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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Tunisia Upset Slows Yank Timetable; Japs Open 7 -Pronged Offensive to Knock China Completely Out of War; Axis Spokesmen Try Peace 'Feelers' Released by Western Newspaper Union. . RACE FOR DNIEPER: Nazis Still Menaced Only two natural defense lines ir the flat farm areas of southern Russia Rus-sia were left open to the Nazi armies after the victorious Russian forces had swept rapidly westward following follow-ing the fall of Rostov and Kharkov. These were the Dnieper river in the central Ukraine, and behind it the Dniester river on the Rumanian border. bor-der. Even if Hitler's armies won the race to the Dnieper river and succeeded suc-ceeded In establishing a new winter line behind its mile-wide expanse, the Nazi problems were by no means solved. The Nazi southern flank in the Crimea would be exposed and difficult to hold. The northern flank west of Leningrad would likewise be In jeopardy. In an effort to convert the German retreat westward Into a disorderly rout, the Red army had pounded ahead in a knockout offensive aimed at Orel, Nazi anchor point below Moscow. Strategic junction of four railroads, Orel provided direct communications com-munications between north Russia and the central Ukraine on the trunk rail line between Moscow and Orel. As the Reds continued to push the Nazis out of the eastern and northern north-ern regions of the Donets river, Nazi resistance had stiffened inside the river basin itself. r--T7Y " ' J? 1 iff it ( " I A wounded V. S. soldier struck during a heavy air attack by German planes on the airfield at Souk el Arba In Algeria is shown being comforted by a comrade-in-arms. The airfield was originally captured by U. S. paratroopers. TUNISIAN TIMETABLE: DRAFT: 'Undesirables' Next? As it became clear that congressional congres-sional sentiment was preponderantly in favor of deferring fathers and others with dependents until the supply sup-ply of single men was completely exhausted, ex-hausted, somber predictions on the future quality of draftees were made by army spokesmen. Brig. Gen. Miller G. White warned . that deferment for fathers of draft age would make it necessary for the army to induct illiterates, men with venereal diseases and "undesirables" "unde-sirables" now accepted only in limited lim-ited numbers. The rapidity with which the nation's na-tion's armed forces are being built up was indicated by a statement by Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, head of the selective service system, that a total of 28,000 men per day are being taken into the army and navy at present induction rates. PEACE OFFENSIVE:' Axis Tries Wedge Long expected by Allied chancellories, chancel-lories, the Axis peace offensive finally final-ly got under way. First feelers were extended by Virginio Gayda, Fascist editor. The next move came from Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Jos-eph Goebbels. The theme of both Axis spokesmen spokes-men was that the unprecedented Russian victories were as much a danger to Britain and America as to the Axis. Therefore why not a separate sep-arate peace, so that Europe could be saved from the Bolshevik menace? men-ace? Quick to expose the spurious technique tech-nique by which the enemy hopes to talk its way out of the consequences of impending defeat, was Elmer Davis, Da-vis, chief of the Office of War Information. Infor-mation. "This pulls the whole matter mat-ter into the open," he declared. "The Axis is trying to drive a wedge between be-tween Britain, the United States and their Allies." Delayed by Rommel General Eisenhower had had his choice of fighting decisive engagements engage-ments on ground offered him by Marshal Rommel or on terrain of his own choosing. That he had preferred pre-ferred the latter was indicated by the fact that he was not drawn into a major battle when the Nazis pushed AmericaA troops out of the Tunisian area between Sidi Bou Zid and Gafsa into the foothills bordering border-ing Tebessa, Algeria. While the Tunisian reverse was not a catastrophe, it was nevertheless neverthe-less a punishing setback that meant considerable further delay in liquidating liqui-dating the Axis in Africa and moving mov-ing on to the vastly bigger job of getting at Europe. The situation was brightened somewhat by reports that the veteran British Eighth army had rolled up from the south and had engaged Rommel's attention. atten-tion. The loss of three advance airfields air-fields and three forward positions by the American forces was costly. Superior weight and mechanical equipment, plus gruelling battle experience ex-perience was the explanation for the Nazi success. The new German 60,-ton 60,-ton Mark tanks had proved too strong for the 28-ton American tanks. The Nazis, moreover, had caught the Americans with their lines too thinly held. In Washington Secretary of War Stimson said that American forces, outnumbered and outarmed have suffered "sharp reverses and substantial sub-stantial casualties." RATION DATES: March 13 Period 5 fuel-oil coupons, cou-pons, good to Sept. 30, become valid. March 15 Last valid date for No. 11 sugar coupons, good for three pounds. March 21 Last valid date for Stamp No. 25, good for one pound of coffee. March 21 Last day on which Coupon 4 in "A" gas ration book is valid. March 31 Final date for first inspection of passenger car tires for "A" card holders and motorcycles. April 26 Expiration date for Period 4 fuel-oil coupons. June 15 Last valid date for Stamp No. 17, good for one pair of shoes. CANNED MEAT: Temporary Freeze Making supplies of canned meats and canned fish last through the year was a problem causing many a headache in the Office of Food Administration. Stocks on dealers' shelves had dwindled ominously; housewives were on a buying spree. Result: the OPA suspended sales of canned salmon, tuna, shrimp, meat spreads and kindred products until at least March 28 the date on which meat rationing was expected to begin. be-gin. Meanwhile, housewives and corner grocerymen had begun to familiarize familiar-ize themselves with the point-rationing system governing the sale of canned fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, canned soups and canned baby foods. INFLATION: Taxation the Remedy Hard-headed Marriner S. Eccles, chairman of the Federal Reserve board of governors, bluntly warned congress that the nation faced disastrous dis-astrous inflation because the government gov-ernment is financing too much of its war deficit by bank borrowing and not enough by taxation and public borrowing. Asserting that the government was doing a "very bad" job of war financing by comparison with other countries, Mr. Eccles said the problem prob-lem of inflation was "entirely in the hands of congress." "No government in a war period has been able to avoid some inflation," infla-tion," he said, adding that "inflation can only come by congress appropriating ap-propriating money and failing to provide pro-vide method of collecting money." Purchasing power this year, he estimated, would be 40 billion dollars dol-lars in excess of goods and services serv-ices available. If the public saved in the same proportion as in 1942, however, he said the gap would be shaved down to about 15 billion. BLACK MARKETS: Gangsters Reap Riches How to combat the black markets in meat products which were skyrocketing sky-rocketing retail prices, menacing the supply for military and lend-lease lend-lease purposes and endangering the future existence of small packers was a problem that had congress as well as agricultural officials worried. wor-ried. As reports persisted that gangsters gang-sters had turned their unscrupulous talents into this highly profitable illegal il-legal trade, two suggestions were made by the OPA to the house small business committee, for solving solv-ing the problem. One was for the government to purchase live animals. ani-mals. The other was for a registration registra-tion of every person who sells or handles meat. JAP WAR THEATER: Mme. Chiang Urges Speed Even as Madame Chiang Kai-shek in Washington was calling for more decisive Allied blows against Japan, communiques from China revealed that the Japs had undertaken what was apparently a major effort to knock China out of the war. The Jap offensive took the form of attacks in seven Chinese areas from above Shanghai to Yunan in the Southwest. The core of the drive had been directed along the old Burma Bur-ma road in Southwest Yunan. Seeking to stir America to a greater great-er understanding of Japan's menace to the Allies, Madame Chiang said it was contrary to the United Nations' Na-tions' interests to allow Japan "to continue not only as a potential enemy, ene-my, but as a waiting sword of Damocles, Dam-ocles, ready to descend at a moment's mo-ment's notice." Reports from Allied Pacific headquarters head-quarters continued to reflect steady, if undramatic progress. In New Guinea, American and Australian jungle troops were pushing hard on the heels of Japs retreating from the Wau area toward Mubo on the outskirts of Salamau. In the air Liberator and Flying Fortress bombers continued attacks on Jap positions in Dutch New Guinea and New Britain. FRENCH ARMADA: To Strengthen Allies Heartening news that 42 French warships, in addition to the four now undergoing repairs in American shipyards, would soon be fighting on the side of the United Nations was brought out by Vice Admiral Raymond Ray-mond Fenard, chief of the French naval mission to the United States. Admiral Fenard said that two more battleships, six cruisers, an aircraft carrier, seven destroyers, 14 submarines and ten auxiliary craft would join the United Nations armada arma-da "soon, but I don't know when." The naval leader said that the cruisers Gloire and Georges Ley-gues Ley-gues already are in action against the Axis. FASTEST PLANE: Unveiled by Navy When the navy unveiled what was termed the "fastest airplane in the United States" at a Hartford, Conn., plane factory, it was disclosed that other models of this ship the Vought F4U1 Corsair had already been in successful action against the Japs over Munda in the South Pacific. Among the "bests" claimed in the Corsair's behalf were that it has the most powerful engine of any navy fighter in the world; that it can outfight out-fight and outfly land based aircraft in the same classification; that it STEEL CAPACITY: Steel companies have met the wartime challenge of greater output by spending nearly a billion and a quarter of their money to increase production and efficiency since 1938, the American Iron and Steel Institute Insti-tute announced. One-third of this sum was spent in the first three years of war, but after Pearl Harbor, expenditures were stepped up. From 1941 through 1943, the institute said, the industry indus-try spent or prepared to spend about $773,000,000. |