The White Falcon - 06.01.1945, Qupperneq 3

3
STORY RELEASED ON GREENLAND BATTLE
AGAINST GERMAN WEATHER EXPERTS
Unlike the war as it is be-
ing fought anywhere else in
the world was a running bat-
tle recently completed on the
east coast of Greenland.
Probably fewer than 500
men, counting both sides,
took part in the weird fray,
yet it lasted from late April
to October, 1944. And al-
though the fighting was scar-
cely 800 miles from the
North Pole, its result may
shortly be felt all along the
western front in Germany.
The battle lost the Nazis a
well-equipped meteorolog-
ical outpost with which, days
in advance, they had been
spotting weather trends for
all Europe, and seeking to
anticipate Allied strategy in
light of changing weather
conditions. High-powered-
radio equipment enabled 60
German military and tech-
nical experts in the far north
to maintain direct contact
with Berlin. Their communi-
cation for the rest of the war
will be by way of well-cen-
sored mail from prisoner-of-
war camps in the U.S.
A party of the Greenland
Sledge Patrol, made up of
Danish nationals and Eski-
mq dogsled drivers came
upon a well-fortified en-
emy base last April — and
in turn was surprised by a
bearded German officer
while spying on the position.
The patrol leader killed the
Nazi in a toe-to-toe pistol
duel. Their shots aroused the
encampment, hut the sleds
escaped under machine-gun
fire, and in due time Coast
Guard stations were appris-
ed of the enemy’s presence.
The Army entered the pic-
ture in July, putting a com-
bat group of 27 ashore at
Cape Sussi, to march on the
reported enemy position. A
Coast Guard platoon of 26
approached from another
direction and a landing par-
ty of 15 from still another.
All converged on the objec-
tive , (so well camouflaged
that it could be seen from
only one angle), but the Naz-
is had gone. A 155-foot trawl-
er, some of their precious
weather recording instru-
ments and radio equipment
had been smashed.
That put a temporary halt
to the matter until mid-OGto-
ber when a patrol plane ob-
server spotted an unusual
“iceberg” off Cape Borgen.
Twilight in Greenland'wat-
ers causes icebergs to appear
with one side bright while
the other side is very dark.
This one was in reverse:
white where it should have
been dark, and vice versa.
Swooping low, the plane re-
cognized it as an outbound
ship, drifting southward.
Word was flashed to the
Coast Guard cutters, East-
wind and Southwind, patrol-
ling some 50 miles away.
At midnight, Oct. 16, the
Coast Guard ships sighted a
“dark blotch” where the
plane had located their quar-
ry. After bracketing the ob-
ject with his main batteries,
the Eastwind’s commander,
Capt. C. W. Thomas of Long
Beach, Calif., flashed a warn-
ing: “Do not scuttle the ship
or we will fire!” The Nazis
surrendered.
An American hoarding
party was greeted by three
German officers, including
a sublieutenant, the. com-
mander. The Holland-built
trawler, named Extersteine,
was found to be 183 feet
long, with a 30-foot beam,
15-foot draft and a register-
ed tonnage of 650. Every-
thing was turned over to the
Coast Guardsmen in good
order, the Germans them-
selves removing mines in-
tended to sabotage engines
and machinery. Armaments
consisted of a 37 mm. gun
mounted forward with twin
20 mm. guns astern. About
midship on the starboard
side was a mysterious mount
which the Americans assum-
ed to be a rocket projector.
A picked Coast Guard crew
of 28 men was placed aboard
the Exlersicine for the re-
turn journey to Boston.
L.S.U. Coed Protests
University’s Handling
Of ‘Sex Problem’
Pretty Gloria Jeanne Hel-
ler of Havana, Cuba, was
forced to resign from Louisi-
ana State University after
she led protests against Uni-,
versitv President .1. B. Hatch-
er who had reprimanded co-
eds for kissing their dates'
at dormitory doors.
Hatcher said lie gave Miss;
Heller the choice of “resign-
ing or being dropped after
she admited writing a leaf-
let in which she discussed
the university’s attitude to-
ward sex.”
Miss Heller said that all
she was trying to do was
show that the university
dealt with sex problems “in
such a way as to over-emph-
asize them. Students called
a mass meeting in protest.
Congress Passes Measure
To Investigate Itself
Believing that it’s living in
the “gaslight days,” Congress*
has completed action on a
resolution to investigate it-
self. Both Houses have pas-
sed a measure setting up a
12 member Vice-Committee
to study the possibility^ of
streamlining procedure, re-
organizing the committee
system for more effective
action and determining if its
method of handling legisla-
tion is archaic.
Weather, 'Military Situation1
Halt Shuttle Bombing Via Russia
No consideration other
than the weather and the
military situation were in-
volved in the suspension of
shuttle bombing of Germany
through the use of Russian
bases, an USAAE spokesman
said in Washington this
week.
The explanation was oc-
casioned by an article of col-
umnist Drew Pearson in
which it was stated that shut-
tle bombing had been stop-
ped because of Russian re-
fusal to continue to provide
bases for the Yanks. The Air
Force spokesman said tlfat
our -planes have not been
stopped from flying over
Russia and would continue
to do so.
EVOLUTION?
In Pittsburgh, Pa., detec-
tives are scratching their
heads and wondering how a
Persian cat can change into
a hunting dog. The cat, Syl-
via, was crated and shipped
to New York recently, but
when the crate was opened
a hunting dog emerged.
Combat GIs Still Able
To Laugh At Life
According to an item in
the Army newspaper, Stars
and Stripes,some of thesigns
posted along the roads in
Holland these days, read:
“Spend Your Holidays in
the Nijmegen Salient - Lux-
ury Flats (Mud); Hot and
Cold (Mostly Cold); Boat-
ing and Swimming; Shoot-
ing (Both Ways); Boche
Hunting in the Woods.”
Inside the town is a large
sign with the inscription:
“Tours to Berlin Arranged
for Large and Small
U.S. Forces Raining Huge
Stock Of Shells At Enemy
In a little more than three
months, three American
armies in France fired
300,000,000 rounds of small
arms ammuniton; 4,426,000
rounds of 105 mm. ammuni-
tion; 1,248,000 rounds of 155
mm. shells and 3,500,000
rounds of mortar shells.
These figures were releas-
ed by Lt. Gen. Brehon B.
Somervell, commanding
general of the Army Service j
Forces, in an address in New
York before the National As- j
sociation of Manufacturers,
e urged greater I
to save Amcric-
in which
Part- j production
i an lives.
7 Inquiring,
OapahtQA
What will be one of I he first
things you’ll do after you
return home?
“. ... . after that, I’m going
to have my
wife broil me
one of'the big-
gest steaksyou
ever saw!” re-
plied, Pvt. J.
Gumina of
New Bruns-
wick, N. J. “. .. . then.I think
we might throw a little party
for all our friends — for I’d
sort of like to see a lot of
the gang again and have a
few drinks. Did I say a few
. . . what am I saying!”
Pfc. Louis G. Amrich, an-
swered, “I just
want to take a
good long rest
and e n j o y
s o m e goo d
home cooking
for a change.
Later, I‘d like
to see some really good
shows.” Louis is a native of
Melrose Park, Ill., and was
a construction foreman pri-
or to the war.
“Well, the first thing I’ll
do is my busi-
ness !” was Tec
5 S. F. Eller-
maii’s swift re-
tort. “The sec-
ond week, I’m
going to spend
soaking up
some of that good California
sunshine — yeah, between
showers!” A Californian, of
San Diego, Ellerman was a
surveyor before joining the
Army.
LAC P. Fisherman of Tor-
onto, Canada,
said, “I’m! just
going to spend
the first few
weeks quietly
with my fam-
ily and friends.
I want to re-
lax and not think of anything
military for awhile. Will that
time ever come?” Fisherman
was a salesman in civilian
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WAR DEPT. FORESEES
POSTWAR LAND B0.$M
So many soldiers and war
workers are said, to be pull-
ing their savings into down
payments on farms that the
Dept, of Agriculture is meas-
uring tlie possibility of a-
largescale land boom
while urging careful judg-
ment in purchasing. The De-
partment declares that more
people arc' now buying
farms, all oyer the U.S.,
than ever before.