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

‘The killer’ tells how sub bagged Jap ships, spit in destroyers’ teeth

Skipper fights the sea also in Indies
By George Weller

Hurt in nightclub fire, man jumps to his death

Boston, Massachusetts (UP) – (Jan. 9)
The death toll of the Cocoanut Grove holocaust rose to 490 today when Francis Gatturni, 31, of Roslindale, one of those injured, committed suicide by leaping from a window at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Editorial: Where you goin’?

Editorial: Let the leaders lead

Editorial: Pay-as-you-go

Editorial: Free speech

A New York policeman arrested a World War I veteran for sitting on a park bench and criticizing President Roosevelt and the conduct of the war to another man in private conversation. A magistrate sentenced the offender to 30 days in the workhouse, the appeals court reversed the conviction.

That is good news. It proves that we will have the free speech for which, among other freedoms, we are fighting. So long as we are loyal to the United States and do not assist her enemies, we are still privileged to express our dissatisfaction with our hired men in public office and with the way they are carrying out our instructions to beat Hitler.

We don’t even have to be right, we have merely to be honest, patriotic and orderly. Which is as it should be.

Wavell’s men penetrate Jap lines in Burma

British resume drive on two sides of river 60 miles from India

Chat bolsters China’s hopes

Chungking puzzled by President’s aid figures
By A. T. Steele

Paratroop hero declines North African promotion

Private who held off machine-gunners, routed others in Axis territory says: ‘All I did was walk west’
By Donald Coe, United Press staff writer

84 Marine fliers awarded medals for Midway battle

OPA will start ration banking plan on Jan. 27

Coupons will flow back to primary suppliers like money

Big transport tested in air

Constellation largest land plane in production

Isolationists oppose post for Mrs. Luce

Washington (UP) – (Jan. 9)
A heated fight appeared to be brewing tonight among Republican members of the House over whether Mrs. Clare Boothe Luce, newly-elected Republican Congresswoman from Connecticut, should be given a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The controversy is apparently part of the intraparty row between isolationists and supporters of Wendell L. Willkie in his efforts to force the GOP to abandon its traditional isolationism. Mrs. Luce, attractive wife of publisher Henry Luce, is regarded as a Willkieite and had his support in last November’s elections.

GOP isolationists argued that Mrs. Luce should not be placed on Foreign Affairs because she is a first-termer. Furthermore, they argued, two Republican women are already members of that group – Reps. Edith Nourse Rogers (R-MA) and Frances P. Bolton (R-OH).

Cash dividends decline in 1942

Payments drop 12% from 1941 total

Girl deputy sheriff leads district WAVES to school

14 women to leave for midshipman training

Roosevelt requests police to aid FBI

Washington (UP) – (Jan. 9)
President Roosevelt today reiterated a request made Sept. 6, 1939, that law enforcement officers, patriotic organizations and individuals give to the Federal Bureau of Investigation all information they may have on espionage and sabotage.

A White House statement containing the request gave no explanation of why it should be repeated at this time.

In 1939, the President said it was essential that investigations of such matters be carried out on a national basis by the FBI “to avoid confusion and irresponsibility.”


School days lengthened

Washington – (Jan. 9)
The U.S. Office of Education reported tonight that the workdays of college instructors are being lengthened and some courses are being discontinued to avoid a war-born teacher shortage.

Reports were received from about half of the nation’s 1,717 colleges, and about half of those reporting have increased the number of teaching hours. More than 50 have ended non-teaching activities such as research and faculty supervision of students.

War dominated 1942 best reading lists

Books with topical subjects gain top choice as fiction writers fail to keep peace
By Harry Hansen

Cover world with planes, U.S. advised

Executive says fleet of millions will guarantee nation’s security

Garand tops ‘seven wonders’ on Guinea victory

U.S. Navy Department (January 11, 1943)

Communiqué No. 247

South Pacific.
On January 10:

  1. U.S. forces on Guadalcanal Island laid down an artillery barrage on Japanese positions.

  2. “Dauntless” dive bombers (Douglas SBD) and “Airacobra” fighters (Bell P-39) followed up the shelling by bombing and strafing the enemy areas.

  3. Following the shelling and bombing, U.S. ground forces made small advances into enemy territory. Enemy resistance to the advances was weak.

Communiqué No. 248

South Pacific.
Navy Department communiqués have previously announced the loss of the following U.S. naval vessels in air and surface actions with Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area. One aircraft carrier (Navy Department Communiqué No. 175), two light cruisers and six destroyers (Navy Department Communiqué No. 194), one destroyer (Navy Department Communiqué No. 198) and one cruiser (Navy Department Communiqué No. 211).

For reasons of military security and to avoid causing needless anxiety on the part of relatives and friends of the personnel who survived these actions, the original announcement of the losses did not state the names of the ships. Reports of casualties have since been received and the next of kin of all personnel killed, wounded, or missing in these actions have now been notified. The vessels lost are listed below.

  1. The USS HORNET (CV-8) was sunk by U.S. ships after having been damaged beyond salvage in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on October 26, 1942 (Navy Department Communiqué No. 175).

  2. The USS JUNEAU (CL-52) and USS ATLANTA (CL-51) and the USS CUSHING (DD-376), PRESTON (DD-379), BENHAM (DD-397), WALKE (DD-416), MONSSEN (DD-436), LAFFEY (DD-459) and BARTON (DD-599) were sunk by enemy action during the battle of Guadalcanal, November 13-15, 1942 (Navy Department Communiqués No. 194 and No. 198).

  3. The USS NORTHAMPTON (CA-26) was sunk by enemy action during the engagement north of Guadalcanal on the night of November 30–December 1, 1942 (Navy Department Communiqué No. 211).