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The Alamance Gleaner ! Vol. LXVIII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1942 No. WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS United Nations Rout Japanese Forces To Score Major Milne Bay Victory; Soviet Bombers Blast German Cities; Offensive Nets Air Bases for Chinese (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed in these colnmns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not neoessarUy of this newspaper.) _________ Released by Western Newspaper Union. __________ m ? ? These Italian prisoners were captured on the North African front by New Zealand and Indian forces. Almost all prisoners taken were from Pavia and Brescia footslogger divisions. Reports from the front indicate a mutual feeling of dislike between the Italian and German troops and officers. German troops are said to have refused to salute Italian officers. TRAPPED JAPS: Outguessed, Outfought "Milne bay area is rapidly being cleared ol the enemy . . . His losses have been heavy ... All his heavy supplies and equipment, including tanks, were lost." This happy communique from General MacArthur's headquarters in Australia made it clear that the Japanese were smashed in their Milne bay thrust and that Port Moresby was saved for the fourth time. The Japs were outguessed and were caught in a carefully pre pared trap. The communique said, in part: "The operation represents another phase in the pattern of the enemy's plans to capture Port Moresby . . . His latest effort was to turn the right flank by a surprise attack at Milne bay. The move was antici pated, however, and prepared for with great care. With complete se crecy the position was occupied by our forces and converted into a strong point. Solomons American forces in the Solomons continued to consolidate their posi tions in the newly won outpost in preparation for their next move, which may be a blow at,Jap bases in the northwest Solomons, or, if the enemy renews land and sea attacks, defensive action. Two waves of Jap planes attacked U. S. troops and installations on Guadalcanal island, where a large enemy airport fell to invading American marines. The position of the marines has grown strong enough for the navy to announce that only "mopping up" operations were in progress. The navy also announced further strengthening of positions on six Solomon islands in American hands?Guadalcanal, Tu lagi, Florida, Tanambogo, Makam bo, and Gavutu. THE GOOD EARTH: Recaptured by China The recapture of Chuhsien and Lishui, the two most important airport cities in eastern China, marked one of the greatest victories of the war for Chinese soldiers. In a few weeks of fighting the Chinese counterattack virtually wiped out Japanese gains of the May and June campaign in the Chekiang and Kiangsi sector. Best news to America is the fact that both towns are within 700 miles of the Japanese mainland, and may soon base United States bombers for attacks on the enemy at home. Among Chinese officials there was little tendency to look upon recent gains as a clear cut victory resulting from superior offensive power. Be lief was expressed that the Japs had j overextended themselves. WARNING: Attention, Nazis Something new had been added to Moscow's reports of the war with Nazi Germany. It was the story of increasing air raids by the Red bombers on German cities. Even Berlin was the victim of these at tacks. And Berlin admitted it, too. But the Nazis claimed that the Rus sians had come in high and scat tered their bombs at random with little regard for military objec tives. This was old stuff from the Nazis, and the world, wondered. In addition to Berlin, the Moscow radio announced that Koenigsberg, Danzig, Stettin, plus many other cit ies had been bombed in the stepped up air program. German citizens were warned that as the nights grew longer, the bombings would in crease. See-Saw All this helped to divert attention from the bitter land fighting along the eastern front. Around Stalin grad the battle had see-sawed for days. German forces had admitted that Soviet troops had pushed through counter-attacks with terrific pressure but claimed at the same time that these had been crushed after heavy battling. In the fighting northwest of Mos cow, Marshal Gregory Zhukov's So viet forces were reported to be con tinuing their large scale counter-of- | fensive by hurling the Nazis across a "strategic water barrier" at one point, recapturing several villages and following the foe westward. MEATLESS DAYS: And Shipping Space When President Roosevelt issued his statement on "meatless days" he brought the effect of war on the home front closer than it had ever been to the nation's dining table. For while sugar rationing had come, coffee was scarce, food prices were up, there was really no actual short age of any food commodity for the housewife to worry about. But "meatless days" were something else again. It wasn't about a meat shortage though that the President talked about in his statement on the subject. He said that conservation of meat through a meatless day each week would be calculated to save shipping space in overseas hauls rather than to alleviate any U. S. shortage. In such a system U. S. meat would largely replace Argentine, Austra lian and New Zealand beef and mut ton as food for fighters and civilians in Great Britain and on other fight ing fronts. Ships now hauling sup plies from Buenos Aires, Wellington and Sydney would be replaced by ones traveling the shorter route. i highlights ?? . in the treek's news TRAINING: Lieut. Gen. Brehon Somervell, commanding general ot? the Services of Supply, U. S. army, called upon schools and colleges to become pre-induction training cen ters for the armed services. His prediction was that some colleges "pay be required to devote all facili ties for such purpose. ESCAPE: Of the more than 1,000 officers and men interned when the German pocket battleship Graf Spee was scuttled in Montevideo, more than 100 have escaped internment in Argentina, Juan Antonio Solari, chairman of a senate committee in vestgating anti-Argentine activities, said. U. S. BOMBERS: In Desert Action As a prelude to the actual reopen ing of the Egyptian desert offensive, British and Axis forces sparred daily by raiding each other's supply and patrol lines via the air route. U. S. bombers were aiding the Brit ish in these attacks. While German Marshal Erwin Rommel was still "digging in" around El Alamein and consolidat ing his position before the Nazi drive toward Alexandria and Cairo, the British navy was striving desper ately to cut his supply lines in the Mediterranean. RAF and U. S. planes, meanwhile, were striking hard at Nazi bases at Tobruk and El Daba. Both cities have vital Axis-held airports. As the tempo of this new desert battle increased British and Amer ican planes also attacked enemy en campments, tank concentrations and armored units, behind Rommel's front lines. RAF bombers and torpedo-carry ing planes set two Axis ships afire and hit at least one other in an at tack off the coast of Libya, and set fire to an oil tanker in the Mediter ranean. CRUSHJAPAN: Grew Warns A "crushing defeat" of the Japa nese militarists is the only thing that will assure future peace in the Pacific area, Joseph C. Grew, for mer American ambassador to Japan, told the nation upon his return to Washington. Grew, who returned from Japan on the exchange ship Gripsholm, said: "We shall crush the Japanese machine and caste system in due course, but if we Americans think that, collectively and individually, we can continue to lead our nor mal lives, leaving the spirit of self sacrifice to our soldiers and sailors, letting the intensification of our pro duction program take care of itself, we shall unquestionably risk the danger of a stalemate in this war of ours with Japan." He pointed out that Japanese can surmount economic hardship and that force alone will defeat them. "Let's put it in a nutshell," he said. "There is not sufficient room in the area of the Pacific ocean for a peaceful America, for any and all of the peace-loving United Nations and swashbuckling Japan." KAISER: Record-Breaker Ten-thousand freighters launched within 18 days after their keels are laid. That was the goal announced by Henry J. Kaiser, master shipbuilder of the Pacific coast, when he spoke just before the record-breaking Lib erty freighter, John Fitch was HENRY KAISER Back to Washington. launched only 24 days after keel lay ing. This launching broke by two days the record established in one of Kaiser's Oregon yards when con struction time was reduced from 35 to 26 days. It was at the John Fitch launching ceremonies that Kaiser disclosed he would again present to the govern ment plans for building huge cargo planes. A few weeks previously he had made his first proposal to Wash ington and obtained authority to pre sent specific plans for the plane construction program. V-MAIL: Saves Space Throughout the nation, some 45,000 postoffices and rural letter carriers are equipped to furnish free forms on which to write soldiers overseas by V-mail. By this process, V-mail letters written on special forms, are photographed, reduced to micro-film and sent overseas by air. Upon ar rival the letter on the film is de veloped and full-sized letters are printed and delivered to the soldiers. Army officials are urging friends and parents of the boys overseas to increase their use of V-mail, thus saving valuable cargo space on supply ships. U. S. Backs Fair Trials For Axis War Criminals i President Hopes for Punishment by Process Of Law for Perpetrators of Crimes . Against Subdued Nations. By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator. WNE Service, 1343 H Street, N.W., Washington, D. C. It was press and radio conference day at the White House. We were crowded around the big desk in the executive office. It was hot. The President was seated at his desk, coatless, in a white shirt and black tie. He was leaning over a type written statement before him, read ing it carefully, puffing out his cheeks and then blowing out slowly, as many people do when they are concentrating. It happened to be a newsful day and the answers to the reporters' questions and the explanations of two long statements filled columns in the papers which you read the next day. The first announcement, the one which he was reading over to him ! self when we came in, is the one which I want to speak about?the warning to the Axis perpetrators of acts of atrocity against the civilian peoples of the occupied countries. Brutal though the theme was, om inous though the warning, I was suddenly struck by the feeling that here, in the midst of hatred and slaughter, was an effort to maintain the spirit of decency and humanity, the things we are really fighting for. The whole intent of the warning was to assure justice?even for the ene my. America was committing it self to the principle that the Axis with its policy of making the inno cent suffer for another's offense? such as the shooting of hostages? would be punished, not by blind ven geance as brutal as the crime it would avenge, but by due process of law. Gestapo and military offi cials after the war would be tried in a court in the country where the crimes were committed. Vengeance? As the President was explaining this, a reporter asked him if he thought the people in the occupied countries would wait for a trial. Would they not take the law into their own hands? Another asked the President if he had heard the sen tence said to be circulating in the occupied countries ? "give us a week." That, the President said, was ex actly what he hoped would not hap pen?that criminals would be pun ished after fair trials. He pointed to the recent trials of the Nazi sabo teurs in Washington as an -example of this nation's insistence on the due process of law. It seemed gratifying, to me, that we were setting out now in the midst of bloodshed and hatred, to plan curbs against violation on our part of the very things for which we are fighting. One man, familiar with military law and usage, pointed out to me that when and if perpetrators of these crimes are tried, the defense is sure to be that the individual offi cer cannot be held to account for merely executing the orders of his superiors. If General X, for exam ple, is arraigned for shooting inno cent hostages in Paris, he will an swer that he was merely obeying in structions from his superiors in Ber lin. "Legally," my friend said, "that excuse will not wash. Military law requires unquestioning obedience only when the command given is honorable. No soldier can be re quired to perform an act that is I contrary to honor. "If the accused general's con science revolts against executing people who have committed no of fense, he is entitled to refuse to obey the order. Even a German court martial would uphold him in that refusal. "The German gauleiters who slaughter Jews and Poles and Czechs cannot take refuge in the plea that their crimes were com manded by Hitler or Himmler." * * * Commandos Find Zett In Hit-Ran Raidt The remark of one of the young members of the Rangers who took part in the raid on Dieppe, that in the midst of the fighting they sud denly realized they "were having fun," fell with a shock on many civilian ears. But that sentiment, terrifying as it is, explains the phi | losophy of the raider. It is not a | discovery of this war. It as evi denced in the last war and has been a part of all wars. This week I was talking with Wil liam Bird, a former foreign corre spondent who is a keen student of human nature and who spent some time with an organization in France, in the early days of the present war, called the "groupes francs." These consisted of about two dozen men, divided into squads of six. Each squad was quartered in a single bar rack room, and each was complete ly autonomous. The members of the squad had no contact with the rest of the battalion, or even with the members of other similar squads, except in the planning and execution of operations involving more than one squad. They did not even attend the company mess, but cooked their meals on the barrack room stove. "You know," Bird explained to me, "what gives zest to big-game hunting is the element of danger to the huntsman. Some men will trav- j el half way around the world for the thrill of risking their lives in battle with a tiger or an elephant. "The same kind of man gets an : even bigger thrill from war, be cause man is a deadlier foe than any beast. The Commandos and the Rangers are made up largely of men who thrive on mortal danger." The Personnel "One of the 'groupes francs' which I came to know," Bird went on, included: A champion racing driver. The son of a multi-millionaire manufacturer who, until the war came along, was often in the fa mous "salon prive" at Deauville, where fortunes changed hands nightly on the turn of a card. A Montmartre hoodlum who had done time for stabbing a rival in a fight. A bookkeeper from Lyons. A farm boy from Normandy. A garage mechanic. They had no tastes in common ex cept a taste for risking their lives. In peace time scarcely any two of them would have spoken to each other. But in war they were boon companions, and each was ready to die for the others. "War to them was simply the sub limest sport in the world." Chinese Jajitea Expert Trains American Officers So far the Japanese strategy, the strategy of the little fellow against the big one, has been to hit his op ponent when he isn't looking. And that philosophy goes back a long way with Japan. Back to the art of jujitsu. Some say that this is an indigenous Japanese institu tion, dating from Seventh century Nippon. My friend Joseph Chiang has another story. Chiang is a Chi nese newspaper man in Washington and he says that jujitsu is Chinese. "The Japanese copied our language. They copied jujitsu too," he says. According to Chiang it was used first by the peaceful Buddhist monks to defend themselves and their monasteries against bandits. It is primarily an art of defense al though it can make the aggressor break his own neck if the jujitsuist isn't careful. "The feat consists of clutching or striking such part of the enemy's body as will make him numb or incapable of resistance. Its object is not to kill but to incapacitate for the time being." That is a definition by Inanzo Ni tobe, in "Bushido, the Soul of Ja _ _ _ ft pan. What the expert does with his vic tim after he has incapacitated him, Mr. Nitobe does not say, any more than Mr. Kurusu mentioned what the Mikado was going to do "after Pearl Harbor." Whether the Japanese stole the idea from the Chinese or invented it themselves they have made good use of it. It has long been part of the training of the Japanese police and is now a part of the training of the Japanese soldier. No wonder. The Jap fighter weighs an average of 12A pounds. He may be equipped with fanatic zeal but H takes more than that to meet a six-foot Ameri can or Britisher in a hand-to-hand combat. Something must be added to put him on equal terms with a J heftier adversary. I Japs to Grow Crops for U. S. 20,000 Evacuee* from We*t Coast to Be Relocated In Arkansas. McGEHEE, ARK ?Another band of people is coming into Arkansas to carve homes out of near-prime val forests in the Mississippi river bottoms, but they are not coming willingly as did the pioneers of more than a century ago. This present day band is not of English, Scotch and Irish blood as was that earlier one. Nor will it be menaced by hostile Indians and fierce beasts. But it will be faced with the same Herculean task of converting thousands of acres of heavily wooded lowland into fields of growing crops. The 1942 infiltration is that of more than 20,000 Japanese evacu ated from the West coast defense zone and relocated on two govern ment camps?one near McGehee, In Desha county, and the other in Drew and Chicot counties, which lie on the Louisiana-Arkansas boun dary line. On these two projects, the Japa nese?75 per cent of whom are American citizens?will grow food for America's victory effort until the war with their ancestral home land is ended. Soil Is Productive. Both relocation sites are, for the most part, covered with hardwood forests and are lowlands that will need some drainage to make them farmable. Contrary to re ports, the tracts are excellent bot tom soil and are neither marshy nor unhealthy. They are not in fested with malaria, mosquitoes and snakes. When drained?a not too difficult task?the result will be the rich, dark farmland that has made the productive ability of the Mississippi delta world-famed. Farm Security administration of ficials describe the land as being of "bale-to-the-acre quality." It is as good as any in the delta and above the average of the majority of the state. The camp near McGehee com prises a known 10,000 uncleafed acres that were purchased by the federal government as an FSA proj ect. The government has contin ued to secure options on surround ing land and the exact size of the final project is not known. At pres ent, it is drained (airly well by a 90-foot wide canal, but lateral ca nals will be necessary to assure complete drainage. Water will be obtained from wells. Excellent drinking water is obtainable from pumps driven 30 feet. The Drew-Chicot tract comprises about 12,000 acres, of which 1,900 now are in cultivation. Under ten tative plans, approximately 10,000 acres will be drained. It is situat ed in the southern section of Drew county and the western section of Chicot county and lies in the Beouf Mississippi. river basin. Health Measures Taken. The Nipponese will be housed in barracks similar to those used by the CCC. Barracks will be approxi mately 25 by 100 feet and will be divided into four separate family units to accommodate four families ?about 25 persons. An estimated 20 mess halls?each capable of holding 500 persons? will be constructed on each project. Hospitals and schools will be erect ed. The hospital staffs will be com posed of Japanese physicians un der the direction of an American head surgeon. "Every precaution to protect the health of the families will be tak en," according to E. B. Whitaker, assistant regional director of the FSA, who will be in charge of the projects. "None will be moved into the camp until we are sure he has healthful conditions under which to live." 'Hey, You, Sit Down,' Gob Yells at Admiral OKLAHOMA CITY. ? Frank C. Hall, 40, pharmacist's mate, told Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, hero of the Battle of Midway, where to head in and got away with it. Hall was a member of the rescue crew attending a West coast plane crash in which the admiral escaped injury. As the plane occupants were being moved to a field hos pital, the admiral stood up. "Hey, you, sit down and be quiet!" Mr. Hall shouted. Then he became aware of the ad miral's rank and apologized. "Stick by your guns, sailor," re plied Admiral Nimitz. "I shouldn't have stood up." Hall, who has been recommended for a medal for his part in the res cue, described the incident in a let ter to his mother, Mrs. M. . Mat ^ thews. Butcher, Baker and ^ Clerk in Air Force Young Men From All Walks Of Life Learn New Jobs. SHEPPARD FIELD, TEXAS?The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker?they're all in the air forces now?as airplane mechanics and machinists, radio operators and re pairmen, parachute riggers, weath er observers and forecasters, ad ministrative and supply clerks, aeri al photographers and armorers? and in scores of other "specialist" jobs. This mass-transformation of hun dreds of thousands of salesmen, col lege students, retail clerks and of fice workers into skilled technicians is one of the miracles bow being performed by Uncle Sam's air wing. Here at Sheppard Field, in addi tion to the air forces technical schools for training airplane me chanics, there is also located one of the several of the air forces re placement training centers from which numerous raw recruits are sent to this and to other technical schools throughout the country. The task of choosing exactly die right place in the complex structure of the air forces for every one of the legions of raw recruits passing through Sheppard Field, falls to the classification division headed by Maj. Harold C. Poyer. The process of classification and selection begins with the "general classification test" (commonly re ferred to as the "G.C.T,") which is a standard army mental alert ness test given to every recruit with in a day or two of induction. Be cause the aim of this type of test is to determine mental capacity rather than the amount of formal educa tion, questions that make up the test are such as depend as little as possible on schooling and as much as possible on clear thinking. Wood Tire Perfected By Inventor, Aged 80 ROCHESTER, N. Y.?A 62-pound wooden wheel and tire that rumbles on brick but "purrs like a pneumat ic on macadam," has been devised by Ernest G. Munck Sr., 80, of sub urban Ionia, who says the tire showed no wear after IIS miles and appears good for "at least 10,000 miles." Himself amazed at the ease with which it takes corners. Munch ad mitted that he intended the gadget primarily as a "spare," though claiming there's no reason why a set of four wouldn't serve admira bly for speeds of 20 to 2S miles per hour, with a maximum of 40 miles per hour. Turned on a huge lathe, the wheel tire combination consists of layers of a strong, light wood cemented to gether with waterproof glue to form a plywood having equal strength in all directions. Now. Munck is work ing on improvements, hoping to in corporate some metal parts to re duce the over-all weight. English Orchids Make Way for Tomato Plants GATTON PARK. SURREY. ENG LAND.?Thousands of orchids have been torn out by the root from the Surrey estate of the late Sir Jere miah Colman. the mustard million aire, to make room for tomato plants. For SO years Sir Jeremiah made the cultivation of orchids his hobby. He even accompanied explorers to orchid-growing countries in search of new specimens. It started when, as a boy, he bought a packet of seeds with three pence given to him by his father. He planted them and was thrilled when they bloomed. Now, the man who helped him 42 years has had to destroy a lifetime of work. Orchids need artificial heat in England, and the country cannot allow the coal and coke for luxury cultivation. A few of the rarest orchids have gone to Kew Gardens. The rest have been destroyed. Geography Lesson Jailed Teacher as Spy in Japan LOURENCO MARQUES, PORTU GUESE EAST AFRICA.?The Jap anese held Miss Alice Glube, 28 years old, of Vian, Okla , who was a teacher in an Osaka school, in soli tary confinement for four months on charges of espionage, it can be re vealed today. Miss Glube. daughter of Mrs. Ida Glube of Vian, was charged with having asked her students: "What is the tallest mountain in Japan?" and "What is the longest river in Japan?" The police interpreted these ques tions as "seeking military informa tion," but the case finally dropped for lack of evidence.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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Sept. 10, 1942, edition 1
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