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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Break-Up of Rommel's Desert Forces Affects U. S.-British Drive in Tunisia; French Fleet Will Join Allies: Darlan; President Proclaims National Farm Day (EDITOR'S NOTE : When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) I Released by Western Newspaper Union. MliS OnKA tJalamaua i i . i Qwof Papua V jBuna " Coral Sea Mjif5i. Allied forces proceeded swiftly toward ousting the Japs completely from the Papua territory of New Guinea following the capture of the village of Buna. V. S. and Australian jungle fighters took the Jap base. Occupation of Buna followed closely the seizure of Gona. A communique from Allied headquarters in Australia told of slowly increasing pressure on the enemy. A captured Japanese artilleryman told intelligence officers of Emperor Hirohito's mandate that Jap forces hold the New Guinea beachhead to the last man. The communique did not mention the Mam-bare Mam-bare area, on the northeast coast, where Allied planes lashed out at Jap warships attempting to land more men. RUSSIA: See-Saw Battle In the see-saw battle of Russia the course o warfare appeared to favor once more the Red army as an official communique announced the capture of five additional strong points in the Rzhev sector on the central front. It told. too. of the repulse re-pulse of a heavy Nazi counterattack counterat-tack in the area southwest of Stalingrad. Stalin-grad. In their counterdrive at Kotel-nikovski. Kotel-nikovski. 90 miles southwest of Stalingrad, Stal-ingrad, the Axis armies attempted to throw back the flank of the Russian Rus-sian forces south of the Don river and break through the Russian trap. The attacks were led by tanks, dive bombers and motorized infantry. Red Star, Soviet army newspaper, said many Axis troops were slaughtered slaugh-tered and the attacks were hurled back decisively. To the west of Stalingrad the Red army was said to be widening the broad barrier they had made between be-tween the Nazis on the banks of the Don and those trapped near Stalingrad. During the Russian drive on the central front, which took seven more villages, two battalions bat-talions of German infantry were reported re-ported wiped out. A communique reported that near Vilikie Luki, Russian Rus-sian troops beat off a German attempt at-tempt to break through the lines to help a surrounded Nazi garrison and destroyed Nazi equipment SCHOOL BELLS: In Wartime America's system of higher education edu-cation is headed for some profound and sweeping changes under plans now released by the army and navy to train youths between 17 and 22 for specialized military duties. Scheduled to begin in February the new setup for high school and college youths would be put into operation in several hundred colleges col-leges and universities throughout the nation. Students now in high school and college would fit into the program pro-gram at the time they were called up for military training and virtually virtual-ly every youth over 17 in school would be affected. As outlined in joint army-navy statement made in Chicago the plan calls for these major developments: 1. Mobilization of a selected number num-ber of colleges and universities for training soldiers in military-directed courses. 2. Enlisted soldiers now having completed their basic training (or about to complete) will be selected, if qualified, for specialized training when, the plan is first set in motion. 3. A cadet system will be organized organ-ized for the selected colleges and military training will thus be given giv-en but it will be subordinated to academic instruction. 4. When soldiers complete any phase of the specialized training at these schools they will do one of four things: (a) be given further training in officer's candidate school (b) returned to the troops; (c) recommended rec-ommended for technical noncommissioned noncom-missioned officers or (d) detailed for advanced technical training. Meanwhile the navy will be selecting select-ing high-school graduates or those with equivalent qualifications for induction in-duction as apprentice seamen or marine ma-rine privates. Placed on active duty with pay these youths will attend designated schools. China's President AFRICA: Darlan Speaks "I have announced that my sole purpose is to free France and then retire to private life." With those words Adm. Jean Darlan, Dar-lan, high commissioner of French Africa, hoped to still the loud voice of criticism which had been leveled at him by the Fighting French, the British and certain American sources. He did not wholly succeed. The Fighting French wanted more than words from Admiral Darlan to , assure as-sure them. The British and a comparatively com-paratively few Americans remained skeptical. Darlan, in a statement of clarification, clarifi-cation, called for maximum military mili-tary effort for the defeat of Germany Ger-many and Italy and added that "this will be accomplished by the unity of all citizens, regardless of their political po-litical or religious opinions, in an orderly and cohesive fashion." Darlan also declared flatly that strong French fleet units at Dakar, Alexandria and North African ports would join the British and U. S. fleets. Those units included: three battleships, more than seven cruisers, cruis-ers, approximately a score of submarines sub-marines and several destroyers. Hit Tunis, Bizerte Concentrating on docks and airfields air-fields in Bizerte and Tunis, American Ameri-can and British bombers continued to carry out their day and night raids with thunderous accuracy. Tropical rains had brought land action to a minimum, with action limited largely to patrol sorties. It was evident that the Allies were willing to sacrifice forward positions to reduce losses pending an all-out offensive. Allied attacks on Axis airfields are damaging the efforts of the Luftwaffe Luft-waffe ground staffs to maintain operations. op-erations. It is reported that less than two-thirds of the total force are able to take to the air at any time. FARM DAY: Vital Goals Tuesday, January 12, has been proclaimed by President Roosevelt as Farm Mobilization day. On this day meetings are to be held throughout the nation to determine ways and means "of ensuring for the year 1943 the maximum production produc-tion of vital foods." Farmers are being asked on that day to gather with department of agriculture officials, extension service serv-ice agents, vocational teachers, farm organizations and others concerned con-cerned to discuss plans for meeting the high food production goals for the 1943 crop year. President Roosevelt praised the farmers for their production of record rec-ord maximum harvests in the past three years and declared that every pound of food finds use in wartime. "Food," he said, "is no less a weapon than tanks, guns and planes. As the power of our enemies decreases, de-creases, the importance of the food resources of the United Nations increases. in-creases. With this thought in mind, we must further mobilize our resources re-sources for the production of food." LIBYA: Africa Corps Split Long pounded by the British eighth army, Field Marshal Rommel's Rom-mel's Africa corps took new and heavy body blows when his fleeing Axis forces were neatly divided by Sir Bernard Montgomery's pursuing troops. In a sudden flanking movement advanced ad-vanced forces of the British army reached Wadi Matratin, 55 miles west of El Agheila on the Gulf of Sirte. From there, units of the Montgomery army sliced off to the south, cutting Rommel's army in two, one force continuing its westward west-ward flight, the other caught between the British main army and the British Brit-ish advanced units. Included in the enemy troops cut off were armored forces which, in desperate maneuvers to escape, suf- si -f V (T V ) ; k - I ' W ' ' ; j ; , l PRICE CONTROL: No Surprise Washington dopesters had announced an-nounced it weeks before so there was little surprise throughout the nation when Leon Henderson resigned re-signed as director of the Office of Price Administration. Announcement Announce-ment of the resignation came from President Roosevelt who, in accepting accept-ing it, praised Henderson and declared de-clared that "You have not spared yourself . . . and I appreciate your patriotic service." Henderson said that he was quitting quit-ting because of a recurrent physical physi-cal difficulty and a "rather bad" impairment of eyesight. The President Presi-dent asked him to keep the White House advised on his physical condition con-dition so that when he had recovered recov-ered he could be recalled to government govern-ment service in some other capacity. capac-ity. Because of his firmness in handling han-dling rationing affairs and because of his treatment of .congress (without (with-out concern of political favor) Henderson Hen-derson has been under fire for months. Early in December many Washington sources predicted he was resigning and had suggested that Sen. Prentiss M. Brown, Michigan Michi-gan Democrat, succeed him. Brown, defeated for his senate post in the last election, had previously piloted the price stabilization bill through congress. fered heavy casualties and "continued "contin-ued to be severely mauled," the Middle Eastern command communique commu-nique stated. The main eighth army was shoving ahead, forcing its way through mine fields laid by the retreating re-treating Germans, eager to get at the trapped troops. MEAT QUOTA : Cut to 35 Ounces Upon orders from government food authorities, the per capita supply sup-ply of meat for civilians has been reduced from the present limit of 40 ounces to 35 ounces a week during the first three months of 1943. The orders were issued by Price Administrator Leon Henderson on the recommendation of Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard, the new food chief. Civilian supplies of pork, veal, lamb and mutton were ordered cut approximately 13 per cent. Beef supplies will continue to be restricted restrict-ed at the present level. Restrictions Restric-tions are voluntary at present and consumers are being asked to limit themselves to 40 ounces a week until un-til the first of the year, when the voluntary ration will be reduced by five ounces. Slaughterers who kill more than 500,000 pounds a quarter have been limited to 70 per cent of the 1941 level for beef, pork and veal, and to 75 per cent for lamb and mutton. The above photo of Lin Sen, 1-year-old president of China, is the first photo ever sent from Chungking, Chung-king, China, to Los Angeles, over a new radiophoto service. The Chinese Chi-nese characters read: "To President Presi-dent Roosevelt, from Lin Sen." U.S. GOAL: Double Axis Output The War Production board's goal for 1943 calls for a production rate by the end of the year estimated to be twice as gTeat as that of the Axis nations. More than $90,000,-000,000 $90,000,-000,000 worth of American weapons will be manufactured in 1943. U. S. war production in 1942 equals that of all the Axis countries, the WPB reported. The United Nations are out-producing the Axis almost two to one at present. 'VICTORY': By the Government "Victory," a picture magazine designed de-signed for free distribution in foreign for-eign countries, will be published by the government, the Office of War Information has announced. The propaganda magazine will be published every two months in several sev-eral languages, but will not be distributed dis-tributed within the United States. Advertising revenue will go to defray de-fray the cost of publication, officials offi-cials said. |
