05 Jul 1942
Page 1
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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Jul 05, 1942
Page
1
The report notes the river at 19.85 feet, high of 88 and low of 10, with local film listings and reader notices. It lists military and civilian movements, births, visits, and local tributes including a memorial singing at Mt. Zion and various residents traveling or staying with relatives.
Asha and Fina lead a tense desert campaign, with officials stressing the strategic importance of securing the region and coordinating supply lines amid harsh conditions and limited resources.
The nation marks Independence Day as troops abroad fight across Europe Africa and Asia while home fronts push production at factories and assembly lines. Roosevelt urges unity and speed, noting fighter aircraft extend the holiday’s significance.
Fire and gasoline shortages coincided with Independence Day as 57 died in highway crashes and 4 more by other causes. Last year saw 162 deaths on the Fourth with 114 from traffic. Drownings reached 33, and California led with 10 traffic deaths. Ohio reported seven drownings.
The address stresses freedom and religion under attack by tyrannies, urging realism over fireworks as tanks planes and ships symbolize the era. It notes American pilots borrowing RAF planes to strike Nazis in Europe, with six planes lost in action.
The body of H. Stone a 20 year old Negro brick trucker for Alabama Brick and Tile was found Saturday morning in the shallow part of the harbor serving the industry. He had been missing since Friday afternoon and clothing was recovered on the bank. Fire and TVA drag crews aided the search and Joe Parham located the body with a hook. Authorities believe cramps while swimming caused the death.
The ministry of interior confirmed that Gerhard Wilhelm Kunze, acting Fuehrer of the German American Bund, is jailed in Mexico and is expected to be turned over to U S authorities to face an espionage charge in Hartford Connecticut.
Carl D Patterson of Decatur and longtime leader of the Alabama Cotton Ginners Association has returned from a business trip to Washington DC.
In Decatur area, Southern Aviation Training School expands as cadet classes prepare for primary flight training. Since last year counties Morgan and Limestone and cities Decatur and Athens backed the project led by Frank Hulse. The plant's half million dollar expansion and TVA aided landing strips convert former cotton fields into an auxiliary field network to meet a stepped up program.
Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black cannot attend the Alabama Bar Association meeting in Dothan on July 10 due to duties in Washington. Col. Marion Rushton, former Montgomery lawyer and Democratic national committeeman, will speak in his place.
In Detroit on July 4 Lieut. Gen. Brehon Somervell led a war labor rally where AFL and CIO leaders Philip Murray and William Green pledged unlimited production of guns tanks planes and war supplies. Somervell urged labor to bury differences and unite for the United States. Murray vowed to swell war production and bonds, Green promised the nation’s most inexhaustible supply of weapons.
Major Ross T. Hopkins technical executive officer at Craig Field was killed when his plane crashed twelve miles south of the flying school during a routine flight. He was transferred from Parks Air College in Fast St. Louis and had 19 years as an enlisted serviceman before earning reserve officer status. He is survived by his widow, two...
One fatality reported as a man drowned in the Tennessee River during Independence Day activities in Decatur. Police counted six city arrests for public drunkenness or prohibition violations, while highway patrol and sheriff’s office reported no arrests. The Day featured a parade by Decatur High Band and Boy Scouts, with spectators, flags, and patriotic décor, as many businesses closed.
Mrs Malindy Dutton, 74, died at her home on Decatur route two at 6 45 Saturday morning. Funeral is slated for this afternoon at Cave Springs cemetery in the Southwest corner of Morgan county. Survived by two sons G T Dutton and J F Dutton of Decatur route two, three daughters Mrs David and Mrs Willie Burgess of Danville route one, three grandchildren, and more unnamed relatives.
The Navy announced four attacks on Japanese forces in the Aleutians, including bombing runs on transports off Agattu near Attu and on shore installations at Kiska. A patrol plane observed the Agattu transports on July 2, with Army bombers striking that afternoon. The bow of the sunken transport was confirmed from June 18.
Washington reports Army and Navy air forces severely damaged Japanese ships and shore installations in the Aleutians. Brigadier General Laurence Kuter says bombers are fighting the enemy while fog and rain hinder operations. Navy adds strikes on transports and convoys but says island situation remains largely unchanged.
United States Army Air Forces launch first Western Europe bombardment on Fourth of July. Captain Charles O. Kegelman of El Reno Oklahoma flies a damaged one engine fighter back to safety after silencing an anti aircraft tower. One American plane downed on Nazi soil, another casualty in Europe, with six RAF or American crews. The raid follows Eisenhower orders and is described as hedge hopping at very low altitude. Bombs burst over targets as the mission proceeds.
Sergeant H L Thornton of the subway patrol notes much less traffic this year with no fatalities in the area, contrasting with four deaths on U S 31 south of Athens last year. No drunken driving arrests occurred during the holiday, and Tennessee boat races at Decatur were canceled to conserve fuel and tires. Wheeler Lake Yacht Club may revive the races next year if conditions improve.
The Allied world breathes easier as British reinforcements halt Axis pressure toward Alexandria while Hitler presses a summer offensive in Russia. German claims of breaking Russian defenses signal a growing crisis in the south, though sources offer sparse map details. As the weekend opens, both sides report broad, vague gains in a vast, evolving struggle.
Allied world reports a German breakthrough near the Don river with a rapid push westward to Kupyansk. Russian forces counter-attacked at Kursk as German forces held a front stretching about 200 miles from Kursk northeast to Kupyansk area.
U S fliers in initial blows at Hitlerites threaten Alexandria and all Egypt as Axis forces show signs of weariness. In Ukraine the Russian army met a 100 mile Nazi offensive, contained it, and counterattacked with success while battles continued on the Bel.
British positions today mounted an offensive against Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's troops after evidence of exhaustion from a 350 mile five week advance. General Sir Claude Auchinleck aimed to press the initiative and prevent the enemy from regrouping. The初 objective yielded over 600 German infantry, who surrendered without resistance, appearing worn, dust crusted, and unable to fight.
In a historic start to the European air war, six U S bombers and six RAF aircraft attacked German airfields in Holland and shipping off the Dutch coast from the British Isles. Three planes were shot down, marking the first U S combat casualties in Europe. Additional raids targeted the Aleutians near Attu, as U S and allied forces pressed operations against Japan.
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