Evening Star Newspaper, January 31, 1942, Page 7

Two Columns, Ousted| Trek of 19 Bntons Across Desert With By Axis af Bengasi, Rejoin British Italians Report Retreat Of Enemy Forces Under Heavy Pressure B) the Associated Press. CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 31.—The Brit- ish Middle East command said today there was no change to report in| the situation around Bengasi, but that two columns of the 7th Indian Brigade ousted by the Axis detach- ments of Field Marshal Gen. Erwin Rommel from the area around that Libyan port had rejoined the main British forces “In the Msus area (70 miles south- west of Bengasi) our mobile columns continued throughout the day to engage the enemy, whose patrols again withdrew on making contact,” a communique said. “Our fighters again carried out protective patrols over our troops, while others successfully attacked the enemy's lines of supply.” Italians Report British Are Continuing Retreat ROME (from Italian broadcasts), Jan. 31 (#).—The Italian high com- mand announced today that British forces in Libya were continuing to retreat under heavy Axis pressure and declared that the scene of battle was being steadily extended. “We are maintaining frequent contact with the enemy,” said a com- munique, which also reported that Axis bombers were heavily blasting British troop concentrations and communication lines. The Italians acknowledged, how- ever, that the Royal Air Force was striking back sharply at the ad- vancing Axis forces. “The British air force continued to disturb transport on our supply roads,” said the war bulletin. It reported that two of the raiders had been shot down by anti-aircraft batteries. The high command said German alr formations were continuing re- lentiessly their assaults on the Brit- ish Mediterranean stronghold of Malta, and declared the raiders had caused fires and explosions in the fort area. In the Central Mediterranean, the Italians said, one of their convoys beat off ar attack by British tor- pedo-carrying planes, shooting down one of the atiackers into the sea and esoaping without damage. Dr. Coffey Speaks Tonight Dr. E. R. Coffey, assistant surgeon general of the United States Public Health Service, will speak on “Public Health—The Urgent Need of Defense Today” in the Washington Health Forum at Confederate Memorial Hall, 1322 Vermont avenue N.W, st 8 o'clock tonight. Prof. George R. Laird, president of the forum, will lead the discussion to follow. Army Orders qunln:umn oconrs. Firestone, Col. Jam from Port Raves, Soule. = Maj. Toba K. Atlacie 0 ‘ashington. INF, Gallagher, Lt. Col. Ph: gton to West Point. \{tDo'el Second Lt. nox, oo, Waaningtor Wall. ‘Second Lt. Zachariah R., from Camp Joseph T, Robbinson, Ark.."to Port Mo- «._Capt. Clyde W.. from Port Orook, Neor., to Camp Joseph T. Robinson Bavage. ol Gordon glx_»om Hollywood, Calif.. to Camp Josfl’h Robinwn RDNANCE DEPAR' 0] Goddard, Second Lt Rluhlrd l( zon (amnh Edwards. Mass., to g Col. Otto M. from Parsons Kans. !0 Burlington, Iows. Royston. Second Lt. William W.. from Wright Field, Ohio, to Fort Monmoush. MEDICAL CORPS. Lindgren. Capt. Russell C, from Mot Springs, ATk.. to Fort Sill. Okls French, CID Lyle A. from Wfldd. Mo. Fort 8Ill. Koschniigke, First Lt. Herman K. trom Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind. o Fort Strough, First Lt. La Verns C., from Port in T Brooks, Capt. Rober: H, Houston: Tex. to, Keliy Fieid. Tex. Hansen, First Lt. Willam L., from Chi- caz; ansas City, Kans. to Fori George G. Meade, Grifith, First Lt. Paul R. from Camp Forrdst. Tenn fo Fort, Cister. Mich Sturgeon, Col. John H. fra N.C. 'to Fort Custer. COAST ARTILLERY. Barrett. Second Lt Wadsworth, N. ¥., | Boothby, Second Lt Neil G. L., from Fori Bliss, Tex.. to Fort Monroe Frederick W.. from | {." to Fort Monroe Paul 8. from Fort Fort Monrot. | Chaver. Second Lt. Walter A. from Port Stevens, Oreg., to Fort Monroe Degyansky, Second Lt William, from Camp | Callan, Calif, to Port Monsoe ond’ Lt Horton D. from Fort | Me.." to' Fort Mo THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 1942. ADRIFT ON FLYING BOAT WING—Passengers and crew of a Royal Air Force flying boat sit on wings after it was forced down in battle over the Mediterranean near Cyrenaiea. It was blown toward land. An R. A. F. sergeant carried a small camera with which he recorded progress of the amazing journey of 19 men, including & severely wounded gunner, and a dog. Here they wait and hope the flying boat won't sink. esnng shore and time to swim for safety, the wounded gunner was placed on a rubber dinghy, which was towed by an Australian air officer, who later swam, pushing a second dinghy before him. The flying boat was drifting near the rocks in heavy sea. nroe, Gildee. Second Lt. John J., Jr., from Port Saulsbury. Del, to Fort Monroe. | Grenier, Second Lt William T Charies E. from’ Port | v, Me.. to Fort Monroe. Nesmith, Second Lt. Joseph Rosecrans, Calif.. Wwilliamson. %0 onroy “gacond Lt Lathrop, from e-mp Tex., to Fort | Fart, Second " Li. Charles P irom Port Bliss to Fort Monroe. | Mee. Second_Lt. James H., from Camp | Hulen to Fort Monroe. Messer. Second Lt. Peter C.. from Camp | Stewart, Ga. to Fort Monros. Rochette, ' Second Lt Walter L., lnF"r Bliss to Fort Monroe. to Fort Monroe, SecondLt. Morrls R. from mp Hann to Fort Monroe. Meermans, Capt. Leonard H. from Port Fustis to Fort Monroe Rancock, Capt. Willlam B. from Port Terry. N. Y., to Port Monroe tazar, Capi. Avron M. from Camp Davis. N, ., to Port Bliss. be. Pist L0 BrnGt A tr sche. AL from Port ™ Belvolr. V. 1o Washington €alian. First Lt John P, from Joliet, T o Fort Leonard Wood, Mo Beatty. Capt. Robert ¥ from Camp Perry, O, 0" Lacarse. O Buunt. _col wifrla A trom Port Biiss o Washington FIELD ARTILLERY. Landrum,Capt. William R.. from Port Myer. Va. to Washington # One, Mal. Victor A. from Port Brass o Washington. Bmith, Second Lt. James. )r from Patter- son Pleld. Ohlo, to Wrigh Old et 18 william Patterion Fleld fo HI Field, Trah, Bcott Mal. Tom W. from Brooks Pleld, Tex. to Duncan Field, Tex. Lit lrrll 8econd Lt. Jackson 8., from Pat- terson Peld to Hlll Field. Beau, Col. Lucas V. jr. from Washington to ‘San_Bernardinn. Calif. Ackard. Second Lt. William C.. from Seott Pield. TIl.. to Morrison Meld, La. Hend, Second Tt Bernard P. from Seott Pield to Morrison Pleld. Marsiand. Second Lt. Robert G.. from Scoft’ Meld to Morrison Fleld Miller, feeond Lt. Prank H. 34, from Scoft Pield to Morrison Pieid CHEMICAL WARFARE SERVICE. Shepherd Firsi Li Earl L. from Port e ADJUTANT GENERAL'S DEFARTMENT. Newman, Maj. Floyd W.. from Jacksonville, Fla. to New Orleans. xthm two and a half hours the 19 men and a dog are safely ashore with but one more cas- ualty—the officer seen holding his head. He was thrown by a wave onto rocks. The huge Sunderland flying boat soon began to break up and was left to the mercy of the Pirst Lt. Charles A. from New land, Ps. to Camp Joseph T. sea, near Apollonia in Cyrenaica. As the men shivered while drying their clothes, 20 Italian sol- diers appeared. Py L A 100 Italian Pnsoners Revealed in Pictures By IDWAID KENNEDY, Associated Press War Correspondent, R. A. F. IN NORTH AFRICA~Shot down into the Mediterranean, 19 crewmen of an R. A. F. Sunderland flying boat have reached their base with 100 Italian prisoners after swimming to shore through rough seas and hiking across the Libyan desert with the captives. The British plane was attacked by two German Messerschmitts. One was shot down and the other dam- aged and driven off, but the Sun- derland also was hit, and its star- board engines stopped. The bLig craft hit the sea hard, bouced 50 feet and finally came to rest 4l miles off the African shore. One passenger had been Kkilled in the at- tack and a gunner was wounded critically, The crippled craft drifted inshore and finally sank. The gunner was placed in a rubber dinghy and the others—19 men and a dog—swam beside it to shore near Apollonia. There the unarmed Britons encoun- tered an isolated party of 40 or 50 Italian soldiers who claimed them a8 prisoners. The mixed band started along the coast, carrying the gunner on an improvised stretcher. The next day they met 20 Italian officers. Embittered because, they said, the Germans had made off with their vehicles, these officers proposed that in return for their help they be given favored treatment if they fell into British hands. After that, it became difficult to distinguish between captors and prisoners. An Italian major publicly flogged an Italian soldier who had made off with the wounded gunner's fiying boots. Next day the gunner died, and the Italian major conducted a mili- tary burial. ‘Then the major proposed that his party head for Bengasi, leaving the British with rifles to fend for themselves. The R. A. F. leader insisted Bengasi had fallen to the British. The Italians at first were skeptical, but finally were convinced and gave up the idea of trying to regain the Axis lines. Then the whole group set out eastward toward the British lines. Prom time to time other straggling Italians joined the party. Eventual- ly the R. A. F. men trudged in with a full hundred prisoners. Perhaps one of the oddest angles of the adventure was that an R. A. F. sergeant who had a small camera made a photographic record of it— and the Italians were as anxious to get into the pictures as were the British, Dutch Guiana Bauxite Discussed by Lecturer Because of its rich bauxite de- posits, source of aluminum, Dutch Guiana is an important ally of the United States, Nichol Smith told members of the National Geo- graphic Soclety last night in Con- stitution Hall. The illustrated lecture brought out that the Germans had made an attempt to break this source of supply by scuttling a ship in the channel to Paramaribo’s harbor. However, the ship settled to one side and left the channel clear, Mr. Smith reported. En route to Surinam the speaker stopped at the French island of Martinique where more than 300 tons of gold is being held. The gold, evaluated at more than $350,000,000, was en route to this country for the purchase of munitions when France fell. Mr. Smith indicated American warships patrol off shore. Pluneicirashes in Gulf; 2 Flyers Believed Afloat By the Associated Press. NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 31.—The Army Air Base here reported last night that two flyers were believed to be still afloat after their army plane crashed and sank south of the Mississippi Gulf Coast while on a patrol flight. The two were seen afloat with life preservers, and a life raft was tossed over to them, public rela- tions headquarters announced. Search for them is being continued by planes and naval surface craft. The Army base listed the two men as Lt. Arthur F. Davies of Savannah, Ga., and Lt. Walter F. Gardner of Albany, N. Radio | Program Planned As Tribute to Rockville By » Staff Correspondent of The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md, Jan. 31.—Cir- cuit Judge Stedman Prescott will be the principal speaker in a 30-minute “Salute to Rockville” at noon to- morrow over Station WJSV. The program is the first in a series on towns in Maryland. Judge Prescott’s subject will be “Rockville and Defense.” Other speakers will include Albert A. Ady, editor of the Montgomery County Sentinel, who will give a short his- tory of Rockville; Mrs. Rose A. Daw- son, Miss Emily Blandford, Mrs. Prank E. Willilams and Mrs. Adolph Gude, members of the local Red Cross chapter. ‘The program will include a drama- tization of the work of the Rock- ville Fire Department, featuring Chief W. Valentine Wilson. War Bond Sales Total Billion In January By the Associated Press. Defense bond sales reached s record-breaking total of $1,000,000,- 000 this month, and some Treasury officials predicted 1942 sales would 80 to $7,000,000,000. The January reeord approximately doubled the $528,000,000 sold in De- cember, after the Pearl Harbor at- tack. Sales in the seven weeks since Pearl Harbor total nearly as much as the $1,800,000,000 sold prev- iously from the time the bond cam- paign began last May 1. Officials called the January sales probably the greatest distribution of small unit securities in history. Although Liberty Bond subscriptions in the World War were greater, purchasers frequently bought them on the installment plan, financed by local banks. Today’s defense bond bought the limit for the whole year. The January sales figures do not include defense stamps. With the Iullun helping a stretcher was lmpmvmd from dlnghy boats and a mattress for the wounded gunner. The British captain was prepared to surrender, but, surprisingly, the Ital- ians were more interested in helping. Two officers and the dog, called Bimbo, stop for a drink at a rain pool on the desert. More Italians, meanwhile, arrived and took the British captive. The band moved along the eoast, carrying the stretcher. It developed that Bengasi had becn taken by the Brlti.!h, the !talhn major thereby losmg a bet to the British captain, s0 many Italian stragglers joined the weary erew and went along to the imperial lines. More Itallans appeared, expressing bitterness because the Germans had mnde oft with their vehicles. There was considerable doubt as to who was prisoner. The gunner died, an Itallan major conducted rites. The party split, the Itallans going toward Bengasi, the British toward their own lines, led by a native. hed Bmun The flying boat crew, which picked up 100 Italian prl.soners on its trek, reac! 1 nes and turned over the captives before posing with natives in the tiny village of El Hania. 4 A —A. P. Wirephotos. 1