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.
Sixty more gifts were wrapped
between T and 10 p. m. Monday
by Mrs. Walter Hoppe and Mrs.
Charles Newland, assisted by
Kiwanian George T. Frey, it was
stated.
Dm UU miuM Wswt ads.
SIBELIUS 77
Helsinki. Dec 8 (U.R) (Fin
nish broadcast recorded by UP
In New York) Jan Sibelius,
world-famous Finnish composer.
celebrated his 77th birthday to
day. Sibelius, who is said to bo
working on the completion of
his 8th and Sth symphonies,
spent lha day quietly in hli
snow-bound forest retreat a few
miles north of Helsinki.
p
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