British 1st Army to bear brunt of attack on Tunis
U.S. airpower and artillery will be big factor in final smash that drives Axis forces from Africa
By Edward W. Beattie, United Press staff writer
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Background for attack
Historic precedents for invasions of Europe can be found along practically every coast of that embattled continent. Attacks on France and the Low Countries have come from both England and Norway, and Germany itself has been invaded from the sea. But never in history have the coasts of Northern Europe been as formidably defended as they are by the Nazis today.
Peril to Australia grows, MacArthur spokesman says
Japanese reported moving up reinforcements with great rapidity
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American sub tracks, sinks 8 Jap vessels
That’s score of Wahoo on single patrol against foe
By Mac Johnson, United Press staff writer
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what? Why is he still getting an army after the disaster and his amazing ability that I will straight up copy from wiki. Fredendall was given to speaking and issuing orders using his own slang, such as calling infantry units “walking boys” or artillery “popguns.” Instead of using the standard military map grid-based location designators, he made up confusing codes such as “the place that begins with C.”
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Army’s text of what happened on Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo
16 B-25s carry out tasks over Japan but 15 are wrecked in China, one lands in Siberia
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Japanese give their version
Claim Doolittle himself didn’t take part
By the United Press
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Doolittle raiders take off in spite of Pacific storm
Eyewitness on cruiser enjoys Tokyo’s speculation about identity and source of attacking planes
By Robert J. Casey
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I’ll take Conradus Hötzendorfus for $650. 
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Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
Northern Tunisia –
Now we have left central Tunisia behind us. We are in the north now, Americans as well as British, and the end of the long Tunisian trail is in sight. Surely the kill cannot now be long delayed.
Except in the air, the American troops are playing a rather minor part in this final act. In the air, we are all-out, and great formations of American planes are overhead constantly. But on the ground, it is the British 8th and 1st Armies who are giving Rommel the main squeeze.
The troops have been so distributed for this last phase that the Americans and the French are holding only a small slice of the quarter-circle that is penning the Germans into the Tunis corner. True, we will do some hard fighting, but the bulk of the knockout blow on the ground will be British.
You at home will be wrong if you try to make anything sinister out of that, for it’s the way it should be, as I tried to tell you once before.
British more experienced
The British have more troops, and more experienced troops, in Tunisia than we have. We had sort of divided the load earlier, but with the arrival of the 8th Army the affair has become predominantly British,
Since Montgomery has chased Rommel all the way from Egypt in one of the great military achievements of history, it is only right that the British should make the kill.
The 8th Army is a magnificent organization. We correspondents have been thrilled by its perfection. So have our troops. It must surely be one of the outstanding armies of all time. We trailed it several days up the Tunisian coast, and we came to look upon it almost with awe.
Its organization for continuous movement is so perfect that it seems more like a big business firm than a destructive army. The men of the 8th are brown-skinned and white-eyebrowed from the desert sun.
Their spirit is like a tonic
Most of them are in shorts, and they are a healthy-looking lot. Their spirit is like a tonic. The spirit of our own troops is good, but these boys from the burning sands are throbbing with the vitality of conquerors.
They are friendly, cocky, confident. They’ve been three years in the desert, and now they wear the expression of victory on their faces. We envy them, and are proud of them.
This north country is entirely different from the semi-desert where we Americans spent the winter. Up here, the land is fertile and everything is violently green.
Northern Tunisia is all hills and valleys. There are no trees at all, but now in spring the earth is solidly covered with deep green – pastures and freshly growing fields of grain. Small wildflowers spatter the countryside. I have never seen lovelier or more gentle country. It gives you a sense of peacefulness. It seems to speak its richness to you. It is a full, ripe country, and here in the springtime living seems sweet and worthwhile.
Green turns red with blood
There are winding gravel roads everywhere, with many roads of fine macadam. Villages are perched on the hillsides, and some of them look like picture postcards. This is all so different from the Tunisia we’ve known that all of us, driving up suddenly one sunny afternoon into this clean cool greenness, felt like holding out our arms and saying:
This is the country we love.
Yet this peaceful green is gradually turning red with blood. The roads are packed with brown-painted convoys, and the trailers sprout long rifle barrels. The incredibly blue sky with its big white clouds is streaked with warplanes in great throbbing formations. And soon the whole northeastern corner of Tunisia will roar and rage with a violence utterly out of character with a landscape so rich in nature’s kindness.
The only thing we can say in behalf of ourselves is that the human race even in the process of defiling beauty still has the capacity to appreciate it.
2 dead, 3 missing in Harmon crash
Washington (UP) –
Two members of the crew were killed in the April 8 crash of a plane piloted by Lt. Tom Harmon, former Michigan football star, the War Department announced today.
Three others are missing from the accident in the South American jungle. Dispatches from Brazil had indicated these men parachuted, so there was hope that they might yet turn up.
The dead are:
- Staff Sgt. James F. Goodwin (engineer) of Texarkana, Texas.
- Sgt. Leonard D. Gunnells (gunner) of Deatsville, Alabama.
The missing are:
- 2nd Lt. Edwin J. Wolf of Philadelphia.
- 2nd Lt. Frederick O. Wieting of Lansing, Michigan.
- Staff Sgt. Bernard R. Coss of Mendota, Illinois.
Lt. Harmon, the only one reported safe, parachuted into the French Guiana jungles, near the village of Caux, without serious injury and was brought back to civilization by natives who found him after he had wandered for four days. The plane crashed 16 miles from Caux, near the Brazilian border.
U.S. Navy Department (April 22, 1943)
Communiqué No. 352
South Pacific.
On April 20: During the night, Liberator (Consolidated) heavy bombers bombed Japanese installations in Numa Numa Harbor, Bougainville Island. Bad weather prevented observation of results.
On April 21: A large force of Army bombers carried out a daylight bombing attack on Nauru Island, in the Gilbert Island Group.
In spite of heavy anti-aircraft fire and defending fighter planes, much damage was done to Japanese installations. U.S. pilots shot down five and possibly seven Zero fighters. All U.S. planes returned.
North Pacific.
On April 20: Japanese installations at Kiska were attacked ten times by formations of Army planes. Liberator heavy bombers, Mitchell (North American B‑25) medium bombers and Warhawk (Curtiss P‑40) fighters carried out these raids. Strafing from various altitudes was carried out in conjunction with bombing. Hits were scored on the runway and camp area.
Völkischer Beobachter (April 22, 1943)
McCormick erwirbt schon das Empire –
Amerikanische Zukunftspläne mit England
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The Pittsburgh Press (April 22, 1943)
NAZIS FAIL TO BREAK AFRICAN TRAP
Axis thrust hurled back by 1st Army
Germans lost 27 tanks; British also hold gains near Enfidaville
By Virgil Pinkley, United Press staff writer
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U.S. promises to avenge killing of fliers by Japs
Remember Tokyo’s deed when you sight Zero, Arnold asks Yanks
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Japs reiterate terror threat
Cite ‘wanton attacks’ as justification
By the United Press
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Editorial: ‘These dead shall not have died in vain’
Every American shares the “feeling of deepest horror” with which President Roosevelt announced the barbarous execution of American fliers who fell into Japanese hands after the raid on Tokyo.
Words are inadequate at such a time. Once again – perhaps more vividly and violently than after Pearl Harbor – we have been shocked into appreciation of the utter depravity and bestiality of the Japanese.
Only deeds – hard, angry and relentless – can answer this latest outrage.
Whatever we have failed to do must now be done.
Whatever there has been on complacency and grumbling and greed and hoarding and profiteering and striking and loafing and wrangling must end.
130 million Americans own an obligation of blood to unite as we have never united before, to sacrifice as we have never sacrificed, to work as we have never worked, that these heroic dead shall be avenged and that “the shameless militarism of Japan” shall be blotted from the Earth.
If we buy the bonds and raise the food and make the arms and ammunition, millions of gallant Americans and their allies will do their job. But they can’t do it without US. And WE haven’t been doing enough.
Let us close ranks, roll up our sleeves and wipe out these monsters.
Let us resolve, in Lincoln’s words, that “these dead shall not have died in vain.”
Raid eyewitness insists –
Civilians in Tokyo killed by guns of own fighters
Pursuit planes missed Doolittle’s bombers and hit streets of Tokyo, Bellaire says
By Robert T. Bellaire, United Press staff writer
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Tokyo raider eludes chase by Jap planes
Last bomber over evades guns of battleship, submarine also
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U.S. bombers blast Japs in Gilberts, Bangkok, Kiska
Approach to Truk Island base heavily damaged; capitals of Thailand, Burma raided
By the United Press
U.S. planes have struck at the Japanese Pacific bases from the Equator to the Aleutian chain in the Far North and on the mainland of Asia.
The Navy announced today that a heavy bomber force caused great damage to enemy installations on Nauru Island in the Gilbert group, one of the fringe of islands guarding the southeastern approach to the big Jap naval base at Truk. At least five enemy planes were shot down without loss to the Americans.
Other planes raided Kiska in the Aleutians 10 times on Tuesday to bring the month’s score to 113 attacks and bombed Numa Numa Harbor of Bougainville Island in the Solomons.
U.S. bombers raided Bangkok, the Thai capital, and Rangoon, capital of Burma. British planes attacked enemy-held villages and troops in the Arakan district of Burma.
Devastating attack on Gilbert isle
Washington (UP) –
The Navy announced today that a large force of U.S. Army bombers has delivered another devastating attack on Nauru Island, a Japanese base in the Gilbert group guarding one of the approaches to the enemy’s naval stronghold at Truk.
The attack was carried out in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire and fighter plane interception.
The Navy’s bulletin reported:
Much damage was done to Japanese installations.
Five and possibly seven defending Zero fighters were shot down during the attack, the second on that base in nearly a month. All our planes returned.
Meanwhile, American fliers in the Aleutians continued their smashing offensive against Kiska, hitting the enemy base 10 times Tuesday to raise the April raid score to 113.
Nauru, formerly under British mandate, is the site of some of the world’s biggest phosphate deposits. It is 675 miles northeast of Guadalcanal and 1,020 miles southeast of Truk. It was assumed that the attacking planes operated from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.
Solomons harbor hit
The Navy communiqué also reported a raid by heavy bombers on Numa Numa Harbor, Bougainville Island, in the northwestern Solomons. Bad weather prevented observation of results.
The Navy did not say what particular objective the Army bombers sought on Nauru, but it was believed the raid may have been aimed at hampering Jap efforts to obtain phosphate needed by the enemy’s war industry.
Nauru was last attacked March 26 when Liberator bombers attacked installations there. Hits were scored on the wharf, runways, officer’s quarters and barracks. Four fires were started and several enemy planes were damaged.
Yank fliers bomb capital of Thailand
New Delhi, India (UP) –
Liberator bombers of the U.S. 10th Air Force attacked Bangkok, capital of Thailand, early yesterday, dropping explosives on Jap-held military objectives, a communiqué revealed today.
Unfavorable weather conditions over the capital obscured the results of the attack.
Other U.S. heavy bombers carried out an early morning raid on Jap installations at Rangoon, the Burmese capital, but there, too, clouds prevented an accurate accounting of the results.
Mitchell medium bombers carried on the offensive by daylight, striking at railroad installations in the Maymyo area of Burma.
Curtiss P-40 fighters operating over northwestern Burma attacked Jap stores and troops at Hpunginzup and Kamaing.
Another communiqué said the Royal Air Force bombed four villages in the Arakan district of western Burma, starting fires and inflicting casualties on the Japs.