The White Falcon - 27.02.1943, Side 1

Vol. Ill. Saturday. February 27, 19k3. No. 23.
Russians
Advance
On Orel
Desperate last-ditch stands by
the crumbling Nazis at the ap-
proaches to Orel have failed to
stem the onrushing Red Army
in ills drive to chase the Axis
out of Russia.
Soviet troops have crashed
through German defense lines
below Orel and captured a num-
ber of populated positions after
crossing a water barrier. The
German resistance near Orel
has been bitter, but the Russians
continue to advance.
In one engagement, COO Ger-
mans were killed and hundreds
more were captured. The Red
Army wiped out the 9th and
ICt-li infantry companies of the
German 42nd infantry regiment,
and killed a special detachment
of 90 non-commissioned officers1
in another sweep toward Orel.
Russian forces appear now to
be exerting their strongest pres-
sure against the German line
northwest of Kharkov. The
Russians have pushed forward
about 90 miles since occupying
the Ukrainian steel cenl'.er, and
have captured the important
town of Lebedin, 83 miles from
Kharkov.
. (Continued on Page 2)
War Losses
Total 65,380,
OWI Reports
Losses by the U.S. armed serv-
ices total 65,380, according to
the latest casualty list released
by the Office of War Informa-
tion this week in Washington.'
This figure includes 10,150
dead, 10,954 wounded, 38,049
missing, 6,132 prisoners, and 90
interned in neutral countries.
The Army’s list—complete
through Feb. 7—totalled 41,998,
including 3,533 dead, 6,509
wounded, 25,684 missing, 6,132
prisoners, and 90 interned. Of
the wounded, 743 already have
been returned to active duty.
The Navy, Marine Corps and
Coast Guard list}—complete
through Feb. 19— reached a to-
tal of 23,432. The Navy- had 5,087
wounded and 10,197 missing;
the Marine Corps suffered 1,483
dead, and 1,994 missing, while
the Coast Guard had 51 dead,
19 woundecj, and 174 missing;
It’s “Heil Heel” as T/5G. Ro-
bert Tyndall offers satirical im-
personation of THAT guy in “GI
Varieties,” current local musical
revue.
Gen. Bonesteel
To Give Awards
Winners in the recent Arts ’n’
Crafts contest will receive their
prizes tonight during ceremonies
in the No. 1 Rec Center, start-
ing at 2030 hours. Major General
Charles H. Bonesteel, Command-
ing, will be on hand to distri-
bute the awards.
In addition to handsome prizes
which will be given to first place
winners of the many events, ap-
propriate certificates of merit
wrill be presented to entrants
who received honorable men-
tion. The prize for the largest
number of entries from any unit
—an electric phonograph—will
be given to Major Weaver’s or-
ganization.
Another exhibit, similar to the
successful one held in Decem-
ber, is being planned for Easter,
according to Miss Doris Thain,
Red Cross supervisor of the pre-
vious event.
Bombers
•
Lash Out
At Rabaul
While Allied airmen bomb
Japanese, installations in an area
ranging from the eastern tip of
New Britain to the Aleutian Is-
lands off the coast of Alaska,
the U.S. Navy conltinues to ret
pulse all Jap attacks.
Rabaul Harbor in New Britain
again was the target of large
formations of heavy American
bombers. The American raiders
dropped tons of high explosives
on this already badly bruised
Jap base. The severe attack
wrecked airfields, harbor instal-
lations, and huge fires could be
seen for 40 miles when the raid-
ers slipped away.
A powerful unit of Allied
medium bombers struck in the
Lae district of New Guinea. In
the damaging sweep, the bomb-
ers, escorted by long-range fight-
ers, dumped 15 tons of bombs
on the Jap airfield at Malahang,
and the nearby villages of Wag-
an, Butibum, Labu and Waria.
The lightly constructed houses
and garrrisons of the area were
left in flames.
The Nipponese lost two war-
planes in the western Aleutians
when the floait-type planes tried
to* bomb American Aleutian
positions. In the dog-fight that
followed, American pilots
(Continued on Page 2)
Medics Enter
Bond Elite
Major Larry Smith's Medics
came through with a burst of
sales this week to join 100-
percenters in the local War
Bond campaign.
Knox Outlines Plan
To Enlarge U.S. Navy
The largest battleship afloat,
the USS Iowa, is the first of 11
ships weighing 45,000 tons or
more to join the U.S. Fleet, it
was revealed by Navy Secretary
Frank Knox this week in Wash-
ington. The others are 3till under
construction:
The Iowa displaces 52,000 tons
when fully loaded, and has a
crew of 1,600 officers and men.
It carries nine 16-inch guns, 20
five-inch guns, and four aircraft.
The cost of this sea giant is ap-
proximately $85,000,000, not In-
cluding the armament,
A sister ship of the Iowa, the
USS New Jersey, has already been
launched, and is expected to be
fully commissioned in the next
two months. In the same class
with the Iowa and New Jersey,
four ships weighing 45,000 tons
cgrTt arc JlUCSt COUTClstC TtlSy
are the Missouri, Wisconsin, Il-
linois and Kentucky.
While these ships are the
largest in their class, they will
be over-shadowed by the Mont-
ana, Ohio, Maino, New Hamps-
hire and Louisiana, all of which
are uqdir construction.
U.S. Forces Chase
Nazis From Thala
Gay Frolic
Entertains
Air Corps
Joining the ever-growing
throng of local thespians, the
Air Force staged a fast-moving,
spicy revue before an overflow
crowd of officers and EM.
The show Monday evening in-
cluded skits, impersonations,
singing, dancing, and even a
strip tease number. The music
was furnished by the peppy Air
Force band, led by Corp. Bern-
ard Morel. T/Sgt. Frank Soska
was master-of-ceremonies, in-
troducing the acts with a brand
of lively and original chatter.
The most entertaining feature
was Corp. Humphrey Lynch’s
portrayal of “Hildegarde, the
strip tease queen.” Lynch danc-
ed gracefully to the strains of
Morel’s band, meanwhile doing
a strip routine that would have
made even Gypsy Rose Lee
blush.
Cliff Rose and his piano, Bob
Johnson’s dancing and Sgt. Lip-
es’ dialect skit were other
standout contributions.
Corp. Humphrey Lynch’s take-
off of a burlesque queen’s ''take-
off" was ft highlight in the re-
cent Aip Corps variety show.
American tank units, fighting
with vengeance, have beaten
back attacking Nazi forces 15
miles from positions near Thala
to the mouth of the Kasserine
Pass, after having smashed the
twin tank column thrust toward
Tebessa by crack veterans of
Marshal Rommel’s Afrika Korps.
The Germans and Italians,
frustrated in their drive (to cap-
ture the Allied Algerian base at
Tebessa, are now in full retreat
under continual and heavy bom-
bardment through the imp'orltant
two-mile wide Kasserine Pass
itself.
In the ceaseless conflicts be-
tween tank and infantry units,
Axis forces have lost heavily
in men and maiterials. These
losses, in what is apparently a
desperate gamble to cut through
to Allied communications in Al-
geria, and possibly to flank Al-
lied forces in Northern Tunisia,
are serious to the Axis Tunis-
ian armies. Also Ithey are faced
constantly by the mounting
danger from the British Eighth
Army, now driving on the main
positions of the Mareth Line
in tthe south.
In recent battles, the Axis
forces lost 20 tanks, 300 Italians
captured by the American forc-
es, and an Italian balttalion of
1,000 which was completely en-
(Continued on Page 2)
Infantry Show
To Open Run
Monday Night
Another new “private” mus-
ical revue will be unveiled Mon-
day evening on a nearby sub-
urban stage.
The new production, conceiv-
ed and directed by T/5G. Hy
Kaufman of “Ace of Diamonds”
fame, is planned chiefly for the
benefit of a local Infantry org-
anization. However, other units
will be invited later.
*The show will be. primarily
another in the chain of musical
revues, although at least one un-
usual number is included on the
bill. This is a "United Nations
Extravaganza,” with an artist
sketching a typical lovely of that
land as each nation’s appropri-
ate melody is played by the
“Kentucky Colonels,” well-
known dance hand which will
prpvlde the musical setting fo^
(he show.