| OCR Text |
Show WEEKLY MEWS ANALYSIS Air, Naval Blows on Nazi Supply Lines Pace Allied Offensive in North Africa; New Advance Carries Reds to Ukraine Thus Threatening Million Nazi Troops (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not nrcessarily of this newspaper.) Released by Western Newspaper Union, ' NAZI MORALE: Artificial Boost In an effort to bolster a morale lowered by bad news from the war fronts and by lower food rations, Germany's Propaganda Minister Goebbels is reported to have mobilized mobil-ized hundreds of Nazi orators to deliver de-liver a nation-wide series of "pep talks" to the German people. At the same time the German press began hammering home the thought that African setbacks are unimportant because the war will be decided to Russia. Information from Germany indicates indi-cates that a program of mass meetings meet-ings is under way with Goebbels and Dr. Robert Ley, Nazi labor leader, keynoting the morale offensive. The Voelkischer Beobachter, Adolf Hitler's newspaper, declared editorially edito-rially that the objective properly NORTH AFRICA: Supply Route Attack Increased Allied naval and air activity in North Africa took a heavy . toll of Axis supplies and men in a series of vigorous actions whichfore-shadowed whichfore-shadowed greater things to come. At least six and probably 10 Axis ships were sunk on the Tunisia-Sicily Tunisia-Sicily supply line. British submarines subma-rines sank three supply ships in the Sicily-Africa lane and Middle Eastern East-ern command planes based on Malta blew up two more ships in the Tunis Harbor basin. The remainder were sunk as they attempted to bring reinforcements re-inforcements to Nazi forces. During the comparative lull in the Sghting, announcement was made of the landing of American troops in Dakar, nerve center of French West ftirica, and the port which repulsed a British and Fighting French attack at-tack in September, 1940. Operating to the southwest of Tunis Tu-nis under newly established Allied aerial superiority, French forces resorted re-sorted that they had captured "nu- NEW GUINEA: Progress Slow "The advance of our troops continues con-tinues in the face of desperate enemy en-emy resistance. Progress was relatively rela-tively slow, due to intricate and thoroughly, thor-oughly, prepared positions of the enemy." That communique from General MacArthur's headquarters summed up the reasons for the seemingly prolonged battle to drive the Japs out of the Buna area of New Guinea. The Japs made all possible use of nature's defense facilities. The high kumai grass and the abundance of trees made Jap snipers an ever-present ever-present threat. The fact that they preferred death to capture made them doubly dangerous. But American and Australian troops pushed the enemy into two narrowing coastal sectors on Cape Endaiadere. The Japs were forced to evacuate more than 100 pillboxes, leaving many dead behind them in each one. r' V. it i : I ! -"0 1 I vnS "... iJ LAVAL'S 'DEAL': New Aid to Nazis When France's Chief of Government Govern-ment Pierre Laval reported to his cabinet following a conference with Adolf Hitler he did so amid growing indications that his country may declare de-clare war on the United Nations. Hitler's demands were all-inclusive. Both neutral and Axis sources said that Laval has acceded to them and that France will become a full nerous prisoners, armored vehicles and artillery" in one sector while beating off repeated Axis counterattacks counterat-tacks in another. A French communique announced that French forces had captured the xis men and material near Pont-JuFahs, Pont-JuFahs, . about 35 miles south of runis. However, Axis forces in Tunisia were found to be strongly intrenched when Allied Commando troops raided raid-ed northern Tunisia at a point within with-in five miles of the huge Axis naval base of Bizerte. The incursion lasted last-ed several days, and the raiders were forced to regain the beach through about 15 miles of enemy-held territory. terri-tory. The Germans held strong machine ma-chine gun posts in the area. Libyan Drive Dispatches from the Libyan front said that General Montgomery's British eighth army was advancing on Buerat El Hshun, only 50 miles west of Sirte along the Mediterranean Mediter-ranean coast and 180 miles from Tripoli. The British had advanced more than 200 miles west of El Ag-heila Ag-heila since launching a new attack to drive Marshal Rommel out of Libya. FOOD FATS: Face 15 Cut Because of military and lend-lease requirements, the government expects ex-pects to ration food fats and oils in 1943 at a level approximately 15 per cent below civilian demands, the bureau of agricultural economics has announced. Likely to be rationed are cooking compounds, butter, margarine, lard and possibly salad dressing. Secretary Secre-tary of Agriculture Wickard, food administrator, indicated previously that butter would be rationed as soon as plans could be made'. Food items now under ration or scheduled for in 1943 include sugar, coffee, meats and cheese. Even milk supplies are running low in metropolitan metro-politan areas. The bureau estimated that civilians, civil-ians, with increased incomes, would buy about 57.1 pounds of fats and oils per capita in 1943 at present DR. ROBERT LEY Nazi morale booster. was Europe, not Africa, and that after Russian resistance is ended, "we will soon regain on the southern front what we have had to give up." The Beobachter reminded Germans Ger-mans who grumble about the scarcity scar-city of food and clothes that their sacrifices were as nothing compared with the soldier who is called on to "give his blood for the homeland." But the holiday season was not a happy one, despite the morale-boosting drive. POSTWAR GOODS: Plan for Purchase A detailed plan for consumers to pay now for automobiles, automatic furnaces, -refrigerators, pianos and other postwar goods to be delivered deliv-ered after the war has been developed devel-oped by the Office of Price Administration. Admin-istration. The plan, which OPA officials said would drain off $6,000,000,000 annually annual-ly in excess purchasing power, has been described as "installment selling sell-ing in reverse." It is also intended to help many business firms which otherwise might fail to survive another an-other year of war. Here is the way the plan would work: Consumers would purchase any item exactly the way they did normally, nor-mally, but they -would receive a certificate cer-tificate instead of merchandise. Payment Pay-ment would be made in cash or installments. in-stallments. The dealer would get a 6 per cent commission and the finance company either 1 per cent or 7 cents a collection. The money would be deposited with the U. S. treasury which would pay manufacturers when the goods were delivered after the war. The certificates would constitute con-stitute a priority for the desired article. Sale price of the certificates would be set at an arbitrary figure and would have no bearing on the actual price. They would be non-interest bearing. Following the war, consumers PIERRE LAVAL Complete Sellout for France? Axis partner. According to reports, re-ports, none of which were officially confirmed, Laval has agreed to put an army in the field under German command, and also to: Purge France's anti-Nazis. Resume the Riom "war guilt" trials with added defendants, including includ-ing former Premier Edouard Her-riot. Her-riot. Maintain the German forces in France. Turn over all industries in the formerly unoccupied zone to German Ger-man war production. Ship 400,000 industrial workers to Germany, v MILLION NAZIS: And Russia's Offensive j, ' ; v A j wouia De permitted to select their own brand. ROYAL NAVY: Back to Sumatra Two important facts were made evident when British naval planes bombed the Japanese fueling and naval base of Sebang off the northwest north-west tip of Sumatra. One: The fact that the royal navy went back to the scene of an earlier tragic defeat was evidence of increased in-creased strength of the British navy. Second: Losses inflicted by the United States were thought to have compelled the Japs to withdraw ships to the South Pacific. In opening offensive operations at the western end of the Netherlands East Indies, 660 miles from Singapore, Singa-pore, the British naval force heavily heav-ily damaged the base at Sebang. Heavy explosions occurred at the dock and gasoline tank area, fol-lowed fol-lowed by huge fires. The bomber planes were thought to have been based on a carrier perhaps the 23,000-ton Illustrious. Sebang had become a major Japanese Japa-nese base. It lies slightly more than 300 miles west of Penang off the Malaya coast. The harbor has a coaling station and is sheltered from heavy winds and ocean swells hv After getting away to a terrific start the Russian winter offensive stalled, then gained speed again as Moscow communiques told of fierce battling in their campaign for Rostov, Ros-tov, key city at the mouth of the Don river. Along the entire front there was plenty of action but it was toward Rostov that the Reds concentrated con-centrated the full power of their counteroffensive. While reports said the retreat of the Germans was rapid, Soviet sources reported that in a single day they had found time to kill 7,000 of the enemy and on the next day capture cap-ture 6,700 more. In the first week' of the Rostov campaign, Nazi casualties casu-alties (not including wounded) were officially set at 55,200. Fighting still was going on within Stalingrad, where progress on both sides for weeks has been reported in terms of houses and blocks. In addition, the winter campaign of the Russian army was spreading westward toward the Ukraine. But military experts kept their eye on Rostov for the capture of that city by the Russians meant that all of the Nazi troops in the Caucasus were cut off from retreat (except by sea). Adding this force to the Nazi numbers in peril before Stalingrad Stalin-grad it is estimated that a million German soldiers were threatened on two fronts. CLAUDE WICKARD 48 Pounds Per Capita. ceiling prices if this supply were available. Per capita consumption amounted to 51 pounds during the 1940-42 period. Under a rationing system about 48 pounds would be available for each person, including indirect consumption con-sumption of fats in bread, cake, confectionery con-fectionery and canned soups. mountains and a high coast line COPPER WIRE: F raud Is Charged Russian military technicians had first complained, about defective Lend-Lease wire. Then the FBI took the trail. The result was an indictment at Fort Wayne, Ind of the Anaconda Wire and Cable com pany of Marion, Ind., in what was described by Attorney General Biddle in Washington as "one of the most reprehensible cases of defraud mg the government and endangering the hves of American soldiers and sailors." Returned by a federal grand jury the mdictment accused the company and five of its officials with selling from its Marion, Ind., plant Sno cifically it charged "conspiracy to del fraud the government and conspir-acy conspir-acy to present false claims The justice department said the company had $6,000,000 in govern ment orders, including wire and ca-' bio for use by American armed forces m combat communications While some of the wire went to Rus sia a large part went to the U S |
