The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, July 13, 1943, Page 1

VOL. LXI., NO. 9393. HE DAILY ALASKA E “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” JUNEAU, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JULY 13, 1943 PRICE TEN CENTS —— INVASION FORCES SWEEP UP SICILY COAST 4 Jap Waiships Sunk Second Kula VESSELS OF 'Baby Aircraft Carrier Helped Drive Japanese From Attu, Navy Says NIPPONS ARE SENT DOWN Battle Takes Place Last; Night - May Still Be | in Progress | Ti | ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, July 13—Four Japanese warships, one cruiser and three destroyers, were sunk last night in the second bat- tle of the Kula Gulf by United States Naval units, The battle may still be in progress. The latest enemy losses raised to at least 13 the number of cruis- ers and destroyers Japan has lost in a frantic effort to carry aid to the beleaguered garrison at the Munda airbase, New Georgia Is- land. Two other destroyers are report- ed as probably sunk flaming in last night's engagement. There is no mention of American ship losses. The enemy warships sunk might well total 17 for the two battles inasmuch as reports after the bat- tle of July 5 and July 6.gave the Jap losses at least nine and pos- sibly 11. American warships bombarded Munda and American airplanes also pounde(l Munda and supply pomls. The Washington Merry - Go- Round By DREW PEARSON (Major Robert 8. Allen on active duty.) WASHINGTON. — American sol- diers who spent dreary winters tracking through the Arctic forest to build the Alcan Highway to Al- aska frequently saw the sparkle of gold in the stream beds and want- ed to stake out claims for peace- time development. They were not allowed to do so. Now, however, civilian construc- tion crews are going along the same trail, and are staking out claims for the gold which U. S. soldiers could not touch. Boys from almost every State were sent to Alaska on that pio- neering job—cutting a road through tall timber where none but Indians had passed before. They worked from Dawson Creek, in Alberta, to Fairbanks, Alaska, but the place where they saw the gleaming gold was in the Yukon, near White-" horse. At first, there was little time to think about private projects, for one battalion was racing against an-’ other to complete its 20-mile stretch of highway. But when a lull came‘ in the work, the men asked per-| mission to try their luck at panning gold. The officers, however, ruled this out. Another season has rolled around, and things have cHanged. The pio- neer road is being replaced by a permanent highway, built by big construction companies Elliott Construction Company, and Beck- etel, Price, and Callahan. These companies have mining en- gineers attached to the cumtruc- tion gangs, and they are not bound by military discipline. NOTE: Fin- ally the Army has modified its reg- ulations to permit a little amalcur( gold panning by soldiers in Alas-' ka, for recreational purposes. This activity will be in the same class, with fishing, to give the soldler;\ sport in their spare time. DIPLOMATIC NURSE Diplomats have the reputation SIGNS CONTRACT s S Peosing for a poster in which she bestows an under-water kiss upon a bathing-suit-cld male led to a movie contract in Hollywood with Universal for Vivian Austin {above) of Hollywood. A movie scout, intrigued by the watery osculation, traced her and signed her to a featured role in a new film. Poriland Man To Head (oming Year Frank Lonergran Is Name Grand Exalted Ruler in Grand lodge Session BOS{()N July 13.—Frank Loner- gan, Portland, Ore., attorney, was nanimpusly elected Grand Exalted Ruler of the BP.OE. during the cpening session of the Elks Grand Lodge here. CLAIM M WO U.S.WARSHIPS SUNK, BATTLE (By Associated Press) A Japanese communique broad- cast by the Tokyo radio station and recorded by the Associated Press NAZITHRUST STAVED OFF {Field Marsha| Von Kluge | Is Held in Old Nazi Powerhouse Play | ! WASHINGTON, July 13—A lit- tle auxiliary aircraft carrier pro-| vided much of the American aerial | support which was a vital factor in| driving the Japs from Attu. The Navy s the exploits of - | carrier “A" proved of great value‘ MOSCOW, July 13.—Field Mar- The baby flat tops are being|shal von Kluge threw the entire| constructed by scores to transport|weight of his armored columns inm,i fighting planes to battle areas. la furious attack on the southern | Fliers from carrier A xopmlcdlv end of the 200 mile Orel-Kurck- | answered appeals by ;,munriuoons‘B(‘lgmod front today in an acuonw by strafing the Japs. They were|designed to enlarge the Bulgon)d\ led by Lieut. Commdr. Lloyd Free- wedge and blast a major breach naymer of Corpus Christi, now|into the Russian lines, dropping all listed as missing in action. efforts at breaking through on the The Navy said the “weather waa|lw‘l‘];1::‘l;“::i'";:l-l it s the always bad and the ceilings low, 3 @ % yet the response by the m”k\“'Nazi powerhouse play but the thiek wildcats to the requests of air sup-|Red defenses remained impeggs port from beach parties and com- | trable. ) bat units ashore was so prompt as(, FIERIEE 18 0 bl fo. s, stasding [hand to hand combat. ant. of. theg sraher | In the past eight days the GeF- o B |mans have lost 2622 tanks RAF MAKES HITLER IS " NIGHTRAID: AT FRONT TURINISHIT ~ ISREPORT ponpon, auy 3 tiome beeed Against Advice of His Gen- erals, He Takes Com- mand, Kursk Sector or were blow on Turin, northern Italy, last night, and encountered bad wea- } ther both ways but the sky was| clear over the target. | “The bombers unloaded the usual | heavy concentration bombs and did| great damage,” is the official report. | dipiomatic source, usually reliable Other RAF planes attacked rail-|asserted that Adolf Hitler is re- ways and other targets in France|ported to have assumed control of last night. |the German offensive in the Kurck ¥ |bulge and broadened it into an ex- | pensive gamble to break through | |the Russian lines. Hitler's step is |taken againist the advice of all of FooEv his generals. 3 | There is no other LONDON, July 13—An Italian|of the report. mmunique says four Allied cruis- ers have been torpedoed, three by| Italian planes, and another large| cruiser has been torpedoed by an Italian submarine. There is no Alued confirmation. LONDON, July 13. — A foreign PO N confirmation D 'CONGRESS WILL TAKE UP NEW DRAFT MEASURE SURRENDER WASHINGTON, July 13. New draft legislation including a pro- posal to require all adult men and l‘ ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN|women to register for service in NORTH AFRICA, July 13. — Four|the war effort will be subject to Italian lieutenant colonels have|intense hearing by the House Mili- {walked into the Allied lines and|tary Committee at the end of the surrendered according to an offi-| Congressional recess in September, cial report '.omght Chairman May said. i by ) Clothing Is Soon fo Be Raficned;Shorfage Of Fabrics Is Reason i ( isive prices. WPB, by nature of its personnel, is sympath- etic to “business as usual” as long as it doesn't interfere with the pro- duction effort. OPA is very little interested in “business as us when it interferes with the control of prices and the equitable distri- bution of shortage materials.) By JACK STINNETT the very WASHINGTON, July 13.—Purely Potomac rumors—but from sources which should know: ‘That the rationing of clothing is as certain as those well-known certainties, death and taxes —but |that WPB will insist on its being held off as long as possible. (If the public will think of WPB as the producer, management, big business, or whatever they wish to call it; and OPA in ierms of the The rationing of shoes (the only real necessity made from leather of keeping late hours—at both ends reported a flotilla of Jap destroyers of the night. But Cristina Michels, [topedoed and sunk two American daughter of the Chilean Ambassa- Cruisers and set another afire in a dor, gets up at 6:30 am. four battle north of Kolombangara mornings a week, prepares her own Island, in the Solomons, last night. breakfast, slips out of the big Em- One Jap cluiser_ was damag passy residence at Sheridan Circle, the communique said. - (Continued on Page Four) BUY WAR BON consumers’ representative, they will get a clearer picture of the whole situation. Basically, WPB’s job is to produce for the war effort in ever increasing quantities; basi- cally, OPA’s job is to see that what’s left for the consumer is evenly distributed at not too exces was the first step. Now, so the story goes, shortages in fabrics starting with the now almost non- existent silk, and spreading through nylons, rayons, wools, etc., is either $0 acute or 1s running so cl |the danger-line, on paper, to (Continued on Page Three) First Pictures of Invasion of Sicily RUSSSECTOR ~ <= =% Aw.lull troops carrying the attack to tht‘ ll.llnnl island (of Sieily m fantry) barges for the take-of igna! Corps radiophoto from Alg ships, which moved to Assanll troops blow, Army Packed in a boat of the invasion fleet which carriel them to Sicily, Allicd assault troops wave goodbye in this photograph, one of the first of the garrison of 300,000, vasion which smashed af ] ind supplies wi ;\ Gulf Battle IMPORTANT PORTS ARE TAKEN NOW British, Cafiflan Forces Also Capture Strategic Inland Centers AMERICAN UNITS IN - FORWARD MOVEMENT First Ranking Mtalian Of- ficer Taken Prisoner by Allies ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH AFRICA, July 13. — The | Allied invasion forces have swept |up the east coast of Sicily in a breath-taking pace, capturing the port of Augusta, 19 miles north of Syracuse, and piling ashore on the beaches near Catania, a major city, nearly halfway up the coastline to £ | Messina. whed aboard l( I (Landing Craft In- in this photograph, ene of the first 'of the jon drive. U. harbor for lhe harbor. U. S. in the drive on chat Haliay iy, were loaded iy taken aboard. Note other ships further out in the photo from A s, ftalian island said to have an Axis U. 8. Army Signal Corps radiophoto from Al | transports crowded with | British and Canadian troops have | won strategic communication cen- |ters, Ragusa and Palazzola, in the | southeast corner of the island, and | forming a junction with the Am- |erican troops under Lieut. Gen, | George S. Patton, Jr. At Ragusa |the latter pushed steadily north- rd with his American fighting |men from the original landing place tat Gela. Americans Hit Hard Once again have the veteran | American troops repelled fierce counter-attacks of the Axis forces, destroying a number of tanks and | tuking prisoners, The bulletin from headquarters announced that Palazzola, 20 miles . | west of Syracuse, was captured by quick thrust and marked a fur- ther point of the advance inland. (Ragusa is 12 miles south of Palaz- zola and both are at the junctions of virtually all main and secondary ((‘nntmued on Page Three) - SKY FLEETS BLAST OUT ENEMY SHIPS Transports, Loaded with | Soldiers, Sent Down- Messina Battered ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN |NORTH AFRICA, July 13.—Ameri- can and British sky fleets blasted enemy troop transports in Sicilian iwntvh and battered supply centers on both sides of Messina Strait | yesterday. Liberators and Flying Fortresses mashed at Messina on Sicily and the twin ferry terminals at Regilo Calabria and Sangiovanni on the Italian mainland Heavy daylight attacks wrecked the main, supply route of the Axis to the island. RAF torpedo planes struck heavy blows at the Axis naval units, sinking two merchant ships, dam- |aging two destroyers and two large transports. Pilots could see the decks of. the soldiers. Twenty-eight enemy planes were shot down over Sicily yesterday. The Allies have lost 11 planes. . e o 0 0 0 0 o . DIMOUT TIMES . sk e Dimout begins tonight e ® at sunset at 9:55 o'clock. . ® Dimout ends tomqrrow e ® at sunrise at 4:13 am. ° . Dimout begins Wednesday at e e sunset at 9:54 p.m. PP e e e