Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

              H.'
A Paper For The Home
SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
The Weather
'Warmer.
3
3fiTH YEAR, NO. 52—48 P.AGES
WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1942
PRICE TEN CENTS
ALLIES
CAIN
EGYPT
Senate Bans Combat Duty for Year for 18-19 Croup Cermans Drive Small Wedge into Stalingrad
40 Minutes a Week Given by Schools to Fit Boys for Army
Most of the high schools of Wyoniiny \'alle.v, realizinjr that their older bo.vs. nre on their wa.v to the Arni.\. have stepped  up their phyfsical education activities in  order to get the.se bo.vs in condition to meet the riRor.s of the most! intensive training an.v military body ever knew.
.So. as a  reault. mont of  these  schoolr« are giving    j (hese bo.«s physical training for 40 TO 80 MINUTES PER   WEEK.
There is but one exception. V ¦
IV    Jii,«t a,s most of the country is said to be far ahead of !^ Wa.shinsrton  in realization of the seriou.«ness of thi.s war and  what  America  must  do  to  win,  most of  the  .voung mrn in the schools are well in the lead of these in chai jfe.
They know wliat they need to make easier tiie training thp.\ .soon will be undergoinjr but tbe .school.^ continue to prepare  tiieni   for college—where  they  are .NOT goins:.
It is apparent also, even at this late date, that con.^idpiahle confu.«ion exists, .*^onle school.*, doing nothing:, believe they are not expected to do an.\thins:. They are stie-ssinsr .sonn' of thc clas.sroom courses the military leadeis want stressed and feel they have no concern wilii condition of the .\oung men's bodies.
Others say that it would be too difticult to reaiiange schedules at this date. They say that .NEXT VEAH •onietiiing will  be  done.
I Thc proKram of the United Nations is (a prepare
'     this year and make our bid for victory—or defeat—in
194.1. The MhMlM will Mart to give the young men K (he veriest fundamental*!, which at best merely prepare ll'   them  to  stand  military   training,  in  (he school year
of  l94.1-'44.
It is fo be noted, however, that all thp extra-curricular activities are continued. There are .vtill band practice, debating, dramatics, .school publication.* and clubs. There is time for tlic.se things which were so highl.\ desiral)le when the world wa.s at peace.
Apparently it is still considered that they are more important than preparing for the Anii.\' the .\oung men who will have to win this war for us and to make it possihlo for all these extra-curricular aclivities to be resumed  in the future b.\' a victorious America.
Two hours a day would reall.v be too little, but the.v Would help. One hour each day should be entiiel.v possible and the absolute minimum to help these boys and to give them  lietter opportunities   for promotion.
Rut (he mo,<<t any of the,se schools have is two periods a week. By the time the boys change their clothes and then are given time (o change back to regular apparel, these periods actually provide from 20 to 40 minutes of training each ... It is mostly training  in   changing clothes.
It is apparent al,«o that some schools feel thc .state is partly to blame. The state denies its appropriation for teachers' salaries except for qualified teachers. .\nd qualified physical instructors, once abounding in .swarms, •re hard  to get.
Since thc t.vpe of exercises needed consist mo.stly of running—to build endurance—obstacle cour.ses and simple means of improving neglected torso muscles, almost anyone who can read a l)ook can do the job. But it is not being done at all in some of our .schools.
Many innovations have been suggested by men who kndvv and who feel that the .schools should stop their traditional opposition to cliange. If an extreme measure is needed, schools could be held Saturda.v morning to Jnake up for  the daily periods used for training.
It is easily remembered that \\ilkes-Hario High School, ^^hen there was just one high school in the city, ran its eession from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and in that time Covered all the courses now taught. Revi.si(m to such a piogram would leave the afternoon for ph.\'sical training.
It is obvious aLso that hoys on (he foo(hall squad get the same schooling as all other pupils and yet have time (0 pracdce several hours each day. They are ge(ting their (oughening exercises. It ha.s been suggested (hat other hoys in the upper classes could he given their daily training at the same time.
H iuid been the intention to add to this article a lummary of what the valle.v schools are doing. But it 'S not neces.sar,v.
It is sufficient to state that the attention given to prepare tnp .voung men for the army ranges from nothing at all in some .schools to the obvious effort to do some good in l^ingslon and Wilkes-Barre. But even here thc limit is two ))eriods a week and these boil down to an actual 4(1 '0 80 minutes of training.
In one way, this can be considered worse than none at ^«"1- It is not enough to do any good but it does succeed K^ln breaking into the schedule oif studies without producing eoinpensating benefits.
I'"or(y Fort is the one .school (o go further. Here, actually making some changes, the high .school has found (ime (o ge( in three periods per week of ph.vsical education.   One way Forty Fort did (his was
(Continued on Page A-2)
Farm Labor
Deferment
Included
Bill Is Sent Back to House For Approval; Army Objects
Washington, Oct. 24 (UP) —The .Senate tonigiit ap¬ proved legislation providing lor the drafting of 18-and-19- V ear-old youths but banning their assignment to combat duty until they have com¬ pleted a .vear of training in tliis country. The vote was announced as .'>8 to .'>.
The bill now goes back to tlie House for consideration of .Senate revisions, including tiie training requirement and an¬ other amendment which mithorizf!" rlpfermpiit for farm \voi'Ui>r.< until thpy ian be replaced sati.'tfactoril}.
Uppovrd b.v Arm.v
Tht HoiLHe was e.xpected to send Ihe mca»ure to conference, where Ihc administration probabl.v will make a last-ditch efforl to elimi¬ nate the year's tfSininK require¬ ment. The claiiae'was opposed by Preaident Rooaevelt and hla mili¬ tar.v advisers, including Army rhiaf of ataff. Gen. Ueorge C. .Marshall,     i
The final vote came shortl.v after 7 p. m.. after a long day of debate which began at 11 oclock - an hour earlier than the rhamber'a usual  time  for  convening.
The hill would draw into the pool of manpower available for com¬ pulsory   military   service   ahout   1,-
Why Papa h in 3-A
Nazis Use 30,000 Men LoseJ,500
Russians Remain Fully Confident; Relief Drive From North Gains
Here  are  thc   V'erwcr  triplela.  two  boya   and   a   girl,  who  arrived In  Paterson.  N, .1..  hospitil.  thwarting  draft  board's  pl.Tn  lo  re¬ classify th»ir previousl.v childless dad from ."i-A lo 1-A.
Nervy Shakes up Pacific Command; Stages New Raids
Admiral Halsey Relieves Ghormrey; Losses Blamed as Japs Gather Fleet
of the naval forces in the South Pacific area, under Admiral t-'hester \V, Nimitr, IJSN, com¬ mander in chief of the Pacific Fleet.
"Vice Admiral Hnlsev is reliev¬ ing Vice Admiral Roberl L. Ohormley. IISN, whn-r new dutie.- will be announced at a later date,"
New Parlfic Raids
Moscow, Sunday, Oct. 2"i (LP)—Two Clerman infantr.v divisions (,"0,000 men) sup¬ ported by 80 tanks stormed the factor.v area of northwest Stalingrad Saturday and .scored one minor gain, after losing 7,000 men and 57 tanks the past two da.vs, the .Soviet high command announced to¬ da.v.
The Nazi siege arm.v lost 1,")(>0 men and 17 tanks in the factory district alone .vester¬ day, and succeeded onl.v in thrust¬ ing a small Infantry wedge into the oiitsUirtji of one factory area, the midnight communique an¬ nounced.
In two da.vs, Uerman loitsea on the Stalingrad from have amount¬ ed to 100 fleld guns. 70 machine guns and I'B airplanes, in addilion to thc 7,000 men and 57 laiiUs, the communiques said. and Soviet troops additionally have captured 150 tanks which had been disabled previou.".ly and which the Germans were uaing as firing points.
I.Arge German air forces sup¬ porled yesterdays assault but the Mu.ssiana for the main part held Iheir ground and beat off the at¬ tacks In heavy hand-to-hand flght¬ ing. the communique said. i Relief Army Advance* { Meanwhile, south of Stalingrad, the  Ruaaiana   wiped   out   twn   lom-
,   ,       , ,. ,  panics  (.')00 men)  of the Nazi siege
*.'.^"',.1?"".^',•."J:!'."°"^>:^!"'¦^.1 force  .nd  the  Ru..sian  relief  army
K   down   on   Stalingrad   from new
vital Ouadalcanal in the Solomons, ranging   raiding   operations   in   lhe .j,,.„„. .i,,„,,_i, .„..»,.. .„i„- fi.M.
«..                                .            .          .n a . .u    n    -.-             -1        .      ...K,... advance tnrough enemv mine ne ds
The new commander replaces !>9- South    Pacific    similar    lo   earlier v.rK-rf    t.i...    •.,¦.....i...,..,,.
»j  *.,        . _.    ¦     .   r. ...    .  . --;.!     ...US u   u-i      ui«...ir    v.aA ^ud    DarDea    wire    entanglements.
year-old  Vice Admiral  Robert  Lee raids   which   Halsey,   himself,   had .„„,.__ .,.. /-.„,„._. .„j  ,. ,..,,,.
Washington, Oct. 24 iUP> The Nav.v announced today that Vice ,500.000 young men below the pres- Admiral W'illiam V. Halsey jr. has enl minimum age of ;o. The Army been made commander-in-chief of expects to call about SOOOOO or the South Pacific area in a shake- ttOO.OOO  f)f   the   'teen-agers,   depend-  up    coincident    with    steadily    in-
ins on  the  number who enlist vol-  creasing artivity by  powerful Jap- of the shakeup, the Navy discio^ed (,"'"."'_
untniilv  in   the  Nav.v,  Marine  and  anese forces bent upon recapturing that \J.&. warships had resumed far-   ,     ' „,,v„.,«..  v..,,. .j    ... C'oa.it Guard. -"-• "---•«-• •  ¦- "-- "-< -   — ¦ —:-¦¦ ^^ "---   ¦-   "•- '"^  northwest  battered oul
Badly Needed
•Fei retary of War Henry L. Stim¬ son, Marshall and other military leaders have testified that these young men make the best soldiers in modern mechanised war and are needed to reduce the average age of the army's new divisions.
Selective  .Service   officials  antici¬ pate that thc .younger men will be called as soon as the machinery can irontinued  on  Page A-11)
Ghormley.      who      launched      the led  against  the .lapanese-held Gil- .\merlcan attack  on  the  Solomons hert,  Marshall,  Wake   and Marcus last   Aug.   7   and   has   directed   it islands since.
"Vice Admiral William F. Hal¬ sey jr., USN, who conducted car¬ rier operations in the South Pacific area last spring with dis¬ tinguished success, has returned to that area to assume command
Big Jap Seaplane Tender Is Smashed at Babaul
Another 2.10 Germans and 16 tanks
were annhilated on that northwest
sector.
The  new  raids  .the  communique      Despite   recent   setbacks   In   the
said,  were  carried  out  in  Ihe Gil- factory   area,   a   note   of  optimism
bert   and   Ellice   Islands,   approxi- v»as creeping Into Soviet   front dis-
malclv   1,000   miles   from   the   be- patches as the main Stalingrad de-
leaguered Solomons.    They resulted fense   line   held   flrmly  and   it   was
in the sinking of two small enemy indicated  that the Nails  might  he
patrol  veasels  bv gunfire,    A  Jap- forced to dig in somewhere on th?
anese destrover "and one  merchant bliisard-swept steppea or  fall  back
.ihip were damaged. * vvest   and   lift   tho  siege.
Meanwhile, the Navy said, "there      "Only a small  group of German has   been   no   report   of   any   new   Infantry   succeeded   in   penetrating (Continued on  Page A-io) irontinued on  Page  A-ll>
War  Ili Ulll mar J
Score Rising as Allies Pound at Ships for Solomons
tJen. MacArthur's Headquarters, Austi-alia, Sunda.v, Oct. 25. (UP) — Allied heavy bombers acored a direct hil admidshi(i.i on a 17,600 Jai>:incse .seaplaine lender, appar¬ ently destroying it, last nighl In their second successive night raid on Kabaiil, wliere on Friday they hl.isted 10 enemy ship.s, a com¬ munique from Gen, Dougla-s Mac- Arthur's headuartera said loday.
The tender was .said to be of the Ni.^shin Maru cla.s.s and ll vvas last seen emitting flames and black smoke afler il had received a 500- pound bomb.
The attack was carried out by a "strong force" at low altitude and despite inten.'.e anti-aircraft fire anri poor weather sll the bombers returned safely. Mfliinlain Fighting Nllffena
The communique said Allied ground forces conlinued to advance south of Alola on Ihc northward slope of the Owen Stanley Range in Central Papua, Twelve Japanese planes raided Port Darwin last night bul cau,sed slight damage.
The enemy i.s pulling up "deter¬ mined" resistance in the Owen Stanle.v area, whero Japaneae now are fighting from prepared posi¬ tions,  the communique said.
In Friday night'.s attack. Flying Fortress crew.s delivered their moat <iniashing blow in support of the Solomons I.slands battle by swoop¬ ing to mast-height to attack enemy shinpinr in Rabaul Harbor. , Friday Raid Successes I    Reports from crewa who partici¬
pated in the raid bolstered belief that in addition to the losses of a Japanese cruiser, a destroyer and two cargo ships, the damage done to a transport and five other mer¬ chantmen had thrown thc Japanese Solomon Islands counter-offensive time-table off schedule. Military authorities assumed that the ves.sel? were loaded with supplies and troops destined for operationa on Guadalcanal They pointed out that Japanese replacements must be brought over an extended line of communications.
All bombers returned to their base unscathed, despite intensive anti-aircraft flre from ships and shore.
Roared over >la»U
The .star performer was Papt. Franklyn Green of San Antonio. Tex. Hc made several runs over the target, dropping .100-pound ex¬ plosives which narrowly missed the decks of thc cruiser and a inigo ship as the bomber roared over thcni just high enough to clear their   mnsls.
Tm pretty certain Ihat rnii.ser sank," Green's bombardier, I>leut, Ds\id Anderson of Newton, Mass , said,
"An oil slick spread out and she heeled over, indicating that she was badly holed,"
Green said Ihat sometimes "we went so low that we had to look up at the .searchlights, and their guns couldn't shoot down al us,"
Lieut. Charles Downer of Alham- bra, Calif., said that "Mhe search¬ lights hit me right In Ihe eve as I approached the targets, ' The anti-aircraft thre\v up everything hut shoes I can't imagine how it missed me."
United Nations force.s, banking on American tanks and planes, droxp forward in the Western De.sert Saturday with the avowed purpose nf destroying Marslial Er¬ win Rommel and hia army, and war dispatches indicated that a battle nol only for F.gypl but for all ot Africa was under way.
Tile atrategic picture was this: The front w.^s .35 miles long, run¬ ning roughly north and soulh. be¬ tween liie Mediterranean coast and tiic virtually lmpa.s.sable Qallara Dc pre ¦".-ion. The region of strategic | hill.s was cho.^en by the British for a U.st stand defense of Alexandria and .'Jiiez when the Africa CUirps roaied over from Libya laal June. Alexandria, great Briti.sh naval hase and at the head of the rich Nile Valley, is only 65 milea to the east.
Stockholm dispatches doubted whether Rommel waa per,sonall> directing the Axis defense, recall¬ ing his recent illness, Gener,'«l Ramcl.e, commander of one of Rommel's two tank divisions, wa.- ssid lo be top Axis oflicer in thc desert.
The Krench radio stations ann Berlin meanwhile were having a fleld dnv speculating on the scop' of Allied aim's in Africa. Vichy gave gical publicity to Admiral Jean Darlan's arrival in Rabat Morocco, from Daliar and the Paris radio -aid all tha govcrnoiv. of Krcniii Atriia had been sum¬ moned to a defense couneli a' Dakar.
The Axis agitation was In tin'' wilh these reports during the wren ot  activity  111  Africa:
I   i._(Vlrhy sourcea)   That a large
American - Fighting French force has been assembled in the Lake Chad region, in the heart of ili Sahara, preparator.v to a thrust at Rommel's rear In Libya, som- 1,000 milea to the north.
I. lOftirlal) That a powerful British naval squadron of three 15- inch-gun battleships and the air¬ craft carrier Illustrious is patrol¬ ing the southeast African coast ngainst intervention in the African theatre, presumably by Japanese warships.
3.—'Authoritative British re¬ ports) That thc Vichy French have built up tlieir garrisons at Casa¬ blanca and Dakar, sending .100 of their 700 African planes In the lat¬ ter port, but are slill woefully shy of artillery and tanks.
On the RiLsslan front, meanwhile, the firal bliizarda brought a note of optimism. The Red Army had driven three wedges into the Ger¬ man lines northwest of Stalingrad and had turned hnck repeated Nazi efforts lo break through the Terek River front in the Caucasus. The Germans asserted, however, thai Ihcy dented the factory district.
A radio blackout along thc RAK route to Italy indicated meanwhile that heavy bombers were en route to tiie northern industrial area for the Ihird successive night.
In the .Soutliwe.st Pacific, Amer¬ ican Flying Fortresses delivered their heaviest blows yet in support nf the Battle of the Solomons hy swooping to mail-heigiit and hit¬ ting 10 Japanese siiips at Rabaul Friday. A cruiser and a destroyer wera among tht ahipa damaged.
British Fleet Pounding Rear Of Axis Forces
^"     ¦¦ ¦ ¦— ¦*
Montgomery's Polyglot Army Beats Rommel to the Punch; Showdown Fight for Africa
By LEO.N K.\Y
(airo. Oct. 24 (IP)—.Allied armies powerfully reinforced by American tanks and planes lashed out b.i land, air and sea in a wide-swinRinK .North .Vfrican nffensi\e tonight that beat (ierman .Marshal Erwin Rommel tn fhe punch and lore gaps in his barbed wire barricades in Kr.> pt in the Rrst as.saults.
While .\llied troops battered dents in the El .\lamein line, .\merican-made torpedo boats of Ihe British .Mediterranean Fleet, .struck at the .Nxis rear from Ihe sea. shooting up enemy coastal positions near Marsa Malruh, 100 miles west of Ihe front.
Gun.s of lliese little boats bla.-ted an Axis troop camp, di.'^per.sed coliimn.s of suppl.v trucks tm tlie slioro road and attacked Nazi planes coming in for landings al a ncarli.v air base.
Ordered lo Destro.i Uommel
Lieut.-den. H. 1,. .Montgomery, vnIio srave the order lo cliai'ste from liis desoit battle headquarters at 10 oclock last nijfht, announced that the mandate of hi.s pol.vjflot Eighth .Arm.v—.American.o. Ihiti.^li, .Anzac.-^, (Jreeks, Pole.<;. .*<outh .Africans and Fighting French — vvas to "de.^doy Rommel and his arm.v," leaving little doubt that this vva.s an attempt to decide thc fate of North .Africa once and for all.
I'jgiith .Arm.v shock troops were reported to have smashed into Itommel's four mile depth of mine field, gun emplace¬ ment and barbed wire defenses at $	
several points during the night. j ^j,^ accident last spring. Include AMIes Shou' Air  I'uner 'mixed   arms,   vehicles   and   rapld-
The fighting, «hich ended an ''""K "rtillery, operated by special- eight-week stalemate on the desert '"'s- They have .sometimes operated and a four-month race between J' '"r »» ¦'^ ""'" behind the Monlgoiiiery and   Rommel  to huild   'font,
up reserves for the decisive blows. iThe dispatch implied that "Jock was preceded hy one last great Columns" might now be racing burst of Allied »ir activity, in Ihrough Lhe desert in a wide sweep wiiich eiglit enem.v planes were below the front, preparing lo strike shot down, United States planes up to tiic coa.«l al Benghazi, on th* were in the thick of it, bombing hump of Libya, aa they did a monlh and strafing Axis forward positions ago. In that connection Ihe Fight- and airports, according to a U.S. ing French Press Service In Lon- headquarters   communique, don    announced    that   A.xis    planes
British land and naval plane.", tvvice have raided Kufra Oasi.s, 150 and fiouth African light bombers '"'I" '"•"'''« '''*'-^" «"'• •'*1!! ¦?''""' contrihuted heavv attacks on three "i' Mediterranean, which Fighting Axis air bases near Fl Daba to French forces captured In 194I.) the day's offensive sweeps Six Faring Strong Army German and two Italian fighter Arrayed against the Eighth Army planes were downed and many ^,^ ,„^,^ armored, one motorized more damaged, ^^^    „^,p„    infantry    divisions    of
Rear  Worries  Roininel Axis   forces.    They   are   the   crark
There are Indicalions that Rom- German l.'ith and -Ust Panzers, tha mel is concerned about his rear 19th German Light, comprising the forces at this lime. British mobile original Afrika Korps of superblv units have not been idle. These trained and equipped men, the l«4th units, called "Jock Columns" in C.erman Infantry which was a honor of the late Col. Jock Camp- g"»rri»on force in Crete until aent bell, who was killed in an automo- iContinued   on  Page   A-11)
Ifaly Raided itt Daylight Olt RAF's Third Attatk
  « —
HaHllHerS   Milan, jbe brought to bear on enemy Intar-
Industrial City; The raid, made at a cost ot only
Rrtnio Ronnrtc Panir 'three   bombers,   was   believed   pcr-
nome nepgris raiiic .^^ ^^^ ^^^^ spectacular daylight
operation of the war in view of ths By MIDNEV .1. WILLIAVIS ilarge  force employed and  the dlf-
London, (Sunday). Oct. '2^. (UP) lance covered. ¦ Squadrons nf RAF Lancaster u waa the first daylight flight bombers, skimming over the Alps involving a crossing of the Alpa and flying in clo.«e formation for and although Milan is 200 mllaa protection, spread fires through nearer England than Danzig, which the Milan Indu.strlal area In a day- was attacked in daylight last July light attnik yesterday that marked n, no daylight attacks have baan the third mass raid on Italy in carried out over such a long stretch aa many days, of  enemy   territory.
The  air   ministry   reported  today Italy's Second Clly the bombers hegan their attack at     Milan is the second city of Italy f):04   p.   m    afler   flying   the  entire „„^   „„    imimrtant   railway   center 600-odd miles from British bases at i,, nddition to being the  busiest of minimum height and at high speed. Italian  Industrial centers.
The ministry quoted a sergeant The air ministry said the bomb- pilot who look part in the raid as pfg „erc escorted for a short dis- saying one entire block of factory tance into France by squadrona of buildings   was   "well   alight"   wilh  flghters.
flames when the bombers left and "Preliminary reporta are that tha other pilots observed direct hits guack was suocessful," an air with   4,000-pound  bombs  on  indus- (Continued   on  Page   A-2)
trial targels, _^^___^__^___^^__
I «e Fortress Tarlirs ,      .».     .      ,     .
Onc  pilot said  hc  went  down   to "•   ' oaay a  latUe 50 feet lo bomb and as he regained "~~~"
attitude "numerous fires were lak-     dasslflrd   B—11
ing hold." Kditorlal   ..,.,._ <J—I
Taking a leaf from thc American      Mo\ir»     A—Jl
Flying   Fnrtresse.s'   book   on  defen-      Radio       A—ID
sive tsrtlcs,  the  Lancastc-s  flew  in      Social       _ „  A—IS
tiglil   fprmalioM   during   liie   entire      Sports    „ «..„..„ B—1
trip ao maximum flre powct aauld'   Stou   _...._» _..
A A
d