Daily Post - 08.12.1941, Síða 2

dah_y mr
DAILY POST
.-:is pobUshed by
BlaSaktinguiim.
Editors: S. Benediktsson.
Sgt J. L McGbie.
Office: 12, Austurstrœti, Tel.
3715, Reykjavík. Printed by
Alþýðuprentsmiðjan
Monday, December 8, 1941
Japan’s “Blitzkrieg”
Using the now time honoured
blitz tactics of the senior Axis
partners in crime, Japan has
plunged into War.
Although at the time of
Writing the news is confused
and scanty, it would appear
that Japan’s first move is aimed
at wresting from America her
“Gibraltar” of the Pacific.
Pearl Harbour is the strongest
American naval base in the
Eastern Ocean (and lies only
2,000 miles from the American
seaboard) and it therefore
stands to reason that very
powerful units of the Japanese
navy, supported by aircraft
carriers, must be involved.
Here, therefore is a great
chance for the American Navy,
the most powerful in the world,
to eliminate a considerable part
of the enemy’s reserves imme-
diately.
So much for the tactical
situation. The political position
is clearer, having already been
outlined in advance by Great
Britain and Australia. Mr.
Churchill has announced in the
most positive terms that if
America were involved in war
with Japan, we would stand by
her, and that our declaration
would come within the hour.
Only yesterday an Australian
statesman declared that the
commonwealth would be unit-
edly -behind America, if she
were attacked.
The issue is clear. Now is the
time for a straightforward
military alliance between all
the democracies, against all the
aggressors of the world. We
must pool our resources to meet
the common enemy, whether
white or yellow, wherever he is
to be found.
American “Scariet Pinpernel

Helped
Wounded
British
Escape
A 22-year-old American
“Scarlet Pimpernel” who
helped wounded British sold-
iers to escape from Francte is
now with the R.A.F. He is
leaming to he a pilot.
He comes from Walaska,
Georgia and when the Germans
invaded Poland he was an art
student in Paris. At once he set
out for Warsaw and managed
to reach it before the Germans.
Whát he wanted to do was to
join the Pclish Army. but as
he was an American they would
not allow him, and so he had
to return to Franoe. Then he
tried to join the Foreign Legion
or the French Air Force, but
again bis American nationality
hindered him.
WITH AMBULANCE UNIT
Hoping that if he returned to
his own covmtry he might get
offixúal permission to join up
he went back to America.
Official sanction was not forth-
coming, so he retumed to
France, via Italy, this time as
a rnember of an ambulance
unit.
He was in Peri* when the
collapse of Franec began and
heard of some wounded British
soldiers. With some friends he
borrowed an ambulance and,
under cover of night, took a
load of the wounded ‘Tommies’
from the hospital and headed
south.
HIDING FUGITIVES
They had to abandon the
ambulance when it ran out of
petrol so they disguised their
wounded as French soldiers and
carried on by freight train. The'
party did not reach Marseilles
until after the last boat had
ffith R I.F. in Bnssla
Black Tea
a Snbstitnte
for Beer
1 I '
For the R.A.F. in Russia
amusements are rare, but once
or twice a week officers and
airmen off duty make tbeir
way through the snow to a tiny
village where Russian films are
shown. The airmen cheer at
any of the words they can
understand. One of the first
words the British airmen leam
is pozhaluista, which they
pronounce “pcshulista”, mean-
ing “please”.
“Poshulista” is also a useful
word in the messes, which are
staffed by Russian waitresses.
Their vocabulary of English is
slight but improving. One mess
serves Russían food and the
i
other English, and the airmen
altemate J>etween the two. The
English iríess is the most popul-
ar for breakfast and the Russ-
ian for supper.
“THE KREMLIN”
At present both messes are
suffering from a shortage of
beer. But a popular subsitute is
tea, made black in the local
fashion and served in a glass.
The Wing headquarters are
housed in a big red building
known locally as “The Krem-
lin”.
left. There was nothing for it
but to hide the fugitives until
they were well enough to walk.
Then. one by one, they made
good their escape.
For some time the young
man from Georgia stayed in
Marseilles, where he was
frequently questioned. It
seemed time for him to go —
and one night he slipped quiet-
ly away, on the first stage of
his joumey to England.
Initlative
Won Him
The_V. C.
The King has been graciously
pleased to approve the award of
the Victoria Cross to No. WX-
2437 Private James Heather
Gordon, Australian Military
Forces.
On the night of lOth Juty'
1941, during an attack °n
“Greenhill”, north of Djezzine,
Private Gordon’s Compkey
came under intense macbine
gun fire and its advance W25
held up. Movement even ky
single individuals became al-
most impossible, one oftcer
and two men being killed and
two men wounded in the etíort
to advance. The enemy machin^
gun positíon, wlhich
brought the two forward P*®*'
oons to a halt, was fortifi®°
and completely covered tbe-
area ocupied -by our forces.
Private Gordon, on his oWn
initiative, crept forward °veI
an area swept by machine
and grenade fire and succeed€»
in approaching close to
post; he then charged it fr001
the front and killed the fottr
machine gunners witb 0**"
bayonet. His action coraptetetf
demoralised the enemy i° trní
sector and the Company
ad-
vanced and took the position-
During the remainder of
action that night and on t^*e
following day Private GordoD,
who has throughout the
ions shown a high degree
courage, fought with ©903
gallantry.
SAILOR BOY:—
I’ve heard a lot menti°pe®
about homicide, what is
de-Se?
Felo-De-Se is a nácer nam®
for suicide. Don’t you like
navy, pal? "
AT LAST a sensible and healthy “time-killer” for the troops. — BATTLESHIPS. — Best game out for ivr°
players. Once you have tried it, — you will find the same, there is NOTHING to beat this splendid game.
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