Oldest “Newspaper hi Alaska. "* I lie News of the Day In Pictures** Member of The Vssoeiated Pres*
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 127. NOME, ALASKA. FRIDAY. SEPT. 18, 1942. ?*r Copy W
Army Planes Blast Japs at Kiska
Reds Take Initiative in 11 th-hour Rally at Stalingrad
Russians Seize Initiative In Dramatic
Eleventh Hour Rally At Stalingrad
Soviets Strike Back In Supreme Effort To Save City
— Hitler's Armies Hastily Erecting Defenses
UNDATED, Sept. 18 (/P) — Hitler’s siege armies,
twice hurled back in bloody street fighting, are report
ed hastily erecting defenses in the northwest outskirts
of Stalingrad as the Russians seized the initiative in a
dramatic eleventh hour rally. Dispatches said the Red
Army defenders were backed down tree-lined avenues
to the cliffs overlooking the Volga waterfront, at one
time, then with the bluffs behind them and Nazi tanks
in front, the Soviets struck back in a supreme effort to
save the big steel city, and forced the invaders to re
treat. Significantly, Hitler’s hadquarters made only the
broad general claim that Nazi troops scored “further
successes” in the battle of Stalingrad and again em
phasized the “embittered” nature of the fighting. There
was no repetition of the previous Berlin claim that Ger
man troops are thrusting deeper into the city’s streets.
Advices from Moscow said Russian tanks have gone
over to the offensive in two neighboring sections of the
Stalingrad front on orders from Stalin’s high command.
Tass reported that hundreds of fresh Siberian troops
are now moving into the battle. Bodies of hundreds of
German dead and hulks of burne out Nazi tanks litter
ed the streets, dispatches said, as the Russians obeyed
Stalin’s order and swept the Nazi tide back north.
No Confirmation That Gormans
Capture Stalingrad’s R.R. Station
UNDATED, Sept. 16 — Delayed — Russia’s armies j
yielded fresh ground at the bloody western gates to
Stalingrad but after 24 hours there was still no con
firmation of the Nazi claim that German shock troops
are fighting in the city’s streets and captured the main
Stalingrad railway station. “At heavy cost, the Ger
mans advanced slightly.’' Soviet headquarters said. Else
where on the slowly contracting defense arc, the Rus
sians are declared holding firmly.
A Berlin broadcast asserted that German troops pene
trated deeper “into the interior of” Stalingrad but gave
no details. DNB reported “bitter street fighting against
nests of resistance” within the city. German headquar
ters reported merely that “considerable additional
ground was gained in the bitter struggles” around
Stalingrad. They said the Russians were attacked on
the Rezhev-Voronezh battlefront.
Dispatches from the Red Star said the Germans lost
3,000 troops when they attempted to capture a hospital
in one outlying section of Stalingrad.
Japan Hints Boldly At Invasion
Of Siberia or India Very Soon
Japan Has Eye on Russian Pacific Maritime Provinces
UNDATED, Sept. 16 (/P) — Delayed—Japan hinted
boldly at a possible invasion of Siberia or India, while
elsewhere in the Pacific and Indian Ocean theatres of
war the surrender of French Madagascar to the British
appeared imminent and U. S. Marines battled a new
Jap attack in the Solomons.
A Tokyo broadcast picked up by the BBC quoted
General Halta, Japan’s commander-in-chief in China,
as declaring that the “East Asia war is about to take
an important step in cooperation with the European
wrar.” For weeks past, high Chinese officials have de
clared repeatedly that Japan is preparing to attack Si
beria, probably timed to coincide with a Nazi victory
at Stalingrad. More than half a million Jap troops were
reported on the Manchukuo-Siberian border last week.
Chinese reports said Russia rejected “certain sug
gestions” made by Japan. Observers said it is likely
that Japan has made strong demands for control of
. Russia’s Pacific maritime provinces. With these pro
vinces under control and guarding against a flank at
tack, Japan might consider herself in a position to
launch a major offensive against the Aleutians or even
western United States.
More A. E. F.s
Arrive Britain
London, Sept. 18 (/P) —
The Daily Mail said anoth
er large contingent of Am
erican troops,* including
hundreds of technical ex
perts, some air force per
sonnel and anti-aircraft
transport units, arrived in
Britain.
Subs Sink or Damage
Total of 107 Japs Ships
In Western Pacific
Washington, Sept. 17 (/P)
— The Navy announced
that submarines in the
Western Pacific sunk 4 en
emy ships and damaged 4
others in recent actions.
Communique No. 128 list
ed them as 2 large freight
ers. a medium sized freight
er and a small patrol boat
sunk; a large tanker dam
aged and left afire, a large
freighter damaged, a large
transport damaged, and a
medium sized cargo ship
damaged. These had not
been announced in pre
vious attacks and raised to
a total of 107, the number
of Jap vessels of all types,
which the Navy has report
ed sunk or damaged by sub
marines.
Reinforced Jap Troops
Intensify Efforts Drive
Marines Out of Solomons
Washington, Sept. 15 (/P)
—Delayed—The Navy said
reinforced Japanese troops
with strengthened sea and
air support intensified ef
forts to drive the Marines
from the Solomons, but the
Marines are holding. The
Japs lost 21 planes in five
days.
Our forces counterattack
ed Jap bases northwest of
Guadalcanal Island but the
enemy is maintaining pres
sure and apparently in
creasing the force of sur
face and aerial bombard
ment, particularly against
the airfield at which some
Jap reinforcements landed
at night and tried to re
capture, but failed.
Allied Planes
1 ire 35,000 Rounds
Into Japs at Puma
MacArthur’s Headquar
ters, Sept. 18 (/P) — Allied,
p lane s pumped 35,000
rounds of cannon and ma
chine gun fire into the Jap
invasion base at Buna and
destroyed or damaged at
least 15 barges and started
fuel dump fires visible for
25 miles.
Allied ground troops are
locked in sporadic fighting
with Jap jungle troops 32
airline miles from Port
Moresby.
President Vargas Orders
General Mobilization
Throughout Brazil
Rio de Janiero, Sept. 16
UP) —Delayed—President
Vargas ordered a general
mobilization through-out
Brazil. !
William Jeffers, President
U. P. Railroad Named
Rubber Administrator
Washington, Sept. 15 (/P)
Delayed — Donald M. Nel
son appointed William Jef
fers, president of the Un
ion Pacific Railroad, as na
tional rubber administra
tor.
Lt.-Gen George Brett
& Maj.-Gen. Ralph Rovce
Given New Assignments
MacArthur’s Headquar
ters, Sept. 15 (/P) Delayed
— MgcArthur appointed
Major General G. C. Ken
nedy as commander of the
Allied air forces in the
southwest Pacific, succeed
ing Lt. General George
Brett who will be given
another assignment.
Major Gen. Ralph Rovce
commander of the 29th
bombardment wing, was
also relieved of his assign
ment for another post.
The Allied air forces
again smashed at Jap bases
in New Guinea. Ground
patrols in the Owen Stan
ley mountains are more ac
tive but the general situa
tion is unchanged.
Very Heavy Price Paid Considering
Gains Made, By Raid On Dieppe
OTTOWA, Sept. 18 (/P)—The Canadian government
said flatly that a “very heavy price’* was paid, consid
ering what was gained by the Allied forces raid of
August 19 on Dieppe. A 4,000-word review issued by
defense minister Ralston summed up the raid as fol
lows: “For lessons learned and advantages gained, our
forces, particularly the land forces, paid a very heavy
price.” The Canadian army furnished all but a small
part of the land forces and suffered 3,350 casualties,
170 killed, 633 wounded, and 2,547 missing. It was the
costliest Canadian military operation of the war.
These losses, the statement, said, were “probably
due in part to the misfortune” of the chance encounter
of an escorted German tanker in the English Channel.
This mishap marred the “complete achievement of sur
prise.”
Army and Navy Planes Take Heavy
* V v
Marine Positions In Solomons Still Apparently Intact
But Enemy Loses Installations at Rekata Bay
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (/P) — Army and Navy
aircraft, striking furious new blows at both ends of
the Pacific battlefront, took a heavy toll of Japanese
land and sea forces, damaging two cruisers in the Sol
omons; three submarines at Kiska, on Monday. Two
mine sweepers were sunk, and three large cargo ships ■
and several small craft also damaged at Kiska; and
500 Japs killed or wounded, correcting an earlier Hono
lulu report which said all were dead of a large group.
Army heavy bombers, Consolidated Liberators, es
corted by P-38 fighters and Bell Airacobras went on
the first Kiska mission.
Land fighting in the Solomons slacked off with ma
rine positions apparently intact, but the enemy lost
shore installations at Rekafa Bay as a result of bomb
ing attack by Army Flying Fortresses and Navy and
Marine Devastator dive bombers. Navy Grumman
Avenger torpedo planes attacked a cruiser and destroy
er force northwest of Guadalcanal and hit two cruisers
with torpedoes and bombs.
Army Planes at kiska Sink 2 Ships.
Down 6 Hanes, and
HONOLULU, Sept. 16 (/P) Delayed — Army planes
heavily attacked Kisfca yesterday and sank two enemy
ships, shot down 6 enemy planes, and killed 500 Jap
anese. A communique from Admiral Chester Nimitz,
commander of the Pacific fleet, said ‘‘this afternoon,
September 15th, our Army Air Forces in Alaska de
livered a most successful attack on enemy shipping and
shore installations in Alaska. Enemy ships and planes
in the harbor received direct bomb hits and repeated
strafing. At least 2 naval vessels were sunk, 5 enemy
planes shot down in flames, and one 4-engined patrol
plane burned in the water. Installations and storage
dumps around the harbor were repeatedly bombed and
strafed, resulting in large fires and explosions. Enemy
personnel casualties were estimated at around 500,
whereas we lost two pilots as the result of two P-38’s
colliding in mid-air.”
Aircraft Carrier Yorktown Sunk After
Battle of Midway By Japanese Sub
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (/P)—Delayed—The Navy
announced that the aircraft carrier Yorktown was sunk
after the battle of Midway as a result of Jap bombs and
torpedo attacks. The loss of the 11.900-ton carrier,
with very few casualties, has been a well-kept naval
secret. The department said the destruction of the ship
was apparently not known by the enemy. This know
ledge is vitally linked with operations that have been
in progress in the south Pacific since early August.
The Yorktown was first successfully attacked by en
emy aircraft bombs and torpedoes on the afternoon of
June 4th after the battle of Midway, the great Ameri
can victory, reached its full fury. The vessel, which
carried a normal complement of 85 planes and 2,072
men, was only five years old when put out of action.
Tugs and salvage vessels succeeded, however, in get
ting her under control and she was removed slowly
but surely from the battle zone, but shortly after noon
on June 6th, an enemy sub suddenly attacked the
stricken ship scoring two torpedo hits amidships.
The sub put two more deadly torpedoes into the U.
S. destroyer Hammann which was escorting the York
town. The Hammann sank shortly after it was hit.
The condition of the Yorktown became critical and
early June 7th the “Yorktown capsized and sank as a
result of the cumulative damage from aircraft bombs
and torpedoes on the 4th, and sub torpedoes on the 6th.”
Before the end came, the Navy said, the sub which de
livered the fatal attack was hunted down by American
destroyers, the Yorktown’s escort, and repeatedly at
tacked throughout the day and possibly sunk.