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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Savage Russ Counterattack in North Offsets Nazi Pressure in Volga Area; U. S. Upsets Jap Strategy in Pacific; Chinese Register Important Victories (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.) . - Released by Western Newspaper Union. . o noH ZS WJUIMKOVSKI ClV liTASTRAKHAN Q If j "N... n i & X.S IRAN CEILINGS: For Hogs, Cattle As the Office of Price Administration Adminis-tration worked out its plans for price ceilings on hogs and cattle, J. K. Galbraith, deputy administrator, told a delegation of large stock producers pro-ducers in Washington that revisions of this system would eliminate inequalities in-equalities between different regions and different classes of buyers. Meanwhile concurrence with the OPA plan was being considered by the department of agriculture. Ceilings Ceil-ings were worked out in conjunction with representative groups of producers pro-ducers and OPA before submission to Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard. Beef producers were assured by OPA that this agency would take no steps to discourage normal feeding and marketing of livestock. "While feeders must exercise normal nor-mal caution and avoid paying high prices for their feeders," said Deputy Dep-uty OPA Administrator Galbraith, "the working out of ceilings will be undertaken in close consultation with producers and with a full and complete recognition of the market relationships involved." He said further that "feeders who buy carefully may look forward to the coming year with confidence." DUKE OF KENT: Dies in Action The first casualty in England's royal family since the start of the war occurred in northern Scotland when a giant Sunderland flying boat crashed, bringing death to the duke of Kent, youngest brother of King George VI. With him died all but one of the crew, a tail gunner who was thrown clear of the wreck. The duke, fifth in succession to the throne, was 39 years old. On active military duty, he was the youngest of the four sons of Queen Mary and the late King George V. Married to Princess Marina of Greece in 1934, his three children were Prince Edward, 6; Princess Alexandra, 5; and Prince George, who was born last July 4. Prince George also bears the name of Franklin for President Pres-ident Roosevelt, his godfather. BRAZIL: Good Neighbors Speak Just a week after Brazil's declaration declara-tion of war against Germany and Italy, the Uruguayan government announced that the two South American Amer-ican nations would co-operate in a "common defense against possible aggression." Thus Uruguay forged ahead of her South American neighbors in a show of solidarity with Brazil. The country's coun-try's national defense ministry had been authorized to "adopt, in agree- Map shows how Hitler's 1942 conquest of Russia nears the climax as his armies move into position in a pincer movement closing on Stalingrad. Stalin-grad. A million Nazi soldiers assaulted that vital city on the Volga river, closing in from two directions. By skirting the Caucasian mountains, Hitler's army can push on to the Caspian sea for a junction with the Japanese. I 1 A f V 1 3 PACIFIC INVASION: Costly to Japs Despite heavy Allied air action, which cost the enemy one transport, six landing barges and probably a cruiser, Japanese shock troops made another landing in Milne bay on the island of New Guinea, 240 miles east of Port Moresby and less than 500 miles from the Australian mainland. However, "Our ground forces anticipated an-ticipated this movement and are in contact with the enemy," a spokesman spokes-man from General MacArthur's headquarters in Australia said. United Nations medium bombers and fighters heavily bombed and strafed Jap barges which were heading toward shore and Jap troops which already had landed. The aerial attack was carried out despite adverse weather conditions, the communique said. Spokesmen acknowledged that the Japanese had put into action the airdrome at Buna, 200 miles northwest north-west from Milne Bay on the north coast of New Guinea. They established estab-lished a beachhead at Buna in July, then pushed south to Kokoda, within 60 miles of Port Moresby. Solomon Thrust The violent sea-air battle in the Solomon islands saw the United States win the opening round. Land-based Land-based American dive bombers, torpedo tor-pedo planes and fighters were credited cred-ited with forcing a battered Jap fleet to withdraw from Guadalcanal island in the southeast Solomons, less than a thousand miles from Australia, across the Coral sea. In the original United States offensive of-fensive in the Solomons, the American Ameri-can marine corps vanguard obtained ob-tained beachheads on the island, overcoming enemy resistance and seizing an air field. Planes, bombs, torpedoes, ground crews and gasoline gaso-line were brought in to repel a major ma-jor invasion. While a communique stated that results in the struggle for the strategic stra-tegic islands are "encouraging," it warned that a large scale sea battle bat-tle still was in progress and that the outcome could not yet be determined. de-termined. But one official expressed the opinion that "we are winning the second round of the battle of the Solomons." ACTION IN EGYPT: Transport Blasted Striking at Marshal Erwin Rommel's Rom-mel's preparations for a new offensive offen-sive in Egypt, Royal Air force fighters fight-ers killed or disabled hundreds of enemy troops in a raid on transport columns west of El Alamein. New Zealand troops saw fast action ac-tion when they routed an Italian division on the same line, and United Unit-ed States bombers blasted Axis shipping ship-ping in Suda bay, Crete and the Corinth canal in Greece. Tension on the Egyptian front has mounted steadily. German tank movements were observed near the Qattara depression and Italian forces were attempting to concentrate concen-trate their positions. As the all-out battle of Egypt grew closer British newspapers described this front as equal in importance to Stalingrad. They pointed out that the smashing of Rommel's army would restore the Mediterranean command to the United Nations, whose forces then could start to close in on the enemy. According to the London Daily Mail, "The coming com-ing battle in Egypt may in the end reverse the fortunes of war in Russia." Rus-sia." Indications are that Rommel will have the hardest fight in his life in the EO-mile stretch between El Alamein to Alexandria. WAR RISK: Improving Situation? Indication that the convoy system for Atlantic shipping was showing improvement was reflected in a 5 per cent reduction of cargo war risk rates charged on certain voyages. Marine underwriters revealed that this was the first important reduction reduc-tion war risk rates in many months. Trends had been increasingly upward up-ward since the submarine activity of the enemy had been intensified off our Atlantic coast. Most important effect of the reduction re-duction would be in the trade between be-tween the United States and Brazil and Argentina where the previous rate has been cut from 25 to 20 per cent. RED OFFENSIVE: For Stalingrad Relief Even while clerks and factory hands joined Red troops in the defense de-fense of Stalingrad, Russia's Central front armies began a counterattack in the German-held area northwest of Moscow, killing 45,000 enemy troops in the first 15 days of a drive that pushed back a Nazi salient 25 to 30 miles. . As Soviet troops battled for footholds foot-holds within the streets of Rzhev, the Germans were reported to have thrown fresh reserves into the battle but were compelled to retreat with heavy losses as Russian troops thrust westward. The Russians claimed the capture of 610 communities. communi-ties. N Despite the offensive action, which was intended to relieve pressure on Stalingrad, the situation in that industrial in-dustrial city was conceded to be critical. However, the Russians described de-scribed it as "no worse.!' CHINA: Counter -Attack In the provinces of Chekiang and Kiangsi the Chinese were fighting a determined counteroffensive to dislodge dis-lodge the Japs from important bases whence the United Nations might launch air raids on Japan. This offensive was meeting with considerable success as the Chinese troops pushed toward Chusien, site of the biggest airfield in China and drove hard on Lisbui and Sungyang, both vital points. In addition the Chinese forces had recaptured over a hundred mile strip of the Che-kiang-Kiangsi railway. At one time the Japs had controlled this railroad in its entirety. Biggest questions in the minds of military experts was where the Japs were sending their troops now being diverted from this Chinese front. Some sources were inclined to believe that they had gone to the South Pacific for the battle of the Solomons and New Guinea, while unofficial reports told of mass movements of troops toward he Russian back door. Chinese leaders were on the lookout look-out for a strategic retreat by the Japs which might have as its purpose pur-pose the setting of a large-scale trap. DRAFT: A Forecast Representative Sabath of Illinois, chairman of the houe rules committee, com-mittee, believes that the waning months of the 77th congress will see the drafting of 18 and 19-year-old youths authorized by new legislation. legisla-tion. This session of congress ends in January, 1943. The congressman predicted that: "In all likelihood congress will be asked this session to permit the drafting of 18 and 19 year olds and will give its approval." Maj. Gen. Armandox Tromposky, head of the Brazilian air force, pictured pic-tured at his desk in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has a modern air force composed com-posed largely of planes manufactured manufac-tured in the United States. ment with military authorities of Brazil, all measures designed for better efficiency in the common defense de-fense against possible aggressions." Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Caracciolo Parra Perez of Venezuela expressed his nation's "sincere sympathy and solidarity" with Brazil Bra-zil and announced that Venezuela automatically will treat Brazil as a nonbelligerent under a decree affecting affect-ing any American nation that goes to war against the Axis. |
