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The Alamance^ Gleaner J-. I VoL LXX GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1945 No. 49 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Yanks Strike Back at Germans; Move to Step Up War Effort; National Income Sets Record Released by Western Newspaper Union. ?J <EDITOR'S NOTE: Wbea opinions are expressed la these eolamns, they are thoee ef Western Newspaper Ualen's news analysts and net necessarily ef this newspaper.) Taken from roll of eaptnred German film, picture shows American prisoners being taken to rear as German drive roared through Belgium. . EUROPE: Patton to Rescue ? On the western front, it was big, Blustery Lieut. Gen. George S. Pat ton to the rescue, as U. S. forces smashed into the ?anka of the Ger an ans' great drive into Bel gium -and Luxem bourg and com pelled Von Rund stedt to divert strength toward aneeting the threat In Kio whnlo nnci. lion. Gen. Patton Called upon to thwart the German drive shortly after it got underway. General Pat Ian, then attacking in the Saar tasin, pulled up his offensive in that area and shot major forces to the north to rip into the lower wing of Ton Rundstedt's offensive. Charg ?ag over the snow-capped Ardennes His on a 35-mile front, General Patton's Third army soon bit deep wedges into the enemy's lines, forc ag diversion of his strength from advanced spearheads within four nfles of the Meuse. While General Patton attacked Worn the south, Lieut. Gen. Court ney Hodges' First army smashed at ?e northern flank of the German Mge, reducing the enemy threat to ?nportant supply lines around Liege. Faced with these strong twin W. S. thrusts, Von Rundstedt con centrated the bulk of his strength i> the center of his bulge, mean while probing Allied lines behind the First and Third armies for a blow at their rears. Intelligence Slips Knocked out of complacency by the great Nazi winter drive, Allied quarters cast about for the reason ?f the setback, with opinion general that the fault lay in ap underestima tion of German military strength and failure to detect substantial Nazi troop movements. Although Allied chieftains expect ed ? German attack, they felt that the enemy needed more time to re assemble his shattered forces, and they also overlooked the Ardennes forest as a possible ground for Nazi ?Iterations because of the rough character of the terrain. Biggest slip, however, occurred in the Allied intelligence department's failure to observe Von Rundstedt's massing of 200,000 men in the Ar dennes sector, an operation which ex-U. S. Chief of Staff of World War I, Gen. Peyton C. March, likened to the movement of the population of Richmond, Va., toward Washington, D. C., without our knowing anything about it. Lucky Winnie Having come to Greece to un tangle the knotty political problem in that embattled country standing athwart Britain's Mediterranean life fine. Prime Minister Winston Chur chill twice cheated death in Athens within a week. First, caches of explosives were found in a sewer below Britain's headquarters where Churchill was expected to visit, and then a sniper's , bullet whistled past the prime min ister and struck a woman 300 yards ?way a# he was entering the British embassy. That Lucky Winnie's presence in Athens served to force a settlement ?f the Greek political crisis was seen h) the report that the radical and conservative elements had agreed ?pon the formation of a mixed coun cil to rule the country in behalf of ?ne king. NATIONAL INCOME: Record Level With wartime economic activity reaching its peak early in the year, the total of goods and services pro duced and income received in 1944 set all-time records, the U. S. de partment of commerce reported. At the same time, the department stat ed that activity in 1945 can be ex pected to level off. Value of goods and services of 1944 approximated 197 billion dollars com pared with 88.6 billion dollars in 1939, the department said, while in come received by individuals for crops, wages, salaries, dividends, in terest, social security and military dependency reached 155 billion dol lars against 70.8 billion in 1939. Farm income alone totaled over 20 billion dollars. Of 197 billion dollars in goods and services produced in 1944?85 billion dollars were for war; 96.6 billion dollars for consumer spending; 13 billion dollars for governmental non war spending, and 2.6 billion dollars for industrial investments. HOME FRONT: Pull in Belt With the war bringing new de mands upon the nation, the gov ernment moved for fullest utiliza tion of both manpower and re sources. War Mobilization Director James F. Byrnes appealed to the country's 80 race tracks to suspend operations in 1945, thus making their 40,000 employees available in the labor pool, and also answering complaints that absenteeism was being caused by workers from nearby plants patronizing the sport. In a move designed to make most efficient use of labor, the War Pro duction board announced that it would withhold priorities or alloca tions of material from plants found guilty of violating War Manpower commission regulations governing employment ceilings or hiring of helD. With civilian supplies of many food items reported at the low est point since the war began, OPA reestablished rationing on utility beef, better cuts of veal, bacon, pork shoulders, spare ribs, beef and veal liver and meats in tin and glass, and also on such canned vegetables as peas, corn, green and wax beans, asparagus and spinach. In addition, individual sugar allowances of Ave pounds were extended to three months, and point value of butter was raised from to to 14 per pound. PACIFIC: Philippine Battleground Though Leyte and Samar island have been lost, and U. S. troops speeded conquest of Mindoro, the Japanese indicated their determina tion to flght to the last ditch in the Philippines and make the gangling archipelago the battleground of de cision in the Pacific. Even as War Minister Sugiyama urged that the issue be decided in the Philippines, B-29 Super-Fort resses roared over Tokyo, smashing aircraft factories, refineries and docks, and continuing their sus tained drive to seriously impair the delivery of war material to enemy forces in the field. No less than 112,000 Japanese were killed in th# 87-day U. S. conquest of Leyte, featured by a climactic north, south and east pincer squeeze on the enemy after he was cornered on the northwest ern tip of the island. MONTGOMERY WARD: V. S. in Again The government's second seizure of Montgomery Ward, unlike the first, headed for settlement in court as the U. S. again took over the huge corporation on charges that its disrespect of War Labor board orders threatened vital war pro duction. With the legality of the second seizure scheduled for judicial re view, the government contended that Montgomery Ward's impor tance in the war effort was at tested by its sale of farm machinery and supplies and manufacture of military products, while the com pany replied its major operations did not directly affect the war and it would be unconstitutional to ac cept the War Labor board's order for a closed shop denying individual workers the right to decide on join ing a union. In filing suit in court for affirma tion of its right to take over Mont gomery Ward, the government de clared that the company's persistent refusals to abide by War Labor board settlements led other parties to defy WLB directives and threat ened a wave of strikes and lock outs. LABOR: Stay in Unions Apparently sold on the strength of organization in the achievement of better working conditions, the great majority of union people have re tained their membership when giv en the chance to quit, the U. S. bu reau of labor statistics reported. Covering 21 plants and 7S.OOO union members, the BLS discov ered that only 395 of these workers, or less than 1 per cent, withdrew from labor organizations during the 15-day period allowed for such action before maintenance of mem bership contracts went into effect. Industries covered by the BLS study included shipbuilding and ship repair, textile, radio, auto parts, chemical, electrical ma chinery, steel products, transporta tion equipment, and tobacco. i ? Postwar Projects With wartime income remain ing substantial, and projects postponed because of manpower and material shortages, many states are accumulating hug* balances to be used in the post war period, when their expendi ture should help bolster the economy. Although far from possessing the biggest surplus, Oregon, with $61,535,000 available, al ready has completed $190,000, 000 of postwar construction plans, far more than any other state. Although possessing the largest of all balances at $344, 000,000, Oklahoma has only $114, 000,000 of projects in the ready to go stage. Other states with big surpluses and the dollar value of com pleted postwar construction plans include California with $195,000,000 balance and $75, 000,000 projects; New York with $163,000,000 and $65,400,000; Pennyslvania with $150,000,000 and $25,000,000, and Illinois with v $100,000,000 and $10,000,000. WAR RELIEF: Buy Clothes In the largest purchase so far undertaken for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation adminis tration, the U. S. treasury will buy $15,000,000 worth of outmoded but warm and durable clothing. In making the purchase, a treas ury official said, the government hopes to obtain the major share of the clothing from manufacturers' and dealers' old stocks, and to speed up the procurement, it appealed to these businessmen to take a rapid ; inventory of such supplies. With 170,000,000 people looking to UNRRA for relief, a treasury spokesman said, the present pur- ; chase program is but a drop in the bucket. STEEL: Peak Output Hitting its peak in March befoTe ' gradually leveling off, U. S. steel 1 production for 1944 reached a record 89,400,000 tons of ingots and castings, 80 per cent over maximum output in ! World War I and Hi times over Axis Europe's probable turn-out last year. Because of the industry's heavy output during the first part of the year, It was able to top 1943 produc tion by 600,000 tons. Output in the last part of the year dropped more than 600,000 tons over the same pe riod in 1943. "Despite higher production, earn ings, after taxes, for 1944 probably will approximate 170 million dollars, compared with 201 million in 1943," a spokesman tor the Industry said. 'Nothing Can Stop tha Army Air Force!' With B-29s ranging over Tokyo al most .daily it's tough for tho imagination to conceive that three years ago our air forces' only as set was the moxie of its men. . . . Bataan was saved at least once by the wizardry of our air force per sonnel, who had plenty of ingenuity as well as courage. . . . Enemy ships were trying to land troops on the shore one night. Though there were no bombers with which to stop them, our airmen weren't fazed. . . . Mechanics rigged up three pur suit ships with a device whereby two 300-pound bombs could be attached to the wings and released by pull ing a wire. . . . The three ships made three trips that night and bombed and strafed the Jap boats, preventing the troops from landing. . . . What made their feat of stall ing the Japs and gaining time for us even more of a miracle was that most of the pilots had never before flown at night! The newspapers not long ago car ried a story telling how there were no trees in the far Aleutians and that pilots had brought in a single tree, planted it and labelled it "Umnak National Forest." What the news story failed to men tion was why the tree had been flown in?for the exclusive use of a flier's pet dog. rx uyer wnu aaa Deen siauonea on an island for too many months de veloped a crush on a half-native girl, who looked very beautiful after months in the South Pacific. ... In his barracks one day he was getting poetic about the girl?when his buddy, thumbing through a movie magazine, suddenly turned to a photo of Betty Grable in a bath ing suit. . . . "How's this?" ex citedly asked the buddy, holding up the picture. The pilot took a brief look and snorted, "White trash!" On a recent bomber mission over Germany the flight ran into serious opposition from both fighters and flak, and a B-17 was hit. A 20-mm. shell struck the top tuiTet, and the gunner fell to the floor covered with blood. ... A colonel who had come along as an observer rushed back to give first aid and, see ing the lad's rigid farm, thought he was either dead or dying. ... He was about to adminis ter a hypodermic when the gun ner opened his eyes. . . . The _ colonel bent over him, patting ' his ear close to the lad's lips, expecting some last feeble words. . . . "Colonel," was the gunner's comment, "I'm begin ning to think there isn't mueh future in this racket." Despite popular misconception, boys of the AAF aren't as pin-up happy as people think. . . . This verse was penned several months ago by a B-17 radio operator-gun ner who failed to return from a mis sion over Italy: "Oh, Hedy Lamarr is a beautiful gal. . . . And Made leine Carroll is, too. . . . But you'll find, if you query, a different theory. . . . Amongst any bomber crew. . . . For the loveliest thing of which one could sing. . . . (This side of the Heavenly Gates). ... Is no blonde or brunette of the Hollywood set. .., But an escort of P-38s." Pet story of Gen. Hap Arnold, chief of the AAF, concerns the Wright brothers, who had repeated ly tried to fly a heavier-than-air craft. Finally, one December day, at Kitty Hawk, N. C? they did what no man had ever done before. They flew! . . . Elated, they wired their sister, Katherine: "We have actual ly flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas" . . . Katherine ran down the street and breathlessly handed the telegram?the news scoop of the century?to the city editor of the lo cal paper. He read it carefully and smiled: "Well, well! How nice?the boys will be borne for Christmas!" A fighter pilot (veteran cf the famed Flying Tigers) took on half a doxen Jap planes in a dogfight and downed two. Then Ms ammunition ran oat. . . . Ramming his plane into a third he bailed oat and managed to land safely near the wreck. Re moving the one undamaged ma chine gnn from the debris he carried It to his base?where he promptly reported to bis commander. Gen. Claire Chea aaalt: "Sir, may I have another airplane for my maeMne gnn?" Students of 'Foxhole University' | Do Homework Between Battles ( A Million Servicemen Continue Education By Correspondence A few months ago an Ameri can doughboy lay concealed in an advance scout post among Italy's hills, walkie-talkie strapped to his chest and strain ing every faculty to catch any sound from the Germans just over the crest of the rise. Suddenly he heard a guttural voice, speaking authoritatively in German. The Yank frowned in concentration, trying to catch a few words. Fortunately, he had been studying German in "Foxhole University" in his spare time, and the knowledge of it he had already gained proved sufficient. Snapping open the^ircuit of his walkie-talkie he raise^his own com mand post in the rear, and warned: "They're going to move behind the hill to the right, and send a few men to the left as a feint. Watch out for tricks." He had understood the German voice correctly. American gunners ignored the feinting movement, fired when the Banking maneuver had been almost completed, and prac tically annihilated the enemy com pany. This time the soldier's German studies paid a timely dividend, but this is not unusual as Foxhole Uni versity's courses frequently improve the student's military efficiency at the same time that they improve his chances of success upon his re turn to civilian life. Founded early in 1942, "Foxhole University," formally known as the United States Armed Forces Insti tute, is now the world's largest edu cational institution. In November, 1944, approximately 1,000,000 men and women in uniform were study ing individually in correspondence of self-teaching courses or in groups in locally organized classes. Far-Flung Student Body. Wherever Americans are stationed throughout the world, men and women of the army, navy, coast guard and marine corps are study ing subjects ranging from econom ics to engineering or from Spanish to sociology. And the students them selves are just about as varied as the curriculum. For instance, there's Pvt. Arnold Brewer, an Eskimo member of the Sixth Supply Squadron, who is based inside the Arctic circle. In his off duty hours he is studying USAFI's Elementary English course. A corporal in a medical battalion, William H. Lindley had completed three years pre-medical study at In diana University when he entered the Army. After completing his Army basic training, he enrolled through USAFI in an extension course given by Indiana University. He is accumulating credits toward his M. D. degree. Salvatore J. Ezzo, Philadelphia, left high school before he had com pleted his senior year. A sergeant in a fuel control office at an air base, Ezzo became the first soldier in the North African, Italian or Mid dle East theaters of war to obtain ' a high school diploma for in-service I training. I Scarcely a month after Americans had established a beachhead on ! Bougainville in the South Pacific, while the island was still under con tinuous bombing, strafing and shell ing, T/Sergt. Donald N. Roberts, Coshocton, Ohio, a machine gunner, completed and sent in to USAFI an other in his series of automobile me chanics lessons. * Spanish Class on Bougainville. Bougainville is considered one of the wettest islands in the world, with 11 feet of rainfall a year. Despite weather conditions, another soldier, T/Sergt. John Alcorn of San Fran cisco, conducted nightly Spanish les sons for his mates under the USAFI group study plan. He also studied Japanese by himself. Because he had missed elemen tary physics 10 years before while in high school. Pvt. Richard E. Gun nerson, Kansas City, Mo., stationed in North Africa with an operations office attached to an engineer unit, studied USAFI's elementary physics course. ? " While in a North African battle area, S/Sergt. Donald L. Clement continued his bookkeeping lessons. Returning his papers for correction to USAFI he wrote: "Red ink has not been used on these bookkeeping lessons, as I do not have any avail able and the local foxhole does not carry it in stock." From Anzio beachhead, when American forces were pinned down for months, an infantryman wrote of his USAFI course: "It's funny but I can concentrate best when I'm driven into my hole by artillery fire and have to stay there for hours. I keep my books and a typewriter in the hole and just start studying when the' shelling begins." Nearly Three Tears Old. Established in April, 1942, as the Army Institute, to give Army enlist ed personnel a chance to continue study that the war had interrupted, to aid them with their military duties, and by adding to their edu cation, improve their citizenship, USAFI's services were extended to Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel in September, 1942. The following February the name was changed to United States Armed Forces Institute. An official Army and Navy school, i its headquarters a former mail-or-J der company store overlooking the Wisconsin capitol at Madison, USAFI is operated by the War .De partment (Information - Education Division, Army Service Forces) with the cooperation of the Navy Depart ment (Educational Services Section, Bureau of Navy Personnel). At first USAFI offered only cor respondence courses. Now, howev er, self-teaching courses and off duty classes have been added. Self teaching study and off-duty group studies have been particularly feas ible for soldiers stationed in all sorts of places, sometimes near and in side battle areas. USAFI now offers a complete aca demic program in high school, tech nical and college subjects. More than 250 subjects may be studied through the institute's own corre spondence classes. Hundreds of similar subjects may be studied in extension courses offered b^ the 85 colleges and universities, located in more than 40 states, as well as Hawaii and Canada, which cooper ate with the institute. In November, 1944, nearly 400,000 men and women were enrolled in correspondence courses, some work ing for high school diplomas, others taking technical subjects to per fect skills or increase their knowl edge, others picking up university credits that would lead to degrees. ?Approximately 600,000 were enrolled for self-teaching or off-duty classes. Enrolled with USAFI in Septem ber, 1944, among the thousands of others, were: 311 members of the armed forces who had left school be Corporal Schwars faxes prosily on her certificate, proclaiming that she has completed the eoarse la Arabic with distinctioa. fore completing the sixth grade; 33 with PhD degrees; 26,373 high school graduates; 2,211 with bache lor's degrees; 191 with master's de- . grees. Follows Its Students. USAFI has kept pace geographi cally with its students and there are now nine overseas branches in oper ation. The first branch was estab lished in Hawaii in the (all of 1942. Others were opened in rapid suc cession in England, New Caledonia. Alaska, Egypt, Australia, India, North Africa (now located in Itaftr), and Panama. One fee, $2, enrolls any member of the armed services (except Army officers who pay the entire cost of any USAFI course or examination they require) for any course or serv ice offered by the Institute. As long as the student continues to "pass," ne may continue to enroll tor addi tional self-teaching and correspond ence courses given by the Institute. Except for commissioned and war rant officers, and Sight officers at the Army, the Government will pay half the text and tuition fees up to $20 for each university correspond ence course. Army officers must pay for their own courses. Former musicians, salesmen, law yers, farmers, mechanics, bike rac ers, clerks, engineers, chemists, pro fessional basketball, football, and hockey players are taking USAFI courses. Uore than half at th* stu dents are stationed overseas. Ev ery week USAFI ships tO.OM text books abroad, a freight-car load pi learning. "Now that all the Jape here are dead ones, and we are getting lights, I have started reviewing my lea sons and will send No. 3 to you an soon as possible," wrote S/Sergt. Ar thur Davis, with a weather squadron, stationed on a Pacific Island. Corp. Edward A. Wittenhauer, granted an extension in the time al lotted for his course, wrota: "I find it very difficult to keep my linmaia up to date. I am at a bomber sta tion In England. This should ex olain why 1 am ao buay." ,-c Perched on the hood of his jeep. Sergeant Hoffman employs a few spare minutes to study during a lull in firing on the eamp rifle range, somewhere in the Middle East. This haadsoaae hsildlnf with Its OrtenU] dmiiHm heasee the Middle East hraach of the CSAT1 la Cairo. Notice the eaaeel la the feremaad. aad the British oelieemma la ?Ute aalfena tad ?Mh heiaiet. I
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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Jan. 11, 1945, edition 1
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