Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. 4'rI lie News of Hie Day In Pictures" Memlier Of I lie Associated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 31. NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, March 13, 1942. Per Copy l*
Jap Drive on New Guinea Blunted
Russians Start Big Pre-Spring Drive In Donets Basin
Tojo Tells Jap Diet U.S. & British
Fleets Disappeared From Pacific
TOKYO, March 12 (AP) — Premier Tojo told a
-pedal session of the Japanese Diet that Japan has
captured more than 10,000 prisoners since the start of
‘he war in the Pacific. The Diet was summoned to cele
brate the conquest of the Dutch East Indies and to
hear reports on the first three months of the war.
Tojo repeated his claim that the “main fleets of the
United States and Britain have already disappeared
from the surface of the Pacific, and all enemy strong
holds in the southwest Pacific are in our hands.” He
added “Japan’s defense position along the northern
border and frontier of Russia is solid.”
Japan’s navy minister, Admiral Shimada, said 130
United Nations warships have been sunk. He declar
ed that the Japanese losses were “only four destroy
ers, four subs, five special subs, one special vessel,
five minesweepers and 27 transports.”
Australians Put At Least 13 Jap Ships
Out Action off New Britain. Guinea
CANBERRA, March 12 (AP) — Two days of vio
lent air attack littered the Japanese-won beachheads
on New Guinea with the wreckage of the invasion
armada and battered potential Japanese bases, to give
direlv threatened Australia valuable hours to muster
fighting power to stand on her own shores. Japan’s
first spearhead was apparenty blunted by the fierce
aerial blows yesterday on the hangars and runwayS
at Salamaua Lae, following up the aerial onslaught of
The day before, in which were sunk, burned or beach
ed at least seven ships which brought to at least 13
the number of Jap transports put out of action off New
Guinea and New Britain.
There was no word of new action today to indicate
where the Japs would turn next, nor any further news
of the second strong Japanese convoy last reported
headed for Port Morseby, capital of New Guinea, and
only 300 miles from the Australian mainland.
I
Wage Control As
, War Measure
Is Studied
Washington, Mar. 13 (AP)
The question of wage con
trol as a war measure is
under study. President
Roosevelt told a press con
ference, but declined to go
into the question of putting
a ceiling on wages as an:
anti-inflation step.
Brazil Acts In
Retaliation For
Sinkings bv Axis
Rio de Janiero, March 12
(AP) — President Vargas
issued a decree confiscat
ing party and property
funds of Axis citizens and
firms in Brazil. The decree
is the first action taken
against Axis nationals in
retaliation for the sinking
of four Brazilian ships.
There is a widely held be
lief that this might prove a
preliminary to an eventual
declaration of war. Brazil
broke off diplomatic rela
tions with Germany, Italy
and Japan on January 28.
Details Sinkings
Will Not Be
Made Public
San Francisco, March 12
(AP) — The Navy reveal
ed that the Matson Line
freighter, Malama, presum
ed lost in the Pacific, was
disclosed by radio on Jan
uary first to have indicat
ed the ship was being fol
lowed by an unidentified
plane which demanded
that she halt. After making
the announcement, the
Navy added, hereafter, the
names and descriptions of
lost vessels will not be
made public. Announce
ments will be limited to
whether the ship is big or
little, but first person ex
periences will still be per
mitted.
Inventor of Bosch
Magneto Dies
BERLIN, March 12 ( AP)
— Robert Bosch, aged 80,
German inventor, died at
Stuttgart after a short ill
ness. He made the Bosch
magneto and other automo
tive machinery.
Army Bombers
*
Blast Jap Bases
On New Guinea
Washington, Mar. 13 (AP)
The War Department re
ported that five Army
heavy bombers destroyed
five enemy planes in a raid
two days ago on Jap held
airdromes at Selamaua and
Lae in Mew Guinea. A com
munique said all buildings
were destroyed and heavy
damage inflicted t > run
ways. A direct hit was
made on a pier in the har
bor of Lae. The American
bombers escaped without
damage after fighting Jap
pursuit planes, five of
which were downed.
Aussies Bomb
Jap Bases On
New Britain
Melbourne, Mar. 13 CAP)
Australian bombers, con
tinuing their efforts to
block Jap efforts to estab
lish plane bases within
reach of the Australian
mainland, bombed the air
drome at Gasmata on the
south coast of New Britain
yesterday and set a num
ber of fires, a communique
announced.
Japs Acknowledge
Loss Of () Ships
At New GUinea
Tokyo, March 12 (AP) —
Imperial headquarters ack
nowledged that three of its
warships were damaged
and six other ships, sunk,
beached or damaged in the
landing operations Tues
day at Lae Salamaus on
the northeast coast of New
Guinea.
They said one criuser, 2
destroyers and three “re
quisitioned” ships were
damaged slightly.
The Berlin version of the
announcement referred to
the requisitioned ships as
enemy vessels taken over
by the Japanese.
Nazi Battleship
Gneisenau Object
Of Air Attack
London, March 13 (AP)
— The RAF bombed the
26,000 ton battleship Gnei
senau and set naval instal
lation afire at the Keil base
in a continuation last night
of the “great spring air of
fensive,” begun last week
end, the Air Ministry an
nounced.
S. S. McKinley
Is Aground
r
Seattle, March 12 (AP)—
The 13th Naval District an
nounced that the S. S. Mc
Kinley of the Alaska S. S.
Co. was aground off the A1
askan coast, but did not
give any further details.
To Be Temporarily
Abandoned for Repairs
Seattle, March 13 (AP)—
The Navy announced thaf
passengers and mail, and
all but 15 crewmen and the
captain of the Mount Mc
Kinley, aground in Alaska
waters, were removed by a
Coast Guard cutter. There
were no casualties. It was;
hoped that the captain and
the others could be taken
off within the next 12
hours.
The ship must be tempor
arilv abandoned as it will
need to be repaired by sal
vage crews before it can be
hauled afloat. The time it
went aground and the lo
cation were not revealed.
TWO SHIPS SUNK
IN CARIBBEAN
Washington, Mar. 12 (AP)
The Navy announced that
two ships, described as a
medium sized British tank
er and a small Swedish
freighter, otherwise un
identified, were torpedoed
in the Caribbean area. The
Navy didn’t say whether
the vessels were sunk.
Under the new navy pol
icy they do not disclose the
identity of ships sunk by
enemy action and the nam
es of the vessels are with
held.
Australian Air Attacks Blunt First
Jap Spearhead On New Guinea
MELBOURNE, March 13 (AP) — The Japs’ most
advanced invasion spearhead was apparently blunted
momentarily at the northeast New Guinea coast, and
was reported officially to have stabbed off at a tangent
into the Solomon Islands, in a new threat to the
supply line from the United States. The Islands arte
part of the bridge toward New Zealand.
An Australian Air Force communique said Jap naval
forces were seen three days ago off Kessa, on tiny
Buka island, stepping stone from New Britain to the
Solomons. It was also said that the RAF bombed a
Jap-used airfield at Gasmata on New Britain’s south
coast yesterday.
Russian Offensives Endanger Nazi
Positions On Entire Central Front
MOSCOW, March 12 (AP) — The Red Army ha*
broken through strongly held German lines in several
places on the southern front, killing 2,000 Nazis and.
seizing two large junction points. Frontline dispatches
reported that the Germans rushed up reserves for
counter attacks but failed after two days of violent
fighting. Accounts said this success followed Red Army
reports that hard hitting Russian offensives endanger
ed the German positions on the whole vast central
front and in the area north of Smolensk cost the Ger
mans tremendous losses in munitions and supplies.
Russians Throw 90 Divisions Into
Offensive For Control Donets Basin
LONDON, March 13 (AP)—Marshal Timoshenko’s
terrific southern front onslaught, by perhaps 90 Red
Army divisions, is reported to have beaten the Ger
mans to the punch in the pre-spring offensive for the
control of the Donets Basin road to the Caucasus. A
German communique acknowledged that their troops
are on the defensive and counter attacking against
"strong enemy forces.”
London observers said Timoshenko’s goal is the
Dneiper Bend
!
The above map, showing distances ‘down under’ shows the scene of conflict re
ported in today’s news: New Guinea, where the first Jap drive was blunted and
the Solomon Island into which it shot, on a tangent, threatening the supply lines
from the United States to Australia.