The White Falcon - 28.04.1945, Page 3

3
GIs USE GANGSTER METHODS
IN EUROPEAN RLACK MARKET
The most complete report
to date on the GI racketeers
who worked with the French
Black Market is featured in
the May 4th issue of YANK,
the Army Weekly.
Reading like a gangster
novel of the twenties,
YANK’s article describes the
methods used by the Army’s
Criminal Investigating Div-
ision (CID) men in tracking
down the gangs of AWOLs
who did a million dollar
business in stolen GI sup-
plies and gasoline.
The GI mobsters used all
the tricks of the old prohib-
ition gangs plus a few more
twists of their own includ-
ing the French equivalent
of American gun molls, who
assisted in making deals for
the stolen supplies.
Gang organization reach-
ed its highest level of per-
fection in the so-called Vin-
cennes gang, which was dir-
ected by an AWOL medic
with a powerful imagina-
tion. Posing as an MP lieut-
enant, he rounded up some
AWOLs in a Montmartre
bar and told them that they
faced death by hanging for
desertion. Then he relented.
They looked like pretty good
boys, he said, and if they did
him a favor he’d be willing
to let them go. The favor was
to drive his trucks and join
his “outfit.” Thoroughly
scared, they agreed.
Little by little this boss
added to his T/O until he
had from 60 to 70 men and
from 20 to 30 trucks. The
outfit was conducted along
reveille, special orders, pro-
motions, passes to town and
duty rosters. It had every-
thing, in fact, except Good
Conduct Medals and rota-
tion. The men lived in a
warehouse for four months
without the real MPs or the
neighboring French civilians
ever dreaming that the gang
was anything but a legitim-
ate military unit.
Can’t Be Particular
These Days
The 52-year-old Ger-
man soldier captured by
the U.S. 3rd Army in the
Frankfurt suburbs may
have been trying} to crack
a sardonic joke, but this
is what he told an Ameri-
can colonel who asked
him what a man his age
was doing in the Army:
“I’m a member of the
Hitler Youth,” he answer-
ed.
“Thin Man Goes Home”
And “National Velvet”
Play at Fieldhouse
NATIONAL VELVET —
MGM’s latest technicolor
film — will he shown at the
Andrews Fieldhouse tomor-
row evening at 2000 hours.
Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth
Taylor (new child star) and
Donald Crisp are featured
in this film.
Monday night at 2000
hours, the Fieldhouse film
will be THE THIN MAN
GOES HOME. This MGM
film brings William Powell
and Myrna Loy back to the
screen in another of their
very popular series of mvst-
erv-comedies.
—ENSA
(Continued from Page 1)
In.”
Rosemary May, backed up
by a chorus, sang a medley
of favorite musical comedy
numbers — with Renne
Hooper lending a pleasing
touch with her dancing.
Further appearances be-
fore American units will be
made at Camp Knox, April
30 and at Camp Monmouth,
May 5.
Eye Of World War I Veteran Now Watches
World War II In Body 01 Another Soldier
hospital.
Recently, Amos found
out what his eye was seeing
when Chabina wrote:
John W. Amos of St. Louis
fought through World War
I; and today he’s living in
the States but lie’s taking
in World War II overseas
just the same — through
one of his own eyes in an-
other man’s body.
Amos surrendered the
retina of his eye to Frank
Chabina several years ago
when the two became ac-
strictly military lines with] quainted in a New Orleans
“Now, pop, you can tell
the people that your eye —
mean ‘our eye’ — is back
in the fight again. It’s re-
markable, isnt it? You were
in the last World War with
your eye and now I have
that same eye in this war
-r-———
“PERHAPS THIS WEEK WE’D BETTER PLAY DOWN THOSE WAISTLINE EXER-
CISES JUST,A LITTLE.”
This interesting little eye chart shows, left to right, a
poster on the Soldiers Savings Program and starlet Doro-
thy Merrick. If neither of them registers with you, you
may be suffering from faulty vision or lack of foresight
and should sit down a.v.d have a good man-to-man talk
with yourself.
—Radio Poll
(Continued from Page 1)
question two, “WHAT PRO-
GRAMS DON’T YOU
LIKE?” The}' turned thumbs
down on “Here’s Me,” the
“Eager Beaver” show; oper-
as and symphonies; “Are
You A Genius,” and “Blond-
ie” in that order.
The desire for news head-
lines every hour was practi-
cally unanimous; while the
query on an request record
show also received a large
number of “ayes.”
Popular music found favor
with approximately 70 per
cent of the listeners, with
semi-classical and classical
brands receiving but 20 and
10 per cent backing respect-
ively.
Sammy Kaye’s orchestra
led the hands in the field of
popular music, with Tommy
Dorsey and Harry James
blowing trombone and
trumpet behind him.
Stealing the show in the
semi-classical field was
Andre Kostelanetz, while the
Boston Symhony orchestra
received the majority of the
few votes cast for classical
music.
I COUNTRY COUSINS
j By One of Them.
There’s a definite femin-
ist movement down this way.
Not only do we have two
new Red Cross girls — no
twitches and they like rocks
---- but four girls now
drive jeeps within the sec-
tor. Everyone is still search-
ing for the tree that Cather-
ine met on her way to work.
The Red Cross fund has
had a few upheavals lately.
Cpl. Pettway, unlike Sgt.
Gordon, has withdrawn his
donation and will subscribe
again only when coffee and
doughnuts are delivered to
individual posts. Some
people want everything for
their money!
The Pin-Ups and the Mar-
ines had another bowling
battle Sunday. Minus the
lucky rabbits’ paws with
which they usually travel,
the Pin-Ups carried along a
chocolate cake as a present
to their opponents. Next
time the Marines will un-
doubtedly beware of the
Security Battalion bearing
gifts.
BING BEATS “THE VOICE”
Frank Sinatra could have
used his bobby-sox brigade
because he had to take sec-
ond place to Bing Crosby in
the race for the favorite
male vocalist.
Dinah Shore, the Andr-
ews Sisters, and Kate Smith,
in that order, received most
of the votes for the favor-
ite stulka warbler.
A number of affirmative
replies were cast for a
weekly 15-minute program
on soldiers’ benefits, such
as the GI Bill of Rights, In-
surance, and Allotments.
Our most recent birthday
party was on the one Anna-
belle gave for Sam Marinelli.
Sam is the boy with the
beautiful dispositon who
sings as he works behind the
bar at the Flying Castles’
Club.
The latest from the conval-
escent ranks concerns Sgt.
Botts of Utilities. After two
months flat on his back with
a broken leg, the Sgt. acquir-
ed a wheel chair. One of his
friends was aroused, to find
Sgt. Botts sitting beside him.
“Wake up!” the Sgt. ex-
claimed. “I’ve just got my
wings!”