18 Dec 1942
Page 1
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Newspaper
Athens Messenger
Location
Athens, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Dec 18, 1942
Page
1
British forces under General Montgomery chase the Axis retreating from El Agheila area, advancing toward Tripoli. About 10,000 enemy troops suspected trapped as the pursuit continues across northwest Libya beyond Zanta En Nafila.
Eighth Air Force reports a Flying Fortress shot down seven Focke Wulf fighters in 12 minutes during a raid on St Nazaire on November 23, with four American casualties. British forces also push to weaken Rommel in North Africa as Axis losses rise.
Washington advised students and instructors to remain in class until officially called for service. A joint educational military plan will place about 200 000 potential servicemen in 350 colleges with tuition paid by the armed forces. Draft deferments cover medical and technical fields. ROTC stays unchanged.
Allied headquarters in Australia said Japanese pockets around Buna village were cornered and under heavy pressure as Australian and American troops advanced. They reported smashing a bridge to Buna government station and inflicting casualties while repelling mortar bursts and a failed counterattack.
Washington AP United States meat shortages are to be eased by an expected Office of Price Administration order allowing packers to begin slaughtering on 1943 quotas December 19 instead of January 1. Representative Ward Johnson says the measure will permit slaughter at ten percent of the first quarter 1943 quota between December 19 and the new year.
In a wartime column Dewitt Mackenzie argues that defeating the Axis in North Africa unlocks the Mediterranean sea lanes and shortens supply routes to India and China. He says securing the Mediterranean accelerates air offensives, crippling the Luftwaffe with new bases in Sicily and Crete as American and British production grows.
Robert Bready, 33, imprisoned for the 1938 slaying of his minister-father Rev. Russell Bready near the Bainbridge parsonage, was granted parole by the State Pardon and Parole Commission. He began serving the term January 19, 1939, and is slated for release next month.
Ohio doctors launch an industrial health program under the Ohio State Medical Association to reduce illness and injury absences. Dr. Barney J. Hein of Toledo leads the industrial health committee urging plants to develop health programs with local medical societies to safeguard workers.
A Tokyo dispatch reported by Berlin radio says Japan plans to build many Chinese junks for Asiatic waters. It notes junk construction takes one to two months, suggesting time pressure from wartime losses is pushing this shift.
Eddie Rickenbacker, American flying hero of two wars, returned home by air today with a sun tan and ready to fly again. An ambulance awaited to take him to his hotel, but he declined and walked off the field unaided.
Gallipolis reports the death of Capt. John W. Lane age 81 long time ferry boat operator on the Ohio River between Gallipolis and Gallipolis Ferry He died last night at Holzer Hospital after several days illness Funeral services set for 2 o clock Sunday afternoon.
Mrs. Margaret Cameron sent Christmas gifts to her 20 year old son in the Army. A War Department telegram later informed her that Private Raymond Francis Cameron died December 12 from a gunshot wound in the western European theater.
Ohio’s 23 House members in the 78th Congress pledge to pursue total war against the Axis. Seven newcomers join, with Rep. Thomas A. Jenkins guiding the freshmen during initial Capitol visits after a GOP landslide in Ohio.
London reports detail Allied gamble in rushing into Tunisia outrunning air cover. Germany seized Tunis swiftly and is believed to hold over 30,000 troops in the French protectorate. Allied sources say both sides now build strength as the British First Army and U S forces moved over 400 miles in under a month.
W B Hale, chief engineer at Dix Manufacturing, demonstrated an air powered 50 caliber gun to Army Navy and Marine Corps officers in Los Angeles. The 300 pound device uses compressed air and a hopper fed slug system with no flash or noise for night use and can be operated by a single man. The Nazis claim a 3000 rounds per minute weapon.
In Blythe California Sgt. W. C. Hart 27 died among eight soldiers in an Army transport glider crash yesterday. He had come west for his father’s funeral after the father died Tuesday in a Western Airlines transport crash near Fairfield Utah.
Ottawa reports an entire Royal Air Force Coastal Command squadron transferred to Canada to participate in anti submarine patrols along the Atlantic coast of the United States. The move marks a major air force cooperation between Britain and Canada in wartime.
Naval aviation cadets will receive ground training at Ohio Wesleyan University and Wooster College in Ohio. Flight preparatory schools will be established about January 27, the Navy announced. Prices for Kentucky burley tobacco fell below 43 dollars per hundredweight this week in Louisville.
The East Coast faces a critical fuel shortage as the Office of Price Administration limits gasoline sales to one coupon per ration book for emergency use. President Roosevelt cites North Africa demands. Ickes urges motorists not to run cars. A, B, and C ration holders may face stricter limits. stations barred from selling to those with three gallons in tank.
Swedish dispatch reports feverish German activity in Norway signaling a growing invasion complex. It notes Norwegian resistance campaigns aided by Allied successes aimed at undermining German morale among occupying forces.
Columbus Ohio AP reports Lieut. Raphael J. Sicilian, home for jaw injury treatment, carried holiday greetings from the 37th Division stationed in the South Pacific. Maj. Gen. Beightler urged him to tell Ohio friends and relatives hello as the unit remains busy and in good physical and mental condition.
The government schedules a 13 percent cut in civilian pork veal lamb and mutton for the first quarter of 1943. A voluntary weekly limit drops to 35 ounces per person from 40 ounces to meet rising military and lend lease needs. Beef stays at current restriction.
Chardon sportsmen paid John Geil of Hampden farmer for three wandering Holstein heifers. The hunters found and killed the animals during a two day big game hunt leaving 1,200 pounds of beef available locally. The animals disappeared weeks earlier from Geil's herd.
The War Department announced that Lieut. Harold Whitcomb an amateur baseball player from Fremont and Clyde is a prisoner of war in the Philippines.
A congressional committee blamed OPA policies for a threatened breakdown on the home front. It cited price squeezes and inequitable distribution, urging corrections by OPA and WPB to avert the destruction of independent small business and the middle class.
In Columbus Ohio Old age pension checks totaling 160.90 over eight months were returned to State Auditor Joseph T. Ferguson by Lewis E. Nevison of Alliance. A note said the recipient was working and returning checks. Ferguson noted Nevison had previously returned four checks totaling 80.
A German prisoner of war in North Africa criticizes American troops saying they are crazy to attack their heavy Mark IV tanks with light armor and manage to advance. The remark reflects tensions from the Tunisia fighting and the evolving armored engagements.
The Office of Price Administration ordered retail and wholesale milk prices in Hicksville Defiance County raised one cent a quart to stop diversion of milk to areas where higher prices are paid.
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