Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of The Day In Pictures'* Menilier Of Hie Associated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 60. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, May 20, 1942 Per Copy u#
Russians Smash Closer to Kharkov
Brig. Gen. Doolittle Receives Congressional Medal
\azis Desperately Seek to Ease
Pressure Soviet Advance Kharkov
UNDATED, May 20, (AP) — Russia’s Ukraine arm
ies, led by monster fifty-two-ton tanks, advanced over
fields littered with many hundreds of German dead in
the 9-day-old battle of Kharkov, while the Nazis sought
desperately to ease the pressure with a diversional at
tack, 80 miles to the south. Apparently the Russians
refused to be decoyed, as a bulletin from Red Army
headquarters said “Our troops waged offensive battles,
beat off enemy counter attacks and advanced.” At mid
day, the Russians reported they were smashing ever
closer to Kharkov, despite stiffened German resist
ance, and declared that fighting spread like wildfire
along the entire southern fiank of the 125-mile front.
Preparing Send 1000 Night Bombers Over Germany
Authoritative London quarters disclosed that Allied
air commands are preparing to send a thousand bomb
ers by night against German targets in a gigantic cam
paign to support Russia, trying to knock out Germany’s
war industries. These quarters declared that “a thou
sand planes is not a fantastic figure. At present we
have facilities for sending 800 planes on raids, and
these can be expanded.”
Declare German Drive on Murmansk Thwarted
Meanwhile the Russians declared that the German
offensive against Arctic Murmansk, port of entry for
U. S. supplies to Russia, was thwarted with the sinking
of 95,000 tons of German shipping in the Barents Sea
in April. Nazi losses in April and May were listed at 22
.-hips including two destroyers and in addition a sub
and three transport were reported damaged.
On the Kharkov front, the Russian claims of Ger
man tank losses rose to nearly GOO, counting 400 pre
viously reported.
Pacific* War Theater Takes on Ominous
New Significance As Tempo Increases
UNDATED, May 20 (AP) — Overshadowed by the
great battles in Russia, the far Pacific war theater took
on an ominous new significance as Australia’s prime
minister Curtin warned that the “tempo of the struggle
is increasing and our fighting men hourly face the su
preme test.” Curtin’s statement, possibly hinting at
the imminence of a new Jap invasion threat, followed
upon China’s warning that Japan is preparing a major
offensive to crush Chiang Kai Shek’s Chinese armies,
and knock China out of the war.
Curtin said “You have been told that the next few
weeks are fraught with grave possibilities,” and I re
peat that warning in the sternest terms.
Report Japs Mass New Armada for Australian Invasion
MacArthur’s headquarters said that American and
Australian fliers continued scouting sweeps over the
northern islands where the Japanese are reported mass
ing new armadas for a possible thrust on Australia.
On the Burma front, British headquarters reported
“No changes,’’ as British rearguards awaited contact
with Jap troops driving up the Chindwin River valley
toward India. Heavy rains drenched the Yunnan front
and the desolate mountains of southern China just
above Burma where Sti 1well’s Chinese armies are at
tempting to check the Jap advance up the Burma road.
Govt. Operation Boats Not Popular
Recently the suggestion was made that the United
States Navy take over the entire U. S. Merchant Ma
rine and operate it substantially as part of the Navy.
The suggestion is not a popular one in Washington,
according to Delegate Dimond, who states that "all
the members of the House Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries who have publicly expressed
their views on the subject are strongly opposed to
such a plan.
“Chairman Bland, in particular, has vigorously as
serted that he believes such an arrangement would be
inefficient and unworkable. Representatives of the
Marine unions have also asserted their definite oppo
sition.’’
U. S. Fighting
Troops Arrive
In Ireland
I AEF Headquarters in Nor
thern Ireland. May 18 (De
laved) (AP) — Shipload
after shipload of American
troops equipped for offens
ive fighting, thousands of
them with tanks, already
indeed here to reinforce
1he already big United
States force, fit and eager
for a scrap. These fighting
men came over as public
enthusiasm in Britain
mounted for a second front
against Germany.
The reinforcement of
the rapidly expanding Am
erican garrison followed
| closely upon the arrival of
j advance units of a Canad
; ian armored division.
Announce Loss
Canadian Liner
i mpress of Asia
Ottawa, May 19 (AP) —
The loss of the 16,000-ton
liner Empress of Asia was
announced by the owners,
the Canadian Pacific. She
had been in war service.
The announcement said
“The Admiralty granted
p-rmission to announce
that the Empress of Asia
was sunk last spring in an
air attack in the far east
whilst engaged in trans
porting troops to Singa
pore.”
The finer served as a
transport in two wars and
has long been known on
the Canada-Orient run.
Buy Dt'Onse Bondi, and Stamps
China Sounds Warning of 'Grave
Danger" To Kai Shek’s Armies
UNDATED, May 19 (AP) — China sounded a rare
note of alarm, warning that Chiang Kai Shek’s armies
are faced with a “very grave” danger in the five-year
war with Japan, amid signs that a major Jap offensive
against China is imminent, while Allied warplanes
slashed the invader’s approaches to Australia.
In Burma, the Chinese government spokesman said
Jap reinforcements are pouring into Burma and 500
Jap planes are massed there on a scale “out of pro
portion to their land operations.”
The spokesman said the Chungking government has
• come into possession of an officially-approved Jap map
published in Tokyo, showing Japan’s “co-prosperit\
sphere for a greater east Asia,” intended to engulf
China, India, Iran, and all of Russian Siberia. The
projected sphere’s western boundary, he said, ran up
the Persian Gulf, then to the Caspian Sea and on the
Ural mountains.
With General Alexander's frayed British forces still
slowly retreating from Burma into India, RAF war
planes again pounded the Burmese port of Akyab and
attacked Jap river craft in northwest Burma. Akyab
is the likely springboard for a Jap invasion of India
as it lies only 300 air miles across the Bay of Bengal
from the great Indian city of Calcutta.
Port Moresby Under Heaviest Raid in 3 Months
In the battle of Australia. MacArthur s headquarters
reported that Allied fliers probably destroyed two Jap
transports in attacks on shipping at Koepang, Dutch
Timor, while enemy warplane attacked the Allied base
at Port Moresby with the heaviest raid in three months.
An armada of 34 Jap bombers and 15 fighters attacked
yesterday in the fifty-second raid since the war began.
RECRUITING OF
WOMEN WILL BEGIN
WASHINGTON—Mrs. William
Hobby of Houston, Texas, has
been appointed Director of the
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps,
by Secretary of War Henry L.
Stimson.
The President has directed
that the new organization be
limited to 25,000 members at thus
time.
Stimson said that local recruit
ing offices are now being set up
and will be ready in about two
weeks to receive applications for
the first Officers’ Training School
in Fort DesMoines, Iowa, which
will probably open in about
two months,
CANADIANS CAN
JOIN U. S. ARMY
WASHINGTON—Selective Set
vice Director Hershey announc
ed that Canadians living in the
United States who are qualified
for military service can join
either the Canadian or American
armed forces. Similiariy, Ameri
cans living in Canada will have
the option of serving with the
army of either country. General
Hershey said this measure will
be extended to cover Allied or
collaborator Nations.
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Brig. General James II. Doolittle
Gets Congressional Medal of Honor
Former Nome High School Student
WASHINGTON, May 19 (AP) — Prig. Gen. James
Doolittle was revealed as the leader of the American
air raid on Japan a few weeks ago. This was disclosed
when the flier, noted also for his peacetime speed ex
ploits. received from the President in person, the Con
gressional Medal of Honor.
In a statement released by the Whltehouse, Doolittle •
described the historic mission. He said little trouble
was experienced in reaching the objectives, or from
Jap planes. One of the targets, Doolittle asserted, was
the navy yard south of Tokyo where “one salvo made
a direct hit on a cruiser or battleship under construc
tion and left it in flames.' One bombardier, the Gen
eral said, “strewed incendiary bombs along a quarter
mile aircraft factory near Nagoya.’’
Doolittle said the squadron of American planes came
in just over the housetops and dropped the bomb at
fifteen hundred feet. The low flying level, he said,
made it difficult to observe the results of the bombs.
He declared, “It appear to us that practically every
bomb readied the target for which it was intended.
We would have liked to tarried and watched later de
velopments of the fires and explosions, but even so, we
were fortunate to receive a fairly detailed report from
the excited Japanese '5-Klto broadcasts, as it l*ok ‘hem
several hours to calm down to deception and accusa
tion.”
Doolittle said part of his party observed the battle
game in progress at one point, the players, the spec
tators, didn’t start to run for cover until just as the
field passed from view.
Both the President and the War Department left un
answered the important question, of which the Japs
would like the solution: where the raiding squadron
was based.
JAPS THREATEN BURMA ROAD
United Nations defenders of Burma battled in the first
gales of the approaching monsoon to hold open the
door of free China against the advancing Japs. These
are recent scenes onthe Burma road. Top—A convoy
wind.-, along the road in the moutain country. Bottom:
convoy passes an overturned truck of a previous convoy