Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 August 1942 — Page 11

Page PDF (14.62 MB)

Back to issue view

fet MOWAT

"Bob Casey "Answers (Queries|

. Of Puzzled Readers About Battle. {By ROBERT J. CASEY

and The Chicago Daily News, Inc.

CHICAGO, Aug. 12—It's begine|' ning to look as if the confusions

arising from the battle of the Midway Islands may never be straight-| -€ned out. You know who -won ‘it, which],

dims the hope that it can ever equal|: ' Jutland as an unsolved mystery.

And: little by little the navy department lets out a little informa-

~ tion admitting that it had an im-

portant bearing on our status'in the Pacific. . But for all that, the mail is filled

with queries from thoughtful people

to whom the whole business was something like taking JTabbits¥from a hat, and just about as conclusive. A lot of folks ask why, if we were sitting on top of the world when the Japs cameé to Midway, we. allowed 120 of ‘their planes to get loose and attack our bases on the islands.

stin Many Questions

A larger .number would" like to know the basis for charges that our

Z@estruction of the Jap fleet was

not complete enough. There is still a lot of wonderment about the discrepancy between the navy’s official figures of four carriers and six other assorted vessels sunk and 4800 Japs killed. It is not foo hopeless a job to an-| Swer the first two questions. The chief reason that the Japs were given a chance to make an attack on Midway is that we didn’t know till they hit what direction they were coming from. The location of their occupation force—transports, supply ships, and so forth—700 miles of Midway on the afternoon of June 3 gave all the evidence that a large-scale attack was on the way.

* Fishing in the Dark

An immediate search was made for the striking force which everybody knew must be somewhere in the vicinity and probably much closer to the objective. But no trace of it was found that day or during the early morning hours of June 4. The strategy of the U. S. admiral during, those dark hours was

- probably not so much a maneuver

out of the book as common Yankee

1 ‘WASHINGTON,

MANPOWER BILL | FACES HURDLES]

Politics, Legal Differences|

Likely to Delay Action For Months. Aug. 12 (U. P). Legal differences and political ‘maneuvering : appeared today to have stalled, probably for several months, preparation of legislation

for total control of the nation’s manpower resources,

The proposed bill—being drafted) | by the war manpower commission

lat President Roosevelt's request—

C. Rotroff, J. Pedlow, P. Davis

Three long-time buddies now in. ;

service have returned to their respective bases after spending unexpected furloughs together. “They are Clark Rotroff, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Rotrof, 1656 en rd., who is stationed. with the army at Camp Knox, Ky.; Donald Pedlow, son of Mrs. Blanche Pedlow, 2423 N. Delaware st., who is an apprentice seaman, i Paul Robert Davis, son of Mr. and Mrs. N. Paul Davis, 2334 Kenwood ave. All three attended Technical, high ‘school together, and Mr. Rotroff and ‘Mr. Pedlow worked together at Marmon-Herrington Co., Inc., before enlisting. Pvt. Davis is learning radio code with the army signal corps at Camp Elliott, San Diego, Cal.

DARING LEADER LOST T0 ALLIES

Gen. Gott’s Death in Egypt Heavy Blow to Desert Fighting Forces.

CAIRO, Aug. 12.—The sudden death of British Lieut. Gen. William Henry Ewart Gott, nicknamed “Strafer” through enemy action, coming on the heels of serious misfortunes in the Middle East, is a serious loss for the allies. Gen. Gott, the commander of the 13th corps, was a competent “tank strategist, one of the rare men, who although not a tank man himself, learned how to use tanks and ac-

shrewdness. His course paralleled—|learned how to usc tanks and wrote

as had been mentioned—that of the village boy who looked for the horse. “I thought if I was a horse where would I go and I did and he was.” He figured out where the attack bught to come from. He moved his . forces. And in the morning we were

~ within easy striking distance of the Jap carriers, even though we hadn't

yet found out where they were. It’s a ‘Wide Ocean

There is a strategic justification _ for having allowed the Japs to make ‘the opening attack.‘When we closed in on them most of their planes were in the air, out of gas, ‘or on deck refueling. And whether or not this maneuver was intentional, its success is beautiful to contemplate. As for the incomplete destruction of the Japanese fleet, there seems to be no excuse except that the ocean is wide and the range of bombers limited. The fleet which met the Japs off Midway was one of the largest the United States had ever, sent on a battle mission anywhere, but it was much smaller than the enemy’s. It Jacked the armament that would have permitted i to close with battleships. _ Our sucess at.Midway was due primarily to our speed of maneuver.

The Command Was Unified

The bombers carried out the work of destruction so long as they could find targets within their range. And the extent of the destruction they wrought will probably never be known to anybody but a few selected Japanese, probably the relatives of the 4800, whose deaths the navy

admits in its casualty list.

Out of the question of how much

better we might have done at Mid-

- rises another, less definitely

phrased, about lack of co-operation!

between the army and navy in the bombing maneuvers.

And, of course, we keep hearing :

the corollary: “Don’t we need a Snified air command?” Well, as for that one, we had a unified . .air command. The navy commanded it, but it consisted of army, navy, and marines. And if there is one place within

- 5000 miles of Pearl Harbor where

animosity between army and navy gid not exist it was there.

~ JOINT COMMITTEES

“IN INDUSTRY PUSHED

- WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (U. P). re

Tne Congress of Industrial Or-

today recommended| _ committees within war industries, and asserted that such 4a. move would increase armament production by 25 per cent “without addimanpower or equipment.”

& book on tank strategy. His death calls attention to the list of high commanding officers lost in the British Middle East mostly through bad breaks, partly through enemy action. Air Marshal Owen T. Boyd on his way by air from England to the Middle “East was shot down near Sicily and captured by the Italians. /Lieut.’ Gen. Carlton de Wiart, one-eyed, learned veteran of the last war who witnessed the collapse of Poland, on his way by air to Cairo wes alsg captured.

Noted for Their Daring * Lieut. Gen.. Sir Richard O’Connor, corps .commander, was captured in Libya by Nazi motorcyclists because he took the wrong road. Lieut. Gen. Philip -Neame was. captured with O’Connor. Maj. Gen. Gambier-Parry was captured at Mekili. Maj. Gen. Vyoyan Vavasour Pope, freshly arrived from England to reorganize the armored forces of the Middle East, was killed in an airplane accident.

the most daring and ‘most enterprising of young leaders, described as having won the V. C. several times over, was killed in g car accident on Hellfire Pass. Maj. Gen. Tidley, sent from England to command a division in the desert, contracted jaundice, then pneumonia and died. Lieut. Gen, Bernard C. Freyberg, V. C., of the New Zealand expeditionary force, aggressive infantry general, who rushed to Matruh to stem the enemy advance on Alexandria was wounded in the key action which perhaps saved Egypt.

| almost certainly will not reach con-

gress until after the November

| elections, “and possibly not until

next year, it was learned. Although" its form ‘still is uncertain, the bill will carry two major provisions, both of which are considered “political dynamite”: +1, It will authorize use of compulsion as a last-ditch means to move recalcitrant workers into jobs where they can contribute most effectively to the war effort.

No Draft for Women 2. It will order registration for war work of women from 18 to 65. This vast reserve of approximately 41,000,000 women is becoming increasingly important to war industries.

Inventories of women workers available in labor shortage areas; will speed up the government’s pro-|

gram to make use of them, although the labor “draft” provision of the bill will not be applied to women. The bill also may provide for big increases all along the line in the government's several technical training programs, and it probably will carry funds to subsidize college educations for 50,000 potential officers.

Disagree on Powers b=

Officially, the manpower. commission is “pressing hard to iron-the thing out and send-it to the White House.” However, it was learned that a difference of opinion has developed over definition of the bill’s powers, and, to a lesser degree, over the funds it should carry. One administration group is said to favor specific definition of what may and what may not be done under the bill. A second group favors granting the president broad powers to be applied at his own discretion, it was understood. But officials thought the principal cbstacle to speedy completion of the bill is its political aspects. Labor is expected to oppose it because of its potential threat to union independence. Anti - administration forces in congress also are expected to fight it.

MIDWEST STAGES BLACKOUT TONIGHT

CHICAGO, Aug. 12 (U., P).~— Fifty thousand square miles of the Midwest's biggest, war production area will be blacked out for a half hour tonight in the area’s first dress-rehe for war. ' Civilian life, as lived by 12,000,000 citizens, will be at a standstill between 10 and 10:30 p. m. In 36 counties’ in northern 1lllinois, 41 in southern Michigan, nine in eastern Wisconsin and three townships of Lake county, Indiana. Half a4 million volunteers will be at their posts as block captains, fire watchers, auxiliary police and air raid wardens. Col. B. B. Freud, acting regional director of the OCD, said the entire blackout area, which includes Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee and the ters, is a wartime target for the Gary and Whiting, Ind., steel cen~

| enemy. Maj. Gen. Jock Campbell, V. C,, |

DON’T CALL LONG

DISTANCE UNLESS—|

If it isn’t important, don’t make long-distance telephone calls. That was the request made today by the state public service commission to the Hoosier public in the interests of aiding the war effort. fong-distance usage in Indians has increased tremendously since

the war began and the shortage of}

materials forbids the expansion of present facilities to meet the ine creased demands, Fred Eichhorn, P. 8. C. chairman, said.

Today's War Moves

By LOUIS F. KEEMLE

United Press War Analyst

The Germans are in the Maikop oil fields of the north Caucasus and there is little reason to hope that they can be stopped short of the Grozny fields, eastward toward the Caspian sea.

Whether the Germans will be able to push ‘down|

the shore of the Caspian to Baku, Russia's principal source of oil, is problematical. It is a long haul and the Russians may be able to make a stand in the Caucasus foothills sloping toward the Caspian, where the terrain is

less suited to the German mechanized advance. The Russian army of}

the north Caucasus, although badly battered, is decidedly not broken. However, even if the Germans

present gains cannot be mini- - It is probably true that the| Russians have razed the oil wells and refineries of the Maikop region and will destroy the wells of Grozny if their Tall becomes imminent.

‘Russ Face Food Shortage

The Russians, likewise, have de-

production is abo t six. months, or a little longer, although the refin-

cannot get to Baku, the gravity of |eries cannot be replaced in so short %

a time.

The Germans, however, are driv-| Ha to the Black sea and teaching}. i

out for the Russian naval bases. of Novorossisk and Tuapse. -If the Russian Black sen fleet 18!

made homeless, it probably will}

have.to be scuttled or turned over

{to Turkey for internment. Accord-f = ing to a United Press dispatch frora

a pamphlet which it termed al... ,004 the rich wheat fields of the|Ankara, Turkey cannot Si the

a oe rss rar

production,” the C. I. O: said that

“the problem of fullest possible pro-|{mans will get no grain and, for the

duction in all its aspects” does not “serious recognition and at-

conquered région, so that the Ger-

immediate future, no oil.

On the other hand, the Russians

fleet to pass through the into the Mediterranean.

' Nazis Win Big Advantage

Bosporus

With control of the Black sen,|

mk eg de Led lost an important source of|the Germans would be able to ship grade - aviation gasoline andthe crude oil, without hindrance, to

* HOLD REUNION SUNDAY

| high ; ‘| the loss of food supplies will -con-|the Rumanian port of Costanta for

tribute greatly to the gener:

{refining in that country.

shiortege “expected in Russia this| By mid-winter, then, the Ger-

{mans should begin to get the bene-|

The annual Pruitt reunion will "me ue that the Geimans will|fits of the north Caucasus fields,

e held at Clayton Sunday. A bas

t no immediate benefits from the|which jprodiios about 5,000,000 tors}

rw made tn important ac. making Russia precludes tel

GYPSY HEMP AND: FELT’ BAG—With wooden frame, & a perfectly: osstal Lid or wear with your ur: polo- cont, ¥ in all of sweater and. skirh ares: 11.

autumn’s lovely colors. a0.

PIRI CR

A et Aa fe aaa Satmaanatt

40-COLLE

wardrobe 11 ‘per, reinf1t:

i drawers, an

for a late ¥

Co A RAAT LLL XY

ONE WEEK ONLY!

Slip Special 1.39

‘(1 wk: only!) Well-made, well“cut‘rayon satin slips, tailored. or lacy styles, 4-gore or bias cut. . "Tearose or white. Sizes thie :

- Knit Underwear, Street. et. Floor.

ONSENSE” — Goony rything from, can=. x rolling | eyes—out= 1andish: decorations for your, swenter 854 . lapels. 1 ed. : 10% tax added.

«STUFF AND N

cab: Floor

SLICK socks song . up cuffs for slacks, OF +] sweater and skirts, of ‘Taye on, rabbits hair and wool, © in all the leading. sweater colors. - 39¢ Pre