraft artillery school. In
December, he was assigned to the
school headquarters, first as di
! rector of instruction and later as
assistant commandant.
Last month when General Spiller
! went to Camp Stewart to com
I mand that post, General Under
| wood became commandant of the
| school.
Botn of the general’s sons were
born on Army posts. The oldest,
Captain Edgar H. Underwood, Jr.,
was born at Fort Mott, N. J.,
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 4)
PATTON FANS OUT
U. S. Armored Units On
Both Sides Of High
way Near Mezzouna
ARTILLERY DUEL SEEN
Axis And British Guns
Roaring In Battle For
Mareth Line
ALLIED HEADQUAR
TERS IN NORTH AFRICA
March 25. — (/P) — Americar
troops throwing a cordor
around Marshal Rommel's be
sieged Mareth line force?
were reported today to hav<
won control of the last moun
tain barrier overlooking the
Axis coastal lifeline only 28
miles away.
Field dispatches said the
troops of Lieut.-Gen. George
S. Patton, Jr., were fanning
out on both sides of the high
way a few miles short of Mez
bouna, whose airfield already
has been pounded by Ameri
can “Long Toms,” the 155- *
millimeter rifles.
Seventy-five miles to the '
southeast in the Mareth line,
Axis artillery was duelling
with British Eighth Army
guns in an apparent stale
mate after German troops
had wiped out a large part of
early British penetrations of
an offensive begun last Sat
urday night.
Superior Allied Force*
(The Berlin radio said the Ger
mans were fighting “superior Al
lied forces” in southern Tunisia,
and quoted the propaganda agen
cy, International Information
Bureau, as saying that U. S.
troops had been “strongly rein
forced.” This broadcast recorded
by the Associated Press appeared
to be preparing the German pub
lic for a possible announcement of
American break-through to the sea
behind Rommel).
An Allied communique announc
ed continuing fighting in the Mar
eth line “with heavy artillery duels
on both sides,’ and said that U.
S. troops had made “local gains”
in the Maknassy area where the
push to the sea is being attempt
ed.
General Patton, known as "old
blood and guts” to his troops, was
in the field with his men, an
ivory-handled .45 revolver «trap
ned to his waist.
The Americans also have push
ed ten miles beyond el Guetar
on a road south of the Maknas
sy salient, and a dispatch from
Associated Press correspondent
Harold V. Boyle at the front said
Patton personally complimented
his men on beating oft two strong
Axis counterattacks in that sector.
The Allied communique said pa
trols in the el Guetar area had
carried out successful offensive op
erations yesterday in this third
; prong being driven into Rommel's
positions.
A fourth threat to Rommel, who
has been forced to divide his ar
• mored strength, is a British col
I umn operating eight miles below
i el Hamma, 20 miles west of Gabes,
i the German coastal pivot in the
south.
The communique did not mention
any further progress by these
ground troops who had raced
around the southern end of the
Mareth line, but said Allied air
men twice attacked enemy ve
hicles at el Hamma, destroying
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 4)
Stimson Saysi Americans Shoving Axis
Back In Africa But Casualties Ahead
WASHINGTON, March 25.——
American troops, hardened, keen
and eager for battle, are shoving
the Nazis back in North Africa,
but must pay for their successes
with heavy casualties, Secretary
of War Stimson said today.
He gave British and American
fliers a large share of credit for
successes achieved thus far in
North Africa, but added “it must
always be remembered that in
this fighting in Tunisia the grim,
conclusive work must be done on
the ground.”
Confidence that the ground
troops—a few months ago green
contingents — would carry on to
new successes was expressed by j
Stimson, who said they already |
have proved themselves against
the veteran Africa Corps of Mar
shal Rommel.
“While we may expect favor
able progress in North Africa,” he
said at a press conference, “we
must remember that we will pay
for this success with heavy cas
ualties. There is still much hard
fighting ahead of us and many
more heroic Allied soldiers will
make the sacrifice for our cause.”
John J. McCoy, assistant sec
retary of war, sat beside Stimson
and told of confidence shown by
American troops at the front lines
he recently visited in Africa.
The troops. McCloy said, had
just come through the German
drive at Kasse*ne pass when he;
went to the front. “They had been
through a rather sharp but en
lightening experience,” he report
ed, “and had just come to realize
they had held the enemy, in fact
thrown him back. You could al
most feel their confidence.”
McCloy also described French
troops fighting through northern
Africa as a "very important mil
itary asset” to the Allied nations,
even though some of their weap
ons are “archaic as compared
with our modern weapons.”
Almost continuous day and night
bombing raids by American and
British fliers over Axis occupied
Europe, Stimson reported, appar*
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 31