Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 40, Number 285, Decatur, Adams County, 3 December 1942 — Page 1

[lst Is Chores!

KL No. 285.

IIVE U. S. NAVAL TRANSPORTS LOST ■ROM CONVOY IN AFRICAN INVASION

I Pouring L Reserves | I Tunisia Irmons Strongly Kntestinq Allied tonce In Africa ■ Bv l ulled Press ■ u . r■< ineitts are K h.m- •' ,n Tunl K,, h. u ni's are conK,- Wl y'.y "■ > f ""' ~f ,he ■idnnri. .ittl. front *ay Kt,, hruiv .ctlilery. planes are beitiK used in the Kaj !->»• tul German at-1 K,. iui'l'- Teltourba. Kceiitrr 1' mile* *”» t of K Ho»<v' Allied unite, led K* a:i .in- said to be Kc! tb<- attack*. And the Kt '.OS! heavily in men and K’.xy .- to have recap ■:b town of Djedelds. beK Tunis and Tebourba Kno direct confirmation. K-M.'-i- ■ "lio “ay* Allied j Ki bi«> tracked the town. Kl( the enemy claim may Kdrmtin* l« >a»t that they Kd:n( i s -ain of powerful Kfltd tro<>;and crack fight into the French colony. ■M naval unit* caught one Kntnjr mak.tig the daah M ■ se-o»* the narrow midriff Kx«f:>:ra. e-i:i fiom Sicily ■ r.H.v matt red !>”■ ■ l yuKiv I smoke-screen ■ttttu effort to escape. But Kfi nary units plowed into Kir of the Aula flock, guns K and aent tour nemy sup K> and two destroyer* to |b ylanea which have been Kk( Into Tunisia. raced out Kop: th- B,.ti«h squadron. I ■any scor'd a fatal hit on ■atrsysr. the Quentin. ■Mt Allied report* hare de■lfrankly th::' the Nazi* hold BN dp in air power due to lai- with which they can fly Km from Sicily. Btt- ran In Libya. British BN are reported feeling out Ikfanm- around El Aghella ■Germans Indicating a be■Mt the Imperial* soon will F» Mg attack on the Ail* BMlare that the British de*-' |»iy has been heavily reinBWltbh navy |* r ported to ■ ««a>ed to the support of B brrea pushing along the Bnastal road* toward Blzerte ■ Called Pre** correspondent, *ay« that the ■M pounded nemy coastal P‘ with their big gun*. P*hd». the German radio rw'led that Allied force. I along the coait be r" T " >*•«• <■ Cehimn 5) Rent Leaves Mdive Service I* Men Leave For r" 1 * Service Today t? ix men left Adam* counFMraiag for actlvo service Fv 8 army. They went F*- Ohio where they will t Ul *P Perry. P* H Ollllom. aa acting Cz la charge of the kT’ hlch l«ft about 11 JO k ** » In thi* group. «ceepted at Toledo on 21 <l ‘® **• held ,or k he and then sc- | half aa hour artier *«’ to Fort Benjamin In ,2° **“* •• r *®P Ferry ««V*ral: WIL I k* w Charl “ r. Cook. i n» r Jj n, * f>aaan RtwZZa Rliam*. Roger bt R>| Ph Peteram h- T u bw ‘ ry - B “«r Klufhr t JJ* arifk Dale Baum B«ll. Aalaet) T ‘ Cehaaaa I)

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Sub Sinks 8 Ships ~~~ I r 1— J ! . Ors Lieut. Comdr. Thoma* Klakrlng (alvovei. 1". 8. eulimarint* commander. In elated to receive the coveted navy crowa following diado“Ure of hi* daring feut ol taking hi* aubmarine into Japaneae coa*tal water* and winking <-ight Jap ahlp* and damaging four. Klakrlng atated that one Sunday approached «hor« clo*e enough to ; watch the hor«< race* at a big city track Hi-Jackers Are Bound Over To Grand Jury Poultry Hijackers To Face Jury Probe Reltnoni and Robert K'ereate*. brother*, who are charg d with hi I jacking a Meta Egg and Poultry j I truck from Decatur and kidnaping I one of the occupant*—Arthur Laip I ply of Van Wert. Ohio—have been . ■ bound over ’o the grand jury at | Beaver. Pa., near wher the alleg-! i ed offenee occurred. Leonard Metz, owner of the I truck and the local firm, who wa» »l*o In the cab of the vehid when allegedly stopped by the brother*, returned home at noon today. The grand jury I* expected to revl.w the offen»e about next week, he staled. Both men deny the charge*. Mr. Met* »aid that when that' | truck wa» stopped, he failed to I he d a warning of one of the men. who was armed with a pearl ‘ handled revolver and left the cab . Fleeing back to an approaching I truck which w*« slowly climbing j the same hill on which the hi- . jacking occurred, he said that h< secured a ride to a farmhouse and i there summoned state police He said that he recovered all' of the poultry and eggs on the truck Some loss was expert need . by shrinkage, however, he said since the poultry had not l»een fed from Monday night until Wedne* ' day. when the load wa* <1 llvered in Pittsburgh. The truck, which police charge > the brother* abandoned at a farmhouse. had been stripped of acces- j * aories. when located. Unissued Licenses Must Be Returned All IM! bunting licenses in the hand* of the county clerk and i agents which have not been Issued by that date are to be turn ’d into | the state by December 21. it was stated today by county clerk Clyde , O. Trou tn er. It wa* incorrectly stated in a previous Issue of thi* newapaper that all owner* of IM2 license ware to turn them in to the <x»unty clerk. o Sol Neuenschwander Dies At Fort Wayne Solomon Xeuen*cbwander. SO. former Berne resident, died at 6 >• p. m Wednesday at thi* home 3226 Broadway. Fort Wayne, after a three week*' illness. Sarviv ng are a daughter. Mr* Victor Bagley, with whom he lived, and three brother*. Joe of CraigvtUe and Peter and Fred, both of Bluffton. Funeral service* will be held at 1 p. ■ Friday nt the residence and at ! M o’clock at the Cross Re formed church In Berne. Rev Karl Koepke officUtlng Barta! will be ta the M Rr E. cemetery at Berne. |

Manpower Problem Discussion Topic Labor Heads Boost Tobin For Position Washington, Dec. 3.—(UP) — Member* of the AFL-CIO labor war board said today after a conference with President Roosevelt that an announcement about the administration'* new manpower program will be made "very quickly.” Washington. Dec. 3 —(l’P>- The manpower problem is President Roosevelt's chief topic of consideration today. And if the head* of organis’d labor get a chance to *ay anything about it. they'll probably boost Dan Tobin, the teamsters' union head, a* the man to solve it. The preseideiit is meeting with hi* labor war board of CIO and AFL officials on the manpower problem. And if he asks for suggestion*. he'll probably hear AFL. president Green, and CIO president .Murray, nominate Tobin for the dual poet of labor secretary and manpower chief. S< cretary of the Interior Ickes I* said to have turned down an offer of the jebs. as too much for hi* health, before President Roosevelt named him petroleum coordinator for war yesterday. Tobin is the h’ad of an AFL union. But CIO president Murray ha* endorsed him once before for the labcr p-xt. That's one example of unity between the two big labor orgunixa tfon*. And a joint labor peace negotiating committee is trying to spread it throughout the whole union structure with a plan for ending jurisdictional dispute* between CIO and AFL. The plan, which needs the ratification of the executive council* of both organizations. would set up a permanent i ommlttee to sit aa a labor court. The committee would decide all jurisdictional dispute* before they reached the strike stage. If they failed to agree, they'd call in an impartial arbitrator. Speaking of disputes, thefe's OBv that's wide open In congress on a bill to give President Roosevelt limited authority over the wartime movement* of person*, property and information. Attorney general Biddle and the underser t etaries of war and navy appear before a hoase committee today to support ft Administration leadtr* contend the bill has appropriate safeguard*. But Republican mtmbetu aren't yet convinced that it doesn't give the president power* they consider are dangerous. A greup of senators I* planning to make some drastic cut* In one power of government agencies—the power to ask question*. Senator George, bf Georgia says that after an Investigation into government questir nnatre* is completed, there'll be some sharp restrictions placed on them. President Eric Johnson of the (Turn To Pag* ». Column <1 , , , . . , ~.—.0 ——— Ickes Is Head Man In Oil Rationing Named Petroleum War Administrator Washington Dec. 3 — (VPI — Harold ickea has supplanted Leon Henderson as the man who has the final »v ,n B»st bow much oil may be distributed for rationing. As the newly-appointed petroleum administrator for war. Ickes becomes head man in the oil rationing program in shortage areas. That's a reversal of the old situation. When Ickes wa* petroleum coordinator. price administrator Henderson decided bow much oil was to be rationed, and it was up to Ickes to provid IL Icke* now also will iecommend to the war production bon'd the amount of petroleum products available to war Industrie*. His new authority, however, will have no effect on mlleagrationing for automobile* That program I* for rubber conservetloo. and It’s under the direction of rubber director Jeffers.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, December 3,1942.

Set Speed Mark .... - «ggTX Army lieutenants Harold Com stock. 22 Hop) of Fresno (’al., and Roget Dyai. 22 (bottom) ot Lowell, 0.. were revealed tc have dived the new Republic P-67 Thunder bolt pursuit planes at the Incredible speed ot 725 miles pel hour, which Is fastei than th* speed of sound In rarefied air and «urpas*e* the velocity ot a bullet fired from a ,45 calibei revolver Nelthei pilot reported any ’'blackout" of vision but admitted that pulling out ot the 12 mile pel minute speed does "curl youi stomach." Women's Bond Sales Totaled SIB,OOO Report Is Made On Women At War Week The worn n'» division of civilian defense I* credited with war bond sale* of 318.170.75 during Women st Wsr week, which wa* observed Nov. 23 to 28. Mrs. Lernard Saylors, county chairman, announced today. Th total ln« ludes all sale* made in the county during that particular week, but is not in addition to the amount reported by Earl Caston. county bond staff chairman. The women sponsored the bond sale campaign during the last week in November and a corp* of roiunt er salesmen wa* organised by Mrs Milo Black to promote the sale in this city. Many extra bonds were purchased at the request of the women worker*. During the week, th Decatur Woman * club purchased a llhu bond. The civic aection of the riub bought a 125 bond Mr*. Saylors reported that the following club* and organisation* had purchased bond* since last May: American Legion auxiliary: Dorcas clsss First Evangelical (Tara To Psge 8. Column *) TRMMRATURI RFAOIMR OgMOCRAT TMCRMOMCTffP 8:00 a. m. - i 10:00 a. m. 0 Noon 10 t:00 p. m 10 3:00 p. m. 10 WEATHER Occasions) light snow near Lake Michigan this afternoon m as sd - laankn# ■»0 QvvwvlvV'H W • IIJvvX ■’•V’Mf tonight except )q extreme *outn*sct portion. Net so cold tonight

U. S. Offensive On Guadalcanal Appears Near MacArthur Flyers Repel Jao Efforts At Reinforcements Washington, Dec. 3.—(UP) — American fliers have strafed the Japanese on Gusdalcansl in daylight attack*. The navy say* that at the same time, ground troops continue to mop i.p enemy patrols. t By United Press I An American offensive to drive tbe Jap* from Guadalcanal, In the Solomon*, may be In the making Increasingly aggressive patrol activity on Guadalcanal is interpreted by Washington military observers a* probably the preliminary to a full-scale drive. Our patrol* have been mopping up isolated band* of jungle Jap* which might prove dangerous to American supply line*. American patrol* accounted for 51 Jap* Tif*day, (Island time) and captured three field pl< e* and uix machine gun*. Since November 23 the American ground forces have killed at h ast 206 Jap soldiers. Over In New Guinea. General MacArthur's flyers have repelled he *ixth Japanese attempt to land reinforcement* cn th* Guna-Gona front. There the Jap* are pinned against the eea In a narrow strip of swampy jungle. By the light of flare* and rockets, American bomber* chased four troop lad n Jap destroyer* away :roin Buna. One destroyer got a direct bomb-hit, but limped away north with the ether*. Our bomber* are In pursuit. The Jap air escort for the destroyers took a bad beating. Twenty-three Zero fighters were shot down; five of them, and possibly a sixth, by fire from our bombers. MacArthur's communique say* the enemy 1* resisting at Buna ! "with the greatest fierceness." Th>- Japs may have landed some fresh treops. but not enough to ease the position ot their Buna garrison. MacArthur reports that hi* men have infiltrated into the outskirts of Buna and that the enemy I* reelsting fiercely. Th* bottled up Japs apparently intend to fight to the last man along the less than a mile wide tenmile atrip of coast they held. However, some trcop* ot the | Buna garrison have been oh*> rved swimming out to sea In iife-belta ■ Once out, they'd cut down the coast and try to get behind the Allied lines. Japan, Incidentally, admit* that strong, completely organized and I (Turn To Page 3. Column 31 — .... ■ O' Axis Supply Vessels Blasted By Planes Bombers Smash At Rommel Supply Line | Cairo. Dec. 3 —(UP)— Eleven more Axis supply vessel* have been *unk or badly damaged by Ameri can and British bomber* smashing at Marshal Rommel's Mediterranean supply line*. Six of them were wrecked at Tri poll hartior by heavy bombers of the 9th U. S. air force. Four others were bit by four-engined consolidated bomber*, while naval plane* scored a direct torpedo bit amldshtp on a large southbound enemy tanker off Sicily, setting It afire The harbor moles at Tripoli also were blasted and Axis desert coltrain* were bombed. New raid* also have been carried oat against the harbor Installation* and dock* at Blxerte. Cannon-carrying plane* shelled and baited a railway tram In Tunisia. and two railway junction* wore bombed n northern Tunisia Three wsve* of enemy bomber* and fighter* retaliated with attack* against ’he Allied forward position* in Libya with slight damage.

Five Other Ships Damaged; British Navy Losses From Huge Convoy 10 Warships

RAF Heavy Bombers Again Raid Germany Switch Blockbuster Attacks From Italy By United Press Thti RAF has given Naxlland another grim reminder that Germany still I* number one on the bombing list. The big British bombers switched their blockbuster attacks from Italy, back to w stent Germany In a five-hour raid last night. So far. the only objective named is Frankfort. Six planes failed to return. It was almost dawn this morning before the last returning bomber droned home over th southeast cos*’. Berlin radio acknowledged the raid, but claimed there was only slight damage. Nazi plane* were over England I last night for the first tim- In a month. One bomb d<opp<_u u„ a coast town, but there were no 1 casual tie.'. Some authorities Intima'e that the RAF last night may have been looking for, and found out. how (ar Germany has gon in stripping her ground defenses to provide anti-aircraft gun* to Italy. The RAF has been concentrating heavily on the big Industrial citle* of Italy, and scoring some devastating results. At Turin, for sample, official , British reports say that not only the civilians but the municipal officials were panic-stricken during last Saturday's raid and that I It took three day* to restore order. The British radio (recorded by I CBS) tepot t* that ther has been a heavy run on banks in northern I Italy—and that big firm* in all the cities are evacuating their offices. o — Few Auloisfs Obtain Supplemental Books Only Small Portion Calling For Books Only a small portion of the approximate 5.000 of driers who asked for supplemental gasoline ration* have called al the Decatur junior-senior hlgn school to date to get their B or C. book*, it was shown today. A check with the volunteers aiding in the issuance of the coupon* disclosed that probably only about 350 motorists had received their extra coupon books at a late hour thi* morning. Glenn Hili, local war price and ration board chairman, yesterday issued a statement, urging motor Ist* to call while the .tervice* of the volunteer worker* are available. 200 Trucksr* Get Books About 200 owner* of truck* an j commetclal vehicles in the county have secured their T-l and T-! book* at the school, it was shown at a late hour this morning. Exactly 35 gaeollne dealers from Berne and other northern sections of the county had registered at a late hour today at the high school. Those south of Berne are registering at Geneva. Representative* of the gasoline rationing program have been in De(Turn To P»a« «. Colama •) - o Rose Marie Stanley Slightly Improved The condition of Mis* Rose Marie Stanley, critically hurt la,an auto accident Monday night, was reported slightly improved today by the attending physician She ba* partially regaiaed conscious . hum, he said—the first since the, time of the accident.

Russians Break Backbone Os Nazi Defense Important Base On Stalingrad Front Taken By Russians M scow. Dec 3 — (UP) - The Russian* have broken the bat k- ' bone ot the Nazi def- nee system northwest of Stalingrad. Front-line dispatches say the Red army ha* captured the great base ot Verchnp-Gnilovsky on the east, bank of the Don River. And Soviet observers say the | .capture of this Important point may , i force the Nazis to abandon all their | positions between the Volga and the Don. Verchne-Gnllovsky comprise* several fortified village* which threatened the flank of Soviet forces driving against the German* from the north and south. Soviet infantry and tank* drlvi fng through a thick mlnefi id —took j the base after an al! day battle A* I a result of thi* advance (he northern Russian relle. army ha* reached to within 35 miles of Stalingrad where other Soviet troops are driving through line after line of German defense*. The Nazis are reported rushing reinforcement* to th# Volga city by air, but so far have been unable to check the pace of the Soviet advance. The RiiMian* also are maintaining their advance «outhw< st of Stalingrad where they have driven the Germans from the shores of a small lake. Inside the city proper, Russian artillery is blasting Axis etrong points. Additional Soviet successes are reported from the central front west of Moscow where the Russians made new advances near Velikie Luki, about 75 miles from the Latvian frontier. The Red army took a number of important populated place*, knocking out 11 tanks capturing 15 field gun*, nine machine guns and dO.OOu round cf rifle and machine gun ammunition. In the Zhev sector—nearer Moscow— the Russians captur’d two ammunition depots and killed soft German* in two days of fighting. Action was stepped up on the Leningrad front, also, where Russian artillery demolished Nazi gun ' (Turn To Page 3, Column 3) o Two Men Are Fined In Circuit Court Two Mexicans Also Are Given Sentences Fines and sentences were meted out in circuit court by Judge J Fred Frucbte thi* morning to two Mexican* who entered guilty pleas yesterday Horrlbts "Bill" Cortez. 34. who 1 plead”d guilty to < barges of drunk-1 en driving, wa* fined 310 and costs | and sentenced to serve 30 day* at ( rhe state penal farm at Putnam i viile Hi* companion. Albert Gonzaez. 40. who pleaded guilty to public intoxication. was fined 310 and cost* and sentenced to serve 10 days in Jal! Both were arrested about 2 o’clock Wednesday morning by Sheriff Ed Miller and officer Adrian Coffee in Root township, where fbelr car had run into the ditch. Authorities charged that Gonaaez had been tn jail five tlmea before I (Turn To~Paii - i Column sj“ 1

Buy Savings Bonds And Stamps

Price Three Cents

Losses Considered Light In View Os Great Number Os Vessels Employed By United Press The American and British navies have announced the loss of 16 whip* out of the huge convoy which spilled Allied troop* ashore In North Africa. Considering th- tremendous, number of ships Involved, these losses— totaling less than two percent —ara considered light. Five American naval transport* —all former liners- w re sent to the bottom by submarines. The transports lost were: The Tasker H. Bliss, the Hugh L. Scott, and Edward Rutledge, ail sunk off Casablanca; the Joseph | Hewes. sunk off Rabat and th ■ ■ Leedstown sunk off Algiers. The navy didn’t reveal the i names of the damaged craft. The largest of the sunken vts- ' Ml* wa* the Hugh L. Scott, the former liner President Pierce. This vessel had be n serving the army in recent year*, but was transferred to naval service. The Scott had a gross tonnage of 12.546 ton* and was built in 1921. The Bliss was the former liner Pr sfdent Cleveland She was about the Mine tonnage as the | Hugh L. Scott. As merchant ship* each carried about 240 men The Scott was placed in commission In the navy on September 7 thi* year, and the Bliss on S ptetnber 15. The Leedstown was formerly the Santa Luria. A vessel of 9,U>” gross tons, she was placed in commission for the navy also in Beplemb The Rutledge was formerly the Exeter. With a gross tonnage of 9.30® ton*, he normally carried a crew of 104 Tile Rutledge was cominisvioned In th navy in June. The Hewes formerly was the Excallber. Her grot* tonnage ws* 9,300 tons and the merchant crew also num tiered 104. In addition to the ships lost, the navy annoitne <1 the damaging of five unnamed vessels Including three transports, a destroyer and a tanker. In London, first lord of the admiralty A V Alexander told common* that the landings cost Britain 10 warships, one of them the small aircraft carr! r Avenger. The other vessels included t»o destroyers, an anti-aircraft ship and several smaller craft The Dutch destroyer. Isaac Sweers. also wa* s nt to the hottom. Alexander told the house: "Our naval fosse* were considerably less than had been expected and with r card to the scale of the operation.'', are considered light" Further, the royal navy had It* revenge The admiralty chief declared that 3u successful attacks had b en made on U-boata. with the enemy craft destroyed or damaged in each case In addition. Alexander reported that British naval units sank three (Turn Tu Page 2, Column 3) ■ ■ ■ O — BI'LLETIN Washington. Dec. 3— (IP) — The navy announce* that nine Japanese ships havt been sunk in the Solomon islands area The sinking of the enemy warships and auxiliaries took place in a hitherto unreported night naval engagement near Guadalcanal. Our navy lost one cruiser. An unannounced number of ot her American venaefai were damaged. The communique aaya the battle occurred during the ni K ht of November 30 and December 1.