Daily Post - 15.12.1941, Page 2

2
DAILY POST
is published by
Blaðahringurinn.
Editors: S. Benediktsson.
Sgt. J. I. McGhie.
Ofíice: 12, Austurstræti, Tel.
3715, Reykjavík. Printed by
AlþýðuprentsmiS j an.
Monday, Dec. 15, 1941
The Far East
ilí —i
The Second World War to-
day enters its second week, and
after eight terrific days in
which the jumbled succession
of dramatic events tended to
confuse the mind, it might be
salutary to take a “mental
breath”, as it were. and to re-
view the new state of affairs,
and its possibilities.
Roosevelt has told his
people that there is to be a 24
hour day, 7-day week pro-
gramme of war work. Military
service is compulsory for all
male Americans between 18
and 45, national service com-
pulsory for all Americans,
male and female, between 18
and 65. Luxury production is
to cease, and Americans are to
learn what most other nations
have learned over the past two
years, that Freedom must be
temporarily sacrificed in times
of crisis, if it is to be perman
ently retained in times of
Peace.
By surprise and treachery,
Japan has momentarily seized
the initiative in the Far East,
and has struck heavy blows at
Allied naval power. But the
tempo of the Japanese tri-
umphal “expansion” is slowing
down. Dutch submarines and
Allied ’planes are taking steady
toll of the little yellow men, un-
til such time as Britain and the
U.S.A. can again muster a new
naval striking force to give
battle to the Japanese Fleet, —
for, make no mistake about it,
the Italian practice of keeping
their ships safe in harbour is
not part of the strategy of the
British Navy!
What’s on
Today
Monday 15th Dec. Musical
Society Gramophone Concert.
8,15 p,m, Beethoven, Mozart.
Tschaikowsky. Admission by
ticket only. Essential to book
early.
_____DA1L.Y POST _______________________
Listening in to the War at sea:
lai) Lives Depend on Sparks
IN A SMALL cabin below
th'e bridge of the home-
ward bound merchantman a
young man sits' at a desk sur-
rounded by complicated look-
ing apparatus. Earphones are
clamped over his head.
He is one of that gallant band
of wirefess operators of the
Merchant Navy, the men who
are among the last to leave a
sinking ship.
Thkough those earphones clomes
to him the buzz of dots and
dashes w'hioh tell the story of
the seas> in nviartime.
A series of short buzzes sound
through the headphones. SSSS.
Some ship is beiíng attadked by
(a U-boat- Dots and dashes spell
out the position of t’he ship
w'hiidh has sighted the U-boat.
Comes the dramatic messagjé:
“Submarine dhasing. We are
firing at hita.“
TORPEDO CROSSED AHEAD
There is a pause. The roajr of
the Atlantití gale aind the smash
of heavy seas is heard in the
dabin as from a distance. The
qabin reels and plunges. The
wireiess officer stiiil listen in-
tently. More is to qome. Again
the sudcession of short buzzes.
Again the positilon and name of
the ship. Then the message:
“Torpedo dnossed ahead.“
The wireless offiider twrites out
the message and sends it straight
to the oaptain. It maiy contain a
uiarning of vital importaraae to
the receiving shiip.
The first duty of a uireless
operator of a slúp aítaidked by
U-hoat or German raiider is to get
aiway the “enemy report“ dictat-
ed to him by his daptaim. It nvias
in this way that a wiireless of-
ficer of a Britásh steaimer played
an importaní pairt in the de-
stmotion of the German podket
battleship GRAF SPEE.
RIVER PLATE BATTLE
As the offidiaL aooount of the
[ Battle of the River Pla e said:
“A report w)as redeived from
the British S-S. DORIC STAR tha.t
she wias being attadked by a
podket battleship on the east side
of the South AtdanJc. TheDORIC
STAR had sent out this uireless
message in spite of the fact that
the German raider iwais firilng at
; her in an attempt tO' prevent her
from using her wireless.
Commodoe Haowood (now
Rear-Admiral) oorreotly antioipat-
ed that the raider, knotwing that
she had been reported by the
S. S. DORIC STAR, wou'.d leave
that area and. probabiy cross the
Sopth Atlantic.“
So' the wireless offiœr of the
DORIC STAR, tapping aw'ay at a
morse key while the podket
battleship was shel'iing hæs ship,
gave di'.'edtio'n to the lang hunt
for the formidable Ge man raider.
Here are just a fejw typ-ioal
extraots from the log of one
wireiess offioer on a single
voyage.
SOS — All ships — SOS frorn
MaLinhead Radio. Steamer A ...
heavy list ino easing broken a-
núdships — 13 men stilll on
bo,ard — reœiver out of action
— position x — drifting due east.
AAAA — Steamer B bombed 300
miles west of Tory. Rudder gone.
SSSS — Posltion Y — Steamer
C sighted Donning toWer — \risi-
bility good . • • SSSS Position Y
— steamer C — Submarine on
surface — visibiility good.
SSS — Friom Wick Radio —
Po'sátion Z — Steamer D ....
torpedoed.
QSSS — From steamer E —
Attacked by submarine in posi-
tion W — suspidiious tanker fly-
ing Dutdh flag in her vioinity.
QQQQ — Steamer F ...
be'ng fofloiWed by suspiaious
vesseí.
GERMAN SOS
The"e are the sort of messages
redeived ‘Over a period of diays.
Th.ey are authentic extrao;s from
a ufreiess log, wfcth preoi'se posi-
tions and names of ships elimin-
ated.
In thrs pariicular Log one of
the most dramatio messages oame
tojwards the end of the voyage.
It was from a German wúreless
s;a;ion but was sent in English.
The Germans iwere appealing to
B:i;ish sb’ps to save men from a
German airiöraift forced doWn in
the Norih Sea. The message ran:
„From Norddeidh, Germany —
To all ships — XXXX — Air-
plane orew drifting in North Sea
southiwest of Dogger Bank. Last
knoiwn position at 0030 G.M.T.
54.33 North 01,25 Fast. Plea.se
help immediately — Nordeioh
Radio.“
I Battleground |
By Spike
AGE OF GENERALS
uring question time Capt-
Margesson exploded a®
ancient myth about BritaiD &
ancient generals. Youth is °°
our side. The average age of
German army, army corps and
divisional commanders
58 ¥2, 56 and 54 respectively-
Certainly higher than fhlS
country.
“IKON” ASKS:—
What is meant when sonoe-
thing is Palaeolithic?
Anything belonging to l^e
Palatolithic age, the age
human development, marked
by the use of unworked and °n'
Tt
polished stone implements.
is divided into several periods>
named from districts in which
cultural remains have heen
found. principally the Chellea°’
Acheulean. Mousterian, Aurig"
nacian, Solutrean and Magda
lenian. Anything else Ike?
«
I LETTER
To tfee Editor
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