The White Falcon - 31.01.1942, Page 2

The hoy from Syracuse, Drew Middleton, AP Iceland corres-
pondent is blinking under the glaring spotlight of fame this week.
Drew has been notified that the American Junior Chamber of
Commerce has pronounced him one of the ten most important
young men in America for 1941.
Middleton has been referred
THE WHITE FALCON
Published each week by and for
the American Forces
in Iceland.
PFC. Edward Murray, Jr.
Managing Editor.
Cpl. Rowland Dow (U.S.M.C.)
News Editor.
PFC. Peter T. Macy,
Sports Editor.
Published under supervision
of S-2 section, I.B.C.
This paper has been passed by
the censor and may be mailed
home for one cent.
Fleet Action
“Where is the American
fleet?”
Since the treacherous Japan-
ese sneak attack on Pearl Har-
bor early in December that
question has been asked in
numerous committee rooms, in
homes throughout the United
States and even in the Ameri-
can armed forces. Certainly
this question was the one fore-
most in the minds of the dia-
bolical monsters guiding the
Japanese “Rising Sun” to its
total eclipse.
For the first few weeks of
hostilities practically all the
news from the Far Eastern
front was bad. Pearl Harbor
and Hickam Field in Hawaii
were subjected to a vicious
bombing without warning or a
previous declaration of war.
Guam and Wake Islands fell
to vastly superior forces after
gallant stands. The Japs
poured troops and materiel in-
to Luzon and Mindanao in the
Philippines while General Mac-
Arthur, unable to get 'rein-
forcements, was forced to fall
back to the mountain fastness-
es of Bataan Peninsula.
At this moment when things
looked blackest a series of
brilliant maneuvers by General
MacArtliur’s heavily outnum-
bered forces compelled the
Japs to reorganize their bat-
tered forces and await the ar-
rival of even greater reinforce-
ments. As this is written, the
Japs have failed to dent ma-
terially the defensive position
occupied by the Americans and
Filipinos. In the course of
time it is quite possible that
the Japs will wear down the
defenders of Luzon by sheer
weight of numbers. Even
should this come about the
military advantages deriving
from the American delaying
action are great. The Jap time-
table has been upset.
down sports writer. We apolo-
gize.
♦ *
Finishing a football career at
Syracuse University Drew turn-
ed from reading press clippings
to writing them, and soon turn-
ed from sports to cover the
Spanish War for Associated
Access to the magnificent har-
bor facilities of Manila is still
denied them. And losses in
manpower and materiel have
not been insignificant.
With forces committed in
the Philippines, China, Burma,
Malaya, Borneo and other
Dutch East Indies islands, all
supplied via.the sea lanes, the
Japs might well have asked,
“Where is the American fleet ?”
This week they found out.
Reports from the Pacific the-
ater tell of the American fleet
making the China Sea an ex-
tremely unhealthy place for
enemy vessels. An aircraft car-
rier, cruisers, destroyers, sub-
marines and many transports
have been sent to the bottom or
severely damaged. As the
crack American fleet swings
into action the Jap admirals
probably wish they had never
heard of it.
As the secrecy which has
shrouded the movements of
the fleet is partly dispelled, the
old strategical boogey of over-
extended lines of supply and
communication begins to fit
into the picture. Might not the
Japs soon find themselves in
the same position as their pa-
per allies, the Nazis? Just a
little while ago Nazi generals
were boasting that they could
see the towers of Moscow
through their field glasses. To-
day they are not even looking
in the right direction.
Just suppose the Allied Pa-
cific fleet were to destroy the
effectiveness of the Jap navy
Press, for which he received
recognition as top flight foreign
correspondent and a wound.
* *
Middleton was attached to the
London office of AP and when
war broken in France be was
sent to the Front. He followed
the British armies all the way
to Dunkirk, and eventually to
Iceland.
* ¥
Mr. Middleton is known to his
most intimate associates as
“the poor man’s Richard Hard-
ing Davis.”
and wrest control of the sea
from them under present con-
ditions. It would be relative
child’s play to wipe out one by
one the various isolated Jap
landing forces scattered
throughout the Far East and
then launch an all out attack
on Nippon.
LESSONS IN
ICELANDIC
SHOPPING.
The fellowing consists of com-
monly used terms dealing with
shopping.
ViljiS jjer gjora svo vel aS
visa mer a tobaksbuS? PaS er
ein a nsesta horni. HafiS ]ier
nokkrar cigarettur (vindlinga) ?
HvaS kosta Jjessar? SeljiS })er
Ameriska vindla lika? HvaS
kosta Jjeir? Hvar er pappirs-
verzlun? LatiS mig fa ]>emian
pappir og blek. LatiS Jjer mig
fa eina vasabok. HvaS kostar
])etta mikiS? Hvar finn eg rak-
ara? — GjoriS svo vel. Per er-
uS nsestur. HvaS get eg gert fyr-
ir ySur. RakiS mig, og eg vil
klippingu lika, en ekki snoggt.
Hvar er kaffihus? HvaSa mat
liafiS J)er? Mig langar x kaffi
og lcoku.
English translation: Will you
please direct me to a tobacco
sloi’e. Have you some cigarettes?
What do these cost? Do you sell
American cigar too? What do
they cost? Where does one find
a stationary store? I want a
pen, papir, and ink. I also want
pocket notebook. What does it
all cost? where can one find a
barber? Please. You are next.
What can I do for you? Shave
me and I jvant a haircut also
but not too short. Where is there
a restaurant? What foo do yon
have? I desire some coffee and
caks.
“Remember how we used to make fun of Buck when he
started studying that course in hypnotism?”