The White Falcon - 10.07.1943, Síða 3

3
Allied Planes Hit
Italian Defenses
Model GI
trucks are rol
ling off the pro
duction line here
as rapidly as
T/4 Stanley Gri
g a I o n u s can
whittle ’em.
Signalman, Gri-
galonus makes
the accurate
scale vehicles in
his spare time
using discarded
boxwood, a jack
knife, copingsaw
and sandpaper
Local Craftsman Makes GI Trucks
That Ride The Bumps With Ease
Crushing blows to Axis defen-
sive bases in the Mediterranean
were dealt again this week as
Allied bombers from the North
African Air Force unleashed tons
of high explosives and incendiar-
ies on strategic targets at Sicily
and Sardinia.
Fierce Air battles took place,
hut Axis interceptors were unable
to detour Gen. Eisenhower’s
bombers before they battered air-
fields at Catania, Sciacca, Comiso
and Milo. It was a tragic event
for the enemy; in addition to the
damage inflicted on their ground
installations, 44 fighter planes
were shot from the sky.
Fresh from their successful
venture, American Flying For-
tresses returned later in the week
to strike a wide-scale blow
against the important network of
airfields at Gerbini in eastern
Sicily. Increased anti-aircraft
failed to stop the Allied airmen.
Large fires were started by the
precision-bombing attack. Am-
munition dumps were destroyed,
explosions were visible among ad-
ministration buildings and all
five runways were throughly
smashed.
Mitchell medium bombers slip-
ped 'through enemy defenses to
bombard airdromes atBiscariand
Binbari in southern Sicily, com-
pletely covering runways and a
number of buildings with their
bombs. A small group of Axis
fighters attempted to repel the
attack, but escorting Lightnings
drove them away.
Milo, Biscari and Gerbini fur-
nished targets for Bostons, Balti-
mores and Wellingtons of the
RAF and American Mitchells in
another successful venture. De-
spite a tremendous curtain of
anti-aircraft fire, the bombers
splattered airfields and ammun-
ition dumps, starting fires which
• were visible for several miles.
Meanwhile, Britain-based bom-
bers enjoyed a respite after their
powerful sweep against what
remains of Cologne. RAF Mosqu-
ito bombers raided targets in
France, and other places of the
Coastal Command laid mines in
enemy waters, but no widespread
activity was reported.
Former Governor
Jailed For Fraud
Former Gov. Leon C. Phillips
of Oklahoma and Robert F. Fitz-
gerald, former state pardon and
parole officer, were arrested this
week, charged with receiving
$500 each in an $8,000 parole
payoff.
Authorities claim Phillips and
Fitzgerald got the money from
Mrs. Eisinger for a parole for
her husband, a doctor who is
serving 25 years for murder.
Former state legislator W. A.
Strong already has been convict-
ed of collecting the $8,000 from
Mrs. Eisinger.
Fight Not
Won Yet,
Knox Warns
It is nice to lay back once in
a while and dream of the day
when you can climb into the old
blue .serge suit again, but if you
wish to take the word of Secre-
tary of the Navy Frank Knox,
don’t plan on handing in your
khaki for quite a spell yet.
Speaking in California this
week, Knox said that the time
was approaching when the United
Nations could put into effect
plans for victory. However, he
continued, “for our own success
it is best to calculate that the war
will last from three to four years
more and take steps to that
effect.”
Victory Gardeners
To Lose Extra Gas
Victory gardeners who have
received additional gasoline
coupons to till their crops will
no longer be granted extra rati-
ons under an order issued this
week by the OPA.
By Pvt. Saul Gottlieb.
Wanna buy a GI truck?
Yes, we know it’s ag’in the law
to sell Army property, but the
trucks that T/4 Stanley (Greasy)
Grigalonus, of a local Signal out-
fit has are his own, and he can
sell ’em if he wants to.
They’re his own because he
makes them out of ordinary box-
wood right in his barracks in
whatever spare time he has from
his job as mechanic. The reason
they fit in the barracks is that
Greasy’s trucks are about l/100th
the size of the real thing.
Grigalonus is one jeep who
doesn’t waste his time wondering
about the little gal back in Oska-
loosa. And that’s not only be-
cause he’s from Chicago.
He sits on his bunk, with a
homemade table before him, and
using only a jacknife, a coping
saw, sandpaper and odd bits of
wood, makes remarkably accur-
ate models of Army vehicles.
His latest creation is a 4-ton
Diamond-T wrecker, 26% inches
long and 11 inches high—a com-
plete replica in every detail of
the wrecker he- drives. Not only
has the miniature truck a dash-
board, clutch, brakes, gear-shift,
real windows, and movable
booms and wrecker equipment,
but a motor, too.
First, he whittled each separ-
ate part: spark plugs, electric
wiring, carburetor, crankcase, et
al, then glued them into the block
of the motor. The tires seem to
be made of rubber, down to the
life-like ply, but actually the ent-
ire machine is made of wood.
After a month and a half of
patient, painstaking effort,
Greasy has it finished, and now
he‘s moving on to bigger fields
—an airplane of his own design.
Modeling has been Grigalonus’
hobby ever since he can remem-
ber. Besides the wrecker, he has
completed two 2%-ton trucks,
one 1%-tonner, and a semi-
trailer.
—Pacific
(Continued from Page 1)
New Georgia Island. American
forces now are in full control
of the southern end of this vital
stepping stone to Tokyo. The
northeastern approaches of the
island are sill being contended
for.
The Jap air force struck with
ferocity over a widely scattered
area. And everywhere that the
Nips went in search of trouble
they found it. They suffered
heavy losses over Rendova; seven
enemy planes were destroyed in
a duel over the port of Darwin,
and in the Anafura Sea, north of
Australia, Allied fighter planes
drove off enemy planes which
were attempting to attack a con-
voy.
A Jap dispatch from Tokyo said
that four Allied warships, includ-
ing a destroyer, were sunk by
a Jap destroyer flotilla in the
Kula Gulf on Monday.
New Device
Aims Guns
At Planes
A remote control device which
enables anti-aircraft guns to fol-
low automatically the course of
attacking planes is now being
used by the U.S. Army, accord-
ing to a War Dept, announce-
ment.
Reporting on a demonstration
of the device, called a director,
at Fort Totten, Staten Island, the
Army said that 32 Bofors guns'
and 32 machine-guns were kept
trained on an attacking plane
with only loading and firing
crews required at the weapons.
The director, operated from a
distance, has telescopes which
are pointed at a plane by its
crew. It automatically calculates
the speed of the plane, making
allowances for the direction of
its flight.
—Baker
(Continued from Page 1)
Rockefeller scholarship, one of
the most valuable grants offered
to American students of the the-
ater.
During his tenure as director
of the Southwest Summer Theat-
er at Waco, Tex., Lt. Baker pro-
duced and directed about 20
plays,irangingfrom Shakespeare’s
“Macbeth” and Sherwood Ander-
son’s “Winterset” to “The Am-
erican Way,” a mammoth pro-
duction with a cast of more than
450 performers.
At present Lt. Baker is assist-
ing Sgt. Mel Brandt, director of
“Heaven Can Wait.” He hopes
to expand theatricals so local
stages will never be idle.
What’s Doing
MAIN CENTER
Tomorrow—1600—Juke Box
Dancing.
2000—Blue Jacket Jive.
Monday—1600 — Stamp Club
Meeting.
2030 — Kitchen Band Con-
cert.
Tuesday—1300 — Dancing
Lessons.
2030 — Dance — Infantry
Band.
Wednesday—1300 — Art Club
Meeting.
1930 — Bridge Club.
Thursday—1300 — Dancing
Lessons.
Friday—1400 — Coin Collec-
tor’s Meeting.
2030 — Engineers String
Ensemble.
CENTER NO. 2
Tomorrow—2030 — Juke Box
Dance.
Monday—2000 — Movie.
Tuesday—2030 — Dance — In-
fantry Band.
Wednesday—2000 — Movie.
Thursday—2030 — Dance, SSO
Band.
Friday—2030 — Games Night.