House-revised strike bill due for early approval
Stiffened Connally measure would prohibit Lewis-called walkout in coal mines
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No limit placed on letters sent to war captives
Delivery is fairly certain in Germany and Italy, word from Japan is less definite; methods are outlined
By Dick Thornburg, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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Plane output triples here to top world
Roosevelt predicts 1944 to show increase of 50%
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Army admits AWOL fliers did ‘a pretty good job’
Two privates arrested after piloting stolen plane over treacherous California mountains
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Allies close in on Vichy’s isle of Martinique
Nazis report U.S. attack imminent; British send troops to Dominica
By the United Press
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Simms: Invasion only one of many subjects at Allied conclave
Roosevelt-Churchill conference may be prelude to long awaited parley with Premier Stalin
By William Philip Simms, Scripps-Howard foreign editor
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Huge fires set as Allies raid key Jap field
Liberators and Fortresses strike New Britain through storm
By Don Caswell, United Press staff writer
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Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
Northern Tunisia – (May 8, by wireless)
Before the first day of the great surrender on the Bizerte-Tunis front was over, I believe half the Americans in the area had German souvenirs of some sort.
There was very little of what one would call looting of German supply dumps. The Germans gave away helmets, goggles and map cases, which they will not be needing anymore. The spoils of war which the average doughboy has on him are legitimate, and little enough recompense for his fighting.
Practically every American truck has a German or Italian helmet fastened to its radiator. Our motorcycles are decorated like a carnival, with French flags and the colorful little black-and-yellow death’s-head pennants the Germans use for marking their own minefields.
Ernie gets big souvenir
Many soldiers have new Lugers in their holsters. Lots of our men clowningly wear German field caps. German goggles are frequently seen on American heads. I got in on the souvenirs too. I got one memento that is a little gem. It’s an automobile – yep, a real automobile that runs.
I drove back to camp that first evening in my German “Volkswagen,” the bantam car the Nazis use as we use our jeep. It is a topless two-seater with a rear motor, camouflaged a dirty brown.
Mine was given me by our 1st Armored Division for – as they said – “sweating it out with us at Faid Pass all winter.” As I drove back from the lines, Americans in the rear would stare, startled-like and belligerent; then, seeing an American at the wheel they would laugh and wave. I have owned half a dozen autos in my life, but I’ve never been so proud of one as of my clattering little Volkswagen.
Germans well-fed, well-equipped
On that first day of surrender, the Germans sat in groups of hundreds in the fields, just waiting. They lay on their overcoats, resting. They took off their shirts to sun themselves. They took off their shoes to rest their feet.
They were a tired army but not a nondescript one. All were extremely well-equipped. Their uniforms were good. They had plenty in the way of little personal things, money, cigarettes, and food. Their equipment was of the best materials. One English-appearing soldier had a Gem nail-clipper. He said he paid 25¢ for it in New York in 1939.
Some were clean-shaven, some had three- or four-day beards, just like our soldiers. Lots of them had red-rimmed eyes from lack of sleep.
As a whole, they seemed younger than our men, and I was surprised that on the average they didn’t seem as big. But they did appear well-fed and in excellent health.
Germans admire Americans
They think Americans are fine fighters. They express only good-natured contempt for their allies, the Italians. As one of them said:
It isn’t just that Italians don’t fight well. It’s simply that Germans don’t like Italians very much in the first place.
Wherever any American correspondents stopped, prisoners immediately gathered around. They all seemed in good spirits. Even those who couldn’t speak a word of English would try hard to tell you something.
The main impression I got, seeing German prisoners, was that they were human like anybody else, fundamentally friendly, a little vain. Certainly they are not supermen. Whenever a group of them would form, some American soldier would pop up with a camera to get a souvenir picture. And every time all the prisoners in the vicinity would crowd into the picture like kids.
Big boost to American morale
One German boy had found a broken armchair leaning against a barn, and was sitting in it. When I passed, he grinned, pointed to his feet and then to the chair arms, and put back his head in the international sign language for “Boy, does this chair feel good!”
This colossal German surrender has done more for American morale here than anything that could possibly have happened. Winning in battle is like winning at poker or catching lots of fish – it’s damned pleasant and it sets a man up. As a result, the hundreds of thousands of Americans in North Africa now are happy men, laughing and working with new spirits that bubble.
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WAACs open a new classification for women in the Signal Corps
High school diploma is a requirement for new task
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U.S. Navy Department (May 13, 1943)
Communiqué No. 375
North Pacific.
On May 11, a force of Army Mitchell (North American B‑25) medium bombers attacked Japanese installations at Kiska, dropping bombs on the runway and main camp area.
South Pacific.
On May 12:
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During the morning, Flying Fortress (Boeing B‑17) heavy bombers bombed Japanese positions on Ballale Island in the Shortland Island area, and started a large fire.
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About the same time, Flying Fortresses attacked Kahili in the Shortland Island area and started a number of fires which appeared to be burning enemy aircraft.
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Later in the morning, Dauntless (Douglas SBD) dive bombers and Avenger (Grumman TBF) torpedo bombers, escorted by Warhawk (Curtiss P‑40) and Corsair (Vought F4U) fighters, attacked Japanese installations at Munda on New Georgia Island in the Central Solomons.
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On the night of May 12‑13, U.S. light surface units bombarded Japanese positions at Vila on Kolombangara Island and at Munda.
The Allied naval vessels which previously were announced as sunk by Japanese air attack on Allied shipping in the vicinity of Guadalcanal on April 7, 1943, now can be named as the destroyer USS AARON WARD (DD-483), the tanker USS KANAWHA (AO-1), and the corvette HMNZS MOA (T233). The next of kin of all casualties aboard these vessels have been notified. The action previously was reported in Navy Department Communiqués No. 337, 338, 339 and 340.
U.S. State Department (May 13, 1943)
Roosevelt-Churchill-Beneš meeting, forenoon
| Present | ||
|---|---|---|
| United States | United Kingdom | Czechoslovakia |
| President Roosevelt | Prime Minister Churchill | President Beneš |
President Beneš had been invited to attend so that he could explain to Roosevelt and Churchill his views on the partition of Germany. Beneš also set forth his views regarding the necessity to try German war criminals, reeducate the German people, decentralize the German administration, and substantially change the German social structure. Numerous questions of European politics as well as problems of future international organization and the guaranteeing of peace and security were discussed by Roosevelt, Churchill, and Beneš at this meeting.