Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 May 1943 — Page 1

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, the 8th army front,” the spokesman

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TREAT Te N SCRIPPS —- HOWARD

VOLUME 54—NUMBER 52

e Indianapolis Time

FORECAST: Rain ending early this afternoon; cooler tonight continued cool tomorrow morning.

TUESDAY, MAY 11, 1943

Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postoffice Indianapolis, Ind. Issued daily except Sunday.

PRICE FOUR CENTS

Resistance On Cap Bon Peninsula Ending Rapidly

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REPORT YANKS POISED ON

"TROOPS READY

Se

Ernie Pyle: ‘Roads Choked With Prisoners

By ERNIE PYLE TUNISIAN FRONT, May 11.—The thing that Amerfcans in Africa had fought and worked six months to get came today. When it did come, it was an avalanche almost impos-

sible to describe. The flood of prisoners choked the roads. acres of captured materiel. I'll try to tell you what the spirit of the day was like. It was a holiday, though everybody kept on working. Everybody felt suddenly free inside, as though personal worry had been lifted. It was like we used to feel as children on the farm,

There were

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CAP BON FIGHTING

Axis Resistance Ending Rapidly as Escape From Peninsula by Sea Is Cut Off Completely.

BULLETIN LONDON, May 11 (U. P.).—Radio Algiers said today that the Germans in the Zaghouan sector of Tunisia asked for an armistice shortly after the British entered Hammamet, eastward on the coast.

By VIRGIL PINKLEY United Press Staff Correspondent

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, North Africa, May 11.— Organized resistance of completely isolated axis armies on Cap Bon was ending rapidly today as hopes of an escape by sea were crushed, but crack German troops trapped in the Zaghouan mountain sector continued a hopeless bitter-

tom thre sie. © DOTATOES STILL SCARCE IN CITY

The Germans on Cap Bon peninsula, cut off by the British advance to Hammamet, “just lost Shortage Has Eased ‘Very Little,” Merchants Say; Limit Purchases.

their nerve” under 48 hours of heavy air attack despite messages of It's still first come, first served— and youre lucky if you get any at

encouragement from Hitler and Mussolini, a spokesman said. They iall—as far as potatoes are concerned in Indianapolis.

are surrendering by whole companies without a last ditch fight. “There is still fierce fighting, especially on the 8th army front,” a spokesman said. Nevertheless the number of priscners was rapidly { The shortage here has “eased up very little,” one commission merchant said today. He is getting, he added, about one-fiftieth of what he could sell, only between 50 and 60 bags.

approaching 100,060, the remaining German forces had been split and; demoralized enemy troops were rap-| idly approaching a stage where; they could no longer contipue im-| portant resistance on an organized basis, particularly on Cap Bon. When a carload of potatoes arrives here, it's sold in 15 or 20 minutes. Then, in the retail stores, although customers’ purchases are limited, the entire stock again is sold out in a comparably short period. Some customers are allowed three pounds. Some are allowed five. California long whites are the only potatoes coming in now. Louisianas are starting soon, and Alabamas are expected within two or three weeks. Some See Relief One merchant said he expected no real relief until fall, but others

Resistance Fierce

The axis forces trapped and cut into sections in the Cap Bon zone and in the mountain east of Zaghouan had been estimated at from 50.000 to 100,000. The strongest and most compact group appeared to be in the Zaghouan area. “Resistance is.especially fierce on

said in reference to the southern or Zaghouan zone. About 700 square miles in all were still occupied by scattered axis forces, following the British drive across the base of the Cap Bon peninsula, capturing Soliman, Menzel Bou Selfa and Grombalia, and pushing on to Hammamet. The enemy in the hills of the

when parents surprised us by saying work was finished and we were going to the state fair for a day. And when you have looked, goggle-eyed, all day at more Germans than you ever expected to see in your life, you really feel like you have been to a fair. Today you saw Germans walking alene along highways. You saw them riding, stacked up in our jeeps, with one lone American driver. You saw them by hundreds, crammed as in a subway in their own trucks, with their own drivers. And in the forward areas our fairgrounds of mile after mile contained more Germans than Americans. Germans were everywhere.

It made you a little light-headed to stand in the (Continued on Page 1, Second Section.)

prisoners—yesterday so ruthless, "No guards are necessary

membered how they had killed he hated them.

No Guards Are Necessary

Today Ernie Pyle takes you through the confusion of the defeated German army in Tunisia, and lets you talk with the

into the darkness. They have already done their running and now they await our pleasure, rather humbly and with a curious eagerness to see what comes next for them." A high American officer felt sorry for them until he re-

today so humble: to keep them from running off

so many of our men—and then

Deluge Turns Creeks Into Torrents

Big Eagle creek was at the 10-foot stage when this picture was taken at 9:25 this morning at the Lyndhurst road bridge. Normally the stream rums about two feet deep. Here John Merrell of the U. S. Geological survey uses a bridge boom to measure the stream’s discharge.

Eagle Creek park goes under as the stream goes on a rampage from heavy rains. Qver night the water rose half a foot an hour with at least another foot rise predicted before the crest would be reached.

were a little more optimistic. One chain store buyer said that sou uth- | ern new potatoes, arriving in the’

gouth front was being heavily attacked from the south by the 8th army and from the west and north by British 1st army tanks. middle of June, should help out. The best German troops were in: Meantime, he explained, we can't action and their strong hill posi-|except the state of California to! tions made it probable that some! supply the entire nation. time would be required to mop! An independent grocer said l them up. Official advices said that!received only one shipment—50 the enemy troops trapped on Cap|pounds—Ilast week. It was gone the Bon were mostly second line and|same day, although he allowed only communications soldiers and that three pounds to a ‘customer. their morale broke quickly under| “Indianapolis can use 10 carloads heavy attack, ending organized re- a day,” a commission merchant said. sistance in that area. “It is getting instead about one There also was some resistance in|carload a day.” (Continued on Page Six) Old seed potatoes are practically exhausted. The only ones available now are those still on hand in re-

PRISONERS fa stores. OF Wah oh TIMES FEATURES ican i ig phy by the ON INSIDE PAGES

enemy? What rules govern his

treatment? How can his family {Amusements , 3 {Jane Jordan.. 14 . . . sive ren Kidney ...... 12 and friends get information {Giapper ..... HE rene 12 about him, and write tc him, and [Comics ..... . 19{ Movies send gifts to him? iy Sys 19 | Obituaries “> 3 Detailed and authoritative in- Edson 3 a I pemler Sop X formation on this subject is | Financial .... 15 State Deaths. 5 rounded up in a series of arti- For cereus 12] Yoke in Bale. 8 . ardens ..... {War Living .. 3 gle. the first of which appears Hold Evyth'g. 11/Pyle yn roday on In Indpls. . : Saasiens . 19 Inside Indpls. 11 Mrs. Roosevelt 11

‘Mrs. Ahlgren Sounds Key-

veeee. BjcOntrol.

‘cerned with the formation of an

e Glances. 12 en.

RIVERS FLOOD

‘Water

other parts of Indiana went on minor

INDIANA ROADS

Imperils Lives of Two Men Retrieving

Runaway Boats. LOCAL TEMPERATURES

Sam ... 63 10am ... 0 65 Ya. mh ... 53 11 a m. . 66 8am. ... 64 12 (noon) . 66 9a.m ,.. 65 ipm ... 68

Rivers and creeks here and .

rampage today, oi streets, imperiling the lives of two men, threatening. overflows of lowlands, probably increasing crop losses and covering roads. Streams climbed as 2.06 inches of rain fell here during the last 24 hours, and even more in other sections fiom Ft. Wayne to Evansville. The latest rain here brought the total for the last four days to 3.42 inches. While the local weather bureau predicted the end of the rains by this afternoon, . peaks in most streams will not be reached for 24 to 36 hours.

Men Endangered

As White river here climbed slightly and churned angrily, it ripped loose anchored rowboats.

Re <3

Hoosier Heroes

Col. Ray Is Advised Son Is Missing

Missing COL. MARTIN H. RAY, liasion officer in Indianapolis for the commanding general of the 5th service command, has been notified that his son, Capt. John Ray, is missing in action in Tunisia. Capt. Ray is attached to ground

URGES WOMEN SHARE POST-WAR BURDENS

note for Federation. (Other stories on Page 13)

By LOUISE FLETCHER

“Women must have a full share in the construction of peace,” Mrs. Oscar A. Ahlgren of Whiting declared this afternoon at the opening session of the 54th annual convention of the Indiana Federation of Clubs. The convention, being held at the Claypool hotel, will continue until Thursday noon. Post-war planning is one of three interests which Mrs. Ahlgren, I. F.C. president, called upon clubwomen to add to their current war service work. The others are the problems| of juvenile delinquency and liquor

West Point with the class of 1939. He last visited his family about a year ago. He is 24. Col. Ray has two other sons in ‘service. Lit. (sg) Alan Ray is on active duty with ‘the navy and Roger Ray 'will graduate next week with the West Point class of 1943, A fourth son, Lt. Martin H. Ray Jr., was killed in the battle of intelligent public opinion, both dur- Midway. ing the war and when we are ready | A for the peace. 's ‘8. ser. GEORGE R. LINGEN“A nation that a for war

“While our war effort is paramount at all times,” Mrs. Ahlgren said, “we must consider these three problems. “As women, we shotlld be con-

personnel and is a graduate of:

RUSS SEIZE KEY HILL

occupied by James Daughtery, 28, lof 1021 Centennial st. (Mann, 21, of a trailer camp at 1611 (Lafayette road, under a willow tree. { | Daugherty clung to its side, Mann

After roping four runaway craft and tying them to their own boat at 16th st. the four broke loose and a swift undercurrent swept the boat

and Lester!

They were thrown out and while

missed his reach for it. Unable to swim, he went down twice and the second time up grabbed it. An unidentified truckman threw them a rope and pulled them in.

Creeks Rising

While Fall, Big and Little Eagle creeks and White river were rising, there was no threat that they would leave their banks here. The weather bureau, however, warned the entire White and Wabash river valleys to expect overflows in 24 to 36 hours. There is considerable wheat in those areas and Indiana Grain CoOperative officials here said that if the water covered the fields for a day or two it will further destroy crops. It is now estimated that because of the severe winter and April drouth, the state’s wheat crop will be only about half its normal 30,000,000 bushels. Victory gardeners in some sections (Continued on Page Six)

NEAR NOVOROSSISK

Infantry. Forces Breach in

Nazi Defense Lines.

MOSCOW, May 11 (U. P.).—Russian infantly, 8dvancing with the support of a heavy artillery barrage, broke through German defenses northeast of. Névorossisk today and captured an important hill near the Black Sea naval base.

guns and began a systematic destruction of concrete emplacements and pill boxes deep in the axis defenses of their Kuban bridgehead in the western Caucasus. The infantry quickly filtered through the blasted areas. It appeared that the Soviet. army had launched a final major drive toward. Novorossik, the most important city still in axis hands on the Taman peninsula.

The Red Army brought up its big|

REPORT CHEMICAL BLAST CHARLESTON, W. Va., May 11

| (U. P.).—An explosion occured to-,

day at the South Charleston plant |

{of the Carbide & Carbon Chemicals

Corp. and ambulances were rushed] to the scene.

War Analysis—

Hitler May Make One e Fiat ”

By LOUIS F. KEEMLE United Press War Analyst Hitler's final attempt to break out of the trap which the united nations are closing around him must and probably will be made this summer. That is the preponderant view among British military observers, many of whom look for a win-all or lose-all offensive similar to the one which proved the dying gasp of German military power in the

German artillery replied to the Russian guns. The Germans opened an infantry and tank attack in the Lisichansk . sector of the Donets basin southeast!

s from el

spring and summer of 1918. The same observers believe this

effort is most likely to be directed so against Russia, which is the only|s

target offering sufficient rewards.

lishment of a setup similar to that

YPRUS

FOR INVASION, SOURCES HINT

Speculation Increases Allies Ready to Move Against Axis Islands in Mediterranean.

(Pattern for Invasion, Page 20)

LONDON, May 11 (U. P.).—Reports that American troops have been stationed on Cyprus island at the eastern end of the Mediterranean circulated through invasionconscious Europe today as speculation increased that the allies were getting ready to move against axis-held islands guarding the southern approach to the continent. Swedish press reports from Sofia, via Berlin, said that the Stars and Stripes were flying beside the British Union Jack from Cyprus public buildings and that American mili tary, political and economic experts were aiding in adminis« tration of the island. An American general who commands a division and his staff were said to have arrived at Nicosia, the island's capital.

(These reports said that the Americans began arriving on

Cyprus two months ago, presumably as part of the inva-

sion plan. Axis Prepares Feverishly

Word reaching Madrid from Italy and France told of the intensified preparations by the axis to fortify Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and southern Italy against invasion. Thousands of laborers were pouring cement for anti

tank ditches, machine gun emplacements and air raid shelters

in Italy, it was said. The work, started in December, was being rushed to completion because of the axis collapse in

Report —— to Lead Allied Armies in

Invasion.

By HARRISON SALISBURY oe He Press Staff Correspondent Hitler Makes Appeal LONDON, May 11.—-A supreme Adolf Hitler gave an idea of cons Euro . | ditions among the Nazi fighting men COWIfRN Soy Tor We EET Yi lin his appeal for Red Cross funds ter may be appointed soon now that] \yesterday. He asserted that “the the Tunisian campaign has .been |} ong cannot assess how grea won and the allies are concentrat- | ho" been the physical moral de ing on opening up a second front in| 0400 upon the troops. He ine Europe. dicated that conditions had been The arrival of Lt. Gen. Jacob L. especially bad on the Russian front. Devers, newly appointed command-| «a) the sacrifices at home pale er-in-chief, completed the American |, comparison with the privations command setup. The only thing'ang sufferings that our soldiers had remaining was the choice of a chief | t, undergo for a second time in the co-ordinating officer and the estab-| east.” Hitler said. : German meat rations were reported to have been cut from 12.3 ounces to 8.8 ounces a week for each person. It was rumored in Sweden that 15 Germans had been arrested in Norway on suspicion of wrecking four ships in Oslo harbor.

Tunisia. It was suggested that recent heavy allied bombings of en these defenses. Greek Sowrues here said that the capture of Crete would capture of Sicily in any allied jfivasion from Africa. The MAY 1s BE ‘CHIEF’ = divisions or about 48,000 men on the heavily-fortified island. might be easier first to occupy the | Dodecanese islands off the Turkto be held by 50,000 Italians, are not believed to be as well fortified ‘as

the whole Mediterranean area were designed partly to weaks Ibe equally important as the Nazis were believed to have The Greeks suggested that it ish coast. These islands, believed Crete,

functioning in North Africa. Speculation has fluctuated between the possibility of a British or an American commander for the overall post. A new suggestion is that the African and European theaters be merged again, similar to the original setup, and a single! Radio Paris reported that 12,000 top co-ordinator named. persons had been evacuated from Le The theory behind the suggestion Havre, French channel port. A Gers is that the invasion of Europe is man news agency report said that going to occur at a number of a “prohibited zone” had been esplaces along the lines of the steel | tablished along the border of France finger panzer technique _ Switzerland.

demonstrated by the Nazis. ‘On the War Fronts

In that event, each individual (Continued on Page Six) AFRICA: British troops drive across base of Cap Bon peni

ting trap for axis forces

If Hitler could break Russian + | save i |