• Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of the Day In Pictures** Member of The Associated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 73. NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1942 Per Copy is#
. Defeated Japs Flee From Midway
Adm. King Asserts Dutch Harbor Action Continues
•• __
Admiral kin" Declares Midway Battle
May Decide C ourse of \$ar In Pacific
WASHINGTON, June 3 (AP) — Desperate new ef
forts to break the growing might of America’s air and
sea power in the Pacific, were predicted by informed
quarters as the only course left for the enemy, now I
clearly on the defensive, subsequent to the U. S. vie-!
lory in the battle which started with the repulse of a:
* huge attacking force on Midway Island last week. Au-!
thorities said the Japs must either initiate new opera
tions somewhere along the sweeping defense line from
Russia-Alaska-Australia, or else by inactivity, admit
eventual complete defeat even before the grand of-!
tensive of the United Nations starts rolling in the
Pacific.
Meanwhile the armada of battleships, aircraft car
► riers and cruisers which steamed into what appeared a:
trap at Midway, apparently have withdrawn. Admiral
King declared that the battle just ending might decide
the course of the war in the Pacific, depending on the
extent of damage inflicted on the enemy.
Fleet Engaging Japs At Dutch Harbor
But Situation Obscure. King Explains
WASHINGTON, June 7 (AP) — Admiral Ernest,
r King, Fleet. Commander, reported that the fleet is en
gaging the Japanese also in the North Pacific, in the
Dutch Harbor region. The situation around Dutch
Harbor is obscure, King explained, due to weather.
He said that for several days, officers in the field are
required to give only minimum information to Wash
ington and “We have had a none too clear picture of
what is going on, but it is going on."
L.S. Forces Sink Or Damage 13
To 15 Warships In Midway Battle
PEARL HARBOR, Honolulu, June G. (AP) — Unit
ed Stales armed forces sunk or damaged 13 to 15 war
ships and transports and repulsed the Japanese inva
sion fleet at Midway Island and a “momentous victory
is in the makng.” These included the sinking of two and
possibly three aircraft carriers, with most of their a:r
craft lost. Admiral Nimitz, Commander-in-chief of
1he Pacific fleet, enumerated the enemy lasses tonight
^ in the third communique on the great and continuing
battle in the Pacific.
Bill Drawn
To Double
Navy Size
0
WASHINGTON, June — An
$8,300,000,000 measure authoriz
ing 5(H) fighting ships in a gi- j
gantic program which comes
close to doubling the size of the
U. S. fleet has been drafted by
Chairman Carl Vinson of the
House Naval Committee.
Vinson said he will introduce
the bill calling for the Largest
naval construction program ever
authorized at one time.
He said today "a two-ocean
* Navy' will probably be finished
in the next 24 months." The bill
will call for a half million tons
of aircraft carriers and a half
million tons of cruisers, both
light and heavy, and 900.000 tons
of destroyers, destroyer escort
vessels and 800 small vessels for
patrol work, mine-layng and
tending duty.
Declares US Not Fighting
Italians; Liberation is Aim
WASHINGTON, June —Assist
ant Secretary of State Dean
Acheson in an address here said
the United States is not fighting
the Italian people but aims only
to liberate them from Mussolini.
BRITISH GOVT. TAKES
CONTROL OF COAL MINES
LONDON. June — Full control
of the nation's coal mines is to
be assumed by the British Gov
ernment according to a decision
reached June 2. It was also de
cided to inaugurate coal ration
ing, tentatively scheduled to be
gin July 1.
Under the rationing program
each {person is to receive 8040
pounds of coal a year.
I
British Instruct
French Evacuate
Coastal Area
___
London, June 8 (AP) —
The British radio broad
cast instructions to the
French people to evacuate
the broad coastal area
from Belgium to the Span
ish border, a strip which
the Germans designated asi
a prohibited military zone.
“Operations of capital,
importance” for the Thera-,
tion of France will start in
due time, said the broad
cast and added “It has
been shown on several oc
casions that the presence
of civilian population at
j the scene of active opera-1
' tions hinders the action of
: troops, particularly friend
ly troops.” The British
I sources said they couldn’t
' interpret the bulletin, that
' it would have to stand for
j itself.
RAF Tops Off
Big Week W ith j
Another Raid
—
London, June 6 (AP) —
The RAF topped off the
week which saw the open
ing of the greatest air of- j
Tensive in history with a
third bitter night assault
on the Ruhr last night, also
sending what observers
called the “biggest sweep
I of the week" agaist the oc
cupied coast in a daylight
I attack, which meant pro
bably that more than a
thousand fighter and bomb
er planes in day operations
and 300 bombers at night.
The air ministry disclos
ed roughly that 8 square
miles of Cologne was dev
astated by the 1,000 bomb
er raid and “a greater part
of the old town of Cologne
is finished"
v Defense Bonds and Stamps
I
British Pound
Axis Forces In
Libya Back
or
London. June 6 (AP) —
The British, now in armor
ed superiority in the Lib- i
yan action, are pounding
Marsha! Rommel’s batter-'
ed tank spearhead back to
ward the gap in the British
lines. A military comment
ator said Lieut. Gen. Neil
Richie retains the initia-,
live after driving the Ger
mans out of Tamar, west;
of Kingsbridge, in an at-1
tack which started two;
nights ago and appeared to I
have developed into a 3
sided onslaught.
Aussie Ship. Ja > j
Submarine Sunk
Off Australia
Melbourne, June G (AP).
—Another Australian mer;
; chant ship was sunk off the
coast of New South Wales,’
but survivors said they be|
lieved that the Jap sub
was sunk by an Allied
plane a few minutes later.;
Five of the ship’s surviv
ors landed here.
—
Labor Riots
In Bahamas
('alls Duke
NASSAU, Bahamas, June
Unskilled laborer on a large An;
erican program staged a demon
stration in Nassau, smashing
show windows and looting fash
ionable stores
Two rioters were killed and
other wounded, before police'
troops restored partial order.
While the Duke of Windsor in
terrupted hLs business trip to
Washington to hasten back, con
ditions remained unsettled.
The demonstrators were pro
testing against wages of 80 cents
a day on the unskilled labor pro
ject.
Jap Plan Occupation Hawaii Shattered
U. S. Forces In Pursuit Remnants Fleet
PEARL HARBOR, Honolulu, June 7 (AP) — The
Japanese plan for occupation of the Hawaiian Islands
has been shattered with American forces in relentless
pursuit of crippled remnants of the enemy fleet. Ad
miral Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet,
said tonight that the Japanese appeared to be with
drawing and contact was lost with the enemy during
the night. He said it does not mean that pursuit has
been abandoned.
Two, perhaps three Japanese carriers and a Japan
ese destroyer were sunk and destruction and damage
was inflicted on at least 13 other enemy warships. All
airplanes were lost on the carriers definitely sunk.
Nimitz said most of the planes were destroyed on one
o.r two of the carriers damaged. Other Japanese losses
included: three battlehips damaged, one heavily: four
cruisers damaged, two badly: and three transports
damaged.
American warship losses were reported as one de
stroyer sunk and an aircraft carrier hit. Casualties
were light in the battle which commenced with the
opening of an attack on Midway Island Thursday.
Presence of Jap Transport Indicated
Goal Vt as Actual Conquest of Midway
HONOLULU. June (5 (AP) — The crushing defeat
of the Jap fleet, which attempted to seize Midway Is
land. in a desperate bid for control of the midPacifie,
grew in proportions as the United States pressed home
new attacks on the enemy, which appeared to be limp
ing away, possibly presaging a victory even greater
than that of the Coral Sea. Admiral Chester Nimitz
said Jap aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers and
transports were dealt damaging blows and “while it
is too early to claim a major Jap defeat, it may be
conservatively stated that the U. S. control remains
firms in the Midway area.” The Pacific commander-in
chief announced last night that the “enemy appears to
be withdrawing, but we are continuing the battle.”
No actual sinkings were listed in cryptic accounts of
the battle which the Japs opened with carrier-based
planes Thursday, after a possible feinting attack on
Dutch Harbor, but Nimitz said a Jap aircraft carrier
was hit by the aerial defenders in the first stages of the
fighting and was later struck by three torpedoes. “As
more reports come in, it appears that enemy damage
is very heavy indeed, involving ships in each the car
rier. battleship, cruiser, and transport classes.”
In the first mention of transports for landing support,
the belief is that the huge Jap forces, risking much in
an assault so far from their home base, had as their
goal the actual conquest of Midway. In desperation
from impending defeat, the Japs are reported to have
machine-gunned U. S. fliers forced to bail out during
dog fights. Americans adrift in rubber boats are be
lieved to have suffered similar treatment.
THE MARINES ARE ABOUT TO LAN 0—From their camouflaged mother ship, U.S. marines getting special training In the use of rubber landing boats
for surprise operations in enemy territory pull toward shore. Boats are inflated either by hand pumu or bv machine, sometimes are powered by motors. j