The White Falcon - 14.11.1942, Blaðsíða 3

Surprise Assaults
Win African Ports
(Continued from Page 1)
his commanders to throw aside
their weapons. The order to stop
firing was issued after a con-
ference at Algiers between Major
General Mark Clark,. represent-
ing Commander-in-Chief Lieut.
General Dwight Eisenhower, and
Admiral Darlan. Gen. Eisen-
however formerly headed U.S. op-
erations in the European Theater.
Earlier in the week, General
Patton, the American Comman-
der in charge of operations on
the Morocco coast, personally
led an armistice expedition
ashore at Casablanca with an
ultimatum to the French garri-
son to cease firing. The Vichy
French forces rejected the offer
and after Gen. Patton had re-
turned safely operations were
resumed.
Units of the American and
British fleet steamed into the
harbor shortly thereafter and
shelled the town from close
range, also setting ablaze the
new 35,000-ton French battle-
ship, Jean Bart. Finally, troops
were landed and they had little
trouble over-running the scatter-
ed defenders.
The lightning-like invasion is
described by Oliver Lyttelton,
British production chief, as the
greatest landing operation in hi-
story. Lyttelton disclosed in a
speech Thursday night that a
fleet of 850 ships had been used
to put the American troops into
North Africa. Troop transports
and supply vessels numbered 500,
Lyttelton said, while there were
350 Naval units in the escort.
Bounie, which lies only 50
miles west of Tunisia on the
coastal road to the city of Tunis,
proved an easy victim of amphi-
bious troops transported by sea.
Bounie is one of the better deep
Russia
(Continued from Page 1)
ed German drive to encircle the
rich and vital Grozny oil fields
in the Caucasian region. The
Russians have checked violent
assaults north of Tuapse and
southeast of Nalchik, the two
spearheads of the Nazi attack.
News of the African offensive
reached Russia as the people were
celebrating the 25th Anniversary
of the Soviet Union. The slogan of
the fete, “Victory for the Anglo-
Soviet-American Fighting Uni-
on,” acquired added significance!
and raised Russia’s hopes for
swift victory.
But if Russia anticipates im-
mediate opening of a wide-scale
invasion of Western Europe, it
is doomed to temporary disap-
pointment. Prime Minister Chur-
chill, in a letter to Premier Stalin,
asserted that premature opening
of an offensive against Occupied
Western Europe would lead only
to another Dunkirk and would
harm, rather than help, Russia.
water ports in Algeria and can
provide anchorage for big tran-
sports and major fleet units sup-
porting U.S. land forces.
At Oran, American troops were
welcomed enthusiastically. All
prisoners now have been ex-
changed, and instructions have
been issued to the local civil
government to continue operat-
ing as usual. The Commander of
the Central Allied force, Major
General Lloyd R. Fredenhall,
whose troops overcame the mild
resistance of Oran, has ordered
that all French who opposed the
Yanks should be treated with
leniency in conformity with Gen.
Eisenhower’s general policy.
Military observers attach great
significance to the capture of
Adm. Darlan, suggesting that it
is a forerunner to the French
fleet renouncing further aggres-
sion against the Allies. The loss
of Darlan to Vichy could mean
that the French no longer have
a single personality capable of
holding the fleet intact, and
might eventually lead to total
acquisition of the four battle-
ships, several heavy cruisers and
about 50 other cruisers and de-
stroyers.
Indicating that the Americans
will waste little time swinging
into action, President Roosevelt
asked for, but was denied, per-
mission from the Bey of Tunisia
to transport American troops
across his country. An offensive
move from the west would furth-
er hamper the flight of Rom-
mel’s Afrika Korps, already re-
treating before Gen. Montgomery
and his British Eighth Army.
However, the path will not be
an easy one because Hitler and
Mussolini already have placed
airborne troops throughout Tu-
nisia, especially around the im-
portant Mediterranean port of
Tunis. In addition, Italian forces
are occupying the island bases
of Corsica and Balearic.
—o—
Two Men Killed
In Train Crash
Two men were killed when a
New York Central freight train
bound for Troy, N.Y., crashed
into the rear of a westbound
express train between Ossining
and Croton River, N.Y. The men
were First Engineer Jack Kissel-
bach of Albany and Locomotive
Fireman W. Bomback of Brook-
lyn.
i
Two members of the freight
train crew, Rrakeman George
Butler and A. J. Schick, were
injured in the early morning
wreck. About 20 cars of the
freight train left the rails and
the three rear coaches of the
exp-ess were damaged badly.
Traffic was tied up on the main
line for almost eight hours.
Germans
Invade
France
(Continued from Page 1).
and sent Italian troops pouring
across the Alps into Southern
France.
The Italians now occupy the
city of Nice, while German col-
umns passed through Lyons and
Vichy, en route to Toulon and
Marseilles. Apparently there was
no resistance from the Vichy gov-
ernment, other than a protest
from Marshal Petain to the Ger-
man commander, General Von
Runstedt.
Reports soon circulated that
the French army was resisting,
that Petain had fled Vichy with
General Weygand, and that the
French fleet was steaming to Gi-
braltar, to join the Fighting
French. However, it later was
disclosed that Petain had presid-
ed over a meeting of the French
Cabinet at Vichy with Weygand
present, and that the French fleet
was still anchored off Toulon.
The decision to invade France
followed a confab among Hitler,
Laval and Mussolini, said to have
taken place in Rome. The viola-
tion of the German-French pact
came as no surprise to the United
Nations, however, since it long
had felt that Hitler was adher-
ing to the terms only so long as
they suited his purpose.
Although the move may retard
Allied entrance into the contin-
ent, it also weakens Nazi strength
on other battlefronts because
thousands of troops will be need-
ed to hold the French people in
check. Citizens in “Free France”
long have resisted the tyrannical
rule of Hitler, and recently Hit-
ler’s demand for 150,000 skilled
Frenchmen to work in Germany
was met with mass strikes and
stubborn refusal.
Guerillas have been active in
the occupied zone, too, and sabo-
tage and assasinations of German
troops patrolling the region have
mounted steadily.
Hitler announced cancellation
of the Armistice teyms in a broad-
cast Wednesday, and followed
with a letter to Petain, which
read in part, “I gave the order to
occupy the Mediterranean coast
and undertake the defense of the
French fleet against British-Ame-
rican aggression.”
Portuguese Envoy
Visits President
Indications that Portugal has
taken a calm view of the Anje-
ncan campaign in French North
Africa came yesterday when
Portuguese Minister Bianchi vi-
sited President Roosevelt in the
White House, and thanked the
President for assuring that Portu-
gal’s sovereignty would be re-
spected.
Warmly reverent atmosphere is result in local Army hospital
chapel after Pfc. Benjamin Beverwyk finishes wielding paint
brushes and oils. Beverwyk, who was born in Holland, com-
pleted the decorative design in less than two weeks.
Soldier-Artist Decorates
Army Hospital Chapel
That Pfc. Benjamin Beverwyk
carries on the work of his fath-
er, who was decorated by the
exiled Queen Wilhelmina of Hol-
land for his beautification of
Dutch churches, is exemplified
by his recent mural in a local
Army hospital chapel. Bever-
wyk’s early art training was giv-
en him by his father, and later
at the Chicago Art Institute and
the Kendall Memorial “Fund”
School, Detroit.
The Beverwyk family moved
from Gronnya, Holland, to Am-
erica in 1911, making its new
home at Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Later young Beverwyk went to
Detroit where he established an
art studio, and soon found recog-
nition for his work. He decorat-
ed the interiors of St. Theresa’s,
St. Mary’s, and St. Gregory’s Ca-
thedrals. In 1940 he painted a 273-
foot mural for the Michigan State
Fair.
The artist and his brother, Ger-
ritt, who is serving with the arm-
ed forces in Australia, had their
own studio in Detroit until they
were called into the services of
their country.
Much credit must be given to
Chaplain Fitzgerald of one of the
local hospital units for obtaining
Beverwyk’s art materials.
News Notes from the Troops
Air Corps
QURRTERIT1RSTER
This week’s congratulations go
to Sgt. Malicki and Corp. Neely
on taking another step up the
ladder.
Is there a man in the outfit
who dares to challenge Corp.
Frazer to a chest expansion con-
test? Hold on to your pants, Joe.
We thank Pfc. Minter and Pvt.
Soper for their paint job in the
day room.
Is it true, Sgt. Kinsworthy,
that you shot a bobcat and hit
a tree one hundred feet high at
the same time, or could it be the
brand of liquor you were us-
ing?
Our pair of mechanics, Shorty
and Red, have the devil-may-care
attitude. They will tackle’ the ini'
possible and perform a miracle.
A broken spring is no obstacle;
they can always use a piece of
two-by-four to keep the truck off
the axle. And many a tire Is
filled with rags when air cannot
be gotten,
Corp. Bennett.
From the Note-book: Once we
could tell a cook by the taste
of his chow. Now you can usual-
ly tell one by his crew haircut!
With A1 Cincotta among the
cast of “Post No. 1,” we are re-
minded of his frequent contri-
butions in the entertainment
field. When he is not improvis-
ing on the day-room piano with
Harry Popper, or composing a
song with Charley Montelone
writing the lyrics, he is probab-
ly telling somebody his arrange-
ment of Lil’ Red Riding Hood,
or strumming his guitar at the
Red Cross. Nor is this Al’s first
appearance on the stage. Some of
you will remember him for his
efforts in “Keep ’Em Flying,” a
successful musical-comedy writ-
ten, directed, and produced by a
group of soldiers back in the
States.
Some of the ‘boys’ really
haunt those Red Cross dances.
... Although Jimmy Thompson,
Johnny Wark, Charley Montele-
one, Paul Minetti, George Niesel,
A1 Cincotta, and Mario Desaba-
tino are frequent lady-killers on
the premises,~ we were surprised
i to See Bill Cummings squiring a
de-lovelie last Sunday nite.
Corp. Don