Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “ 1 lie News of llie Dav In Pictures” Member oi I he Yssoeiated Press
THE NOME NUGGET ~
VOL. 44. No. 114. NOME. ALASKA, Wednesday, Aug. 19. 1942 p*r c°p?
Commando Forces Land In France
Soviets Drive Germans In Retreat Below Stalingrad
Germans At Stalingrad Are Driven In
Retreat-Elsewhere Allied Star Rises
UNDATED, Aug. 18 (/P) — Russia’s armies are re
ported to have driven the Germans in retreat below
Stalingrad and recapturing several miles of lost ground
in the critical struggle for the great Volga steel city.
Elsewhere in the global war, signs appeared that the
Allied star is rising.
Soviet dispatches said Timoshenko’s forces, launch
ing one of the strongest counter attacks since the Ger
mans crossed the lower reaches of the Don. generally
improved their positions in the Kotelnikovski sector.
95 miles southwest of Stalingrad. The Red Star said
Russian shock troops stormed enemy-occupied hills
and captured a defense section hurriedly erected by
the Germans and destroyed several firing points. The
Russians admitted that General von Bock's offensive
has driven a wedge in the Soviet lines northwest of
Stalingrad but frontline dispatches to Izvestia said
Red Army infantry, artillery and tanks ‘‘fulfilled or
ders to halt the enemy by ail means,” in that sector.
Other reports said Russian ‘‘descent groups.” para
chutists or plane-borne troops landed at the German
rear and beat off an attack by Nazi planes and sol
diers and killed 300 Germans in a two-day battle.
Simultaneously, Hitler’s headquarters acknowledg
ed that Red Armies are attacking the German lines
west of Moscow and noted “hard defensive battles” in
the Vyazma and Rzhev sectors west and northwest of
Moscow.
Meanwhile, Soviet papers urged the United Nations
to carry the war to Germany with “all their power
and energy” and declared Hitler has already laid bare
other vulnerable parts of his front in Europe in or
der to obtain success on the Soviet-German front.”
Churchill and Stalin Reach Number
Of Decisions on Conduct of War
MOSCOW, Aug. 17 (/P)—Delayed—Winston Church
ill was in Moscow from August 12 to 15, with Stalin,
and they reached a number of decisions on the con
duct of the war, reaffirming the alliance of their na
tions against the Axis, it was announced. Avereli
Harriman attended as President Roosevelt’s personal
representative.
A communique issued after Churchill left the So
viet Union said unspecified decisions were reached,
and emphasized that an “atmosphere of cordiality
and complete sincerity prevailed in the negotiations
which brought the two war leaders together for the
first time.
Britain was also represented by General Sir Alan
Brooke, chief of the Imperial General staff and Sir
Alexander Gardogan, permanent Undersecretary of
the Foreign Office. On the Soviet side, Foreign Com
missar Molotov and, Marshal Vorshilov, former de
fense Commissar, now commander of the Soviet re
serve armies, assisted Stalin in the discussions. Gen
eral Wavell, British commander in India also took part.
Allies Raid
New Ireland
MacArthur’s Headquart
ers, Aug. 18 (/l3) — Allied
bombers raided Kavieng,
New Ireland, and Jap ship
ping in a harbor of Dutch
Timor.
Twenty four Jap bomb
ers hit back at Port Mor
esby.
Churchill and
Stalin Reach
Number of Decisions
London, Aug. 17 (/P) —
Delayed —Churchill’s con
ference with Stalin has
reached a “number of de
cisions covering the war
against Hitlerite Ger
many,” the government an
nounced.
Huge Cargo Planes
May Cross Seas
_
LOS ANGELES, Aug. Gigan
tic cargo planes capable of the
mass transporting of troops ac
ross the Atlantic out of reach
of lurking subs are not visions
of the future but may soon be
icome an actuality in quantity
i production.
I
Even greater ships with a cap
I acity of 400 soldiers will be able
i to span the Atlantic in from 10
! to 12 hours and have passed the
' speculative stage to a point
j where the industry could begin
construction.
These statements were issued
1 by Tom Girdler, chairman of the
| Board of Consolidated Aircraft,
and Maj. Reuben Fleet, the com
pany’s founder, as they told the
nation in radio talks that the in
dustry is prepared to tackle the
heavy transport problem.
Allied Bombers
S. V. Pacific
Appears Likely Marines
Extending Beachheads
Undated, Aug. 17 (/P) —
Delayed—The battle of the
Solomons, now 11 days old.
was obscured as ever, but
it appeared likely that U.S.
marines are extending the
beachheads already official
ly announced as captured.
While this exclusively
navy operation continued,
McArthur sent bombers in
an almost ceaseless harass
ment of Jap bases and sup
ply lines in the southwest
Pacific. A town on the;
southeast coast of Timor
was bombed, the Mel
bourne Herald saying that
Allied troops are still op
erating in the interior
there, and speculated that
the Timor attack was
meant to assist guerilla
forces.
A MacArthur communi
que also reported continu
ed patrol skirmishes in
N e w Guinea, between
small enemy forces and A1
lied outposts beyond the
Owen Stanley range line, a
natural defense of the Al
lied base at Port Moresby.
A Jap radio station re
ported that IJanos and Hai
phong were bombed by
China-based U. S. planes
on Aug. 9, but is without
confirmation from any Al
lied source. A Tokyo broad
cast said Jap subs- opera!
ing in Australian waters,
sunk 10 Allied vessels to
taling about 90,000 tons,
between mid-July and mid
August.
Germans Make
Gains But At
Tremendous Cost
Moscow, Aug. 17 (/P) —
Delayed— The German of
fensive at the Don bend
flared into full force with a
powerful new drive on
Stalingrad, while in the
Caucasus the Russians fell
back from the ruins of the
Maikop oil fields toward
the next petroleum produc
ing area. Grozny.
A Russian communique
reported a terrific toll of
new Nazi manpower and
material thrown into the
assault southeast of Klet
skaya and northeast of Ko
telnikovski, against the
banks of the fortified line
guarding Stalingrad. Bat
tlefront dispatches said
the Germans rolled for
ward at tremendous cost
in the Kletskaya salient, 75
miles northwest of Stalin
I. S. Air Forces
Make First Raid
Against Nazis
■—.
Led By Gen. Ira Eaker
An American Bomber Sta
tion in Britain, Aug. 18 (/P)
— Powerful Flying Fort
ress crews, led personally
by Brigadier General Ira
Eaker, dropped tons of ex
plosives in a daylight raid
on the railway yards in
Rouen, France, in the first
full-fledged All-American
bombing blow against the
Nazis, without losing a sin
gle bomber. One gunner
bagged a new German |
Foekenwulf fighter.
, Major Gen. Carl Spaatz.
: commander of the U. S. air
forces in the European
I theatre said “We will
| bomb Germany as fast and
i as often as possible until
we win the war.”
Allies Already
Won Operations
In Solomons
London, Aug. 17 (/P) —
Delayed —-Selwyn Speigst,
Londons News correspond
ent at Sydney, said despite
the cautious tone of United
Nations communiques “It
seems clear that the Allies
have already won the land,
sea and air operations in
the Solomons, greatest vic
tory vet achieved against
the Japanese.”
Attributing the Washing
ton reluctance to give de
tails of the action, to secur
ity reasons, Speigst said:
“It is reasonable to assume
that” U. S. marines have
achieved their major init
ial objective. “This appar
ently was done by seizing
control of Tulagi harbor,
the big air base on Guadal
canal island, which was
nearly ready for use by the
Japs when taken.”
When American & Aus
tralian fighting planes are
able to operate from that
field in substantial number
the Japs will lose all
chance of driving them
I from the island, he assert
! ed, “and that stage may be
very near.”
jgrad, but held firmly on
the Kotelnikovski flank, 9b
miles southwest of Stalin
grad.
In the Caucasus, extend
ing Axis lines appeared to
have been checked on the
Krasnodar flank where the
Germans are thrusting to
ward the port of Novorosh
isk, but the stretched ever
farther to the southeast,
along the rail and oil pipe
line toward Grozny on the
Caspian Sea.
Allied Commandos Land At Dieppe
On French ^Invasion" Coast. Carry
•»
At Least 1 Beach. Heavy Fighting
• c O
l . S. Army Bombers and Fighters Join In Forming
Protective “Umbrella" Over Assault Forces
UNDATED, Aug. 18 (/P) — Tank-led U. S. troops,
British Commandos, Canadians, and Fighting French
stormed the Nazi-occupied French “invasion" coast
at Dieppe before dawn, carrying at least one beach
by assault. Heavy fighting still raged this afternoon.
It was announced that “Troops taking part in the ra>d
landed at all points selected, and the military force
consists of mainly Canadian troops.”
U. S. Army bombers and fighters joined in forming
a protective “umbrella" over the land assault forces.
Bitter German aerial opposition was reported by ob
servers on the English shore, who said more planes
than ever were seen or heard over the Channel, shut
tled across to attack the enemy or to reload, indicat
ing perhaps that a thousand or more Allied aircraft
were in action.
No Indication I> Attempt To Open Second Front
As the battle developed, with the Germans conced
ing that Allied forces are attacking on both sides of
Dieppe, there is still no official indication whether it
is an attempt to open a second front. The British
Broadcasting Company told the French people many
hours earlier that it is not an invasion, presumably
to forestall a popular revolt. However, military strat
egy indicated that the British have strong reserves
massed in southern England ready to take advantage
of any “soft spot” which the Commandos might find
in the Nazi coastal defenses. The first word that re
inforcements are being' sent will indicate strongly that
a full-fledged invasion attempt is under way.
The BBC warned the French not to rise to the sup
port of the Allies until the word is given, in order to
prevent a repetition of the tragic St. Nazaire battle,
in which French patriots fought the Nazis for days
after the British Commando raiders had withdrawn.
Bloody reprisals were exacted by the Germans in that
instance.
American Itangers Take Part In Assault
Taking part in today's spectacular assault were Am
erican Rangers, named for the Rogers Rangers of
Indian fighter fame in American colonial history,
chosen “from among the avalanche of volunteers for
Commando training in the British Isles "
Shore Positions Taken bv Marines
In Solomons Now Well Established
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (/P)—Delayed—The Navy
announced that shore positions, taken by American
Marines in the Jap-held Solomon Islands, “are now
well established,“ following a naval engagement be
tween American warships and a force of cruisers and
destroyers, in which the enemy was forced to retreat.
The naval engagement was fought the night of Aug
ust 8 and 9 when the enemy force attempted to attack
(J. S. transport and cargo ships supplying the Marine
landing parties. This enemy force was intercepted and
engaged by U. S. destroyers and cruisers and close
range fighting resulted. As a result of this action, the
Navy reported, the enemy was “forced to retreat be
fore reaching the vessels engaged in the landing opera
tion.”
Both Japanese and American ships were hit, but
! the Navy said it is impossible to determine accurately
i the damage inflicted on the Japanese. The Navy’s com
[munique reported the Japs lost at least 36 planes, 18
destroyed in the initial navy attack on August 7, and
18 others destroyed when enemy air forces attempted
to attack American ships engaged in landing opera
tions on August 7 and 8.
The communique made no mention of the current
situation in the Solomons except to say that shore po
1 sitions are now well established, but the naval spokes
. man declared he would permit the use of his name
. added to his statement that the “campaign in the Sol
• onions is continuing.”