America at war! (1941--) -- Part 2

Edson: We are losing inflation war by indecision

By Peter Edson

Labor, management urged to aid in reconstruction

‘Immediate collaboration’ asked by CIO official; corporation head challenges business

U.S. bombers raid Jap base at Madang


Congressman predicts removal of general

Willkie looks like ‘the man to beat’ for GOP nomination

By Thomas L. Stokes, Scripps-Howard staff writer

Roddy McDowall scores with My Friend Flicka

Futon movie from novel about boy and his horse filmed in color, features Preston Foster, Rita Johnson in fine cast
By Maxine Garrison

Ernie Pyle V Norman

Roving Reporter

By Ernie Pyle

Allied HQ, North Africa – (by wireless)
Two little profiles of men who fight:

When I first met Charles P. Stone on a Tunisian hillside, he was a major. Within two hours he was a lieutenant colonel. The promotion consisted of nothing more than his regimental commander walking up and telling him about it. Stone is a West Pointer and a Regular Anny man. So was his father before him.

He says proudly:

I beat my father by 13 years. He was 40 when he got his lieutenant-colonelcy.

Col. Stone goes by the name of Charlie, and he calls his officers by their first names. He is tall and slender, his hair is short in a crew cut, and he has a front tooth missing. He had a one-tooth bridge but it came out in battle and he lost it. Despite his rank he sleeps on the ground in the open, with only one blanket. He is friendly, but his decisions are quick and positive.

Rebukes friend’s disrespect

I remember one night one of the other officers was speaking of “a dead stiff” they had found in the grass that evening. The office speaking was one of Stone’s best friends, but Stone instantly stopped the conversation and said:

After this it will be “dead soldiers.” None of this “dead stiff” stuff.

Stone carries a couple of dozen big snapshots of his wife in his pocketbook. His home is at New Brunswick, New Jersey. He writes one letter a day no matter where he is. He manages to shave every three or four days.

He paid almost no attention to little happenings around him such as wounded men coming up, prisoners passing, and shells landing too close. Where the rest of us would look foe a long time, and ask questions, he took one quick glance and then lay down.

You can’t cross up this man

He has the ability to ignore all the little clutterings of war that have nothing to do with the action. He is a hard man to rattle. You could see that the whole complicated battle area and its hourly confusing changes were as clear as crystal in his mind.

At 27, a battalion commander and a lieutenant colonel, with four big engagements behind him, I would wager heavy money on him to be a general before the war is over.

Sgt. Jack Maple is one of those funny guys. The boys of his infantry company say Maple is about a 120%. While he’s around, he’s the kind who makes himself the butt of his own jokes. When a visitor shows up, the others gather around just to hear him perform.

Sgt. Maple says he fully intends to be a hero every time he’s in a battle but somehow there’s always so much suction in his foxhole that he can’t get out of it. Sgt. Maple says he expects to be the Sgt. York of this war, but since he’s a little slow in starting he has nicknamed himself Sgt. Cork.

‘Cork’ demands the headlines

He asked me:

What kinda headlines they gonna put on your piece? Can you get ‘em to out a big headline clear across the front page in San Francisco or Los Angeles saying “Sgt. Cork Maple Is Hero of Tunisia”?

I told him I would use my influence.

Maple lives at 8885 Carson St., Culver City, California, in case you want to know the hero’s home address. He says that if he gets killed, he doesn’t want any of this nonsense of sending his money home. He has already made a verbal will – his friends in the company are to take whatever money he has and keep it till they’re in a rest period, and then all get good and drunk on it.

Cork says he has all the hard luck. He pulled a tiny piece of shrapnel out of his pocket. It was paper-thin and about the size of a pinhead. He said:

That’s my souvenir. It landed on top of my hand and didn’t even break the skin.

When I saw it, I just looked at it and said:

Cork Maple, you unfortunate SOB, if it had been anybody else in the company it would have gone clear through his hand and he’d have got the next hospital boat home. But you can be smothered by 88s and they won’t even draw blood on you.

‘88 Club’ all planned

Maple has his after-war career all mapped out. He’s going to open a sort of nightclub in Los Angeles. He will call it the Eighty-Eight. All the drinks will have war names, such as Airburst, Stuks, Bouncing Baby and so on, the booths will be foxholes in the floor, and the place will be full of boobytraps that will go off and scare people.

He says:

I oughta be able to get somebody to back it. There’ll still be more suckers left after the war.

I said:

It sounds good to me, but if I put it in the paper some patriot will steal your idea and have the club before you get home.

He said:

That’s all right. If you put it in the paper, that’ll be a record that it is my idea. Then if somebody steals it, I can sue him. Maybe I’d make more money that way anyhow. Go ahead and put it in.

And as I walked down the hill, Sgt. Cork called after me:

And don’t forget the big headline now! Clear across the front page!

Steel expansion program calls for record capacity

Production of 18 million tons more than in 1920 is predicted by Bethlehem official

Millett: Women find sacrifice off balance

But envy of others is similarly out of good taste
By Ruth Millett

U.S. Navy Department (May 28, 1943)

Communiqué No. 392

North Pacific.
On May 26:

  1. U.S. Army troops gained several important points along the ridge south of Chichagof Corridor. Hard hand to hand fighting over rugged terrain continued.

  2. The U.S. Army’s northern forces have penetrated a part of Fish­-Hook Ridge about one and five‑eighths miles southwest of Chichagof Har­bor. Fighting continues in order to clear the Japanese from the high peaks in the vicinity.

  3. An attack by U.S. troops to eliminate the enemy from the ridge south of Lake Cories is in progress.

  4. Army Liberator (Consolidated B‑24) heavy bombers, Mitchell (North American B‑25) medium bombers and Lightning (Lockheed P‑38) fighters effectively supported ground operations.

On May 26, Army Mitchell medium bombers and Warhawk (Curtiss P‑40) fighters made three attacks on Kiska, bombing the Japanese main camp area and runway. Numerous hits were observed.

In an attack on Kiska (reported in Navy Department Communiqué No. 391) the Warhawk fighters participating were manned by Royal Canadian Air Force pilots.


Communiqué No. 393

North Pacific.
On May 27, on Attu Island:

  1. U.S. Army forces moved ahead and along a ridge commanding the area between Lake Cories and Lake Canirca.

  2. After artillery and mortar preparation, U. S. Army troops at­tacked the ridge extending to the east of Fish‑Hook Ridge. A Japanese position on Fish‑Hook Ridge was neutralized.

  3. U.S. Army patrols continue to probe Japanese positions on the lower ridge extending eastward from the Chichagof Valley floor.

  4. Army Mitchell (North American B‑25) medium bombers and Lightning (Lockheed P‑38) fighters supported ground operations.

A formation of Army Warhawk (Curtiss P‑40) fighters bombed Japan­ese positions at Kiska. Due to poor visibility results were unobserved.

The Pittsburgh Press (May 28, 1943)

Roosevelt names Byrnes super home front boss

‘War Cabinet’ selected as advisers; Vinson new wage chief

1,000 TONS OF BOMBS RAIN ON ESSEN
RAF hammers arms city in hard-hit Ruhr

Jena in central Germany also attacked; Nazis admit damage
By Walter Cronkite, United Press staff writer

In Attu battle –
Hand-to-hand combat marks Yank advance

U.S. drive on Aleutian isle supported by planes; heights taken

Washington (UP) –
U.S. troops, in hand-to-hand fighting over the rugged terrain of Attu, have succeeded in taking several more highpoints from the Japanese pocketed in the Chichagof area, the Navy announced today.

A communiqué also said that U.S. troops are fighting to eliminate the enemy from the Sarana Bay area.

The American drive is supported by heavy and medium bombers and fighter planes.

The communiqué said that three more air attacks have been made on the Japanese positions in Kiska. It also revealed that Royal Canadian Air Force pilots took part in the attack of Kiska announced yesterday by the Navy.

Shelled by warship

Aerial attacks followed a bombardment of Jap shore positions in the harbor Tuesday by a U.S. warship that started numerous fires. Between the aerial bombs and the shelling, all buildings in the little settlement were destroyed.

Radio Tokyo, asserting the Japanese defenders are outnumbered 10–1, said Thursday night that the beleaguered Japanese garrison had “successively intercepted the advance” of the Americans, “causing heavy casualties on the invader.”

Refutes Stimson

Quoting “the latest report from the front,” Radio Tokyo, heard by the United Press in San Francisco, said that on May 25, the Japanese killed 600 U.S. troops.

Tokyo referred to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson’s report yesterday that U.S. casualties were relatively light.

Tokyo radio said today that seven U.S. warships had been sunk off Attu. The vessels, according to Tokyo, included a battleship, two cruisers, a destroyer and three other warships.

OPA chief aims –
Price balloon to come down

Brown condemns critics, cries full speed


OPA failure laid by Hahn to frustrated professors

Galbraith’s book, advocating radical control methods, cited at House hearing
By Daniel M. Kidney, Scripps-Howard staff writer

Hedy Lamarr weds Loder, delays their honeymoon

Actress returns to work after taking British actor as her third husband

Pay-go taxes yield extra $3 billion

Treasury admits returns will exceed those of present law

Left-wing CIO union seeks control of paid personnel of the Red Cross

Organizing group chief once told communists about increasing campus influence; directive frees members

Machinists’ split with AFL revives closed-shop issue

With miners in and Brown’s union out, balance of power seems likely to be maintained; Kaiser ship case cited
By Fred W. Perkins, Press Washington correspondent

WLB establishes pattern for equalizing pay rates

Sub-standard wages in obscure New York factory used for board’s test of authority

Akron stacks smoke again; WLB steps in

President’s warning heeded almost 100%; other strikes
By the United Press


Industry heads pledge greater output effort

Drive for increased war production opened at Chicago meeting

Yanks in love pick up speed in phrase book

But it is possible, too, that danger signals can appear