The White Falcon - 16.10.1943, Síða 2

2
Yanks Bag
200 Enemy
Aircraft
Diplomatic moves crashed the
headlines' this week, but USAAF
and RAF bomber crews splatter-
ing their deadly missiles over
Nazi-held Europe didn’t permit
the encouraging war news to int-
erfere with their assaults against
Hitler.
At least 200 enemy fighter
planes were destroyed Sunday
in a triple daylight bombard-
ment of Muenster and Coesfield
in western Germany and the En-
chade airdrome in Holland. Am-
erican Flying Fortresses spear-
headed the attack, bagging 81
enemy planes which attempted
to intercept the huge formations.
Thunderbolts, escorting the
Forts, shot down an additional
21 planes. Thirty Fortresses and
two escort fighters were report-
ed missing from the operations.
One of the fiercest air battles
yet staged in the flak-torn air
over Europe occurred Thursday
night when a giant armada of
Flying Fortresses attacked the
industrial city of Schweinfurt in
southern Germany.
While sweeping over in report-
edly “deadly accurate” bomb
runs on war factories, the Forts
ran into a terrific bombardment
from anti-aircraft fire, and re-
turning pilots stated that the
enemy “filled the air with every
known type of German fighter
plane."
Fortress gunners blasted a to-
tal of 121 Nazi planes from the
sky. Sixty of the huge American
bombers and two fighter planes
failed to return.
Observation of damage from
recent air attacks on Ludwigs-
haven and Mannheim, industrial
centers in southwestern Germany
shows more than 100 vital war
plants completely destroyed. Fi-
res were still evident in the
bombed area when reconnais-
sance planes returned to study
the damage.
American heavy bombers also
lashed out at Bremen and Veg-
esack, slipping through a dense
curtain of anti-aircraft opposition
to reach their targets. Lt. Gen.
Ira Eaker, Eighth Air Force com-
mander, revealed that more than
400 U.S. bombers took part in
the operations.
German planes penetrated Lon-
don’s defenses for the first time
in several weeks, but caused only
mild damage and slight casualties.
About 75 planes tried to dump
their bomb loads on the English
hub, but less than 15 succeeded
in getting through.
Meanwhile, Allied bombers of
the northwest African Air Force
again lashed out at air fields on
Rhodes and Crete, sailing through
the extensive operations without
the loss of a single plane. Medi-
um bombers pounded Mariza air-
drome on Rhodes, while other
formations dropped heavy de-
molitions and incendaries on
Corfu, Calato in Rhodes and
Heraklion in Crete.
Lightning bombers relieved
some of the increasing pressure
on beleaguered Allied defenders
at the Island of Cos by cracking
enemy air bases there. Cos is
situated in the Italian Dodecan-
ese group in the Aegean Sea.
30 U.S. Generals
Listed As Casualties
According to a United Press
survey, 30 United States Army
generals have been reported kil-
led, missing or captured so far
in World War 11, Two Marine
Corps generals have been killed
in action, two have died at sea,
and two Wore last in planes,
Carrier-Based Avenger Destroys Three Subs
While Escorting Allied Convoys In Atlantic
Lt. R. P. Williams, a pilot at-
tached to the aircraft-carrier
Lexington before she was sunk
in the South Pacific, made a
comeback to end all comebacks
in the Atlantic recently.
Proof that having a ship shot
out from under him didn’t af-
gagements in the Atlantic was
with a sub being strafed by
Grumman Wildcat fighters from
his escort carrier. He swooped
in low and straddled the Nazi
sub with bombs just forward of
the conning tower. Though the
U-boat was hopelessly damaged,
from his position. He got one,
bomb “very close” to the sub as
it crash-dived, leaving a trail of
oil. It was listed as a possible.
Two days later one of Willi-
ams’ bombs exploded directly be-
neath a sub. The explosion threw
five men clear of the wrecked
Here’s one of the three subs sunk by Lt. Robert Pershing Williams in a Grumman Avenger
bomber beginning to settle by Its stern. Crewmen of the sinking German undersea raider cower
(arrow) against the conning tower.
feet Williams’ aim in the least
came this week when the Navy
announced that his carrier-based
Avenger bomber, on Atlantic
convoy duty, had destroyed three
German U-boats for certain and
possibly sunk another.
The first of Williams’ four en-
tile Germans opened fire and
downed two fighters.
After a few minutes Williams
scored the kill. A destroyer pick-
ed up 33 Germans from the sea.
The following morning, again
on patrol, Williams sighted an-
other periscope about eight miles
vessel and scattered debris and
oil. Two of the Germans were
drcfwned, the other three rescued
by a destroyer.
Several days later Williams
forced another sub to the sur-
face and sank it. Thirty of its
crew were taken prisoners.
—Russia
(Continued from Page 1)
blowing up block after block of
buildings in Gomel in prepara-
tion for their exit from the city.
In Kiev, they are systematical-
ly destroying all buildings and
anything that might be of value
to the Red Army. Only ruins are
expected to greet the advancing
Russians when they finally take
over the once-great cities.
While Russian forces are forg-
ing directly toward Gomel, the
Kiev-bound Red Army troops are
sweeping forward on a huge two-
pronged arc, north and south of
the Ukraine capital. If the pinc-
ers is successful, German forces
at Kiev face annihilation or an-
other of Hitler’s repetitious
“strategic withdrawals.”
Among the greatest of the new
Soviet gains on other sections
of the front is the capture of
Novobelitsa, a suburb of the key
objective of Gomel. Fighting for
this objective was described as
fierce and the Nazis are report-
ed to have fallen back after los-
ing 3,000 men. The success clear-
ed the enemy from the left bank
of the Sozh river. Still pushing
onward in this sector, the men
of Stalin are now reported ham-
mering away at Gomel itself.
Farther to the North, Moscow
communiques have reported the
liberation of 40,000 Russian civ-
ilians who were being used as
slave laborers by the Nazis. In
the capture of more than 40 vil-
lages, the Russians claim to have
gained huge stores of military
supplies and lo have wjped out
another 1,400 Hitlerites,
Iceland Pilots
Win Air Medals
Air Medals were awarded this
week to 15 USAAF officers in
Iceland for participating in 50
or more operational flights when
weather conditions made flying
extremely dangerous.
Topping the list is Capt. Jack
E. Carter of Carthage, N.C. Oth-
ers include: Capts. Andrew J.
Evans, Jr., San Antonio, Texas;
Michael J. Ingelido, Southington,
Conn.; Joseph I). R. Shaffer, Long
Beach, Calif.; First Lts. Joe A.
Baker, Knoxville, Tenn.; George
C. Fuller, West Newton, Mass.;
Donald W. Jander, Columbus,
Ohio; Frank C. Jones Jr., Mont-
clair, N.J.; Edward J. Maslow,
Plymouth, Pa.; William I). Rit-
chie, Pine Bluff, Ark.; Gavan C.
Robertson Jr., Jackson, Miss.;
Lee R. Standifer, Concord, Tenn.;
Wilfred L. Whitfield, Glover,
N.D.; 2/Lts. Raymond Mann,
■Whittier, Calif.; Onas L. Mays,
Howe, Idaho.
Australia To Spend
Record War Budget
Prime Minister John Curtin of
Australia this week announced
that Australia will spend as much
on the war program in the next
six months as she did thru all of
World War I.
Curtin also stated that his
country, to date, has a total of
61.564 war casualties and that
two out of every three, men be-
tween the ages of 18 and 40 are;
in the Services or engaged in war
work.
Pacific
(Continued from Page 1)
into the air to battle the Allied
airmen, 26 were shot from the
skies.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s com-
munique estimated that this fig-
ure — 177 planes in all — re-
presented CO per cent of the to-
tal Jap air strength concentrat-
ed on Rabaul. Allied losses dur-
ing the skirmish were only five
planes.
Meanwhile, word of a courage-
ous victory by four American
Thunderbolts came from the Pac-
ific this week. The Thunderbolts
tackled 32 Jap Zeros, escorting
12 Jap bombers in a mission over
Wewak on New Gu;nea, destroy-
ed eight of the tightens, probably
destroyed two more, and forced
the Jap bombers to flee without
reaching their objective.
The Japs improved their land
positions in China this week,
launching a three-pronged drive
along the Chinese section of the
Burma Road. The strongest Jap
spearhead, said to be in the Long-
ling area, has been met and halt-
ed by the Chinese, according to
a communique from Chungking.
Cigarette Shortage
Looms On Home Front
Americans are smoking cigar-
ettes “borrowed” from 1944 and
1945 tobacco reserves, the Dept,
of Commerce revealed in report-
ing a “substantial gap” between !
supply and demand. The U.S. is |
■■.haring 42 per cent of its cigar-
ette supply with other countries
under an international distribu-,
lion system.
Portugal
Gives British
Azores Bases
The war picture in the Atlant-
ic took on a brighter Allied hue
this week when Prime Minister
W.nston Churchill announced
that d plomacy had gained Eng-
and the use of ce tain facilities
in the Azores Islands, control of
which should mean a great deal
to the Allies in their battle ag-
ainst enemy shipping.
Allied battleships and aircraft
have already been reported to
be standing by, ready to defend
the islands against any German
attack. The Nazis are understood
to have assured Portugal that the
decision to let the Allies use bas-
es in the Azores would not be
considered as an act of war.
The Azores were handed over
to Great Britain by Portugal in
a move that was the fulfillment
of an agreement made over 600
years ago. The original agree-
ment stated that under given circ-
umstances Great Britain was giv-
en the privilege of asking the use
of certain facilities on territory
belonging to Portugal.
Comprising nine Atlantic Oce-
an islands 800. miles west of Lis-
bon. the Azores a'e at the cross-
roads of Atlantic trade routes and
give the Allies a strategic opera-
tional base and lookout post. As
a result, ships bound for the
Mediterranean will be under pro-
tection during their'entire voy-
age, and Allied planes will be
able to control a section of the
Atlantic hitherto beyond .reach.
President Roosevelt, disclosing
that there was discussion of the
old agreement between Portugal
and England at his conference
with Churchill in May, said it
could be “assumed United States
ships would be able to use the
Azores harbor facilities if nec-
essary.”
The agreement is to remain in
effect only for the duration of
the war, at the end of which
Britain is to withdraw from
Portuguese territory. The an-
nouncement stated that Portugal
is to maintain her neutrality in
Europe and will not become a
combatant ally.
—Italy
(Continued from Page 1)
ges and established contact with
the enemy. The northward push
was so successful, American
tanks already have moved into
the battle for Rome.
Heavy rainfall caused the Al-
lies considerable difficulty this
week, and the Nazis have taken
advantage of the difficult terrain
in their desperate attempt to
slow down the Allied advance.
Gen. Montgomery’s 8th Army
is concentrating on operations
on the Adriatic end of the battle
line, and the Britishers have wid-
ened their Termoli beachhead to
menace the town of Topescara,
60 miles from the coast.
Boy’s Testimony
Convicts Father
A son’s testimony will send
Alfred C. Bingham of Tulsa,
Okla., to the electric chair, but
the 10-year-old youngster didn’t
realize what it was all about.
The father had been brought
to trial on charges of having
murdered his wife with a pocket
knife while in a drunken rage
Aug. 8. The son, Jess, climbed
to his father’s knee during a
court, recess to lavish kisses and
caresses, and later took the stand
as the stale’s chief witness a-
gainst Bingham.
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