Axis in Africa loses 3 planes for 1 of ours
Allies hold offensive and rule air, Spaatz says, praising pilots
By Phil Ault, United Press staff writer
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Lupe’s ‘twin’ having fun in filmland
Pretty Sandra Lynn doesn’t mind looking like Miss Vélez’s double
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Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
In Tunisia –
The men who interrogate captured prisoners have interesting jobs. In addition to being linguists, they have to be good psychologists to wheedle information out of reluctant German soldiers.
They never have any trouble getting the Italians to talk, but unfortunately, the Italians don’t know anything. According to interrogators, they are a pretty sorry lot. Some didn’t even know they were fighting against Americans till they were captured.
One batch I know of thought we would execute them, and were pathetically happy when they discovered they would live. The first thing they usually ask is to be allowed to write their families that they’re all right, and, of course, permission is granted.
Most of them keep diaries. All of them, Italians and Germans like, seem to have plenty of money in their pockets. The Italians all carry Catholic medals and crosses, and are grateful on learning they can keep these. Nearly everybody has a picture of a wife or sweetheart or children, and these, too, they are allowed to keep.
A few of the captured Germans and Italians up north had on thin clothing, and no underwear at all. But most of them are warmly dressed and well-equipped. The first thing our soldiers take away from a German is his mess kit. It is superior in quality and design to ours; is made of steel, easy to keep clean, more compact, and even has a can opener with it.
The Italians have a shovel that is quite a gadget. It is small, sort of like a fireplace coal shovel. The shovel part is swiveled onto the handle, so you can turn it down, lock it, and the shovel then becomes a pick.
Captured Nazis can’t be trusted
Italian enlisted men wear as lapel insignia a tin star, exactly like the stars an American general wears. I know at least two generals now wearing these Italian stars on their shoulders. And I heard of a private who pinned one on his cap unthinkingly, and went around for an hour wondering why everybody in the Army was suddenly saluting him.
The Italians are almost unanimously happy to be captured, but you can never tell what a German’s attitude will be. Some are friendly and glad to be out of it. Others are arrogant. They tell of one wounded German who came to in the operating room of one of our hospitals, and instantly came off the table swinging with both fists. Nurses say the wounded Germans are usually sullen and autocratic.
There is one conscripted German regiment made up of people rejected earlier in the war – men with one eye or one finger missing, older people, men from occupied countries. But mostly, the Germans and Italians are in excellent physical condition.
The Germans get paid every 10 days, and nearly half their money is automatically sent home. They are usually short on cigarettes. Often, you’ll see Americans going past a batch of newly-captured prisoners and stopping to give them cigarettes.
Stories differ as to how the Axis treats our prisoners. Some who have escaped say the Italians are worse than the Germans. I know Americans who say they were treated courteously and considerately, and others who say they’ll commit suicide before they’ll be captured again. I guess it depends on the individual who gets his hands on you.
Villainous Pyle makes bum guess
During the February fighting in Tunisia, I unwittingly played the most villainous role it has ever been my misfortune to perform.
Will Lang of Time-LIFE and I had been traveling together. I left him way up in Ousseltia Valley, and drove back to the southern front. On the way, I ducked into a certain headquarters where mail is occasionally sent out to us from the city.
There I found about 15 letters and three cablegrams for Will and Eliot Elisofon, the LIFE photographer. So, I stuck them in my pocket, then headed for Sbeitla.
On the way, I stopped in Fériana to pick up some stuff we had left at the little hotel there. Lang and Elisofon kept a room at this hotel, to which they returned occasionally.
At first, I thought I’d better keep their mail with me. And then I thought no, there’ll be hard fighting around Sbeitla, and if anything should happen to me, their mail will be gone forever. So, I finally dumped it all on their beds in Fériana.
And I’ll be damned if the Germans didn’t push through that very night and take Fériana, and along with it the Lang and Elisofon mail. I could have cried for remorse. And, to top it off, I hadn’t even read their cablegrams, so couldn’t tell them what they said.
But two guys have never made it easier for a culprit then they did for me. They just laughed it off as if they were accustomed to getting 100 letters a day, and what difference did another 15 make?
March rate pushes war cost to $84 billion yearly
Buying panic among apparel consumers subsides; return may force rationing
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Völkischer Beobachter (April 20, 1943)
Amerika beansprucht Luftherrschaft nach dem Kriege –
Die Luftschlösser der Dollar-Imperialisten
Sonderdienst des „Völkischen Beobachters“
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U.S. Navy Department (April 20, 1943)
Communiqué No. 350
South Pacific.
On April 18:
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During the night, Liberator (Consolidated B‑24) heavy bombers attacked Japanese installations at Munda, in the Central Solomons. Hits were scored on the runway and a large explosion resulted.
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The same night, Guadalcanal Island was bombed by Japanese planes, resulting in slight casualties to U.S. personnel and very slight damage to materiel. One of the Japanese bombers was shot down.
North Pacific.
On April 18, Japanese positions at Kiska were attacked nine times by formations of Army Warhawk (Curtiss P‑40) and Lightning (Lockheed P‑38) fighters. In these attacks a total of 17 tons of bombs was dropped. Hits were scored in the North Head, Salmon Lagoon and main camp areas. Fires were started in the submarine base area.
The Pittsburgh Press (April 20, 1943)
ALLIES SPEED DESTRUCTION OF AXIS AIR FORCE IN AFRICA
Enemy plane losses total 142 in 3 days
Nazi commander reported appealing to Berlin for quick help
By Virgil Pinkley, United Press staff writer
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Roosevelt on tour –
War efforts bring cheers to President
Troops will give good accounts of selves in Europe, he says
By Merriman Smith, United Press staff writer
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Roosevelt on radio at 11 o’clock tonight
Washington (UP) –
President Roosevelt will broadcast to the nation tonight at 11 p.m. EWT, the White House announced. All networks will carry the broadcast.
The subject of the address was not announced.
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Rubber boss, OWI head at it again –
Jeffers to Davis: You lie; Davis to Jeffers: You lie
Public ‘taken for a ride’ on synthetic tires by conflicting reports of directors
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Bobby pin ban denied
Washington –
The government today assured women that rumors of a ban on the manufacture of bobby pins were false.