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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1942)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1942 PAGE FIVE War Correspondent's Diary Tells of Landing in Africa And Battling for Footholds BY JOHN A. FAH1MS (United Press Staff Correspondent) Nov. 9. 8 a. m. Aboard a big American troop ship an chored off the sprawling dun-colored village of Anew. . A blood-red African tun slices up through the hills In the east. .The beaches have been cleared of their dead, but the distant roll of gunfire crawls across the rolling hills like a muffled whisper. Back behind those hills where we're going there's still plenty of fighting. I wonder what the day will bring. 0:30 a. m. We stand at boat stations. A landing barge tosses in the troubled sea below. 0:45 a. m. We board the land ing barges and plow across the harbor to shore where I pile In to an American ambulance Just as a sniper's bullet pings over head. Capt. Charles Crathern, Worcester, Mass, steps on the starter and we move off into the hills toward the village of St. Lou. ... - 8:20. St. Lou Is filled with American soldiers and gaudily dressed Arabs. A radio message comes through saying the Taia roui airdrome is being held by about SO American- pilots and paratroopers who need rein forcements urgently; a French Foreign Legion armored column is moving north toward them. Our armored column lines up and prepares to pave the way for a couple hundred of Brig. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle's air com mandos who are going to relieve the hard-pressed garrison. But I can't find a ride. 10:00 a. m. I finally manage to commandeer a jeep. The gen eral puts me just back of the last tank with the commandos following. A radio message re ports that the legionnaires are holding the village of St. Barbe. The general says "we have to wipe out that pocket, then we Can go on to the airdrome." - - 10:23 a. m. Capt. Max Boyd. Washington, D. C, and I climb into the Jeep and off we go. Mile after mile of tree-lined toad passes. We stop often to llctpn for ffunfire. Just outside St. Barbe, the column comes 'to a halt. ': 1:45 p. m. A lone tank goes Into the town, only to find that the Spitfires beat us to it they knocked out 20 to 50 French a 1 J ok wu.a IaivIa, Tha rest of the French garrison ap peared to have retreated south ward. We enter the town. ' 2:30 p. m. Villagers crowd our column. One asks: "You have any more tanks?" MaJ. Don Coster (38 Central Park South), New York City, replied: "Thousands some so big they have to go around such little towns as this." 3:10 p. m. We move on. Just, outside St. Barbe we find our advanced tanks dispersed in the fields. Suddenly, there's a cna Ma.t In thai T-nnH liiAt ahead. A French .75 battery on a nearby hill has got our range. 3:23 p. m. We turn and head our Jeep back to town, but not before we see a Spitfire wing over the hill and blow up the battery with machlnegun fire. 4:05 p. m. A dirty, weary pilot hails us from the side of the road. A French anti-aircraft battery had Just shot him down, but he managed to make a crash landing safely within 100 yards of a French column and then escape capture. He identifies himself as MaJ. W. B. Avery, of Salt Lake City. 5:15 p. m. It's dark when we arrive at the airdrome. There's km intit Rit nra mnnrh Vi nn. pily at our first food in 24 hours. 8:00 p. m. I wrap myself in my Jacket and try to go to sleep under the stars. Lieut. Carl W. Payne. Columbus, O., yells: "Parris, how would you like to be going to the Stork Club back in little old New York tonight?" MaJ. Harrison R. - Thyng of New Hampshire, says "nuts to you guys. Good night." Nov. 10. Lieut. Roland F. drives into our camp at Doolit tle's headquarters. He reports that a ground battery hit his gasoline tank and he made a forced landing In the desert. "I have a brief chat with Doo llttle after he arrives to assume command, find him unassuming and proud of his men, whom he describes as "a grand bunch of pilots boys who not only can fly, but who can fight" I spend most of the day watch ing the landing and taking off of Spitfires aiding the ground forces. They are instructed not to molest French troops fleeing the combat area. Algiers has fallen and the armistice la im minent Oran is expected to capitulate momentarily. Nov. 11. Another armistice day, the first the French have been allowed to celebrate since Hitler overran their country. The mayor of St Lou and MaJ. Graham Madison, New York City, exchange greetings. JAPANESElEARN U. S. WAR PLANS ON VAST SCALE Washington, Dec. 8 (U.B Sen. Elbert D. Thomas, D Utah, in his monthly broadcast to the Japanese people-on the anniver sary of Pearl Harbor, said last night that the promises of Pres ident Roosevelt "to tear out by the roots the militarism which threatened the safety and peace of the whole world" is being kept . - . Thomas, who spent several years in Japan, speaks Japanese and Is an authority on Far East ern affairs. He noted that the Japanese people had not been told the full truth about their military setbacks, but said that in many ways they have "felt the rumblings of the changes oc curring In the war picture." "You have surely noticed the change In the tone of your news papers and of your radio sta tions," he said. "You have seen the stock markets of Tokyo and Osaka reflecting the increasing lack of confidence of your stockholders in a victory for Japan. You have heard' the whispers of your' Japanese friends who returned to your country recently from the United States,. and who have reported that the earth-shaking war pro gram of the United States Is in deed as tremendous as it has been printed, if not more so." ARGENTINIANS IN RALLY FOR ALLIES "Buenos Aires, Dec. 8 OI.R) Cheering every mention of the United States and President and booing all references to Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, 20,000 Argentinians in Luna park last night heard op ponents of the government's neu trality policy urga its abandon ment . Former Foreign Minister Jose M. Cantilo told the mass rally that "we are not only here In tribute to President Roosevelt bu the cause he incarnates." "We. of Argentina are on the side of the democracies and we must say so in' days-like these," he added, "for silence means op position." A similar view was voiced by former Finance Minister Feder ico Plnedo, who warned that Ar gentina might be shut off after ACT FAST Ta help pravtut GOLDS ttoMdmltpiiig Puta few drops of Va-tre-nol up each nostril at the very first sniffle or sneeze. Its quick action aids Nature's defenses ama against colds. Follow VICU Sssr M-tio-Boi HENRY'S Dim to Conditions Beyond Our Control It It Necessary tor Ut to Operate on th Followinf Schedule: Week Days and Sundays 4 to 12 P. M. 'Saturdays 4 P. M. to 2 A. M. Closed Ivory Monday These Hours Iffective Doc. Sth the war "If the bloc of United Na-1 tions formed by the stress of war i continues close cooperation." - doting tun tor 0uint4 ads a. m. To lata to cussirr UJO USO Gift Wrapping Service Is Popilsr The Christmas wrapping ice for soldiers at the USO, der sponsorship of the Kiwanlan Dames, is proving very popular and Saturday and Sunday saw 80 packages wrapped, according to Mrs. A. O. Bauman, chairman. 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