Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

              A Paper For The Home
SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
The Weather
Colder.
37TH YEAR, NOa 25—52 PAGES
WILKES-BARRE, PAa, SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 1943
PRICE TEN CENTS
GREAT FORTRESS ARMADA HITS NAZI PLANE PLANT
Freezes Jobs of 27 Million
McNutt Ends Transfers If New Pay Is Higher
Cites Big Turnover in Essential Jobs; Must Aid War Effort
Washington, April IT. (UT)— The government tonight pegged at prssent levels the earning ef mere than 27,000,000 workers In easen-. tlal activities by virtually freeting, the warkers in their current em-1 ployment. i
The move was made by War Manpower Chief Paul V. McNutt! in what he called a "sincere at-i tempt on my part to fulfill the Intention" of President Roosevelt's "hold the line" antl-lnflatlen order ef  April   8. j
Men, Womea Affected
Effective at midnight, tha Mc¬ Nutt order controls earnlnga by making it impossible for a worker — man er woman—to leave his present Job In any of tbe S5 groups of essential actlvitlea tn order te taks a higher paying Job with another employer.
Worksrs  In  non-essential  activ- \ Uies, however, are not affected by ' ths   order.   They   may  change  to | othsr non-essential MrtM or obtain L^ ..gwp'pyywqt, ja attyiitial  wmM t» \
ftj^tHtWltlty' lOtMf Mrti IM the form of individual earnings reports , ' to  the  Social  Security  Board   fer { policing  the  order.   Emplo>-ers  of I workers who violate  the  complex! : erder will be subject to the penal¬ tlea provided In the IM* ittabillca- tlon  Act—one  year  in  Jail,  $1,000 ' fine, or both.   In addition, an em- i pioyer   could   not   recover,   on   a i government   contract,   any   wages paid In violation of tha order, ner could  he deduct  them  aa a buti-1 \     ness expense for income tax pur- 1    poses. ,
' At a press conference In which he explslned the order, McNutt said of the President's order:
"The   Intent   as   we   have   Inter¬ preted it Is to prohibit the transfer of workers  for higher psy  except , as  such   transfers   are   In   the   In¬ terest  of  the  war  effort." | Fuller Order Paealble ! Later,   executive   WMC   Director U A.  Aftpley explained there had been  a serious  turnover  In  essen¬ tisl activities, as against no appar¬ ent   turnover   In   'Jie   non-essential activities.   He added that the order \ had been aimed chiefly at essential | activities In erder to keep adminis¬ trative dlflleulties at a minimum.
If a trend toward txeessive turn- aver in non-essential activities de- <Cantinucd on Page A-10)
WLB DEMANDING '
ItETURN OF AUTHORITY   I
May increase Coffee Ration
Washington, April IT. (UP)— An improvement in the coffee aupply situation assures the main¬ tenance of at least the present ration of one pound per person every flve weeks and raises the possibility of an eariy increase, Price Administrator Prentiss M. Brown satd tonight.
"Shipping Is still the key to the coffee situation," he said. "Tbe seasonal coffee from Cen¬ tral America that we have been stock-piling and other similar net gains in supply must be regard¬ ed as a cushion against a period when the war may preclude the assignment of shipping for the transport of coffee for civilian use in the United States."
As a result of the recent gen¬ eral Improvement in the coffee shipping picture, Brown said, roasters will be permitted to double their allowable Inventories of green coffee.
Railroad Builders
KNOX SAYS y.$.
E
POWEROPPEACE
Fleets, Planes Are Needed to Enforce That Power
ShipS,Planes Heov/esf American Blow; Pfgngfg KO I Down 'over SO' of Enemy
in Tlinicia ^^rrSm?"'        »'•«•« ^^'^ Costs H Bombers;
III lUlliSIa .„.„„ .-izn r».     follows hlOO'Mile fliglit
To Hit Skoda Works in Pilsen
13 Axis Vessels, 19 More Airplanes Hit as Armies Poise for Attack
Allies May Name Generalissimo
London, Sunday, April IS. (UP) —The Sunday Dispatch said to¬ day that It understood that the Britiah and American govern¬ ments and their sea, land and air staffs were approaching an agreement on appointment of a generalissimo as supreme director of war operations fer Europe, Africa and the nearer parts of Asia and alt adjoining seas.
The newspaper said that Rus¬ sian territory was excluded while it had not yet been finally settled where this "unprecedented" com¬ mand would link with the Allied command in the Paciflc.
Even youngstsrs pitch In to help build hand-eontructed railway
In  the   Innermost   regions  ot  Free  China.   These  Chinese  boys,
busy at tedious handwork, aquat In sun and squint.
By VUICIIL PINKLEY
Allied Headquarters, North Africa April IT (UP)~-Allled atr and sea forces have destroyed or damaged at least IS more Axis ships and knocked out 19 planes tn a non-stop offensive paving the way for Allied land armies poised for a knockout btow against thc enemy in Tunisia, It was revealed tonight. j
The new successes In the cam¬ paign to cripple Axis communica¬ tions wtth the Tunisian bridgehead were reported as land armies jabbed I at German and Italian lines | athwart the approaches to Tunis and Blserte and drew up In battle array for the assault to wipe out; ths last enemy foothold In Africa, j Forta HH • Ships '
Flying Fortressee scored bomb hits on six merchantmen and two; destroyers in a smashing raid on Palermo^ Stctly, and deatroyed three mora harbor craft BritUh motor! torpedo    boats   sank   two   aupply i
ships   in   the   Mediterranean   nar-| 	
rows.    Lightning     flghter     planes ! blasted  a number ef ships and a "y SANDOB S. KLEIN
BASE AT KISKA DESPITE BOMBINGS
Navy Planes Make 13 Raids irtltay As Threat Grows
Washington, April IT. (UP)—Pub-1 Ilc Member Wayne L. Morse of the Wsr Lsbor Board tonight in effect | Joined the board's labor members in opposing the wage raise ban in' President Roosevelt's "hold-the-: line" anti-inflatlon order, declaring that "flexible principles must bsj applied in controlling and regulat¬ ing wartime wage pollclea."
At the same time, a large dele¬ gation of WLB regional officials conferred throughout the day with' the board They are said to have reported great confusion In their; respective areas, allegedly because of uncertainty aa to how rigidly the' erder will be aoplled.
Vice Chairman George W. Tay¬ lor is preparing a memorandum «>n the matter for aubmisslon to tha board and to Stabilization Director Jnmes F. Byrnes, who now holds the wage powers which the President's order took from the bnard. Taylor Is expected to urge that at least part of the board's former authority over gross Inequities and Inequalities be re¬ stored.
Under the new order, tne WLB ¦ permitted to grant wage In¬ creases for the sole purpose of «»rrectlng substandards and cost- of-living li.aladjustments in ac¬ cordance with the "Uttle Steel" psy   celling   formula.
Syracuse, N. TT., April 17. (UP> Secretary of Navy Frank Knox in¬ dicated here todsy that the war will last two or three years more and warned that only America and Great Britain have the power to gauarantee world security.
"After victary comes in the next two or three years," Knox said In an address at the generator plaat of the General Electric Company, "we must make sure that there will be no wars, and only America and Britain will have the power to guar¬ antee world security."
Knox said that peace can be se¬ cured only when it ts backed by force. "We must maintain our fleets and air forces and have pos¬ sessions of surh bases aa may be required to make that power effec¬ tive." he added. Mnat Have Free Flew of Ooeds
Knox said he had "no desire to fight in order to pcrpetuitte any colonial system for anybody" but advised thst in the post-war per¬ iod there must be initiated "some kind of economic system under which there may bc a Iree flow of   goods   sround   the   world."
"Bi.t—and here is where I dif¬ fer from some of my friends—" Knox continued, "ii is a long crj- from going out to organize other people's affairs and telling them what kind of government they should have. I don'l bcl'eve we ought to do that, and I don't be¬ lieve  we   could   if  we   tried."
Referring to the United Nations. Knox said they had been brought together through the need for self- preservation.
"What brought us together." Knox demanded. "Not love, or a feeling that the British, Russians or Chinese were good feIlow.s. but a sense of self-preservation. If we go back to selflsh natlonali.sni. we may look ahead to World War three years and to wars thereafter until  the  race  is annihilated."
Motorists Told to Cut Driving Another 5%
Rubber Situation Reported Worse; No Synthetics Yet
A report on Mie gaaoline shortage In Wyoming Valley, which is expected ta be Im¬ proved by the end o( the week but wlileh wUI foroe decreaaed use of automobllea here, win be found on Page A-IL
Washington, April IT. (UP)— Warning that the rubber situation probably will be worse before it Is better, the Office of War Informa¬ tion said tonight that private mo¬ torists must reduce their mileage by another five percent.
Only one or two rubber manu¬ facturing plants now arc in opera¬ tion, OWI reported, and others will not come into full production soon enough to assure the nation's 27,000,000 motorists of new syn¬ thetic tires before the latter part of 1944.
"Thc most critical period in the rubber situation," OWI said, "wtll be from October. 1943. to March, 1944, with December, 1943, the low point."
Gasoline rationing, the report said, has not thus far "resulted In the tire savings contemplated in the Baruch committee ^bber re port of last September. That com¬ mittee." the report continued "strongly   recommended   a   reduc¬
tion frem the then •.TOO miles national average to t,000 miles. As ef Jan. 1, a reduction to 9,4(X) mllea  had  been accomplished.
'This figure was somewhst low¬ ered nationally by the .jleasure- drlvlng ban in the Eastern ststes, now lifted. But a further reduc¬ tion of probably too milss or more, or approximately five per cent for every paasenger ear now operating, la essential.
"But even wtth 100 per cent eo- operatlon by car owners, thers Is a posatblllty that the rubber pic¬ ture wUl be darker before It Ughtens."
big barge off Cap Serrat.
The main Allied victory in the air was chalked up by Spitflre flghter planes which Intercepted a formation ef German transport planes off the Tunisian coaat Seven ef tbe transports and thraa escorting flghtors wera shot down.
Oen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, tbe commander In chief, served notice
Washington, April IT (UP)— American airmen In the Aleutians, engaged in an all-out attempt to keep the Japanese from completing a well-started land plane base on Kiska, have subjected that rugged Island to a record-breaking total of IS bombing raids tn one day, the Navy announced today.
Despite the damage  Inflicted  by
that the preliminaries were over i tons of bombs in 96 raids since and his armies were crouched for;March 1, the Japanese appeared to the  kill. i be making progress in the laborious msny
••OperaUons    of    this    campaign! i"oVo7h"ewrngVunwiys out of Vock;Force   bom^      *'I'^'lu'Vi   "'™1 have worked out according to sche->nd establishing an air base where, | Pounded    th^    great_ Skoda    arms enemy  planes was
dule,"  he  ssid.    "Now our
and es forces 1'"ly   In
By WALTER CRONKITE *
A Flying Fortress Barc, England, April 17 (UP)— One of the greatest armadas of Flying Fortresses ever assembled against any target in the European theater battled through fierce fighter opposition and strong anti- aircraft fire today to deliver a record blow, fittingly against the Bremen plants assembling Focke Wulf planes —the most bitter aerial enemy of the Forts. It was the deepest American penetration of Germany.
The Nazis threw against them the most severe opposition they yet have encountered, filling the air with every type of fighter plane and throwing up vast curtain of anti-aircraft flre in an effort to protect the vital plane plant.
The Fortress losses were not considered heavy in view of the importance of the target and the numerous enemy fighters shot dpwn from the attacking swarms of Focke Wulf 190's, Messerschmitt 109's, Messerschmitt llO's, Junkers 88's and even—according to some reports —the Naxis' new Mesacrschmitt 210's.
Visibility over Bremen was only fair, but the Fortressea from this base ware thc last to go In far tka bombing, and they reported good bomb hits on tho tarfct were observed. More than 2.50 tons of bombs wer* diawmnir tlir tariptt area. The raid was an aO-Fortreaa affair, and the pilots reported the tremendoas phalanx of pbnes presented "a beautiful sight" as the fomatioii flew to Bremen.
By WILUAM B. DICKINSON
London, April IT (UP)—A strong* fores ot United States preelsleii bombers, 16 of which were lest, battered the Focke Wulf alrplaaa factory in Bremen today with several hundred tons of bombs and shot down a record-breaking number of more than SO German planes that tried to stem the attack.
The American bombardiers. It was announced, scored "numerous bursts" in the target area on their seventh raid .of the war against Germany and the first In which they were out after a specific enemy war factory In the Reich. _
Jan. S.    A communique Issued by
the U.S. Army, European theater of
operations,  announced  the  bag  of
lemy  planes was "more than 50"
better total than the even 50 set
The Americans followed over Ger- more   than   600   Royal   Air
the   Aleutians   campaign, works   In    Pilsen.    Czechoslovakia,
are ready to administer the flnal/lAmerican military experU had said snd other German war Industries i„t Saturday as the final figure M Ihttt VVt h.^ malhmAtlm r^^^^^ could be built. |'" the twin Rhine river cities of the March 1« raid jn the Vegesack Sr.v «f th! hi^?." Mannheim and Ludwlgshafen. The submarine building center 10 mtlss max or the Battle. w,_- nritm, ntmn.ar U..«, .._, —j.j ,.-1.1.. .u. _—.».i. n         "
U.S. PLANES WflECK BRIDGES IN BURMA
New Delhi, April IT. (UP)—Swift American Warhawks wrecked two bridges in northwestern Burma while Billy Mitchell medium bomb¬ ers blasted railroad targets in the central sector during a dsy of at¬ Ucks on Japanese supply routes yesterday, a communique of the U.S. Air Force announced todsy.
One group of P-40 Warhawks dropped large calibre demolition bombs on a railroad bridge 10 miles northeast of Pinbaw and destroyed It Others wrecked the main span and approaches of a railroad bridge five miles south of Mogsung.
No American pisnes were lost In these rslds.
On >M-Mlle BatUe Ara
As the lines formed around the 200-mlle batUe are for the big push,' ths British First Army In the north, the French in th* center, and tha Eighth Army tn the south were trading flare* Jaba wtth th* cor¬ nered Gormaas and Italians.
The compa^fcTIve lull before the promised storm left the front frosen except for sharp local attacks by ths  Allies  tn   the  Medjez  El   Bab
Japs Grow Stronger | rap unloaded probably the great-; from Bremen.
Today's   communique   mentioned j est weight of  bombs ever dropped fellow KAF Strategy
hangars snd runways.   Yesterday's In a single operstion. I    .     nrevlous   raids   on   Germany
spol<e of revetment--protectlv. in- The RAF lost 55 bomber, a newi ^^ Americans h.d hit at sub- stallations for planes on fleids sub-,high for the war. as was the Amer-1^^^,^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^,i, pe„t,„ |,„t Ject to recurrent bombing. It was; lean loss In this theater-a total ot^^^ following the strategy of the obvious   that   the   enemy's   project Tl Allied bombers destroyed within nAF.'they were out to get one par-
was    developing,    however    slowly! 24 hours.
and under whatever difficulties, to-1 HmI, join Air Drive
ward completion. |    ,j.^^ ^^^ ,,^ ,g^^, ^„ .^vealed
ticular factory.
On Friday the Flying Fortressea and Liberators bombed Lorient and
With a fully equipped airfield at by Moscow to hsve Joined in the Brest with strong fighter protee- Klska, the Japanese would be in'gr^t offensive against Germany tion and four were lost. Today tha , position to bomb American bases ^j^j, Friday night bombing raids big bombers went out In "strong sector west of "Tunis and along the^pn the Alaskan mainland and raid on Koeplngsberg capital of East force" and depended only on their southern base of the Axis bridge- American shipping in Alaskan jpruda- xilsit 60 miles to the hesvy machine-guns to see them head anchored on EnfidaviUe. I waters.    They aUo would be In an Lortheait, and Dansig.    It waa the through.
Fl>-aiK    Fortresses    spearheaded, ideal position to nip any westward fourth time the Russians had raid-     "The   bombers,   which   were  un- the   unremitting    aerial    offensive! offensive movement in that region. ,^ East Prussia within a week. escorted, attacked .n the face of In-
against the Axis front and rear.' The Kiska airfield, however, The Moscow radio «ald the Soviet tense anti-aircraft and strong The American heavyweights of the would be of doubtful value as a airmen touched off powerful expIo- fighter opposition,' the Ameriran Northwest African Air Forces ham- base for bombing attacks against slons at the key German bases be- communique said. The only ouUld* mered the key Sicilian base of the nation's major Industrial ar- hind the Leningrad front and h'lp they had was from American, Palermo by daylight Friday. Isenals.   The   great   circle   distance kindled   large   fires.   Three  planes RA*". British Dominion and Allied
Hammering at Shipe ' from   the   island   to   Detroit,   with were missing. The raids lasted three  fighters  representing  the  occupied
Concentrating their bombs on the its tank, ordnance and bomber fac- hours. ! countries   of   Europe   which   made
harbor the Americans scored direct tories, is S,900 miles. To San Fran- The Bremen raid was the aecond ^'verslonsry sweeps In order to hits on six merchantmen and two cisco the dlsUnce Is 2,960 miles, in ss many days against Axis d""**'N"'''«nters ofTfrom attack- destroyers.   One transport ship and To hit Seattle's shipyards, the Jap- Europe by the heavy bombers of the '"«  the  bambers  oh ^h*ir way t*
' 8tii U. S. Air Force which is play- s"" """^ Bremen.
(Continued on Page A-10)
'Continued on Page A-lOi
War  Sommarj
Farnt Incentive Payments Are Scrapped by House
In Today"* Iuue
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FATHER DIVINE OFFERS   ! LAND FOR FARMING I
Ne-v York. April 17 (UP)-Two thousand acres of farmland in UI-| ster county. N. Y.. have been olTered the government by Father Divine for use in farm projects. John Lamb, the Negro cult leader's white secretar.v. said today.
The properties include Crum El¬ bow, across the Hudson River from President Roosevelt's home in Hyde Park.
WaViington, April 17. 1 UP)—The House today scrapped one of the adminlolration's pet farm programs by writing into thc Agriculture De¬ partment spproprialion bill a pro¬ viso which would forbid use of the bills' funds for incentive payments to farmers.
The House, adopted. 131 to 72. an amendment sponsored by Chairman Clarence Cannon, D.. Mo., of the appropriations committee, who de¬ scribed incentive payments—a de¬ vice used to encourage production of crops of uncertain market value -as "uneconomic, unbusinesslike. and  un-American."
"Alread.v the administration plans incentive and subsidy payments for farmers, for industry, for business, for labor - for anybody who comes to the tressury with a hand out. The  people   don't  want these sub-
sidles, the fnrmers don't want them. and the Congre.ss has expressed it¬ self as opposed to them."
Cannon agreed to a modification of his amendment designed to pro¬ tect the soil conservation payment program. This concession won fsrm bloc support and aasured passage of his amendment.
The House approved an amend¬ ment by Rep. Edwsrd H. Rees. R.. Ken., to plsce a $500 ceiling on soil conservation payments to individ¬ ual farmers, but beat down an effort to slash J12.000.000 from ad- mini.strative funds for the soil building program.
WTien it became apparent that a brewing fight over crop insurance and the Farm Security Administra¬ tion would make passage todsy im¬ possible, the House postponed fur¬ ther consideration until Mondsy.
Ing s major role in the new non-' Royal Air Force planes also w*r* stop Allied erlal offensive. The new out again today. Amerlcan-buIR series began by dsylight last Tues- light Ventura bombers, escorted bjf day and has grown in Intensity Canadian Spitfire fighters, raided with virtually each tick of the the rail marahalling yards at Abbe» One   of  the   greatest   concentre-1 aerisi attack In the Krasnodar area clock. ville, France, during the afteraoafc
tlons of Flying Fortresses to be sent and the sinking of a 12,000 trans-     The  American losses were  more The Venturas also bombed railway into  action  was  over  Germany  In,port ship in Berents Ses. than  double the previous  record— yards at Caen.  France, and an ht.
daylight yesterday, with the Amer-j seven each in a raid on Wilhelms- dustrial   plant   at   Zeebrugge,   Bal*
leans using their precision bombing |     From   China   came   reports   thatjiaven   on   Feb. 26 and  St.  ^asaire' (Continued   on   Pag*   A-t>
technique  on   the  Fock-Wulfe  sir- the   Japanese   had   opened   severar- ~  -
plane  plant at  Bremen.    This   fol- new drives along the Burma Road, lowed the Friday night battering of but   it   was   said   that   the   CThinese the Skoda Army Works in Csecho- were   holding   their   own   and   hsd Slovakia   by   the   RAF.     The   For- turned back some of the attempts, tresses, unescorted, lost 16 ships but shot down "over 50" attackers. Allied bombers ranged In a wide
arc    north    of    Australia,    raiding	
In    North    Africa,    where    Gen. many of the Jap strongholds, with Eisenhower   said   the   Allies    were particular    attention    paid    to    the      Waahington.    April    IT.    (UP) —I ready   for  the   "final   phase."   ships former    Dutch    island    of    Ambon. American    submarines   have    sunk!
and  planes were  cutting  down  on Kour   defend'ng   planes   were   shot ''v« '"'"'« Japsnese ships and dam- ,       .
the Axis strength—either  for rein- down   there.     Two   enemy   vessels ¦Red Iwo others in Pacific snd Far '"'"•a '»• roiiowing resuiis on forcement  or  fleeing  from  Africa, were atUcked off New Guinea. Eastern    waters,    the    Navy    an- stlons   against   the   enemy  Ib  4M
One    (Jerman    aerial    convoy    was nounced today. waters of these  areaa:
caught   and   heavily   atUcked.     it      The   Kiska   situation   held   atten-<    Ships sent to the bottom were  a      "(A)—Oie large supply ahlp suah.
5 More Jap Ships Sunk By U.S. Subs in Pacific
"Pacific aad Far
"l.~ U.   S.   submarines   hav*
suffered large losses.
tion.     It   was   apparent    that    the large supply ship, two medium sised      "iBl—Two    medium-eixed Japanese   have   made   considerable cargo   carriers, a large  mine   layer ships sunk. The Russians appeared preparing progress   on   the   defense   there   as snd  a  small   patrol   vessel.    A   de-      "(C)—One largs mine layer auafe. for   a   heav>-   assault   on   the   last well as moving rapidly in construe- stroyer and a medium sised trans-      "(D)—One small patrol ahip suak, German   bridgehead   in   the   north- tion   of   an   nirfield   on   thc   island port were damaged. |    "(E)—One   destro.ver damaged,
western   Caucasus.    The   Reds   re- that  will  permit   much  wider  Nip-      These sinking-s  raised to 148 the      "(F)—One    mediiim-sised ported that hea\->- Axis counter-at- ponese    aerial    action.     The    Navy total of Japanes,- .ships ssnt to the  port dsmsged. lacks  had  been   broken.  They  also made    13   raids    in    one    day    and bottom since the outbreak of wsr.        "2.    These actions have aot reported  smaller successes  further seems   rsiding   every   dsy   in   the     Text  of  Navy  Communique   No. announred   in   any   prsTieus north, the repulse of a big (Jerman effort to impede construction. 147: Department eoBUBualfU^"