Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 October 1942 — Page 1

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Snide ay GRR eas AAS

VOLUME 53—NUMBER 195

dia napolis

FORECAST: Not quite SO cold tonight and Somewhat warmer tomorrow forenoon.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1942

Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postottice, Indinapelt, Ind. Issued daily except Sunday.

"PRICE THREE CENTS

FORD IS AUDITOR:

bid | to test the power rmant political machine day. appointed county audity commissioners to sucate Glenn B. Ralston, after three days of bitwhich for a time threateck the Republican oron fhe eve of the Nov.

ter feuding ened to wi ganization 8 election. The parfy was split wide open last Wednesday when ward chairmen delivered an ultimatum to Repub- ¢ ty Sorumissjoners de-

on headed by Gen. RobRepublican mayoralty nd his campaign mans Jewett, along with the Bradford party men action in a last-ditch pther the former chairack attempt. ' all-Jewett faction was in jorcing Mr. Brad-

ager, Charle " other. ant

. The Tyng -nStriients

Hohl Watches Feud

ratic minority commissioner, Hohlt, stood aloof from the fracas, leaving the appointment ih a serious deadlock.

group demanded appointment of Ralph F. Mpore, G. O. P. nominee for county guditor, and it appeared that they were about to swing it when the [Bradford faction late yesterday brought so much pressure that Moore withdrew from the feud. | This left the Tyndall-Jewett-Bos-son machine “out on a limb,” and after five hours of bickering last night Mr. capitulate and agreed to go along with the Bradford appointment.

“I held out against Bradford to _ the last ditch, but General Tyndall and Mr. Jewett finally advised me

my stand in the ined on Page Two)

12 (noon) ,. 50 1p m.... 51

Bosson was forced to

8 8 =»

Mrs. R.

Tells England That U. 8S. May Draft

~ Women for Labor.

LONDON, Oct. 24 (U. P.).—Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, in her first conference with the British press, said today that she believed improvement of Anglo-American relations depended upon an increased knowledge by each people of the problems of the other. Mrs. Roosevelt indicated. that she believed the United States might eventually conscript women for labor. ‘You come to everything as you need it,” she said in reply to a question. “It is very difficult to make people realize the importance of some piece of work until it is actually very badly needed.

During her stay in England Mrs. Roosevelt will send a cabled report each day of her experiences for her column, My Day. The first appears on Page One, Second Section of The Times today.

“Six months ago, talk of registration of labor caused an uproar® among trade unions and congress, but today, many are crying, ‘why aren’t women working? ” Asked why she had come to England, Mrs. Roosevelt said: “I am interested in every phase of what women have accomplished. You have had many more years of war effort than we. Men and women at home have felt that women were not needed. Now they are finding that women are very much needed, 2 o »

_ “THERE SUDDENLY is a great inferest in what women can do, and there's a great deal of experience and knowledge that we can use. I think there is a very great deal for me to learn while here.” She said she did not believe there would be prohibition in the United States in the .near future. “I can only tell you that there (Continued on Page Two)

12 DIE AS AIRLINER AND BOMBER CRASH

B. R. Vest Jr., Allison Em- ~ ployee, Among Victims.

PALM SPRINGS, Cal, Oct. 24 (U. P.).—The American Air Lines plane which crashed near here last evening, killing nine passengers and its crew of three, was in a collision with an army bomber, the air lines officials announced today, The dead included Ralph Rainger, author of such oustanding popular songs as “June in January,” “Moanin’ Low” and “Love in Bloom”; B. R. Vest Jr., an employee of the Allison Engine Co. of Indianapolis, and M. C. Henderson, state industrial commissioner for Arizona. The big Douglas plane, east bound from Los Angeles to New (Continued on Page Five)

WASHIAG Bi

A Weekly Sizeup by the Washington

Staff of the Scripps-Howard Newspapers,

a WASHINGTON, Oct. 24.—Don’t count on a seasonal lull in the fighting, even if the first snow has fallen in Stalingrad.: This is. expected to be the war’ Ss bloodiest

~

winter? 5

Russia may get a breathing spell, ‘but ck else fighting fronts will almost certainly flame into increased 3 poiion.

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Battle of the Atlantic: U-boats, inactive ly, are getting repairs, refitting, reinforcements.. They’ll be ready |for the long winter nights, unsettled weather, which aid attack; next phase of the battle may be the worst. Hitler, desperate at the way the war is dragging out

probably will risk much to keep Russia, Near East. And he wants

82 =» 2

lend-lease fro to stop our i transports. 2

North Africa:. If the united nations could oi out Rommel, Italy might drop out of the war—or might become a path for invasien—and revolt might fare through Balkans. Seo Hitler is ex pected to give Rommel more planes, more vanks, more men and orders to spare none of

them. ! »

France May Rejoin Allies

® =» =»

FRANCE: Anything can happen there. She might even join our

side.

Bitterness toward Laval grows.

If he were to be ousted by those

he is trying to enslave, a new regime might set up its government in - North Africa; might start fighting with us—which would mean enY circlement of Rommel, united nations control of the Mediterranean after he had been ousted—and a mortal blow for the axis.

hg y ‘Battle of the Pacific: It will

2 = = keep on increasing in importance

until there's a decision. Fighting may start in Burma any .time. And India probably wil be beck on page one before spring, by reason es (Continued on Page Five) 4

reaching Britain,

“| Churches ....

‘| Forum

¥

zis Driven From Skies By Yanks And R. A. F.

US. SHAKES UP

HIGH COMMAND

INS. PACIFIC

Adm. Ghormley, in Charge In Solomons, Replaced

By Admiral Halsey.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (U. P.). —The navy today announced a sweeping shake-up of its high command in the South Pacific—including ‘the Solomon island, where American forces are struggling to hold vital Guadalcanal. The reorganization puts Vice Admiral William PF. Halsey in command of the area. Admiral Halsey has been a Pacific fleet task force commander

and headed several raids on Jap-|§

anese bases, including the highly successful foray against the Marshall and Gilbert islands last January. He was awarded the distinguished service medal for that raid. He succeeds Vice Admiral Robert Lee Ghormley, who has been commander of the South Pacific area since the command was established last spring. Admiral Ghormley’s new duties were not announced immediately. It was Admiral Ghormley who launched the first operations in the Solomons.

Criticism Is Recalled

What effect the command shakeup will have on the battle of the Solomons could not be discerned immediately. Admiral Ghormley has beef ‘in charge of thé" ation up to now, beginning more than two months ago when marines invaded six islands in the Guadalcanal area. . Only open criticism of conduct of the Solomons campaign was voiced a week ago by Rep. John H. Costello (D. Cal), a member of the house militar; affairs committee. He told the house last Saturday that he feared the navy had attempted to make a ‘“grandstand play” in the Solomons.

Full Story Not Told? :

Other hanges in the navy’s Pacific command announced at the same time included designation of Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary, heretofore commander of southwest Pacific naval forces under Gen. Douglas MacArthur, as commander of a Pacific task force. Admiral Leary succeeds Vice Admiral William S. Pye, who moves from the task force leadership to the presidency of the naval war college at Newport, R. I. . Rear Admiral Arthur S. Carpenter, who.has been second in command under Admiral Leary in the southwest Pacific, succeeds him as commander of united nations naval forces under MacArthur, The United States has lost at least 12 warships and four trans(Continued on Page Two)

SENATE DEBATES TRAINING PERIOD

12 Months Not Needed by All 18s, Is Claimed.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (. P.). —=Senate Democratic whip, Lister Hill of Alabama, said today that proposals for a year’s training for 18 and 19-year-old soldiers prior to combat assignments were based on a “misunderstanding” of Gen. George C. Marshall's position. Opening the third day’s senate debate .on legislation to lower the draft age to 18, Senator Hill said Gen. Marshall “never has taken the position that every soldier has to have 12 months’ training.” The chief of staff, -he added, has said (Continued on Page Two)

TIMES FEATURES ON INSIDE PAGES

6)Tsa8cCs .....o. 10 Movies esos 16 Obituaries ... 12 Pegler ....ees 10 Pyle soc ccnose Questions .... 10 Radio ....... 15 Real Estate... 5 Mrs. Roosevelt 9 Side Glances. 10 Simms ....... 10 Society sree.B, 1 Sports essasss. Stowe .eceess Voice in Bal.

Amusements . Ash

Casey es ecoces Clapper eeces Comics eos den Crossword ... Curious World ‘Editorials ... Mrs. Ferguson Financial .... Freckles ..... Hold Ev’thing In Indpls. ....

9 16

Inside - Indpls.

nitire “oper-

Joe Williams, 8

1 Krow Hell Come Out of 1 REKEIBACIER

Eddie Rickenbacker oe « o« ‘I am bruised, but not broken.

» 8

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That's Pop Myers, Speaking For 'Rick’s' Friends Here

Indianapolis knows Eddie Rickenbacker well.

And Indianapolis knows that. if there is one chance: to

his present. \t, “Rick” will

It's just like at Atlanta a year and a half ago when ‘the ‘odds 1 were.

take it... — Rs.

against. his recovering from plane crash" injuries. “I am bruised, but not broken in spirit,” he grinned. Rickenbacker

HIGHER MINIMUMS ‘ASKED BY BY TEACHERS

Elect Hargrave Treasurer As Convention Ends.

Indiana teachers were on their way home today after closing what may be their last state-wide meeting until the end: of the war. The close of the 89th annual convention of the. Indiana State Teachers’ association was highlighted by a spirited balloting to elect a treasurer and the addresses of

two lecturers and world travelers,

Louis Fischer and Harold Cooper. Ellis B. Hargrave, vice principal of Washington high school here, was elected tresaurer after he had been nominated from the floor to oppose the nominating committee’s choice for the position, W. B. Johnson, principal of public school 50. H. B. Allman, superintendent of the Muncie public schools since (Continued on Page Two)

There's Fighting Chance for Tires

‘WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (U, P.). —Rubber Director William M.. Jeffers said today “there is a fighting chance” of keeping the nation’s automobiles on rubber for the duration but he emphasized that it will require the cooperation of every motorist. He said this is the “only word of optimism” in ‘the rubber crisis. At the same time, he declared that there is no intention of deferring nation-wide rationing. That decision, he said, is final.

got his start in the automobile business here, he became a race ‘driver at the Speedway and after world war I when he bécame America’s No. 1 “ace,” he returned to head the Speedway corporation. For his hundreds of. close friends here, T. E. (Pop) Myers, former Speedway general manager, said: “Eddie is. very. resourceful as well as fortunate. Ib looks like a big ‘eight-ball’ he's behind, but I know he’ll come out: of -it.” Eddie’s brother, Al Rickenbacker, is connected with’the Speedway golf course here. : a “Rick” in -recent; years has boots considered a genius as a commercial aviation executive. He is president of Eastern’ Air Lines and it was in one of’ his ‘company’s ships that he had his narrowest escape

from death. That was Feb. 27, 1941,

when eight persons were killed in the crash near Atlanta. ;

Pinned in Wreckage

He lay pinned in the wreckage for four hours before rescuers arrived. Despite his -pain, he did what he could to make the other

injured comfortable and kept them

from lighting cigarets which might have set the wreckage on fire. Although his health was not restored fully, he made a 14,000-mile flying trip around the country early this year at the request of Lieut. Gen. Henry Arnold, chief .of the (Continued on Page Five)

2 VESSELS IN CONVOY TO RUSSIA ARE SUNK

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24.(U, PY Two medium-sized United = States merchant vessels in a convoy en route to Russia were sunk by aerial torpedo attack in the North Atlantic about the middle of September, the

navy announced today. Survivors of the.attack have. been landed at an east coast U., S, port.

United War Fund 'Over. Top! With $1,743,626 Subscribed

Over the top for a total of $1,743,626.44 — nearly $250,000 more than their goal. That’s the record Indianapolis’ volunteers workers’ in the United War Fund hung up for themselves in the campaign that ended with a victory dinner last night at the Claypool hotel. ' “Ours is a city of which we can be proud,” said Arthur E. Baxter, president of the war fund board of directors, to the 700 shouting and cheering workers. They had been confident in the past few days that success would reward their efforts, but no one fhought the goal would be over-

subscribed by nearly a quarter mil-

lion dollars. That announcement from Stanley

chairman, brought the workers to their feet in, a surge of id iasm., Mr. Baxter reported that one out of ‘three residents—approximately 125,000- persons—subscribed to the campaign for the 15 organizations. He lauded Indianapolis as: “A city that is working with might and main in the making of airplane propellers and engines, to

fight on every front; where the|

marvelous bomb sight, the envy of all other nations, is being manufactured; where shells of many calibers are being produced by. the millions; where armor plates for our fighting ships will soon be formed; where thousands of other

PACIFIC FLIGHT

Flanta, Ga., in 1941, and authorities

BERLIN — High ‘command claims

DISAPPEARS ON

Believed En ¥ Route to

Australia With Bomber

Crew of 9 Men.

By FRANK TREMAINE United Press Staff Correspondent HONOLULU, Hawaii, Oct. 24.—Army and navy planes and surface vessels searched the sea south of the Hawaiian islands today for Capt. E. V. (Eddie) Rickenbacker and the crew of a bombing plane which disappeared Wednesday evening. At 1 p. m, (Indianapolis time), Rickenbacker, the plane, and its crew had been missing 66 hours and while authorities had not given

up hope, they felt that prospects of finding them were “gloomy.”

> Raft Easily Spotted

But there was hope. In addition to the chance that the plane had made an emergency landing on one of the countless atolls in the south Pacific and had been unable to establish radio contact, there was the possibility that all the men were adrift on the liferaft with which the plane was equipped. Land planes forced down at sea sink almost at once, but the liferafts, painted a bright yellow in order that they can be spotted easily from the air, are gasily. Jaunched. | There have been ‘cases since the war started of navy pilots drifting on them for as long as a month before being rescued.

Was on Special Mission

Though the fortitude of the greatest American ace of the first world war is well known, he is now 52 years old and was seriously injured in an airplane crash near At-

feared that: he might not have the physical - stamina to endure prolonged exposure to the blistering south Pacific sun. It. was revealed in Washington last night that Rickenbacker, who is president of the Eastern airlines and the Speedway Corp. at Indianapolis but is serving as confidential (Continued on Page Five)

TIMOSHENKO GAINS IN FLANK OFFENSIVE

Penetrates Fortified Zone;

Stalingrad Holds.

MOSCOW, Oct. 2¢ (U, P).— Battlefront dispatches said today

that Marshal Semyon Timoshenko’s powerful relief offensive northwest of Stalingrad had smashed deeper into German lines at three points killing ‘1000 more Nazis. Timoshenko’s pressure against the Germans was. unrelenting, these dispatches said, and his men were attacking night and day over steppes boggy with the slush of a recent snow. The Soveit noon communique. reported that his men had driven into a: German forfified zone. The defenders of Stalingrad itself hurled back desperate new attacks against a vital factory in the northwestern part of the city and ran German losses up to at least 1400 men killed and 15° tanks in 24 hours, Guardsmen, in a raid, killed 200 more Germans and burned or disabled five tanks. In northwestern Stalingrad, the Russians have not budged from positions they were holding five days ago. There was only air activity in the Mozdok area.

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On the War Fronts —Oct. 24, 1942—

CAIRO—Allies launch big offensive agajnst Rommel’s desert positions after seven-week lull; may herald all-out campaign in Africa.

LONDON-—RAF raids in northern Italy for second successive night; Rome admits serious damage in Thursday night attack on Genoa.

MOSCOW — Russians report addi-

‘ tional gains in drive northwest|

of Stalingrad; Nazis driven from three strong points, suffer 1000 casualties.

LIES OPEN PUSH ON AXIS IN EGYPT

SWEEPING FOE OUT OF AFRICA SEEN AS GOAL

Eighth Army Has Smashed thou in Several Places, London Hears; Genoa Bombed for 2d Night.

By HARRISON SALISBURY United Press Staff Correspondent

Britain’ s eighth army today rolled into the offensive— with American planes and possibly tanks in the vanguard— in the opening phase of what may prove to be an. all-out effort to drive the axis out of Africa. American, British and allied planes had virtually driven the axis air forces from the sky over the desert where the main eighth army’s armored and motorized forces slashed forward against Marshal Erwin Rommel’s carefully prepared Alamein positions. An Exchange Telegraph report to London from the western desert said that the eighth army has smashed through axis defenses at several places. ~The report said it was not yet possible to report the scale and success of the operation. The land attack, the report said, began about 10 p. m. last night, the troops mov-: ing forward in bright moonlight. Fleet Blasts Supply Bases British light naval forces steamed along the African coast, blasting at the supply base of Mersa Matruh and there were strong hints that light desert columns had slipped

inside Rommel’s lines and may" be streaking for rear bases:

as far distant as Benghazi and the Gulf of Sirte. Timing their blow to coincide with the big push in Africa, the royal air force struck at Northern Italy for the second consecutive night with the hardest aerial blows of the war. The chief target was Genoa, the big northern supply port through which supplies and reinforcements for Rommel are funnelled. The possibility that the eighth army move may be a curtain raiser for action in West Africa was not lost on the axis and Vichy officials. = Admiral Jean Francois Darlan, chief of French armed forces, met with France’s North African commanders at Rabat where he arrived on a hasty inspection swing which has already taken him to Dakar. His next stop is Casbalanca on the Moroccan coast. Premier Pierre Laval held . a series of conferences with the chiefs of French fighting forces in Vichy. Allies Command the Air There was little specific information on the progress the initial phase of the land battles along the Alamein line. However, communiques revealed that American and British planes had virtually driven the luftwaffe out of the sky and were providing a protective umbrella under which the British were hammering their way forward. The initial reports rushed back to battle headquarters of the desert army in fact did not indicate the full scope of the imperial attack. However, with the powerful reinforcements known to be available it seemed certain that a major effort to smash

‘| Rommel’s power in the Eastern desert was under way.

Whether the offensive was timed to co-ordinate with other blows against the enemy was not known. "A communique issued early today disclosed that Lieut. Gen. B. L. Montgomery, commander of the eighth: army, beating Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and his Afrika korps to the punch, had reopened the desert battle with an offensive. : Believe U. S. Tanks Engaged

Supported by strong aerial formations, the British and imperials launched the attack and terrific fighting developed. The battle still was raging fiercely today. (The extent of American participation was not immediately clear, although it was certain that American bombers were in the thick of the fighting. The American air force had been used widely in the offensive against axis supply ports which Preceded the attack during the last few weeks. (Tanks manned by American crews and sent to Egypt primarily for front line training were used in the fighting at the end of August and during the first few days of Sepfember until Rommel’s' attack against the Alamein line died down.) The battle centered about Alamein, where the British stopped Rommel early last summer, with heavy losses. Allied air forces have gradually wrested air superiority from the enemy since, ‘The land attack was preceded by another in the continuing series’ of allied air attacks against Rommel’s positions. Allied bombers struck hard at the axis landing fields, hoping to cripple Rommel’s Italian and German air arm. The communique divulged few details of the fighting, - “The eighth army, with strong air support, attacked last night,” it said. “Fierce fighting developed and is con

tinuing.

“Allied air forces during Thursday night and.