America at war! (1941– ) (Part 1)

Labor leaders ask ouster of Adm. Land

Protests against ‘shot-at-sunrise’ speech sent to Roosevelt

New York will get longest super-road

Draft author warns Senate on liquor ban

Wadsworth says behavior of servicemen is good without curb
By Fred W. Perkins, Press Washington correspondent

Chilean leader hints of break with Axis soon

President Rios completes reorganization of cabinet
By William L. F. Horsey, United Press staff writer

U.S. relations with Chile, Soviets hinge largely on Solomons battle

By William Philip Simms, Scripps-Howard foreign editor

Editorial: No!

Like the horned toad, the bluenose seems to have thrived on suffocation.

We thought we had buried him for keeps, nine years ago come Dec. 5. But here he is again, umbrella and sleazy plug hat and all, oozing piety from every pore and ready to be his brother’s keeper – over his brother’s dead body if need be.

Nine years. It doesn’t seem that long. The noisome scent of bathtub gin still quivers our nostrils. The headlines are still fresh in memory – “Beer Baron Slain,” “Booze Convoy Hijacked,” “Coeds in Rum Orgy,” “Senator Shot by Dry Agent.”

Lord, have we got to go through that again!

Wayne B. Wheeler, Bishop Cannon, Izzy and Moe, Al Capone, Rum Row, hip flasks, blind pigs, counterfeit booze, “just off the boat,” clip joints, flaming youth, “Hello sucker!” and jake paralysis. It seems incredible that the most fanatic of fanatics would want to revive that awful era. But here they are. The bluenose is under the tent.

Quietly they capture local-option elections here and there. Now they put the heat on Congress to:

…save our boys in uniform from demon rum.

Our “boys,” who would a sight rather be called men, deserve a better reward than this rabbit-punch from behind. The Marines in the Solomons, the Fortress crews over the Channel, the Navy’s “expendables” in their motor torpedo boats, must be boiling at the news – unless the censors have charitably kept it from them – that the pecksniffs are trying to “reform” them in absentia.

For heaven’s sake, let’s slap this thing down before it goes any further – before it builds up the momentum to roll us back to the bootleg age. From another noble experiment, may the good Lord deliver us!

Editorial: Need for manpower policy

Editorial: Congress can cure itself

U.S. bombers active in desert fighting

Cairo, Egypt (UP) –
American bombs and bullets spread new havoc among enemy encampments and aviation installations in the Egyptian desert battle area yesterday, U.S. Army Air Force Headquarters in the Middle East announced today.

The communiqué said:

Fighter and medium bombardment aircraft of the desert air task force, U.S. Army Middle East Air Force, was again active in the battle area, Wednesday.

Medium bombers operating jointly with fighters of the Royal Air Force and South African Air Force attacked enemy landing grounds and tent areas. Many hits were observed among tents and fires were started both in tent areas and on landing grounds.

Yesterday’s operations were the first in which U.S. bomber squadrons carried out raids on their own. They had previously operated in Allied formations.

Millett: Women on defense duties enjoy new satisfactions

That first paycheck is something quite important to wife who never worked
By Ruth Millett

Own countrymen blamed

Long Branch, New Jersey –
Tory Kawamoto, 59, a Japanese who owned one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the New Jersey shore, blamed the treachery of his countrymen for driving him to commit suicide. His body was found hanging from a tree yesterday. He left a note, explaining the attack on Pearl Harbor had ruined his business.

Sirens sound in New York

New York (UP) –
Air-raid alarm sirens sounded in New York at 2:32 p.m. today. The Eastern Defense Command had no immediate explanation for the alert.

Radio stations remained on the air.

Police stopped traffic in the midtown area and directed pedestrians to seek shelter inside buildings.

Völkischer Beobachter (October 23, 1942)

Japanischer Erfolg bei den Salomoninseln –
Zwei der neuesten USA.-zerstörer versenkt

dnb. Stockholm, 22. Oktober –
Das USA.-Marineministerium gibt – nach einer Reuter-Meldung aus Washington – den Verlust der beiden Zerstörer Meredith und O’Brien bekannt. Sie seien in den letzten Tagen durch feindliche Einwirkung beiden Salomoninseln verlorengegangen. Ein Bericht über die Einbuße an Mannschaften sei noch nicht eingegangen.

Meredith gehörte zu den allerneuesten amerikanischen Zerstörern. Das Schiff war erst 1941 vom Stapel gelaufen. Es hatte eine Wasserverdrängung von 1630 Tonnen und war mit sechs 12.7-crn-Geschützen bestückt. Der Zerstörer O’Brien war nur ein Jahr früher fertiggestellt worden. Er hatte 1570 Tonnen Wasserverdrängung und eine Geschwindigkeit von 36,5 Knoten. Seine Friedensbesatzung belief sich auf 166 Mann. Er war bestückt mit vier 12,7-cm-Geschützen und fünf 2,8-cm-Flak-Geschützen sowie acht Maschinengewehren.

Nach amerikanischen Berichten geht die Schlacht um die Salomoneninseln in Form von pausenlosen Seegefechten weiter. Nördlich der Inseln seien am Donnerstag neue japanische Schiffsanhäufungen gesichtet worden. Die Bodenstreitkräfte auf Guadalcanar entfalteten gegenwärtig nur geringe Tätigkeit. Auf Neuguinea herrsche eine lebhafte Luftaktivität.

Das nordamerikanische Marineministerium gab am Mittwochabend ferner die Versenkung eines weiteren Frachters im Nordatlantik bekannt. Die Überlebenden landeten in einem Ostküstehafen.

U.S. Navy Department (October 23, 1942)

Communiqué No. 165

South Pacific.
On October 21:

  1. U.S. troops repulsed a small enemy force which attacked the western flank of our positions on Guadalcanal Island.

  2. During the late morning, seven enemy bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked our Guadalcanal airfield. Anti-aircraft batteries destroyed one bomber and damaged two others. Our Grumman “Wildcats” intercepted and shot down six enemy fighters. Two of our fighters were lost.

  3. Douglas “Dauntless” dive bombers attacked enemy positions on Russell Island, about 30 miles northwest of Guadalcanal.

On October 22:

  1. In the early afternoon, several groups of enemy planes attacked our airfield during bad weather. Grumman “Wildcats” intercepted and shot down one of these groups consisting of five bombers.

  2. During the night of October 22-23, an enemy ship, believed to have been a submarine, shelled our positions on Espiritu Santo Island in the New Hebrides.

The Pittsburgh Press (October 23, 1942)

Japs hunting ‘soft spots’ in Solomons

U.S. fliers bomb troops and supplies on Guadalcanal

Overtime pay ban proposed in draft bill

O’Daniel to offer motion; Senators block dry zone move

Bulletin

Washington –
President Roosevelt advised the Senate today that he is opposed to pending amendments to the teenage draft bill which would specify that youths under 20 must be given a year’s training before assignment to combat duty.

Tank output cut to boost their quality

Combat lessons lead to changes in planes too, Roosevelt says

Thousands cheer First Lady –
Mrs. Roosevelt in London; will visit King and Queen

York’s WAAC cousin scores 100 at darts

Des Moines, Iowa (UP) –
Sgt. Alvin C. York has a cousin in the WAACs and apparently, she can shoot as straight as the hero of World War I. She is Auxiliary Jennie T. York, 22, of Clinton, Tennessee, who has just completed her basic training and has been assigned to the Fort Des Moines message center.

Members of her company, knowing the York reputation for marksmanship, decided to test her ability. They are forbidden to use firearms so they brought out darts. Miss York shot a perfect score of 100.


Robinson tours England

London, England –
Edward G. Robinson, screen and stage star, arrived today after a transatlantic Clipper flight. He will soon begin an entertainment tour for American troops.

President discusses prisoner treatment

Washington (UP) –
President Roosevelt today described as a violation of the Geneva Convention on treatment of war prisoners Japan’s announced intention to visit “severe punishment” upon American fliers after raids on Jap territory.

Japan was not a signatory to the Geneva agreement. Asked at his press conference, however, whether Japan’s announced intention regarding American fliers was a violation of the convention, Mr. Roosevelt asserted it was.

Asked about the possibility of American reprisals, Mr. Roosevelt said to have that question up with the State Department.