The Dothan Eagle from Dothan, Alabama • 1

Corup WEATHER IT imui a NORTHWEST FLORIDA: Continued cold, heavy frost. tmiuntii around freezing In Interim. above freezing on coast tonight "For I Heard Them Say, Let Us Go To Dothan" Genesis 37:17 VOLUME 35 AP Leased Wire DOTHAN, ALABAMA, MONDAY AFTERNOON, DECEMBER 14, 1942. NUMBER 73. o) ITfl fUlfo) (Mrr.

liU MB Mm Archives lixstoiy itcntgoraery, Ala. eLfe XL sLa o) oj jvj ILL U. S. Ship Rescues Britishers Axis Forces In New Flight Toward Last North African Base FDR Opposition To Farm Parity Change Is Firm Agriculture State Solons To Renew Drive In 1943 I Die As Fire Sweeps Hostel In Newfoundland Many Service Men Believed Among List of Victims British Eighth Army Reports Light Casualties In Sudden Drive Deadlock Near In Nazi-Soviet Counter Blows German Offensive Stalled; Russian Advances Slowed WASHINGTON. (AP) Speaker Rayburn said today Congressional leaders had agreed to convene the 78th Congress Jan.

6 and1 that President Roosevelt would deliver his message in person to a joint session of the Senate and House Jan. The President was told, Rayburn said, that the historic 77th Congress would adjourn Wednesday' of this week, "or certainly not later than Thursday." The White House conference was attended by Rayburn, Vice President Wallace, Senate Majority Whip Hill and Rep. McCor-mack the House ma jority leader. While plans for adjournment of the 77th Congress and convening of the 78th appeared to be definite, they must be embraced in a House-Senate resolution to make them final. Rayurn gave no Indication of points the President miht discuss his mesrage.

He explained that the President would apnear Jan. 7 because the sixth would be given over to organization matters in the House and Senate. Rayburn was conceded to be certain of re-election as Soeaker (Turn to No. 8 on Page S) 5 nriH.ii- iiiMniiniwinniifiiiii mimifr-fft NEA Telephoto. vessel board an American rescue ship, where they were given dry was made with an At'antic task force bound for Casablanca.

Dutch Politician U. S. Planes Blast Jap Solomons Base Allied Nutcracker Offensive Closing On Enemy Positions In Tunisian Region (By The Associated Press) LONDON The jaws of an Al lied nutcracker offensive closed tighter today around Axis forces battling to retail, a foothold in North Africa as the British Eighth Army swept westward across Libya In a miThty new drive time to coincide with smashing aerial assaults on the enemy's strongholds in Tunisia. The eagerly awaited news that the Eighth Army had resumed its lush came in a brief official announcement from Cairo that Marshal Rommel's forces had been driven from strong positions at El Ahella and were retreating toward Tripoli, 400 miles to the west. The announcement followed swiftly disnatches from Tunisia that rT''an Flvlng Fortresses and Billy Mitchell bombers had unleashed the mightiest assaults of the camnaim on he Axis-hild hadbors of Bizerte, Ti'nls and Sousse.

The raids exemplified the of the Allied air forces in Tunisia, where British and Amer'can troons were reported to have "xteri hack another German (Turn to No. IS on Patre 8) French Guerillas Destroy Axis Troop Train In Tunisia ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH AFRICA (AP) American and British artillery have broken up a German motor column north-cast of Medjez El Bab, it was announced today, while the French high command in Tunisia reported destruction of an entire troop train by French guerillas operating between Sfax and Sousse. (There was no elaboration of the reference to the Allied artillery action in this dispatch, which cleared through military censorship.) A spokesmen at the French army headquarters of Gen. Henri Honore Giraud said 282 out of 300 troops on the train between Sfax and Sousse were killed, wounded or captured when a mine exploded on the tracks and French troops hid den at the side opened fire with machine-guns. He also reported that one 1917-model French armored car and a few French motorcyclists with American air support broke up and captured an entire Italian armored column near Faid, in central Tunisia.

"Our French troops encountered the Italian column, which included two tanks and opened fire at the Italians, who stopped," the spokesman said. "Our troops then called upon American air support and when the fighters and bombers came the Italians ran and we took the column." The spokesman said six light armored cars lay in wait for the Axis troop train after the track bad been mined. "The coaches piled one on the other when the mine exploded and only 18 Germans escaped the murderous fire of the hidden Frenchmen." In the north there was no action in the Allied lines except for artillery fire. The spokesman said the Germans now form a line running north and south some distance east of the Medjez El Bab toward Pont-Du-Fahs, a communications hub 28 miles southeast of the former city and 35 miles below Tunis, the capital. Jap Manchurian Force Increased CHUNGKING (AP) An official Chinese review of conditions in Manchuria said today about Japanese troops now are concentrated in that region and Japanese military preparations there have been increased considerably in the last year.

(The estimate of 1,000,000 Japanese troops in Manchuria has not been confirmed by other authorities end is about double earlier estimates.) The review said the Japanese had built fortifications along the southern bank of the Amur river and the western bank of the Us- surl, both of which form boundar ies between Japan's puppet empire of Manchukuo and Russiaa Siberia, ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland. (AP) Fire and panic in the midst of an old-time barn dance cost the lives of 100 merrymakers and injured 102 others as a servicemen's hostel and recreation center went up in flames Saturday night only 200 yards from the fire station on St. John's main street Like the Cocoanut Grove disaster in Boston, which claimed nearly 500 lives, many vere to death in the rush lor the exits. The victims included servicemen and women.

It was believed that there may have been Americans among them. A Knights of Columbus hostel for men in the armed services, the wooden structure was crowded with 500 persons when fire roared through the building. Authorities still were without knowledge today of the cause of the disaster but an eyewitness said the fire "seemed to do its dreadful work in 10 minutes." The terrified dancers, trying to force their way out through the four exits of the building, piled up in tangled masses of bodies. Sixty-nine of the dead had been identified. Of the 41 unclaimed, many were so burned as to be unrecognizable.

It was not known Turn to No 9 on Page 2 New Georgia Island -Hit; Guadalcanal Landing Halted WASHINGTON. (AP) American air forces in the south Pacific were reported by the Navy today to be continuing their heavy bombardment of the new Japanese air base at Munda on New Georgia island in the central Solomons. Navy communique Number 219: "South Pacific: (all dates are east longitude) "1. On December 13 action on Guadalcanal Island was limited to routine patrol activity. "(b) A lone enemy plane dropped three bombs in the vicinity of our airfield.

"(c) United States planes contin. ued bombing attacks on the enemy installations and air field at Munda." (End communique.) The Sunday attack on the Munda airfield as reported today apparently was the fourth heavy aerial as sault made on the enemy base, constructed as a buffer and an of fensive threat to the American air field on Guadalcanal. The Munda positions were first attacked on December 9, accord ing to Navy communiques. Army Flying Fortresses again attacked them on December 11, when 155 bombs, weighing 100 pounds each, were dropped on the airfield. Again on December 1 the fortresses returned to the attack, scoring four 1,000 pound bomb hits on the Ilight strip and dropping 80 100-pound bombs in the base area.

No American planes were lost in those attacks and there was no mention of any interception on the part of the Japanese Zero fighters, facts which led to the speculation here that the Japs apparently have not put the field into full operation and that the Pacific command had chosen for its destruction the moment at which the enemy had expended a maximum of effort in creating it without yet being able to give it adequate protection. WASHINGTON. (AP) Fate of a damaged Japanese destroyer task force which sought to strengthen Nippon's isolated fingerhold in (Turn to No. 3, On Page (second lieutenants) formed the court Their recommendation for the discharge was approved in Washington. Post officials said Mrs.

Gregory was still at the WAAC hospital, where she has been under treatment for a minor back injury, but was well now and is expected to leave the reservation promptly. It was disclosed Mrs. Gregory's was the second such discharge from the WAAC. The name of the first defendant was not disclosed. WAAC officers said the pretty brunette would be given an al-(Turn To No.

On Page 2) Survivors of a torpedoed British clothing and smokes. Photo THE WAR TODAY DEWOT MACKENZIE (This column, conducted as a daily feature by Dewitt MacKenzie, is written today by James M. Long. Mr. MacKenzie, now touring the Middle East war zone, is expected to resume in a day or two).

The new winter drive sprung by the Red Army out of the ruins of Stalingrad and the blizzards north, west of Moscow should give military observers their best yardstick so far of the comparative staying power of the Russian and German armies. For this Is the winter for which Adolf Hitler has boasted he is well prepared. And this is the counter-drive for which Joseph Sta lin husbanded the sorely needed strength of his troops through the fall. Perhaps never again, now that strong Allied1 forces are rapping on the Italian side-door to Hitlers Europe, will the self-styled military mastormind of the Reich be free to fHn.f full force assaults atalnst the eastern front. The eastward tide of Nazi 'conquest may have lapped at its hiTh still (Turn to No.

14 on Page 2) TV Vv -1 TTL nri in i 3 I i ne wona Today By The Associated Press British Eighth Army relentlessly pursuing fleeing Germans toward Tripoli and showdown after routing Rommel's forces from careful- ly prepared El Agheila defense line; enemy harassed from air by unprecedented numbers of Allied fighter-bombers; British break through accomplished at small cost. Libyan onslaught was timed to coincide with smashing aerial as-saules on enemy's Tunisian strongholds; dispatches from Tunisia reported American Flying Fortresses and Billy Mitchell bombers unleashed mightiest assaults of the campaign on Axis held harbors of Eizerte, Tunis and Sousse: Allied ground forces beat back another German thrust at Medjez El Bab. Russians say that Germans, despite massing of large forces, still unable to get a sustained counterattack under way or to restore lost positions; Red army gains continue but progress slow; Moscow observers believe Soviets ready to deal heavy new blows to Nazis before they can escape from narrow corridor across Don-Volga steppes to Stalingrad. Fate of Japanese destroyers task force which sought to strengthen Nippon's forces on northwestern Guadalcanal remained hidden after flurry of Allied offensive blows along all Pacific battle points; at least one Jap destroyer sunk and from four to seven hit hard; Allied forces poured torrent of artillery and? mortar shells into Jap positions at Buna in New Guinea. By The Associated Press CAIRO.

Resuming its Libyan drive after a three-week lull, the 8th Army drove straight into Rommel's northern flank yesterday at El Brega, on the approaches to the 40-mile El Agheila defile, and the British war bulletin said the enemy was put to flight at "little cost" to General Montgomery's attacking units. "Allied fighter-bombers, operating on an unprecedented scale, were employed to harass the enemy," the communique asserted "Axis air activity was totally ineffective in preventing these operations. In a few instances when German fighters attempted to interfere they were successfully engaged and at least six aircraft were shot down." An American fighter group, one of the finest shock formations in the Allied Middle East air force, was credited with playing an important part In shattering, non-stop dawn-to-dusk assaults upon the retreating enemy yesterday. This group, now composed of seasoned United States pilots and one of the RAFs most famous fighter squadrons, was in action again today, dive-bombing and strafing the foe. One dispatch from the front said the Sunday attacks "registered a record number of sorties for fighter bombers in any theater ot war Some 300 fighter bombers took off with orders to stalk the German vehicles of "thin skinned variety." They found their quarry and before noon the line of retreat was dotted with flaming end burned out Nazi armor.

A frontline account reaching Cairo said that at noon the enemy retreat was in full swing and that no engagement had developed up to that hour. (Military quarters in London ex pressed the opinion Rommel fell back without really making the stubborn fight which had been ex pected since he pulled up in El El Aghella's natural defenses after retreating more than 700 miles across North Africa from El Ala-mein in Egypt.) The official announcement that the Africa Corps was retreating westward toward Tripoli, its main Libyan base, was interpreted as clearly indicating the 8th Army had gone through Rommel's main fortified positions between the Gulf of Sirte and the salt sinks to the south. (Military Informants in London said it was probable that Rommel came to the conlusion he was in for a beating if he stayed at El-Agheila, so he just pulled out to head off certain disaster is the first time in this war that a great German army has found Itself faced by equal forces and what happens?" one military source commented. "The German army pulls out without a Some quarters believed the Axis might make a stand at Misurata, at oasis poslton protected by salt marshes some 300 miles from El Agheila. Allied mastery of the air over Libya was emphasized by the official announcement that in addi tion to providing brilliant support to the 8th Army, medium bombers swept far ahead of these operations to bomb Sousse, in Tunisia, and across the Mediterranean to attack the Sicilian port of Palermo again Saturday night The stirring news that the Eighth Army once more was on the march was disclosed In a terse communique which said: "Rommel has been driven from his strong positions et El Aehella and Is In retreat to the west" A subsequent announcement de clare dthat the fleeing Axis forces were being relentlessly pursued.

on the ground and were being harassed from the air bv unpre-(Tunt To No. 15 On Page S) ITVV7V WEATHER GEORGIA; Not quite so cold tonight, scattered light to he aw frost FLORIDA: Continued rather cold tonight scattered lieht frost In interior of north portion. ALABAMA: Not quite so cold In north portion, continued cold in south portion with heavy to killing frost with temperatures near tonight except' above freeing on the coast. BY HENRY C. CASSIDY MOSCOW (AP) The double-barrelled Russian offensive on the Stalingrad and Central Fronts appeared to be approaching a deadlock today with the Germans unable to get a sustained counter-offensive rolling, but still slowing the Red Army's progress with vicious and repeated counterat tacks.

Since the Russian offensive started Nov. 19 on the Stalingrad front and six days later on the Central Front, no important German prog ress has been reported in the ef fort to restore Nazi positions. With winter conditions developing, military observers believed the chances were increasing for the (Turn To No. 5 On Page 8) U. S.

General Denies British Newspapers Favored On "Scoops' LONDON. (AP) Brig. Gen. Robert A. "McClure issued a statement today categorically denying what he said was "recent editorial comment in United States newspapers falsely describing what is purported to be a discriminatory policy against the American press" in war coverage.

General McClure, chief of staff of the U. S. Army in the European theater of operations, did not specify the source of the editorial comment. A similar statement issued simultaneously at the British Ministry of Information, however, men. tioned "articles in The New York Daily News Dec.

11 and The Chicago Tribune Dec 12. The controversy apparently concerned chiefly dispatches from North Africa, which in some cases have been delayed more than a week. (A Washington dispatch Friday to the New York Daily Newsde. clared that "behind the scenes of the North African campaign a furious battle is being waged between United States and British authorities over a discriminatory policy against American newspapermen that is inflicting an overwhelming time handicap on this country's press." (London newspapers were declar. ed scooping the world daily by from six hours to a3 many days.

"(As explained To The News by spokesmen for the Office of War (Tom to No. 7 on Page t) Last Minute BULLETIN LONDON (AP) Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and Gen. Charles De Gaulle signed an agreement today for reestablishing French sovereignty over Madagascar. WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate Civil Service Committee unanimously approved today bill that would provide pay raises for more than a million Federal employes throughout the nation. AN EAST COAST PORT (AP) A large British ship carrying more than persons Including 1,800 Italian prisoners of war, was torpedoed and sunk off West Africa last September, survivors reported on arrival here.

WASHINGTON (AP) Declaring the new Congress must "re. assert its Representative Fish (R-NY) resigned today as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to devote his full time to the Rules Committee, of which he Is ranking minority member. DENVER (AP) Dr. Hubert Work, 82. former United States Postmaster General and Secretary of the Interior, died of heart aliment at 12:55 p.m.

(MWT) today. McHuff Asks Merger OfNYAWithWMC For War Training WASHINGTON (AP) Manpower Chief Paul V. McNutt will ask Congress to merge the National Youth Administration Into the general war worker training program of the War Manpower Commission. McNutt so told a press confer, ence today, adding that he intend ed to ask that statutes limiting NYA training to persons in their 20's be repealed so that its appropriation could be used to train war workers of all ages. NYA recently became a unit of WMC.

McNutt further told reporters: The WMC, Army and Navy have worked outa program for use of colleges to train men for armed service and industrial jobs, and have laid it before college heads. McNutt said the program, to be' made public soon, was designed to help protect the colleges, which have been fearful of the draft's effect on their student bodies. Assignment of draftees to the Army, Navy, Marines or Coast Guard will be determined at induction centers. Inductees will have an opportunity to choose which service they prefer, although their choice will not necessarily be con- tro'ling. The services will be empowered to make special draft calls to meet their needs for men with special skills.

Gen. Stillwell Reaches New Delhi NEW YORK (AP) Lieut Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, commander of United States forces in China, Burma and India, was reported by the All-India radio today to have arrive at Allied headquarters in New Delhi from Chungking. Wickard Predicts Posf-War Markets For Farm Products NEW YORK (AP) Secretary of Agriculture Wickard told a meet ing of Eastern farm leaders today that given full industrial employment and a "sensible." foreign trade policy after the war there would be market for every need ed product a farmer could pro duce.

Addressing the last of a series of regional meetings to mobilize agri culture for 1943 war-production, the new food administrator asserted in his prepared text that even then it would be necessary to curtail some products and expand others, but that "if we follow any other course, I don't how we can ex pect anything but a series of incurable fnrm problems" Wickard iromf-cd to "do every thing possible to raa'te our national food nrojrram one closely knit pro cess from the fields and barns to the mess kits and the tables" and he urged farmers to produce the necessary foods to the limits of their ability. The American housewife, Wickard said, could help on the food problem by learning to substitute plentiful foods for those which were scarce and, "above all, she can prevent waste. "Farmers can produce enough food to meet all special needs and still give all the people in this country good diets," he said. "I doubt if they can much longer produce extra amounts to be wasted in kitchens. It Is es important to save a pound of food as to produce one." The Agricultural Secretary said farmers would not have the problem of converting to a peacetime basis as would industrialists because the need for great farm production would not end when peace came "In general the same kinds of products which are so greatly needed during the wpr will be the ones that are needed after the war," he said.

"For several years after the war, the United Nations will have to feed the people of Europe and Asia whose agriculture has been crippled by the Axis invasion." Strike Halts Gotham Newspaper Delivery NEW YORK (AP) A strike that kept this city's leading newspapers from the general public continued today as negotiations be tween representatives of publishers and the Newspaper and Mail De liverers Union snapped fo'lowing all-night conferences without an agreement being reached. The conferees began their meet. ing at 10:40 p.m. (EWT) last night and ended it at 6:20 a.m. this morn-lnir, with Louis A.

Waldman, union attorney, declaring "we have reach ed no agreement." Waldman indicated that settle ment of the dispute was not expected in the near future. A publishers representative told newsmen his group had insisted that the strikers return to work and then negotiate, but that the union men refused. The publishers' spokesman declared the union said it was not bound by the wartime "no strike agreement" because It waa not affiliated with the CIO or the AFL. The spokesman said the union ordered its men to report to their posts at 8 a.m., but whether they (Turn to Number rage Earned "Fuehrer rr For Netherlands LONDON (AP) Adolf Hitler has designated Anton Mussert, an obscure Dutch Nazi politician, "Fuehrer" of The Netherlands peo. pie in his "New European Order" and Axis radios followed up the announcement with reports that powerless France under Marshal Henri Petain is moving closer to cooperation with Germany.

Petain, these German reports said, has agreed to- -Hitler's pro posal to raise a new French army of insuring the safety ot France and her colonial empire." FiThting French sources here said Hitler has demanded 400,000 French workers for labor in Germany. The elevation of the Dutch Quis ling Mussert was announced by Arthur Seysz-Inquart, German com missioner tor The Netherlands who obviously will continue to rule the country. Mussert, whose Dutch Nazi party failed to make any spectacular headway even after the Germans occupied the country, will, try to convert the extremely independent and outspoken Dutch people to the Nazi way of life, it is expected. Seysz-Inquart also announced that Mussert's participation in the government would bring forth a new series of decrees. Observers said this probably means new oppressive measures against the Jews in Holland, a course wnicn Mussert has advocated over strong Dutch opposition since the country was occupied, and other laws following the Nazi line.

The Russian news agency Tau reported from Stockholm that Hit ler had demanded the mobilization of 250,000 Dutchmen for the Ger. man army. Seysz-Inquart also disclosed that as a precaution against Allied invasion he would "move certain of my departments and certain de partments of the Dutch admini stration" from the Hague, where they were "within easy reach by plane and also easy for the enemy's navy to shell." Col. Bell Named 81st Assistant Commander Colonel Marcus B. Bell today took over the duties of assistant commander of the 81st (Wildcat) Division now training at Camp Rucker, succeeding Brigadier General William R.

Schmidt. Colonel Bell came to Rucker from the 80th Division at Camp Forrest, and Is a graduate of the University of Missouri. A native of Kansas, he was born Feb. 22, 1893. General Schmidt has been appointed commanding officer ot the 76th Division at Fort George Meade, Md.

Tickets For Jaycee Dance Now On Sale Tickets for a dance sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce for the benefit of the Red Cross blood bank and Army relief went on sale today with members of the chamber selling the tickets. The dance, to be held at the Dothan Country Club Friday night, starting at 9 o'clock, will feature the Napier Field orchestra. Marvin Lewis is chairman of the Jaycee committee In charge of AWOL WAAC Strip-Teaser Discharged From Service FORT DES MOINES, la. The WAAC strip-teaser is out of the women's army. The glamorous girl who was billed at a Des Moines theater, as Amber d'Georg of Hollywood, but was identified later by WAAC officials as Kathryn Doris Gregory, 22, Fort Worth, Tex, an A.W.OJ member of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, waa dismissed today.

The WAAC training school announced Mrs. Gregory had been given a discharge "other than honorable" following court at which tore WAAC third officers.