American Tteeps Are
DriYing Toward
Gabes; French Hash
ing Into Sousse; Axis
Shipping- Sank In Med
iteranean; Effort Be
ing- Made To Keep
Rommel From Joining
Forces In Tunisia
London, Dec. 80.—-United States
troops were reported to a Reute re
dispatch today to have advanced to
within 40 miles of G»fe—, strategic
Tunisian port lies approxi
mately midway batween Axis-held
Tripoli and Tunis.
The direction of the advance was
not stated, bq£ delayed field dis
patches received last night disclos
ed that an American task force was
operating on the southern Tunisian
front and told of a recent raid on
Maknassy, 56 miles northwest of
Gabes and 40 miles from the coast
al road and railway, in which 21
Italians were captred.
There was no further word con
cerning the situation northeast of
Medjep-El-Bab, where ft.'nttfrdds gain
ed by the Allies upo|k a "ridge six
miles from the town ja fighting
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
were disclosed in an Allied com
munique yesterday to have been re
linquished.
(The Associated Press erroneous
ly identified the forces in this with
drawal as American. The Allied
communique, issued first in Wash
ington and then from Allied head
quarters in North Africe, said they
were "our units." Earlier dispatches
concerning the attack and holding
operations said they were executed
by a famous British guard regi
ment.)
French troops in central Tunisia
and American forces to the south
were reported advancing slowly in
a three-way drive upon the coastal
road. Mud generally bogged the
main Allied forces near Tunis.
The French forces supported by
Allied tanks and planes, were re
ported to have cut an important
road south of Pont-Du-Fahs, 30
miles south of Tunis, yesterday, and
to have beaten off a violent German
counterattack except in one sector
where the Nazis were said to have
advanced slightly at the cost of
heavy losses.
French headquarters in North Af
rica said another force of their
troops, further south between Pi
chon and Kairouan, had improved
its position. This force is driving
toward the coast at Axis-held
Sousse.
British patrols operating against
Marshal Rommel's troops west of
Wadi Bei El Chebir, a Libyan gulch
itself 180 miles east of Tripoli, de
stroyed some enemy vehicles yester
day, a Cairo communquei said.
Naval torpedo aircraft were de
clared to have sunk a southbound
Axis merchant vessel off Pantellaria
island while bombers successfully
attacked dock areas of Tunis and
Bizerte the same night.
Boys and Girls Learn
Welding at NY A Free
Farmville and Pitt county boys
and girls between the ages at 16
and 25 yean who wish to have an
important jwrt in the nation's war
effort aa war workers are now offer
ed an opportunity to secure such
training without cost in the Na
tional Youth Administration's resi
dent centers throughout North Caro
lina, according to aa appounce
ment by Thomas H. Broughton, NY A
jroject manager.
Young men and women interested
fn enrolling in these courses of
training are urged to make applica
tion at once to the Personnel Officer,
N. Y„ Greenville.
As a result <rf training received in
defense shops of the NY A in North
Carolina, more than SfiW boys and
girls have been placed in defense
jobs in the Norfolk navy yard,
North Carolina Shipbuilding Co.,
DR. GEORGE W. THUOTT
Will Ina
Annual
Series
;e Third
st Hour
Sermons
Dr. George W. Truett, pastor of
First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas,
and past president of the Southern
Baptist Convention and of the B» y
tist World Alliance, will inaugurate
the third *inual Baptist Hour series
of radio sermons at 7:30 CWT (8:80
I.WT) Sunday morning, January 8,
over Station WPTF. He will speak
cm "Christ's Answer to World
Needs." 1'» -
The Baptist Hour for 1943, accord
ing to S. F. Lowe, chairman of the
Radio Committee of the Southern
Baptist Convention, will consist of
thirteen sermons by outstanding
Southern Baptist pastors and lead
ers. These' will be delivered from
January 3 through March 28 over
an independent network oif 35 sta
tions in 16 southern states, on the
general theme, "American Christians
amid World Crisis."* Station WFTF
will carry the entire series.
The series has become a popular
religious radio feature ^according to
Dr. Lowe, who reports that the 1912
broadasts from January through
March elicited more than 50,000 let
ters.
In addition to Dr. Truett, January
speakers include: January 10, Dr.
R C. Campbell, pastor of the First
Baptist Chui-h, Columbia, S. C; Jan
uary 17, Dr. r. D. Head, president of
Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary, Fort Worth, Tex its; Jan
uary 24. Dr. O. T. Binkley, Profes
sor of Religion, Wake Forest Col
lege, Wake Forest, N. C.; January
31, Dr. Francis P. Gaines, president
of Washington and Lee University,
Lexington, Va.
The speakers for February will be:
February 7. Dr. J. Clyde Turner,
pastor of First Baptist Church,
Greensboro, N. C.; February 14, Dr.
Turner; February 21> Dr. Turner;
February 28, Honorable Pat M. Neff,
president of Southern Baptist Con
vention.
The speakers for March will be:
March 7, Dr. R G. Lee, pastor of
Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis,
Tenn.; March 14, Dr. Lee; March 21,
Dr. Lee; March 28, Dr. Ellis A. Ful
ler, president of Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, Louisville,
Kentucky.
Study Government
Market Pin
Form Of Cooperative
Would Eliminate Mid
dlemen
Washington, Dec. 30.—Visoalisb*
the establfcdunent of * federally
financed marketing system through
their food and farmers would receive
mora, Chairman Palmer (D-SC) at
the Heose Agriculture Committee
said today the committee would un
dertake a study of the proposal short
ly after Congress convenes vnext
vtoek. '0e\
would be to^ermfaie htm much
of nation's food bill go«s to
"Middlemen," bat out of it prob
ably wouki come recommendations
for overhauling the entire maiksfc
wishes h Pr0mae "Opes fulfilled,
** "" T* fMtttBe- A New Year is beginning
now^Mniy everyone joins The Enterprise in the hope that every aim
of our National Defense wrf^e realfced, and that peace wiU be reborn
J. Tom Taylor
Funeral Saturday
Died at His Home Here
Following Illness of
Several Years
Funeral services for J. Tom Taylor,
age 70 yean, were conducted at 8:30
o'clock Saturday afternoon, Decem
ber 26, 1948, from the home at 207
East Home Avenne with the Rever
sed C. B. Mashliinn officiating.
Mr. Taylor died Friday night after
an illness at several yean.
He waa a native of Greene Coun
ty and had made hia home is Farm -
ville for the put 18 yean, having
been engaged in the livestock busi
nees until his health fbrced him to
retire. Mr. Tqrtor waa a member of
the First Christian Church of Farm
ville, North CarbMna/ -
Surviving are his wife, the former
Bessie of Wayne County, and
two MIsb Sue Taylor of
the home, and Mlaa Alice Taylor, of
New Bent, N. C.; one brother, D. W.
Taylor, and several nephews and
aiaaaa.
Active pallbearers were as follows:
Edward Speight, Edenton, N. C.,
Herbert Biggs, Golds bo ro, N. C., D.
G. Allen, Faimville, N. C., Alfred
Smith, Griftcm, N, C., George W.
Windham, Harmville, N. C., and
William E. Rasberry, Farmville, N.
C.
Honorary pallbearers were as fol
lows: George W. Davis, Cecil Lilly,
R. T. Norville, J. I. Baker. JP. M.
Dail, T. W. Lang, E. C. Beam an, J.
W. Holmes, W. A. McAdams, G. W.
Windham, B. S. Smith, R. L. Smith,
C. L. Ivey, A. F. Joyner, R. D. Rouse,
F. A. Darden, A J. Flanagan, J. W.
Mo ye, J. O. Pollard, Haywood Smith,
J. B. Taylor, R. O. Lang, J . M.
Stansill, J. W. Joyner, Dr. W. M.
Willis, R. LeRoy Rollins, W. A. Mar
tin, M. G. Thome, G. M. Holden, R.
A> Joyner, Walter Jonas, E. C. Carr,
Dr. R. T. Williams, C. F. Bancom,
G. R. Smith, John B. Lewis, J. H.
Moore, Ed Naah Warren, L. P.
Thomas, W. C. Askew, Lloyd Smith,
C. L. Barrett, Hugh Barrett, R. G.
Barrett, W. A. Barrett, J. W. Baas,
R. E. Belcher, A. W. Bobbitt, J. T.
Thorns, T, E. Barrow, G. W. Burnett,
J. C CoriMtt, F. M. Da via, Jr., John
D. Dixon, David Harris, F. G. Du
pree, Jr., Leon Eaaon, Milton Eason,
R N^Frt&ian, J. C. Gibba, E. W.
Godwin, A J. Greene, Frank Harper,
J. H. Harris, E. C. Holmes, W. C.
Holston, M. V., Horton, C. H. Joyner,
R. H. Knott, C. L. Beaman, Horace
Lewis, Jack Lewis, R. T. Martin, T.
B. MizeUe, A C. Monk, J. Y.
Monk, Jr., George Moon, B. E.
Moore, R. R Newton, R. A. Parker,
J. H. Pay lor, L. T. Pierce, J. B,
Roberta, G. A. Rouse, F. G. Smith,
Jack Smith, O. G. Spell, & <0. Tay
lor, L. E. Tumage, Z. M. Whitehunt,
J. E. Wilkerson, J. T. Windham, A.
G. Cayton, Bennie T. Wooten, W. C.
Wooten, J. R. Go wan, Joe Moore, L.
T. Lacaa, J. A. Gregory, R. B. Fields,
J. R. Pippin, William E. Galley, ant
Paul L Ferretti. ggg: ./ .-j
I '
MRS. MAMIE H. LOVIC
Mi*. Mamie H. Lovte, 61, wife of
B. H. Lovic, died at the home of her
daughter, Mrm. Thad Lewis at Foun
tain late Saturday night.
Funeral service* were held Mon
day at 3 p. m. from the home of her
mother, Mrs. George W. TUfhmaa,
at KJnston. The Rev. C. B. Mash
tarn, pastor of the Farmville Chris
TOE HOME
FRONT
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmtmmmmmtmrnmmmmmemmmm in n n i
(For Release Dec 84.)
As the war prugnwwi the Allies
no longer are caught napping at any
point, however obscure it may ap
pear in the grand strategy of the
United Nations. If it is surprising
that American light tanks are re
ported in action on the jungle-en
closed strip of New Guinea Beach,
how much extraordinary must have
been the means of getting them
there.
On the economic front our govern
ment must be equally far-seeing.
More than 60 million pounds of seed,
for example, have been destined for
planting on foreign soil, under Lend -
Lease arrangements. Some of these
seeds Are supplied tx> areas occupied
by.our troops, who will raise fresh
vegetables when they aren't fighting.
Grass seeds are sent to new air
fields for surfacing barren strips.
But the bulk of the seeds go for
foods to feed the peoples of Allied
lands in desperate need of them and
to replant farmlands lately freed
from Axis control. And seeds take
up less shipping space than produce
in any other form.
Civilians Will Not Benefit.
Although American farms must
raise a great deal more crops of
many kinds in 1943, civilians must
not expect to benefit by the increase.
Our armed forces will need much
more of all that is raised, and so will
our Allies, England, Russia, and the
French in North Africa. For not
only is food, as it supports fighting
men, a direct instrument of warfare,
it is an essential bulwark of civilian
populations in war time. The hatred
felt by the people of occupied Europe
for their Nazi oppressors is fed by
the pangs of hunger, their hopes of
liberation and of ultimately getting
food from us strengthen their re
sistance and definitely aid the Allied
cause.
The plight of starving millions
abroad and the fearful conditions un
der which many of our soldiers an
fighting in jungle and desert should
awaken in all. of us at home the
willingness to take cheerfully the
slight discomforts and minor hard
ships which necessarily go with a
war of this kind, especially the in
conveniences connected with ration
ing and other restrictions of scarce
goods.
jLne cuinoimm hvuikb ui uuiuwub
of Americana, in motoring and heat
ing, particularly among those living
along the Atlantic Seaboard, helped
our army land in North Africa and
attack the Ajqg, bat the total quan
tity of these products needed for a
continuing campaign ia enormous,
and will require the service oI a fleet
of tankers. For this reason, the
Army has spnt an urgent plea to
civilians to save gasoline and fuel
oil in every way possible. At the
same time, the Petroleum Adminis
trator has warned that several areas
in the East have only enough motor
gas for essential need*—supplies in
storage have been drained by non
essential driving beyond previous
estimates. t&jjLr
Efforts Made To Conserve Oil.
Although fusl oil rations have been
increased Iff per cent in 18 Middle
Western States, every effort is being
Two Vessels Sunk
When U. Sw Airmen:
Bomb Cargo Fleet
Washington, Dec. 80. — American
aircraft, operating from Hendttwn
field on Guadalcanal, in the Solo
mons, strafed and bombed a fleet of
enemy cargo ships off the island and
sank two enemy vessels the Navy
Department reported today.
Simultaneously, the Navy, in its
communique, reported that army
and marine troops had killed more
than 150 Japanese with a loss of
only four men killed and one
wounded.
The attack on the cargo vessels'
occurred at Wickham anchorage Mi
the southeast coast of Vangvtm is
land in the new Georgia group of
the Solomons, approximately 120
miles northwest of Henderson air
field.
The communique reported also
that fighting marines in an ex
change of artillery and mortar fire,
destroyed an enemy mortar and a
machine gun position.
The text of the communique No.
288.
oouwi rgcmc: (Ail aates are east
Longitude).
"1 on December 27th:
"(A) Army and marine corps
troops on Guadalcanal killed 114
Japanese in patrol skirmishes with
the enemy. U. S. casualties during
these encounters were two killed.
"(B) U. S. Marines, in an ex
change of artilley and mortar fire,
destroyed an enemy mortar, a ma
chine gun position and killed be
tween 90 and 40 Japanese. The Ma
riens later ambushed and kiled 11
more of the enemy. Marine casual
ties were two killed and one wound
ed.
"2. On December 29, U. S. planes
made two attacks on enemy cargo
vessels in Wickham anchorage on
the southeast coast of Vangunu is
land in the new Georgia group on
the Salomons. Bombing and straf
ing resulted in the sinking of two
of the enemy vessels."
The fleet of Japanese cargo ves
sels at Wickham anchorage appar
ently was attempting to bring in
supplies to the harassed Jap forces
in the Solomons.
The report of the attack came a
day after Commander Dwight H.
Dexter, 41 year old Coast Guard Of
ficer, just back from the Solomons,'
told a press conference that the
Japanese fores there were weak
ening. V
"Judging from my experience
there," he said, "I believe the Japs
now have 41 they can do to eons- i
bat starvation tad disease, much
lees worry about the little bit' of
hell the Marines are gftifig them,
too."
V : 'V." ■ • tai«iI I.
A Call <ir Red Cwfcs
Russian Offensive Rolls
On Following Capture
of Kotelnikovski; Red
Armies Nearing Mill
erovo With Rostov As
Ultimate ^Goal; Ger
man Losses Described
As Heavy
Moeoow, Dec. 90.—Russia's «Uun
roller offensive lunged on aeroae the -
middle Don steppes today and better
ed *t the fates of another big popw- .
lated place—perhaps Millerovo or
Kamensk—after seising the key
German-held rail citadel of Kotelni
kovakf, 90 miles southwest of Stalin
grad
Already hemmed in on three
sides, with Soviet troops only two
miles away at the nearest point,
Millerovo lies 120 miles north of
Rostov, Kamensk in 40 miles south
of Millerovo.
London military quarters said the
fall of Kotebrikovski, the first big
prize of the Russian winter offen
sive, virtually sealed the doom of
22 German diviaons now trapped
before Stalingrad.
"The capture is a most significant
success which even the Germans
will not be able to hide," these quar
ters said.
"It means the extermination of
Col .-Gem. Hermann von Hour's
sixth amy, because the only chance
the Germane had to get relief was
along this railway (the Stanlingrad
KraamM^f railway on wbch Kotel
nikovski is situated.)"
German field headquarters, ignor
ing the fall of Kotelnikovski, re
proted tersely that the Russians
had suffered heavy' casualties—1but
gave no figurop in continuing at
tacks on the Stalingrad and Don
river fronts.
With Kctehukovski in Russian
hands and Millerovo engulfed, the
next major Soviet objective was ap
parently Rostov. Its capture would
cut off the land escape rente of
perhaps 1,000,000 German troops in
southern Russia.
Other Soviet columns striking due
west were reported leas than 100
miles from the great Ukraine steel
city of Kharkov.
Captured after Moody street
fighting in whkn 6,860 Axis troops
were killed and 2,770 captured in 24
hours, Kotelnikovski had .served as
a main base of supplies for the Ger
man siege armies before Stelingrad.
The plight of these Nasi forces,
originally estimated at more than
300 trOope, was emphasised by a So
viet communique reporting that 32
transport planes were destroyed on
Dee«nber 28 in the Staling**! area
as the Germans desperately at
tempted to supply and reinforce
their beleaguered units by air.
Along with the surprisingly swift
fall of Kotelnikovski, Bad army
headquarters declared that frantic
efforts to stem the Rnaritm Sde oh
the middle Don toppe* by throwing
in massM of reserves had been frus
trated.
Red army' headquarters announc
ed still further successes in the Stal
ingrad vicinity, whaw Bnaaian
shock troops sweeping out of their ,
foxholes and rained buildings in
the northside factory district ware
reported to hare captured 83 Ger
man blockhouses and dagoote snd -
killed 200 Nasi*.
"Northwest of Stetograd, our
troops captured a height of great
importanct and wiped out
about 400 Hiterites." .the Russian
command said. i ' r
Allied Cains
In New Guinea
■t." mtmmmmmrnmm m
Allied Planes Continue
To Blast lap Positions
In Burma
Washington, Dee. 80.—Hard-fight
ing American troops in New Guinea
were officially credited today with
the Mtfeuft «f the "Woody triangle,"
• series of 13 fortified bunkers bit
terly defended by the Japanese, while
ether Allied forms slowly cloeod a
imp around the enemy's narrow
beach condor at Bona.
- Promt-line dispatches said the
Americana drove out the Japanese
piecemeal and then inflicted heavy
casualties in beating off an enemy
counterattack.
The fierceness of the Japanese
defense was illustrated when Amer
ican soldiers mopping up one sector
found a , single Japanese operating
eight machine-guns by means of
strings and wires rigged in a series.
"Mopping tip of captured posi
tions is in progress," Gen. Douglas
MacArthur's headquarters annannc
ed. "Our troops expanded their
initial wedge still farther to the
west."
Other Par Pacific developments:
Burma—RAF Blenheim bombers
escorted b yfighters blocted anew at
the Japanese airdrome at* Monywa,
an tne Chi nd win river in northwest
Burma, and pounded the enemy air
base at Toungoo in central Burma.
British fighter planes also carried
out offensive patrols in the Maya
river district, along the Bay of Ben
«*l, where Gen. Sir Archibald F.
Waveil's British troops from India
have been driving along the coast
toward the big Japanese base at
Akyab.
No further word was forthcoming
on the progress oc the British over
land thrust, which yesterday was
reported to have reached Raihe
daung, 25 miles from Akyab.
At five o'clock P. M. December 26,
Miss Virginia McKeel, daughter of
Mrs. Trephenia McKeei of Walaton
burg, N. C., and Mr. Sam R. Craft
of Farmvilie, v»*re married by Rev.
C. B. M&shburn at the parsonage.
Mm. Craft was educated at Wals
tonburg high school and A<nti"
Christian College. Mr. Craft holds
a responsible position with Corbetfs
Garage hen.
A Government program to insure
a market for tamers in 12 Southern
states who have expanded egg pro
duction to meet wartime require
ments will again be available in
1948. , \
Information Offices In
United States and Pin