The Alamance Gleaner
VoL LXIX GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1943 ' N<>- 24
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Furious Tank Battles Rage in Russia
As Nazis Seek to Encircle Red Army;
Farm Income Increased by Two Billion;
Allied Victories Threaten Jap Bases
(BDITOR'8 NOTE: Wbea ?pinions sro expresses In these eelaotns, Ik07 sro Ihooo of
Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
Released by Western Newspaper Union. J
For meritorious work as commander and military governor of the
Territory of Hawaii during the critical period after Pearl Harbor, Lieut.
Gen. Delos Emmons (extreme right) receives Distinguished Service
medal from Secretary of War Henry Stimson (at extreme left). Brig.-Gen.
H. B. Lewis (center) attended the ceremonies.
RUSSIA:
Blitz Again
Seeking to wipe out the big Rus
sian bulge on the central front, 500,
000 German soldiers continued their
attacks at both ends of the bulge,
with the objective of encircling the
huge Red army from the rear.
At the southern extremity of the
bulge near Belgorod, the Reds ad
mitted that the Nazis had scored
early gains. According to the Rus
sians, the Germans were backing up
their forces with masses of tanks
and airplanes. In action was a new
tank, bigger than the 60 - ton
Mark VI.
From dispatches, the battle as
sumed the old lines of German blitz
kreig. The Nazis concentrated their
strength-at certain points and then
threw their whole weight against
them. As their forces streamed
through, the Russians moved to
pinch off the tanks and infantry and
isolate them from the main armies.
Although claiming success, the
Germans saicT that the huge bulge
still extended 85 miles to the west.
CONGRESS:
Adjourns for Recess
Capping its hectic deliberations
with an agreement to give President
Roosevelt a free hand in reducing
retail food costs through subsidies,
the 78th congress recessed for a
summer vacation.
The session saw passage of nota
ble legislation. For the first time,
taxpayers were put on a current
basis with the enactment of pay-as
you-go legislation. Approximately
130 billion dollars was appropriated.
The administration's authority to
make lena-jease ana reciprocal
trade agreements was renewed, and
permission was given for use of 2
billion dollars to stabilize foreign
currencies.
President Roosevelt's limitation of
wartime salaries to $25,000 was re
pealed. Spurred by the walkout of
the nation's coal miners, anti-strike
legislation was passed over a presi
dential veto. Although both houses
took favorable action on the Com
modity Credit corporation and ag
ricultural department bills, they
killed a senate proposal to raise the
ceiling on corn to $1.40, and also
voted to abolish crop insurance.
PACIFIC ADVANCE:
On 700 Mile Front
The languorous islands of the
Southwest Pacific know peace no
more.
Along a great arc of 700 miles,
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's offensive
continues to rage, with American
troops menacing the Jap air base of,
Murida in the Solomons, and Allied
troops pressing against Salamaua in
New Guinea from three sides.
Trapped in the narrow Kula gulf,
eight Japanese warships were re
ported sunk, sent to the bottom by
a thunderous broadside from U. S.
naval vessels.
By making two landings on New
Georgia island, American troops
closed in on Munda from the north
and east. Finished by the Japs last
December, this air base would give
Allied fighters and bombers a spring
board tor attacking the great enemy
naval and airplane center of Rabaul,
between the Solomons and New
GuineL
Strafed and bombed by Allied air-,
men, Jap troops gave ground be
fore advancing columns in the area
?outh 9f Salamaua.'
FARM INCOME:
Up by 2 Billion
Bolstered by a 36 per cent in
crease from marketing, farm in
come, for the first five months of
1943 was up two billion dollars over
last year.
Total income amounted to $6,788,
000,000. Of this, $6,412,000,000 was
gotten from marketing, while $376,
000,000 was obtained in government
payments.
The big increase from marketing
was attributed to the larger returns
from oil-bearing crops, tobacco,
poultry and eggs. Substantial gains
also were reported for all commod
ity groups.
The nation's heavy year-round de
mand for food was reflected in fig
ures which showed that the increase
in income from April to May was
less than seasonal. Small increases
resulted from marketing of vegeta
bles, fruits and nuts and dairy prod
ucts, among other crops.
MUNITIONS:
Need Great Quantities
Gigantic battles are in prospect
and equally gigantic quantities of
materials will be needed to achieve
the victory, but the U. S. and Can
ada are equal to the task of supply
ing the Allied forces, Donald Nelson
eniH in on aHHro<? to tho P.anariinn
club.
Since the outbreak of the war,
Nelson said, the two countries have
turned out 115,000 airplanes, and be
fore the end of the year, our capaci
ty will be 112,000 annually.
More than 175,000 large caliber
guns have been made, he contin
ued, and more than 1,500,000 ma
chine guns and 6,000,000 rifles have
been produced. About 25 billion
rounds of small arms ammunition?
1,500 bullets to each Axis soldier?
have been manufactured.
Close to 6,000 tanks, more than
1,600,000 trucks and nearly 70,000
scout and combat cars have rolled
off the assembly line of the two
nations, Nelson revealed. About 20
million tons of merchant shipping
have left the ways, and production
has now reached the rate of 22 mil
lion tons annually.
MEDITERRANEAN:
Europe Tense
Allied air action at both ends of
the Mediterranean and large con
centrations of Allied shipping in
North Africa have heightened the
tension in the Axis' European for
tress.
The Germans were chiefly con
cerned with Allied activity in the
Near East. They interpreted fre
quent flights of Allied bombers and
reconnaissance planes over the
Aegean islands as preparation for
a big push against the Grecian main
land. American fliers have raided
Axis air bases near Athens, and
British Commandos landed on the
main Aegean island of Crete to
probe enemy defenses and strike at
an airfield.
In North Africa, the Allies were
said to have massed over 1,000,000
tons of shipping, heavily shepherded
by battleships, cruisers and aircraft
carriers. Hundreds of Allied planes
have been assembled for attack.
American and British bombers
continued to pound Sicilian air
dromes. Appearance of Axis fighter
planes in force indicates that the
enemy intends to challenge the
Allies' occupation of Italy's neigh
boring islands.
MEAT:
Hog Marketing Heavy
Because of heavy pork production,
output of meat has been running
fairly even with that of 1942. Rec
ord slaughtering of hogs has offset
the decline in the butchering of cat
tle, and, to a considerably smaller
extent, of sheep.
According to recent estimates of
the War Meat board, hog slaughter
rose 26 per cent over last year, and
pork production was up 40 per cent.
The severe decline in cattle
slaughter and resulting meat prod
ucts amounted to 40 per cent under
last year. Although calf butchering
slid 28 per cent, meat output was
down about 38 per cent.
Moderate decreases were noted
for sheep and lamb slaughter, al
though meat production showed a
sharper drop.
GffiAUD
Welcomed in Capital
While 15,000 residents of Mar
tinique reportedly rioted in support
of Gen. Charles DeGaulle, Gen.
Henri Giraud was received in Wash
ington by President Roosevelt under
circumstances indicating the Allies'
public acceptance of his leadership
of the French National committee.
According to the Martinique re
ports, the rioters' actions prompted
the administrator of the island to
consider severance of relations with
Vichy and entrance into the pro
visional government of the French
National committee headed by Gen
erals Giraud and DeGaulle. The com
mittee already had appointed a mili
tary commander over the territory.
General Giraud's stock in Allied
circles rose with the U. S. govern
ment's announcement that it had un
covered a secret document, showing
that General DeGaulle's followers
have sworn to perpetuate him in
power after the war, contrary to the
promise that the French people
would be permitted to freely choose
their own leaders following the lib
eration of the nation.
Production Miracle
Sprawling over 1,350 acres of
rambling plains near Fontana,
Calif., stands the first complete steel
mill ever built west of the Rocky
mountains?the work of Henry J.
Kaiser, the production genius of
World War II, the man who can get
things done.
Fifteen months ago, 60,000 hogs
grubbed over these plains. Today,
??.long row of white buildings of
concrete and steel, with entire sides
of windows tinted blue, mark the
first great steel mill to be laid out
on an assembly line basis. Reliev
ing the monotony are victory gar
dens planted around the entire site.
Everything in the new mill is
moved by 3V4 miles of conveyor belt.
Ore from Utah and coal from Cali
fornia move to grinders and coke
ovens on these conveyors. Two
banks of 45 coke ovens each feed
a huge 97 foot blast furnace, which
resembles a milk bottle. In the
fall, a mill for rolling steel plates
will be completed to round out the
construction, and this building alone
will be 1,100 feet long and 300 feet
wide.
Built in consultation with the Unit'
ed States, Bethlehem and Republic
Steel corporations, the Fontana mill
has cost 83 million dollars. The
RFC advanced the funds.
SHOPPING NEWS:
Stockings; Salmon
Government agencies moved on
two fronts to give good cheer to the
women and housewives of America.
War Production board announced
that it would permit spinning of 100
dernier rayon yarn to assure con
tinued manufacture of full-fashioned
hosiery. WPB also allowed an in
crease of 1% inches in the length of
women's full-fashioned acetate ray
on stockings to provide better wear,
since this type does not stretch
readily.
The price of the half-can size of
Alaska Chinook salmon was "rolled
back" six cents by the Office of
Price administration. Maximum dol
lars and cents ceilings also were
placed on canned Alaska King, Coho,
Pink and Puget Sound sockeye
salmon.
GREAT BRITAIN:
Taxes High
Speaking before the house of com
mons, Sir Kingsley Wood, Great
Britain's finance minister, revealed
that taxes took 40 per cent of all
private income in England last year.
More than 12 million Britons are on
the tax rolls, and of these, 10 million
are in the lower brackets.
It was also announced that al
ready the British government has
borrowed a sum more than double
the size of the national debt before
the war began. The debt now ap
proximates 70 billion dollars.
Sir Kingsley said that thus far
Great Britain has advanced 780 mil
lion dollars to Allied governments,
exclusive of lend-lease aid.
Recent Allied Success in Undersea War
Is Result of Coordinated Campaign
I' <
Improved Weapons,
Better Use of Old,
Defeating Subs
"The submarine was utterly
defeated in May," Prime Min
ister Churchill stated trium
phantly in a recent address.
The first lord of the admiralty
amended this by announcing
that the British navy had set a
new record in that month for
U-boat sinkings, and that losses
now exceeded German produc
tion.
Thus the gravest threat to Allied
success, the submarine campaign
against shipping, is being answered,
as it was in World War I. Success
is coming faster than anyone dared
hope a little while ago. In April
Admiral King of the U. S. navy pre
dicted that the submarine danger
would be brought under control with
in four to six months. Secretary of
Navy Knox a few days later said
that the increasing numbers of de
stroyers now guarding convoys
would soon have their beneficial ef
fect.
The peril to the "bridge of ships"
carrying war supplies to Europe and
the Orient is not being met by any
one "secret weapon." Destroyers,
airplanes, cannon, radar, helicop
ters, balloons and many other war
machines are being employed in
combinations best adapted to the
task.
The change for the better has
come rather suddenly. Only last
January the tremendous losses in
shipping tonnage were causing ex
treme concern in Allied war coun
cils. Almost a million tons a month
was being sunk last year. Charles
E. Walsh, chief of the maritime pro
curement division, has revealed that
over 11 million tons went down in
the first year of war. The Mer
chant Marine reports that nearly
5,000 men have been lost in the last
20 months. Until very lately, there
was little light through the dark
clouds.
Ships Getting Through.
Now the great fleets of merchant
ships are arriving in Allied ports
with small losses. The protection
devised by the navy is succeeding.
A convoy, which may consist of
hundreds of ships carrying ammu
nition, food, plane parts, oil and
thousands of other war materials,
as well as troops, offers many tar
LIKE A DUCTS BACK?The new
Morner li/esavtng toil keeps seamen
dry and warm under all esodiUena.
A Jaekknlfe far enttlnf away entaa
(Unt rapes, and a red signal light
and police whistle (or attracting at
tention of rescners are attached to
gets for enemy submarines and tor
pedo planes. Destroyers, ranging
along the flanks, and ahead and
behind the convoy, are the usual
defenders of the slow and helpless
freighters, tankers and troopships.
But the "greyhounds of the sea"
have a lot of auxiliaries under the
new system.
One of these is the corvette, a
small merchant ship converted to a
light warship. It can function much
as fho destroyer does, although it
A HELICOPTER LANDS?Settling slowly an the space marked en' as its
landing "Held" on the deck of a Victory ship, this helicopter makes a per
fect landing. This peculiar aircraft can rise and descend almost vertically, i
and can hover over the water, spotting submarines.
does not have its speed or maneu
verability. Then there is the air
craft carrier, which is accompany
ing large convoys lately. Planes
from the carrier can patrol a wide
circle and prevent any enemy sur
face craft from surprising the con
voy.
That new marvel, radar, can lo
cate enemy planes and submarines
with amazing accuracy, in fogs or
at night. Destroyers are being
equipped with radar now. Listen
ing devices to detect submarines by
the pulsations of their propellers,
have been in use for some time, so
the officers in charge of the de
fense of a convoy have several
means of knowing when the enemy
is approaching.
Only about 500 miles of the voy
age between the United States and
British ports is beyond the range of
land based aircraft, according to
Secretary Knox. The patrol planes
of the Allies can protect shipping
within an arc six or seven hundred
miles in radius.
Ships Mount Heavy Guns.
Convoys are so large, however,
that despite all sorts of armed
guardians, some ships will be at
tacked, and perhaps damaged or
sunk. Often too, a single merchant
ship has to travel without escort to
enter a small port off the regular
run, or for a number of other rea
sons. Merchant ships have long been
accustomed to mount some cannon
in wartime, but against modern en
emy craft, ordinary seamen have
little chance to use their weapons
effectively. The maritime commia
?ion has ordered every American
ship to carry a five-inch gun. A
crew from the navy mans the piece,
which is deadly to enemy subma
rines and destroyers, or any vessel
with thinner armor than a cruiser.
Ships are protected against air
craft by anti-aircraft guns and .SO
caliber machine guns. Expert navy
crews also handle these ordnance.
Submarines and planes are reluc
tant to get too close to a ship that
can defend herself, and torpedoes,
bombs and gunfire aimed from a dis
tance are less accurate.
A barrage balloon is now being
added to the defensive equipment
of merchant ships. The balloon
trails steel cables when in the air,
thereby preventing a divebombing
plane from getting too close to the
ship, or from running along it and
strafing the crew with machine gun
bullets. The gas bag is raised and
lowered by a cable attached to a
winch near the stern.
Last month the maritime com
mission and the War Shipping ad
ministration decided, after a suc
cessful demonstration, that helicop
ters can be employed td give added
protection to individual ships. Ev
ery new Liberty model ship will
carry a helicopter, according to
present plans. As these peculiar
aircraft can rise and descend almost
vertically, they can operate from
a small area on the deck of a ves
sel. Whether the ship is part of a
convoy or sailing alone, the helicop
ter can hover around, watching for
the enemy.
Seme Unkings Inevitable.
Ships will be damaged and sunk,
however, despite all defensive pre
cautions and efforts. Some are
wrecked by storms, or are smashed
an rocks or icebergs. Even when
In a sinking condition, nevertheless,
a ship may sometimes be saved by
some of the safety features that are
part of a modern ship. If the ship
must be abandoned, other emer
gency features help to save the lives
of the crew.
Many safety devices have been
added, and old ones have been im
proved. Several have been built
into the ship itself. The maritime
commission found that men were
hurt frequently in the dark passage
ways when the lights went out after
a torpddo had struck. Luminous
paint signs now mark all passage
ways and exits, and directions point
to ladders and indicate the switches
ef emergency lights.
Crash panels must now be put into '
every door, by coast guard regula
tions. These are sections of thin
wood within every door, that can be
smashed out by trapped crewmen,
leaving a space big enough to per
mit escape.
To preserve the nerve centers of a
ship as long as possible, the pilot
house and radio shack are covered
with reinforced concrete and steel
capable of withstanding submarine
shelling.
Latest In Life Boats.
Finally, when seamen have to ,
abandon ship, the latest and best in
life-saving equipment comes into
play. By orders of the coast guard, 1
the life boats are always kept swung
out and clamped against canvas-cov
ered cushions. The ropes holding
the boats are secured by a single
"pelican" hook which can be tripped
by simply releasing a catch allow
ing the boat to be lowered into the
water in a minute or two.
At the same time a boat is low
ered, a life net, kept rolled up
against the side of the ship just be- '
LIFE RAFT?Six research men art
shown testing the aew rubber life
raft under actual shipwreck eeadl
tions for the Maritime commiasien
They were "east adrift" near Cape
Fear, N. C., to study conditions ol
survival at tea. and to report de
feeta and possibilities for improve
ment. Merchant ships carry thesr
rafts in addition to the lifeboats.
low the boat deck, is released. Three
or four men can scramble down this
net at the same time.
Merchant ships must also carry
liferafts, since the boats may be
damaged by shells, or the sinking
ship may be leaning so far over
that it is impossible to lower life
boats on one side.
Boats Carry Radios.
A portable sending and receiving
radio set must be included in the
equipment of at least one lifeboat on
every ship.
Water rations on each boat have
been increased from three to ten
quarts per person. Fourteen ounces
each of pemmican, malted milk
tablets, chocolate and type C army
ration biscuits must be included in
every boat for each person.
Rubber lifesaving suits are is
sued to each member of the crew.
Besides keeping a man dry while in
the water, the suits give protection
against exposure in a lifeboat or
raft Attached to the shoulder of
each suit is a Jackknife with which
a man can free himself if he is en
tangled in ropes, and a police whis
tle and a red signal light to at
tract the attention of rescuers.
So the perils to Allied shipping are
being com batted successfully by
combining all known resources of
warships, planes, guns and radio.
The war goods are getting through.
The ships are arriving safely. But
when a ship does go down the brave
seamen have a much better chance
of living to sail again than aver
before, thanks to ever better equip
ment
Who's News
This Week
By
Delo? Wheeler Lovelace
Consolidated Features.?WNU Release.
NJ EW YORK.?Peace and its prob
lems are the concern of brisk
Nelson Rockefeller. His Office d
Inter ? American Affairs, having
_ . , ? _ scotched the
Rockefeller Doea AxU fifth>
At Well on Own columns
At Gander Hogg ?Q".thward.
works now,
he says, tor a long-term two-conti
nent control of production and
prices.
An aggressive grandson of the
aggressive John D., Sr., yonag
Nelson has Sxed himself seUdly
in the hemispberie pietare. His
family name may have helped
him to a running start and Har
ry Hopkins' blessing gave Un
an early breather, but latterly
he seems te have done very wefl
He is 35 now, with the strong,
squarish face of his father and con
siderable good looks. Married 13
years he has five children?Rod
man, Ann, Steven, and twins, Mi
chael and Mary. Not until the sec
ond twin was one of the five named
for Mary Todhunter Clark whom
Rockefeller married practically the
minute he finished his studies at
Dartmouth.
At Dartmeath he lived ad
flJH a year, hot he had to save
It per ceat aad give 1* away.
That was a N per ceat iatsais
slash long before Mergeathaa
get the idea. Bat be leaned
to handle meaey. Aad asw, aa
a trustee of the Rich Mdiipel
tan Museum af Art aad of the
Livly Modern Museum aad as
a director of the family's epoch
al Rockefeller Center, be deals
with mountains of currency aad
never tarns a hair.
THROUGH three long yean Sir
1 Bernard Paget's Home Com
mand has stood cm the alert, never
sure it would not need to fight an
Now Sir Bernard's ]^b?Ct5
Coasting Down Hill hills. Now,
With a Tail Wind
England
hean of a happily "altered military
situation" and Sir Bernard orders
soldiers to begin tearing down those
barriers hurriedly raised when the
terrible Hun was just outside the
gate.
A lien tenant general. Sir Ber
nard has been ssmmsndnr h
chief ef the Rome farces for n
couple ef yean. Earlier ho tan
gled with the Nasis in Norway.
They had him oataambered aad
his problem was to pah hack Ms
hardpressed troops aad embark
them without a major engage
He deployed by day, forced the
Nazis to deploy to meet the threat
of battle, then at night ran like all
get-out for the coast It was a back
handed victory, but then he eras
crmtnnt
h the last war Sir Bernard
ended ap a major, DSO, MC,
with aa Italian deters ties. aa
meroas flattering dispatches sad
pled left arm. When the French
chivvied Abdel Krim he was aa
observer, perhaps piekbg ap
some pointers a boat night re
treats.
A redheaded son of a one-time
bishop of Oxford, and 55 years old,
he still is enough influenced by his
father to want sweetness and light
in his army. Not long ago he or
dered an end of strong language,
or at any rate less of it. With those
barriers falling his soldiers should
find obedience easier.
THEY tell you, in army circles,
* that Lieut. Gen. Joseph T. lfe
Namey is about the best poker
player in uniform anywhere. They
Beef Pokar Player
In Army Says Jap* ever, that
On Skid*; Na Bluff |>? ta bluff
ing when he
j warns that the tide of war has
turned and the Jape had best bant
high ground.
Deputy chief of staff, the youngest
officer ever to hold that post, McNar
ney is generally considered a soldier
who talks only when be knows his
bets.
?e was bora h Pennsylvania
M years age. His father was a
lawyer, a tough pen in nil; Us
mother aa InflonUtaMo temper
aaes worker. After West Point
be switched ta '15 to the elgnal
eorpo which than laebfled the W
tle air arm ws pessasesd. A hoot
btthTTchool "ma'am firem'san
Diego.
ifliTiUriffliii