t
Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. **The News of the Day In Pictures” Member ol I lie Associated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 117. NOME. ALASKA. Wednesday, Aug 26. 1942 p,tr Cjpy 15*
Solomons Battle Widening In Area
Red Army Retreats to 40 Miles From Stalingrad
Battle of Solomons Is Raging In
Increasing Fury Over Widening Area
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (/P) — The battle of the
Solomons apparently is raging in increasing fury over
a widening area as the Japs rushed reinforcements to
a huge armada seeking to recapture American-held
shore bases.
Allied planes from MacArthur’s headquarters smash
ed at an eastbound Jap convoy about 450 miles west of
the battle.
A navy official expressed the opinion that “We are
winning the second round of the battle of the Solo
mons, but the round is not over yet.’’ Thus far there
( have been no reports on the extent of American losses.
Japs Counter Attacking Americans
Holding the S. E. Solomon Islands
Army and Navy Units Backing Marines who Expected
And Were Prepared For A Violent Jap Attempt
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (/P)—The Navy announc
ed that the Japs counter attacked the American forces
holding the southeastern Solomon Islands, and a great
sea and air battle developed. The enemy suffered more
1 than half a dozen ships damaged in the battle which
began developing on the afternon of August 23rd. Al
ready Army and Navy carrier-based planes effective
ly bombed two Jap carriers, one battleship, one trans
port, one cruiser, and an unspecified number of other
cruisers which the Navy described only as “several.”
One transport and one cruiser were left burning
fiercely after an aircraft attack on them north of
Guadalcanal on August 24th. The main action of the
battle, a Navy communique indicated, is currently in
progress. The Navy said it is a “large scale battle”
between American sea and air forces and a strong
Jap striking force which approached the southeastern
group of Solomons from a northeast direction.
Army and Navy units are backing up the Marines in
the islands, but they had expected a violent attempt
by the Japs to recapture their lost bases in the Tulagi
area, and so the Navy said, apparently were fully pre
pared to meet it. On this point, the Navy said. “This
counter attack has developed and is now being met.”
Preliminary reports “indicate that the enemy strik
ing force has been attacked by U. S. Flying Fortresses
and our carrier-based naval aircraft.” A large Jap
carrier, whose name was not given, was attacked by
Army bombers, which reported scoring four hits. Nav\
carrier-based aircraft were credited with “severely
damaging” the smaller Jap carrier Rvuzyo, a 7100-ton
vessel completed in 1933, which carried about 24 air
craft. In addition, the Navy said, “several enemy cruis
ers and battleships were also hit by our carrier planes.”
The Navy referred to “our occupation of the import
ant enemy base at Tulagi” suggesting that the harbor
itself may have been completely captured by Ameri
can forces.
I
Says Military Situation In Aleutians
“Is Serious But Encouraging”
P P
Senate Committee Saw Everything of Military Interest
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 24 (/P)—Senator Chandler
said the military situation in Alaska and the Aleutians
is serious but encouraging and “will continue serious
as long as the Japs are at Kiska. But I feel a lot better
about it than I did when I left two weeks ago. I was
alarmed then, afraid that full consideration hadn’t
been given the military dangers of having the Japs
in the Aleutians, but I’m encouraged now.”
He said the Senate Military Affairs sub-committee
“saw everything of interest in a military way. We got
as far as Umnak and were flown as far in the direc
tion of Kiska as anybody, except actual combatants,
could hope to get. We got out in the dirt, slept in the
barracks, and ate in the mess halls with the boys who
are up at-the front. We found they all had their hands
on the trigger, ready to shoot, and Boy, can they shoot.’
Duke of Kent,
King's Brother
Dies In Crash
London., Aug. 25 (TP) —
Kiru George’s youngest
bro‘h t. the Duke of Kent,
aged 59. was killed with a
possible 10 other men in a
plane crash in northern
Scot1 md. He was enroute
to Iceland for active serv
ice m RAF air commo
dor
: F * :> survived by his
wid / the princess Mar
in ' Greece and three
chi! i •
First Member Of
Koval Family To
Die In Airplane
F id n. Aug. 26 (/P) —
The Duke of Kent and all
15 per-ons in the plane
were killed. The bodies
were recovered.
The Duke was fifth in or
der for succession to the
throne of all Britain where
the grievous message, kill
ed on active service,” dark 1
ened countless thresholds
who offered sympathy.
The Duke is the first I
member of the Britsh roy
al family to be killed in an
airplane.
\rmy Orders
Surprise Black
Out of !\ew York
New York, Aug. 25 (/P)—
The Army ordered a black
out and surprised all of
New York including May
or LaGuardia.
Some pedestrians ran to
shelters, excitedly looking
skyward, while others
were calm. Telephone in
quiries jammed the police
and newspapers despite ap
peals to the contrary. The
blackout lasted for 50 min
utes. Times Square was
cleared in 10 minutes.
Six More Jap
Skips Damaged I
Solomons Battle
Seattle, Aug. 25 (/P) —
John Edward Clancy, aged
74, the last of the Clancy j
brothers, who held prom
inent places when Seattle
was young and roisterous,
died. The Clancy operated
a saloon during the nine
ties and during the Alaska
gold rush years, and were
a powerful force in city pol
itics. They retired from
business early in the cen
tury.
J. E. (Jancy Prom
w
incut In Seattle’s
Eolith Passes On
Washington, Aug. 20 (/P)
— Damaging six more Jap
ships in the great sea and
a i- battle of the Solomon
Islands was announced in
a Navv communique which
said results of the fight to
date are “encouraging.”
Ships reported today as
successfully attacked by
American aircraft were 2
destroyers and four miscel
kneous vessels. One de
■ trover was damaged by
dive bombers on the night
of August 23-24 when a
Jap destroyer force at
tempted to shell Gaudal
c nal island, and others
wore “left burning” after
marine and naval aircraft
blasted an enemy force of
transports, cruisers and do
strovers approaching Guad
alcanal from the north, on
August 24th.
Imestimating Committee
Member Narrowly Escapes
Injury in Bomber Crash
Seattle. Aug. 25 (rP) —
Senator Wallgren reveal
ed that Charles Clark, as
sistant council for the Sen
ate’s Truman ' committee,
narrowly escaped serious
injury when the bomber,
in which he was riding,
crashed in Alaska, on the
recent inspection trip. The
plane over-ran the runway
and on landing Clark was
thrown around violently.
He said some of the army
personnel were “no‘t >o
lucky.”
Allied Planes Straffe
Jap Convoy 450 Miles
West of Main Battle
MacArtbur’s Headquarters
Aug. 25 (/P)—Allied bomb
ers destroyed a Jap gun
boat and heavily straffed
two transports, 450 miles
west of the Solomons when
they encountered a small
enemy convoy.
Thirteen grounded Jap
planes were also destroyed
and an anti-aircraft bat
tery silenced in two sur
prise attacks on Buna.
Draft Taking All 1-A Men
SACRAMENTO, Aug. — Calif
ornia State Director Colonot Lei
teh said that the California draft
boards will have exhausted then
lists of single men in class 1-A
within about 2 months, with ex
ceptions of those deferred for
employment in vital war indus
tries. Col. Leitch said that single
men with dependent parents or
other relaitves will be the next
class drawn, then married men
without children.
The Washington State draft
board previously predicted that
all single men in that state would
be drafted within CO days and
all married men without child
ren within six months.
I
German Thrusts Place Stalingrad
In Immediate Peril Of Seizure
MOSCOW, Aug. 2t> |.-P) — Two successive German
thrusts through the Russian lines between the Don
and the Volga placed Stalingrad in immediate peril of
seizure as German tanks and other armored machines
lunged ahead. Thousands of workers in factories took
up arms on the high west bank of the Volga to help
defend the great industrial city as German vanguards
, reached the flat sandy plain northwest of the city, and
Russian tanks, fighting a running battle, brought them
at last to a temporary halt.
A Berlin communique declared that great fires are
raging in Stalingrad as the city is pounded day and
night by the German air force with high explosive and
incendiary bombs.
As Crisis Mounts, ChureliilFs Home
Coming Indicates Allied Action Soon
L
UNDATED, Au1^ 25 i.-T1) — Massed German tanks
advanced perilously closer to Stalingrad, forcing the
Russians to a new retreat less than 40 miles from the
great Volga steel city. Other Nazi column; struck
within 85 miles of the Grozny oil fields in ti.e central
Caucasus. The Vichy radio quoted a Berlin spokesman
, as boasting that the “fate of Stalingrad will be set
tled before the end of the week.”
Front line dispatches from Moscow saiu ’ the Ger
mans crossed the Don with large numbers of tanks,
dive bombers swarmed the skies, Nazi parachutists
dropped behind the Soviet defense lines with anti
tank guns, trench mortars and motorcycles.
A German communique said the luftwaffe, striking
in violent day and night raids.” are setting parts of
Stalingrad aflame and inflicting havoc on the city’s
armament works.
As the crisis mounted. London newspapers said the
jaunty homecoming of Churchill from Moscow last
night indicated that Allied action is imminent. The
London Daily Telegraph said the trip is a “prelude to
battie ” Significantly, one of the first to greet him was
Vice Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, chief of the
British Combined Operations, and director of last
week’s “invasion curtain raiser,” the assault on Dieppe.
During the night, the RAF’s big offensive scourge of
Germany, city by city, struck in force on the Rhine
land war centers of Frankfurt and Wiesbadn. Sixteen
bombers failed to return, indicating perhaps that 300
took part.
—
Germany Vsks Troops of Hungary
LONDON, Aug. — Authoritative reports in London
said that Hitler had offered Slovakia to Hungary in
return for more troops to serve on the Russian front.
According to the report the offer was made to Prime
Minister Kallay of Hungary in reply to his recent visit
to Hitler’s headquarters. The Nazi leader offered to
mediate between Slovakia and Hungary with the aim
of incorporating Slovakia into Hungary.
Prime Minister Willing
It was said that Prime Minister Tuka of the Puppet
Slovak government agreed to the idea. Hitler told
Kallay that President Tsho of Slovakia opposed the
plan, but that Tsho’s resistance was not considered a
real obstacle.
When Hitler demanded stronger military support
and German control of Hungarian industry, Kallay
reportedly told him it was at present impossible for
Hungary to send more soldiers, as she already had
I 330,000 men serving with the Nazis in Russia.
To Increase Food Shipments
Kallay agreed to Germany’s demands for control of
Hungarian industry, and promised to increase ship
ments of food to Germany.
A diplomatic expert for Reuters news agency ex
pressed belief in the story. Said he:
“It can be assumed that Hitler’s proposals were re
ceived with great sympathy, as bringing nearer Hun
gary's dream of reunion of all the countries once un
I der th crown of St. Stephen.”