Five WAACs in Africa
Allied HQ, North Africa – (Dec. 22, delayed)
Five WAACs were on duty with U.S. fighting forces in North Africa today, the first members of their organization to reach this theater of operations. The women arrived from England.
Roving Reporter
With U.S. forces in Algeria –
I had often wondered in just what sort of formation a big convoy moved, and whether you could see the whole thing all the time or not, and how the escort vessels acted.
Well, ours was a medium convoy. The day we left, we counted a certain number of ships. We were never able to count the same number again until we got almost to port, not because they were out of eye-range, but because they were lined up in rows and you couldn’t see those behind other ships. Usually, our convoy was wider than it was long, which surprised me.
The convoy seemed to use three or four different geometric patterns. Every little bit the entire formation would change from one pattern to another, like a football team shifting after a huddle. It was fascinating to watch some ships speed up, others drop back, and the new pattern takes shape.
In addition, the entire convoy, moving in unison, zigzagged constantly. The turns were sudden, and so sharp that the ships would heel over. These zigzags were made at frequent intervals – very frequent when we were in suspicious waters.
British corvettes and warships were ahead and on all sides of us. They didn’t do much dashing about, but seemed to keep their positions just as steadily as we did ours.
In the daytime, we ran half a mile or so apart, and at night, the entire convoy tightened up. At night, you could distinguish two or three dark shapes close around us. I do not know whether it was true, but they said we had additional escorts out of sight over the horizon.
Sunrises but no submarines
So far as we know, there was only one “incident” during the entire trip. We were on the outside of the convoy. The corvette out beyond us, and the transport running aft of us, both signaled that a torpedo had passed just behind us and just ahead of the other transport.
The corvettes dashed around and dropped depth charges. That was all there was to it. Nobody on our ship saw the torpedo, and nobody at all saw the submarine.
As we progressed southward, the weather became absolutely heavenly – softly warm and so calm there was no movement whatsoever in the ship. Many soldiers slept on deck those last few nights. Often it seemed like a peacetime tropical cruise.
The last three nights, we were ordered to sleep in our clothes. It would be wrong to deny that people were tense those days, but it would also be wrong to say that fear was shown by anybody.
Dawn and dusk were the crucial times, and the last two mornings, I managed to get awake and on deck just before daylight. I never saw any submarines, but I saw two of the most thrilling sunrises I’ve ever known.
As we drew closer and closer to journey’s end, we acquired a feeling something akin to family love for our team of ships. We somehow became like an enormous oceanic machine, engaged in a giant rhythmic rotation, our ability to go on and on forever insured by the perfection of our own discipline.
The sight of us, above all the sights of wartime that I’ve ever seen, thrust itself into my memory forever. Hour after hour, I stood at our rail looking out over that armada of marching ships – they did really seem to march across the ocean – and an almost choking sense of its beauty and power enveloped me.
At last, we came to the Straits of Gibraltar – to lights on both sides of us – and then on into the calmness of the Mediterranean. We still sailed a long time, still in danger waters, but a pleasant relief took hold of us.
With thoughts of home
We started to pack. We were issued our desert gear of dust masks, water purifiers and so on. We tipped our stewards. We returned borrowed books. We traded our money for the new American issue. We took down outfit numbers, for looking up new Army friends.
Finally, we arrived, slowly and intricately, like twine from a hidden ball, the ships poured us out onto the docks in long brown lines, we lined up and marched away.
Some of us marched three miles, some of us 20 miles. We marched at first gaily and finally with great weariness, but always with a feeling that at last we were beginning the final series of marches that would lead us home again – home, the one really profound goal that obsess every one of the brown-clad Americans marching today on foreign shores.
It’s turkey for men in camps Christmas
Washington (UP) –
While Army furloughs for Christmas will be limited to one out of 10 men, the War Department will see to it that those in camp do not miss the culinary trimmings of Yuletide at home. Here is the official menu:
Fresh fruit cup, cream of celery soup, roast young turkey, dressing and giblet gravy, radish roses, snowflake potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, corn pudding, hearts of lettuce with Russian dressing, hot cake, grapes, oranges, apples, mixed nuts, mints, hard candy, coffee.
U.S. Navy Department (December 24, 1942)
Communiqué No. 228
South Pacific.
On December 22, U.S. dive bombers from Guadalcanal bombed and strafed the Japanese airfield at Munda, on New Georgia Island. Results were not reported.
The Pittsburgh Press (December 24, 1942)
Rommel’s men run –
Foe may strike first in Tunisia
Lack of Nazi air action hints attack looms
By Phil Ault, United Press staff writer
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Little WLB’s given power to end rows
Regional officers get limited authority over wage adjustments
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Former Oakdale resident to marry Carole Landis
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Army non-believers now wish they did
Sebring, Florida (UP) –
A bulletin requesting all men who did not believe in Santa Claus to sign their names on a list next to the notice was tacked on the wall of the squadron orderly room here at Hendricks Field. Several hours later, the commander ordered all men who signed the list to report for kitchen duty Christmas Day. All of the signers were non-commissioned officers – not a private was on the list.
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You slice it yourself –
Daily bread is simplified to afford farmer a raise
By Thomas L. Stokes, Scripps-Howard staff writer
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More U.S. forces moving into Dakar
London, England (UP) –
The Daily Telegraph said today in a dispatch from Bathurst, British Gambia, that:
American air and army personnel at Dakar are being strengthened daily.
Civilian experts have been summoned, the Daily Telegraph said, to take advantage of the expanded facilities at Dakar.
The U.S. Army Air Force went quickly into action after Governor-General Pierre Boisson of French West Africa announced his intention of siding with the United States, the dispatch said.
The American planes are expected to do valuable anti-submarine patrol work, according to the Daily Telegraph.
African duties satisfy WAACs
Arrival in convoy arouses admiration
Allied HQ, North Africa (UP) –
Arrival of the first of the WAACs and some U.S. Army nurses and ambulance drivers practically filled this headquarters with uniformed women today, to the undisguised interest of the Arabian population.
The Arabs, who prefer to have their women veiled, commented at length upon the appearance of women in uniforms.
Five WAACs led the way, followed by the nurses and women drivers, whose smart uniforms caused considerable stir in London a few months ago and aroused equal admiration here.
In addition to the women in the armed services, there are a dozen or more women State Department employees here.
The WAACs, after inspecting the city and their comfortable quarters, said they had decided they liked North Africa.
The members of the Women’s Auxiliary of the U.S. Army were flown to Britain from the United States and came here in a convoy. They will relieve men for frontline duty.