Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 June 1942 — Page 9

TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1942

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The Indianapolis

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imes

SECOND SECTION

Washington

WASHINGTON, June 23 Never having been regarded as an enthusiastic Hoover fan, I was not on the list for an advance copy of his book, “The Problems of Lasting Peace.” So all I know about it is what the reviewers sav. The Wall Street Journal devoted most of its editorial page to praise of the book. From some of the other reviews come laudatory words. The relatively impartial New York Times’ review says that Mr. Hoover, with his conservative realism, comes out at about the same point as Vice President Wallace with his fervent idealism, namely on America’s necessity to play a far greater role on the international stage of the future. Even if Mr. Hoover gave nothing more than that in his bock it would be welcome. He can convince many people who wouldn't believe anything that came from an official of this administration. For him to speak his convictions in this matter will help to bring the nation into unity on this fundamental question of policy. We haven't won the war yet and sometimes we may seem to be putting the cart before the horse to be talking of peace before the war is won. Yet this is not a single-track war. The fighting is only the bloodv climax of a war that went on from the day of the last armistice. If the third world war is not to start the day Hitler surrenders, some preparations must be made in advance.

We Must Be Set to Follow Through

ON THE DAY OF the last armistice, the interallied machinery that had been built up began to be dismantled. By the time the peace conference met the disintegration of the society of nations that had been born out of war necessity was well under wav and the attempt to restore it through the League of Nations failed.

By Raymond Copper Th e St 0

The point of talking about these questions now,

is not that anybody forgets for a moment that the war has to be won first. It is that the war will not really be won unless we are set to follow through

afterward.

So far as America is concerned, the followthrough cannot be a strictly administration affair any more than fighting the war can be. It must be national. Unless an overwhelming portion of the country, regardless of political complexion or differences on internal questions, insists upon following through, the results won't be very effective and will be subject to cverturn in any election. This business ought to get up on a level above elections. Te have a campaign in 1944 turning on the question of isolation versus collaboration with the rest of the world would be demoralizing here and throughout the world.

Best Insurance Against Rebound

SO THAT WHEN Herbert Hoover, the leading opponent of the Roosevelt administration, takes his stand in favor of collaboration by the United States with other nations who want to avoid a renewal of this war, it helps to minimize the danger of a paralyzing political controversy. Mr. Hoover, Wendeil Willkie, Governor Stassen, Senator Austin of Vermont, Senator Joseph Ball of Minnesota, yes even the Republican national committee which has taken a similar stand, and all of the Republicans and critics of this administration are able now to do more than any administration official can do toward explaining to the people of the United States why it is important that we follow

through and not unwittingly help start a third war| by shortsighted blundering. The growth of an informed American public opinion, brought about through such discussions as Mr. Hoover is participating in, is the best insurance against the rebound to isolation that will be instinetive with most of us when the war is over.

Ernie Pyle is now in Washington, getting ready to go abroad. within the next few weeks.

He hopes io start

Inside Indianapolis By Lowell Nussbaum

THE GOVERNMENT has just issued the census bureau's report on housing in Indianapolis. And, brethren, the census boys literally left no stone unturned. Their figures cover everything in town, block by block. house by house. There are a total number of 81997 housing structures in this bailiwick of ours and these make up 116598 dwelling units. Of these, 40.796 are owner-occu-pied and 71435 are occupied by renters. And of the 40,000-odd owner-occupied houses, 23,529 are mortgaged, so, partners, were mostly all in the same boat. It is a little sad to discover that there are 32.467 dwelling units in town which have no private bath. ‘Struth. Ask the census bureau. And 18523 need major repairs. Of the whole shebang, the census people figure out that the average monthly rent in Indianapolis is $28.76. The job was done by census tracts and the lowest rental area was the eighth (between 23th and 30th streets and Ralston and Dearborn) in which the rental average is $11.01 month. Most expensive area to live apparently is the 105th tract (just north of White river, bounded by College on the east, the river on the south and the city limits west and north). Average monthly rent up there is S10767. Whew!

Look, Here Kitten!

COMES A LETTER from one Pfc. Robert Clerkin, USA, Camp Hulen, Tex, who wants us to put a squib in the paper saving “To Bonnie Olivia Johnson: I know the truth now. kitten.” Said Pfc. R. C.: “I know this is a very strange request but if I thought the above named should read it. I could fight a lot better.” Get in there and fight, brother. . . . You know, theres no telling where the current epidemic

Britain's Temper By Wm. H. Stoneman

LONDON, June 23 —News of Tobruk's fall has struck London like a thunderbolt and now is being described by the British press as nothing short of a disaster. The violent repercussions may affect the whole political and military setup in. a radical way. Prime Minister Churchill himself is faced by the most serious crisis of his premiership and, although he probably wiil outride the storin, he will do so only by proving to the country, by deeds as well as words, that the basic factors lying behind the Libyan disaster are to be corrected immediately. The army high command is faced with the possibility of a serious shakeup and the men immediately responsible for the errors in judgment which caused the debacle undoubtedly will be relieved of their commanas. The actual fall of Tobruk mav not prove to have been avoidable in the circumstances and the loss of men and material mav turn out to have been far less than first reported. The outcom= probably was made inevitable bv the disaster of June 13, when the cream of the British tank force, lured on by what appeared to be an exceilent chance of delivering a coup de grace to Rommels battered panzer forces, plunged headlong into an ambush of anti-tank artillery west of Knightsbridge and was practically obliterated.

All Papers Ave Critical

PUBLIC AGITATION IS based on the fact that such a gross error in judgment was allowed to occur and that it was followed quickly by what at first

My Day

WASHINGTON. Monday—This is a time of great seriousness, for the fall of Tobruk threatens to pro-

long the war. The united nations face a challenge

and now is the time to prove our unity. Every front belongs to every nation and we who are the youngest and strongest nation now facing the axis powers, must show our determination to win. This can best be done by proving our unity of feeling and of purpose with every one of our allies. , Success may mean more sacrifice, even changes in our way of life, but if we can shorten the war by an hour, evervthing we will do will be worthwhile. This seems to me the opportune time to publish a letter which has just come, and which breathes the spirit which must be ours. It is signed by Margaret Rollo, and comes from Lanarkshire, England: “Dear Madame: *I havesbeen given the very great honor of write

=

of slogans may lead. Frank Cochran, Standard Oil's zone manager, tells one. One station manager, eager to get his collections up, painted on his windows: “Get your old heels into the war.” It wound up with a delegation of husbands marching down and demanding of the removal of the sign. Their wives had ganged up on ‘em.

Tell Mr. Roosevelt, Won't You?

THERE HAVE BEEN a lot of rumors floating around the Drexel Gardens area that the government is going to buy up a lot of property and order the residents to move out, probably by Sept. 1. The] gossip has it that all the property between Kerr rd. and Minnesota st. and west from Stout field to Lynhurst dr. Inside has investigated, now has the situation well in hand. There has been a study made of the area in question. That's all so far. A lot of

other areas also have been studied. It's quite possible that some additional land will be purchased, but] how much, where and how is something that not even Washington knows as yet. If anybody tells you] they know, then they know more than Mr. Roose-| velt does.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

AMONG THE BIDS wanted by the local WPB is! one for “feed for rat colony.” They are serious about] it. they told a somewhat irrepressible newspaperman who suggested that maybe they were buying up food to feed captured Japs and Nazis. They use the rats, said the WPB haughtily, like guinea pigs—for medical purposes. . . . Maj. Frank E. McKinney, Democratic leader, banker, baseball club owner, has been assigned to the Federal Recerve bank in New York to process loans to war contractors. . . . Most discouraging item of the day: The gentleman in Speedway City who insists that were due for rain all summer. Gun-| powder attracts rain, he says, and theres a lot of] gunpowder around. It's an alibi anyway, Mr. Armington.

glance seems to have been the second error of congregating a large force of men and material in the Tobruk perimeter. British newspaper comment varies in direction and in its degree of acrimony, but all the leading papers are deeply critical. | “Something happened,” says the London Daily] Telegraph, “which calls for careful examination and inquiry and, in due course, decisive action by the government. There will be well justified impatience for a full report from Gen. (Ciaude J. E.) Auchinleck. To have heid Tobruk in the conditions to which Lt. Gen. (Neil M.) Ritchie has been forced by defeat] would have been a heavy strain on the navy and | shipping. But for the sacrifice of men and material, on the scale which the Germans report, there is no condonation possible.”

“The Prime Minister Himself”

“WE HAD BEEN led to expect so much and have got so little,” savs the Daily Mirror. “In fact, what we have got is a situation in the Mediterranean area graver than any yet known in this war, What] happened to bring about this unwelcome crisis? The, public will want to kncw and they are entitled to) know. The sooner Mr. Churchill can be back in his} place and make a frank statement, the better. The truth hurts nobody. Alarm and desponaency are only caused by false cptimism and the kind of fatuous prattle that has come week after week from Cairo! in the guise of military information. | “People of higher caliber than the Caire spokesman, however, helped to build a rosy edifice of hope and expectation in the western desert. “Was"it not the prime minister himself who, in picturesque and historic phrases, described 2 modern tank battle as a sort of naval action which might be over in a few hours?”

By Eleanor Roosevelt

ing you on behalf of the women’s rural institute of this village to thank the women of America through you, for their most kind and thoughtful gift of vegetable seeds. I can assure you that this gift, one of so many, has touched the hearts of all the women of Britain. “These seeds have been put into the ground with many kind thoughts of American women and of good wishes for all Americans who are standing shoulder to shoulder with us in this gigantic struggle. . . . “In this war we are learning what is of real and lasting value, and I pray God we may never forget. | You would be amazed at the courage and cheerfulness of people who have underdone the most terrible experiences. 3 “We have one dear little woman living in Robert- | son, who, in March, 1941, lost everything except what | is most precious—her husband and two small children. She comes down here to help us occasionally and she is like a tonic. Her parting word is always ‘cheerio.’ “It is a privilege to help people with courage. We are confident of victory however long and hard the

struggle may be.” a

{ been

| Dutch Harbor.

| have

Japs Desert Crippled Ships in Last Stages Of Desperate Battle

This is the second of a series of stories on “the greatest naval battle of all time” by Robert J. Casey, who was with the United States

fleet at Midway.

By ROBERT J. CASEY Special Radio Copyright, 1942, by The Indianapolis Times and Chicago Daily News, Inc.

WITH THE PACIF IC FLEET OFF MIDWAY ISLAND, June 7.—(Outline of Battle Movements)—The naval air battle of Midway island probably will be an

architect's model for sea engagements for some time to come.

For

a while, perhaps it will be the most fantastic encounter of its kind, but only till a new one comes along and that probably will be soon.

The weirdest thing about it, if one thing can be considered weirder than another is the fact that vou can’t base any predictions for the future on

its results.

Once—say immediately after the battle of Jutland—you might have taken inventory of the losses of both sides and determined what either fleet might be able to do the day after tomorrow, The results possibly might not have come out the way you had calculated but nobody would ever know. This fight, however, was something different. We broke off the battle today after having won. No matter how leniently you interpret the pro-

Robt. Casey

ceedings, we have smashed the Japanese until their

carrier strength is much reduced. Whatever the disadvantages of a blasting such as Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto now knows what

they are, for any sive. In other words, Japan now is definitely in a poor position and vet this couldn't be the piece of prhantasmagoria it is if you could sum it up as simply as that. The Japs are not prevented hy any rule of the new tactics from trying on us the sort of thing we worked on them. They are a little late getting started but they have the privilege of trying, and under the new order it appears there aren’t going to be any superior or inferior fleets—just those with smart commanders and those that lose.

immediate mass offen-

= » =z

Like a Rockne Trick

AT FIRST glance it would seem that the battle of Midway was without any of the graces we used to connect with sea warfare. It was the sort of performance Knute Rockne used to think up —a perfectly executed trick that depended for its effect on the perfect timing that comes of long drill. About the time our returning planes had been taken aboard and were maneuvering around to smash up what had not already smashed of the Japanese fleet, we were ready to figure that from now on victory would always follow the strategist who would do the best blackboard and chalk talk, back in Pearl Harbor.

However, as we start out of this weird business to resume our unending tour of the Pacific, we are a little shocked to discover that there was not much lure in the recent maneuver and that despite the changed methods of delivering the dynamite, the basis for success was old-fashioned navy savvy, plus common horse sense, Not only did we not force the enemy into a strategic pocket in advance but we were favored by no miracles of scouting or detective work. The enemy's striking force actually was not located until the critical moment when it was necessary to fight him. Whatever may have been figured out on the blackboards of Pearl Harbor, the time came in the last hours before the battle when a lot of mental adaptability entered into the tactics—I thought if I were a horse where would I go: I did and he did, and he was . . that sort of thing.

” = "

Enemy Contacted

PATROL PLANES made contact with the enemy about noon Wednesday, June 3, and picked up what seemed the main battle fieet 700 miies, almost due west of Midway. In the morning we had received word of the attack on We had kept on our westerly course. In the morning the Japs would have come about 350 miles east. We would traveled about the same distance. or a little better, and we would al’er our course to be within about an hour's bombing time of them. Everything was working well until a late report indicated that the first was too languid. A second look by observers showed no carriers. There were four heavy ships in the group, “at least two of them battleships,” and the planes bombed these ships, leaving one battleship “burning furiously” and the other badly damaged. But it was apparent from the makeup of this force that it did not represent the main body of the Jap fleet. The conclusion was obvious—somewhere in the neighborhood of Midway was more of the Jap fleet and nobody knew where that was. ” ” =

Skipper Figures It Out

IT WAS AT this juncture that the ingenuity of the United States commander became a factor. He looked at the map and location of enemy units west of Midway and he concluded there wag only one line of attack for the invaders. They would have to come down from the north— almost from due north—because

they would have been spotted: if

ra rn ms

And we have taken away from the Japs the mechanism

approaching from any other direction. It may not have been as simply calculated as all that. The Pacific ocean is a prodigious area and it was quite possible that these ships might have gotten through one or the other patrols —unlikely but possible, = on 2

Japs Over Midway ON THE OTHER HAND, you can generally figure that the Japs will attack in the logical place because they expect you will think they will attack in the illogica place, ’ So we steamed north and, early in the morning of June 4 navy patrol planes at Midway picked up a Jap carrier and planes inbound from the north. We moved over toward the line on which these planes were coming in and once again seemed to have reduced the operation to the mathematical. Once again tacticians would have been in error if they had banked too much on previous calculations. We kept on toward the north and slightly west and then shortly there was no doubt about the position of the enemy. The Jap planes came over Midway, just as six months ago, almost to the day, they had come over Pearl Harbor, So to the amateur it would seem that we had lost the element of surprise. It would seem that the initiative had gone to the Japs. But again our force commander took the situation as given him. He sent his planes up and started them toward the direction whence the attackers would come to Midway and gave them his blessing.

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First of Its Kind

NEARLY EVERYBODY aboard, including the smart operators who were directing the performance from the flagship had received most of their ideas about naval battles from books. True this force had been in plenty of action and had been under fire often enough to make veterans of crew and officers. But we had had little experience to prepare us for a knockdown fight. As it turned out nobody in the world had the experience to prepare him for the sort of battle we actually. fought because it was the first major engagement of its pattern in history. For the first time in naval warfare big ships had to hold back and wait for the war to come to them, if they were to fight it at all. They had to stay in the background vulnerable to the same sort of attacks as the one they were supporting, looking realistically upon terrific risk without relief of definite action. We watched the planes go, off, then settled back to the most harrowing few hours in our recent

experience. 2 » ”

No Sign of Jitters

THERE WAS no sign of jitters, of course, for these old hands. But the men were undoubtedly keyed up. It seemed more than likely that Jap planes were looking for us just as diligently as we were looking for the Japs. But time went on and the Japs didn’t come. We had no way of telling why the delay or what was happening. But the crew sensed that this fight was going to be different. The gun crews stood at their posts bent into the wind, or propped against the stanchions, like figures in a broken film, It might have been a surprising spectacle to one who had not seen it before, but after all it was the natural attitude of American lads who had been brought up in the tradition of doing their worrying with the least possible effort. They would be active instantly again should a plane come over. They would have a barrage in the air before the lookout could take down his glasses. But, meantime, they waited for something to unpleasant,

5

en ner Sy ares een

ry of the Midway

Battle

In this remarkable photo taken May 8 during the battle of the Coral sea—which preceded the battle of Midway—a heavy homb hit on a Japanese aircraft carrier of the Shoshako class by United States navy bombing planes is marked by a heavy pall of smoke and by a burst of vivid flames under the flight deck at the bow. The vessel had changed its course in an effort to dodge the air attack (note the semie« circular wake). A short while later the Jap ship was left a mass of flame and smoke.

Another official U. S. navy phote, just released, shows the Japanese carrier swinging in shorb: circles to dodge U. S. bombers in the Coral sea battle, Flames roared from the carrier's bow a few seconds after a direct hit was scored on the vessel amidship. Anti-aircraft shells and debris kick up a splash in

the water nearby.

Good Working Conditions

WELL, THE planes reached their objective finally, It was not as simple as it sounded later in the communiques. The attack squadron had to hunt for targets and hunting used up gasoline, The length of time they could afford to lose smashing up the fleet was a serious consideration. On the other hand, they had fair working conditions, The Japs, instead of scouting for possible air opposition, had gone straight for Midway. Not only had bombers gone to Midway, but fighters

also. So our attack swooped out of the thin clouds onto carriers completely without air cover. They moved in just about the time when the adventurous Japs, a bit tired from their morning’s work, were due back. From that point on this battle became more and more difficult to follow. But when our pilots came roaring home out of the sun in early afternoon they brought a stirring collection of tales. They were accurate in their degeriptions. They knew, for instance, that they had attacked the Kagi and Akagi and a couple of carriers of the Soryu class. They reported the positions well enough. And so by 3 pp. m. we knew we had won some sort of battle and that the Japanese were trying, without too much success, to save what they could out of complete

disaster. = 2 =

Many Enemy Planes Lost

WE KNEW by about 4 o'clock that of 300 planes that the Japs had brought to the attack all had been destroyed save those in the air. And we knew time was running out for those that had left their carriers before our bombs came down. They had no place to land and their gasoline must be nearly gone. It was a group of those planes whose pilots were homeless and desperate, face to face with a death due in a few minutes no matter what they might do, that came over to make two attacks on one of our carriers about 4 v'clock. Most of them were shot down after they had Jone a spirited and effective job of bombing. But they didn’t sink the ship. After the attack on our carrier word from our scattered fronts

HOLD EVERYTHING

“Why not, sir? The army has

began to come in in dizzy profusion. So in due time evidence was pieced together to show that the Japanese had come to Midway in three groups: 1. A striking force, which was the one we had most to do with, 2, Covering force operating to the south, one carrier, perhaps two, a couple of battleships and some cruisers. 3. An attack and occupation force farther west consisting of about 29 ships, four large transports, three or four seaplane tenders, supply ships and escorting cruisers and destroyers. Previous contacts with this force before its arrival near Midway indicated that the total fleet consisted of four or five carriers, two to four battleships, six to 10 cruisers and a large number of destroyers.

Difficult to Fix Toll

IN SUCH a wrangle as Jutland it was reasonably easy to tell when a ship was sunk—you stood in the foretop with a good pair of glasses and saw it go. But the thing is less simple in air war, A bomber attacks and goes away. He has no more gasoline than he needs and his usefulness is ended when the bomb leaves his rack. He hasn’t much time for sightseeing. So if the bomb hits and the ship blows up and sinks while he is looking he can report it sunk. But that is the only way he can tell whether it has sunk or not, And it is because of this limitation that the world’s communiques nowadays are filled with notations of “ships sunk or damaged.” The first day of battle ended with at least four Jap carriers “badly damaged.” What that amounted to was this, our bombers returning for attack late in the afternoon found only one carrier left of the original group of four and that one was burning. They worked on it briefly and dropped what remained of their eggs on a batlleship which was also afire when they left. The army had previously reported hits on two battleships. Three ships were afire between us and the island—at least one of them was a heavy cruiser. We considered the scors in surprise and puzzlement. ” ® »

Taking No Chances ALL DAY long or at least until Wwe saw the poor fragment of the Jap air force that came briefly

" to plaster our carrier, we had kept

to the idea that at any moment the fight might conform to precedent. If, for instance, the Japanese admiral had left a carrier out somewhere parallel to his course to give him cover, or if his covering force had been moved with

less blatancy than past patrols— if, in other words, the visitors had acted less cockily—we might have found ourselves defending an air attack in force at any time. And in such emergencies a bomb’s a bomb no matter whose ship it lights on. But time went on and darkness came and the gun crews relaxed. Men fell asleep where they were sitting all over the ship and by 9 o'clock save for the lads eternally on guerd, the crew was out

smashed. But nobody was taking any chances, So far as we knew they still had most of their surface ships and those had constituted one of the strongest battle forces ever sent out on a working mission, There was no telling what might happen.

The Battle Continues

AS A MATTER of fact, the only person on record who seems te have been unconvinced by the demonstrations was the Japanese admiral, With his planes lying all over the Pacific, his carriers

sunk or burning and his battle force considerably smashed, he continued on his mission. He had been ordered to attack Midway.

And, believe it or not, he was within 50 miles of the island and headed straight for the zone where his annihilation could have been made complete and well authenticated when most likely somebody in Tokyo heard what had already happened to him. About that time anyway he decided to withdraw, The United States task force planes took up the pursuit on Friday, June 5, and found two minor subdivisions of the attack= ing force traveling close together on their way to Tokyo. They worked on one carrier and one battleship and sank two heavy cruisers of the Mogami class, The army meantime reported that fortresses had damaged two Isei class battleships, By nighte fall it began to look as if all the carriers were down, including possibly one in the covering unit on which the army operated.

» ” »

The End of the Chase

IT LOOKED as if the chase might continue all across the Pae= cific to the old bombing ground about Marcus island, But on Saturday morning scouts discovered that the Japs had found a way to increase their speed by deserting cripples. A lot of limping craft such as battered cruisers and destroyers remained to meet the last Amer= ican attacks. The line of retreat for the south force had turned by this time toward Wake. The faster ships,

however, had headed straight for Tokyo. ;

There were three bombing ate tacks on the third day.

One carrier, probably somee thing left over from the covere ing contingent, was given a good shellacking and was definitely in a sinking condition when the bombers left. On a second flight the squadron couldn't find the carrier, but they did discover one of the more durable of the bate tleships and they dropped 18 clunks on it. A third flight of our bombers and torpedo planes on the last day found few targets save destroyers. By morning the waterlogged fleet was gone. The battle was over on the morning of the fourth day and we gave up the chase. Strategists had pointed ous that Hirohito had escaped with a considerable strength of surface craff, that his retirement might not yet be classed as defeat since he might be able to rearm, assemble airplane reinforcements and come back to battle with a sort of reverse technique, The idea, apparently, is thas