Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS allies move A head ahead in normandy fisl t to white house poses new diplomatic problem I 1 eased by western newspaper union EDITORS NOTE when opinions are expressed in these columns they are those of western newspaper unions news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper F I 1 A Z k saifan wives and children of japanese soldiers on saifan island are pictured after being rounded up by doughboys Dough boys from caves and jungles back of their lines EUROPE yanks gain developing their offensive on the western end of the french battlefront U S troops drove through marshy land to envelop the communications hubs of la haye and st lo 10 against the bitter opposition of an enemy taking every advantage of the soggy ground and hedge rowed landscape on the eastern end of the front british and canadian troops battled large concentrations of german forces on the approaches of the defensive pivot of caen from which field marshal rommel was sending out strong detachments in counter attacks to impede the allies thrust inland toward the important paris region As the allies nudged forward in normandy berlin announced the replacement of anti invasion chief von by field marshal von kluge who led the nazi sweep through france in 1940 and was at the helm during the drive on moscow during the first year of the russian war other fronts calling massed artillery into play from dominating heights the germans poured fire on allied troop movements in italy to slow their steady drive up the long peninsula to the rich agricultural and industrial regions of the north in russia german forces continued to give ground before strong red armies massed along a mile front in the north to escape encirclement and destruction near wilno the reds milled on the threshold of the baltic states while farther to the south their pressure forced evacuation of kowel bending the enemy line farther back toward warsaw focal point of german re resistance si stance in italy was below the famed port of livorno leghorn whose capture promised to give the allies another good mediterranean harbor for the easier transport of troops and supplies for the crucial fighting in the north DIPLOMACY french problem V U S support of the de administration of liberated french territory without formal rec recognition ignition tion of it as a legal government was the latest diplomatic problem up for settlement in washington DC with de gaelles Ga ulles arrival in the na nations eions capital for discussions with president roosevelt de winged general his way over from de north africa to seek approval of his negotiations with britain under which his ad ministration nini would take control of liberated territory arrange for sup sly and equipment of underground forces through lend lease and settle disputed property prope arty rights caused by transfers rans fers of ownership under nazi n and allied requisitioning for or military ary purposes although long complimentary to de gaelles Ga ulles free french movement the U S has been cautious in recognizing it as the legal representative senta tive of the people declaring hat only an election could determine their choice when circumstances permitted TRAGEDIES circus fire overhead the famed Wal landas prepared for their celebrated act on bicycles as happy spectators awaited the performance under the big canvas tent of the ringling brothers and barnum bailey circus in hartford conn near a sidewall of the tent af a small flame was noticed suddenly it flared and leaped upward with great patches of burning calv canvas a s falling when fire had seared them off the cry of fire fire fire spread through the panic stricken spectators and their frantic shouts mingled with the din of roaring ani animals in the corral outside As the great sheets of burnh burning ng canvas fell on top of the milling cr crowd below adults and children struggled struggle d to make their way to safety but scores were trapped with some running into the steel ramps through which animals were led into the arena As rescue workers dug into the debris they extricated the bodies of victims mostly children and more seriously injured miners trapped As scores of relatives of 64 miners trapped in the powhatan pit near bellaire ohio waited hopefully at the mine entrance officials grimly announced that the shaft would have to be sealed off to prevent the flow of oxygen feeding the raging names flames underground in one last desperate effort to free the men entombed in a dead end tunnel when a rock fall broke a high voltage trolley wire along the main passageway and sizzling sparks ignited coal skilled cr crews aws prepared to drill down feet to open a shaft for lowering food and water in a previous effort to free the entombed men rescue workers were cutting a new foot tunnel through coal and rock to bypass the flames and reach the victims when new fires halted their work train wreck climaxing the string of major tragedies was the derailment of a louisville and nashville train I 1 in in clear fork river gorge near jellico tenn with early reports listings listin listing gt 25 dead and many injured casualties on the troop carrying train resulted when the locomotive loco moti ve and two coaches left the track and plunged 50 feet into the gorge and two other cars overturned on the edge of the decline and caught fire although hindered by darkness rescue workers used ace acetylene e torches to probe the wreckage and remove victims while mounta mountaineers n ers hoisted the stricken up from the gorge with block and tackle CHINA bloody fighting fighting with their backs to the wall chinese troops stiffly resisted strong japanese efforts to seal off the embattled count rys whole eastern seacoast and strengthen their grip on the asiatic mainland chinese forces far to the southwest sought to join up with allied troops driving through burma to open up lip a new supply route to china from india only 26 miles of mountainous terrain stood between the two armies the american air force joined in the savage battle in china bombing and strafing the enemy and dropping tons of ammunition to the valiant ant defenders PACIFIC subs take toll with the allies pressing closer to japans inner supply lines feeding her booming war industry U S subs and air forces can be be expected to take an increasing toll ot of enemy shipping navy secretary james forrestal declared ILL in reporting that U S subs recently C had sent 15 jap cargo vessels and two warships to the bottom forrestal said such losses crimped the whole war program since he must move about 75 million tons of water borne freight into the home islands yearly including 75 per cent of his oil and gas supply from the east indies despite heavy marine losses for rectal said the japs have lightened the effects through use of huge stockpiles stock piles of materials built up belore before the war lessening of transport to encircled encircle 4 south pacific areas and the utilization of surplus prewar shipping lan tonnage nage LEND LEASE steady shipments lend lease shipments of food to the allies continued at a steady pace during the first five months of 1944 with some commodities being sent in larger volume and others in smaller amounts with little net effect on domestic supplies during the period 93 per cent of the total U S meat supply was shipped under lend lease with the major portion consisting of pork about per cent of the nations pork was sent abroad the united kingdom and russia continued to receive most of the lend lease food with th the U S supplying 10 per cent of british needs black widow S 6 A although military officials have concealed details a full and rear view of the new twin fuselage black widow fighter plane with a central cockpit was released said to be the largest and most powerful pursuit plane built the black widow is especially equipped for night fighting blank spots indicate censors deletions BUGS mans liwes allies acting in conjunction with the U S department of agriculture the nations farmers are turning predatory bugs upon destructive insects to assure crop growth in illinois alone more than wasps and ana flies were released to combat corn borers threatening the states rich grain fields no surefire sure fire remedy in themselves however the work of the predatory insects can only complement clean farming and deep plowing agronomists say when turned loose the predatory insects crawl through the corn borers tunnel in the stalks with the wasps penetrating its body to lay eggs in it and the flies depositing eggs on the outside As the eggs feast on the borer even in the pupa stage they eventually destroy it while emerging themselves ROBOTS inflict casualties with all britain stirred by the robot menace which continued to exact its toll of casualties and damage prime minister churchill told the parliament that over people had been killed or wounded by the flying bombs and he could give no guarantee about the future of this form of attack although declaring that the allies would not be goaded into diverting attention from the normandy hattle battlefront tle tIe front by the robots churchill said that considerable numbers of U S and british planes have been hammering the french coast from which the flying bombs are believed to be launched powered by fuel and compresses com compressed presse d I 1 I 1 air and automatically piloted by gyroscopes ro the robots have been buzzing over southern england at speeds of mph or more and altitudes of about feet to suddenly break off ciff into a 30 degree glide and crash to earth with an explosive force of 1000 pounds |