Show weekly news analysis released diplomats and newspaper men tell stories of axis unrest EDITORS NOT EWhen when opinions 1 1 1 I 1 12 are expressed la in those these columns they 1 ue are those of the news analyst and n 1 1 not t necessarily of this newspaper INSIDE STORIES of axis internees Inter nees inside stories of conditions in axis nations were related by diplomats and newspaper men who arrived in lisbon portugal after five months of internment in germany and italy united states and axis internees inter nees were exchanged in lisbon correspondents were unanimous in their belief that germany will gamble everything on an all out drive this spring to meet this showdown hitler Is reported to have prepared army divisions of these divisions have been bee 11 assigned to the russian front competent observers in berlin predict that germany must shoot the works this summer and that the fortunes of war will turn definite ly against the nazis unless the all out drive is successful hillers Hit lers declaration of war upon the united states was termed the biggest blunder of his career the german people did not expect it even after japan attacked the united states germanys germanas Germ anys older generation remembered all too well that the U S helped decide world war 1 I italis war against this country is exceedingly unpopular with the people according to interned correspondents spon dents the italians dislike the germans and care nothing for the japanese in fact some observers feel that italy is a source of potential assistance when and it if a united nations army lands in europe mussolini too is unpopular with his people king victor emmanuel lost much of the respect that was his when war was declared in his name but observers were agreed that a revolution is doomed to failure unless it has the support of the army the army still is loyal to the throne construction CUT production stressed behind the war production boards decision to cancel contracts tor for war plants which cannot be completed and in production by mid 1945 1943 lies two major considerations A severe shortage of raw materials belief that spring and summer developments may bring a turning point in the war construction will be stepped up on facilities such as synthetic rubber and aviation gasoline plants and will be cut down on such projects as new steel plants because of the raw material shortage the had decided to concentrate available supplies on arms and munitions production rather than on the plants in which they i are manufactured officials explained that the has determined to produce planes tanks and eight million tons of shipping in 1942 they will deal with the increased program for 1943 when that time arrives RE land in ireland shipload upon shipload of united states soldiers fully equipped tor for mechanical warfare have arrived in northern ireland to bolster the already large american garrison there enthusiasm was at high pitch in britain one military observer pointed out that the arrival of thousands of american soldiers in ulster allows planning for offensive operations on the continent on a scale of at least 20 divisions or men the U S stated british isles the war department today announced the arrival of additional united states army troops the number is substantially larger V ac n el CAS W K sorry no gas just a sign of the times in eastern seaboard states since gas rationing went into effect A sharp curtailment in automobile travel Is the direct result of axis submarine activity against V U 8 coastal shipping trade than previous contingents and includes tank units the debarkation was carried out swiftly and secretly secluded bases already had been prepared for the men BRIGHT LIGHTS and shipping losses because dim out regulations in new york were held unsatisfactory by the army drastic new regulations ions will affect the lives of the cites millions acting with the approval of the army and navy mayor fiorello laguardia ordered a program which for the first time will screen all floodlighting in railroad yards manufacturing plants docks shipyards and terminals the army pointed out a glaring instance of the danger caused by the cites bright lights A navy patrol boat recently went 25 miles out to sea without observing a ship when the boat turned around it discovered it had passed through a convoy which was silhouetted plainly against the glow on the horizon among other things the new regulations will eliminate external lighting tor for advertising blackout all exterior lighting on theaters and reduce lighting on streets and parks evidence of the gravity of the coastal shipping situation was seen in the fact that a submarine which lay in wait at the mouth of the mississippi sis sippi river sank a large american cargo ship and killed 27 members of the crew the daring attack was made in when the ship waited a mile and a hatt half from the mouth of the river tor for a pilot to take her into the river another ship a mexican tanker was attacked by an axis submarine within sight of resort crowds at miami beach fla scores of persons watched the ship burn AIRLINES war footing at president Roosevel ts direction the war department placed domestic airlines on a wartime footing by ordering the transfer to the army air forces of a substantial proportion of available flight equipment for operation by army personnel by having the airlines convert approximately 70 ships into cargo carriers which they will operate for the air service command and by giving emergency military missions priority on the remaining 70 ships to be owned and operated by the airlines RUSSIA Khar khov and kerch for some time hillers Hit lers objective on the southern flank of his eastern front had been clear he wanted badly the oil that the caucasian area could give him his much feared spring offensive shaped up that as the mud of dussias Rus sias crimea began to dry with overwhelming numbers he swept the russians before him on his march across the kerch peninsula then from berlin came the report that the fighting in this area had ended and that the russian troops had been annihilated but moscow even later reported that in the town of kerch itself there was still street fighting and that the defenders were han hanging cring tenaciously on to their foothold at the eastern tip of the crimea it was near kharlov Khar kov further north though that the russians claimed their greatest successes the kerch peninsula might be lost to the germans but nazi defenses around kharlov had taken a terrific pounding from the soviet artillery tanks planes and infantry one report said laid that the russians in a new push had taken towns slain nazis captured 1200 additional soldiers and had destroyed tanks in the kharlov battle russian marshal seemed to have taken the nazis by surprise the soviet high command reported that the germans first fled in panic before the onslaught of russian planes battering their lines at altitudes as low as 70 feet then the nazis rallied and the fight ing gained a new peak of ferocity RAISE for the shipbuilders Ship builders payable in war bonds a wage increase averaging eight cents an hour went to the workers in the major shipbuilding yards throughout the nation this announcement was made after a 21 day conference in chicago of private shipbuilders ship builders union officials and government representatives five hundred thousand workers throughout the country were effected by the wage increase president roosevelt had requested the war bond raise as an aid to checking inflation and at the same time allow shipbuilders ship builders to meet increased living costs martinique laval laments though his opinion was not asked by the U S state department pierre laval pro nazi chief of the vichy french government gave a rejection to most of the six U S demands concerning the caribbean island of martinique the state department had earlier submitted to admiral georges robert high commissioner of the french possession a request that if the status of martinique guadeloupe and french guiana were changed the united states could no longer guarantee their belonging to the french people what the U S really wanted was to immobilize french warships and airplanes now in the martinique area and some method for checking on persistent reports that this region was being used as a base for nazi submarine activity in the raids on atlantic coast shipping laval said that these demands were a grave blow to french sovereignty and that france would not relinquish any of her rights over martinique no matter what happens to this unsolicited statement washington gave the cold shoulder it looked like the state stat e department intended to deal directly with officials on the island rather than with laval CHURCHILL confident confidence was the keynote of win winston ston Chur chills address to Yorkshire men when he told them that the beginning of victory is in sight and that england will play rough in repayment for any torture inflicted on britain and its allies Chur chills talk emphasized his warning that britain would cover german military objectives with poison gas if that weapon were used by germany in its war on russia significant was his statement that we have reached a period in the war when it would be premature to say that we have topped the ridge but we see that ridge ahead now the prime minister taunted germany with the remark that lately the enemy has not been so ready to come to this island first because a large part of his air force is engaged against our russian allies and see second because he knows our arrangements for meeting him Chur chills speech was avas heartening through his blood sweat and tears he saw a not too distant victory SELECTIVE SERVICE new induction plan when selective service director hershey announced that after june 15 a new policy for the induction of men procured through the draft machinery would be introduced he did much to solve the personal problems of tees under the new plan men will be inducted immediately after they pass the physical examinations and will then be transferred to the enlisted reserve corps and be granted 14 days tor for concluding personal aff affairs airs before being assigned to active duty transportation por tation and meals from the induction center to the local board locality ordering the registrant to report tor for examination and subsequently to a designated reception center will be at government expense director hershey predicted that U S men may be under arms by late 1943 or early 1944 THREE GALLONS essential As american motorists on the eastern seaboard got their first taste of gasoline r rationing atio ning many of them began to w wonder 0 n d er it if be classified 1 fv as essential avers vers ers for if they had such a classi classification cation they would be permitted to buy more than the three gallons per week allotted under the rationing setup set up motorists in oregon and washington were to get their gasoline ration cards the first of june when deliveries of fuel oil and gasoline to these two states were cut to 50 per cent of normal deliveries petroleum coordinator co ickes said there is no immediate need of curtailing petroleum products deliveries elsewhere in the country reports from the east coast gave indication of grumbling on the part of some motorists to the effect that rationing should apply to all sections or to none at all then came the assurance from OPA vork ers who customarily arm t work were to be allowed enough gasoline to continue so doing congressmen and other federal and state employees using private cars to transact business with a government agency are entitled to unlimited supplies of gasoline honored guest 0 41 b president manuel prado of peru left a visitor to the united states and maj gen francis wilby superintendent perin of the united states military academy as they reviewed west point cadets cabets who paraded in president prados honor highlights H I 1 G H L I 1 G H T S in 1 the weeks news smash in pittsburgh actress katherine hepburn smashed a news photographers camera when he snapped her picture without asking her permission gestapo A stockholm dispatch said that reinhard heydrick man of heinrich himmler gestapo chief had been appointed gestapo commissar general in all german occupied territory 0 break first american republic to declare war on the major axis powers costa rica has now broken off diplomatic relations with bulgaria cash customers at a chicago night club had a million dollars worth of fun recently during one nights entertainment they purchased worth of war bonds only requirement for attendance at the party was that each table of 10 persons buy at least in war bonds the club man argement furnished free food the guests bought more e than theu the theM to otas 0 CJ bash also in pittsburgh ew private billy conn became a casualty when he broke his left hand in a tangle 0 with jimmy smith his father in law smith a onetime one time big league ballplayer has had an outspoken dislike for conn since the fighter married his pretty daughter mary the father in law and father came out fighting after shaking hands at the christening of conns son conns ruined hand meant that he had to pass up a chance to meet joe louis for the heavyweight crown in june 0 change film actor lew ayres has left an oregon conscientious objectors jec tors camp to be inducted into the army he said his hatred of arms bearing was unchanged but that he was entering the army because he had been assured be assigned to medical 11 A y tor for which he had taken civilian study released by western newspaper union |