* Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “'The News of the Dav In Pietures" Member of The Vssociated Press
> “ ^ THE NOME NUGGET_
VOL. 44. No. 131. NOME. ALASKA, MONDAY, NOV. 2. 1942. Per c°p? 1W
Heavily Damage Jap Fleet in Battle
British Trap Portion Of Rommel's Desert Army
*• - - --
Allied Bombers Strike For Third j
Successive Day On Japs In Solomons
MacArthur’s Headquarters in Australia, Nov. 1 (/P)
— Sunday Allied bombers,, striking for the third
ft successive day at Japanese shipping in the northern
Solomons and New Britain, sank a heavy cruiser, se
verely damaged a light cruiser and scored direct hits i
on three merchant vessels. This was the most damage, i
in the latest raid, was done at Buin in the Solomons,1
but 21 tons of explosives were dropped on the harbor
at Rabaul. The Allies did not lose a plane in either raid. I
MacArthur’s Headquarters in Australia, Oct. 31 (/P) j
— Saturday — Allied bombers probably damaged a
Japanese aircraft carrier, scored two hits on a war
ship described as either a cruiser or battleship, probab
ly damaged still another cruiser, and left an unidenti
fied ship ablaze, in a raid on Buin. The high command
announced that reports from medium units which made
up the second wave have not been received.
The raid is the second in as many days on the Jap
held harbor on the southern tip of Bougainville Is-;
„ land in the northern Solomons, and is by far the most
damaging aerial blow recently, in attempts to check
> mate the all-out assault of the Japs on Guadalcanal.
Three U. S. bombers took part and the fliers said
the brilliance of the moonlight made it difficult to
identify positively the vessels bombed.
In ground fighting in New Guinea, Australian troops
occupied Aloia, 7 miies south of the Jap-held village
of Kokoda.
_.
Eighth Army Maintains Desert Cains
As Allied Airmen Hold (Control Skies
CAIRO, Oct. 31 (/P) — The Eighth Army maintain
• ed its gains in the desert yesterday and beat off a num
ber of Axis counter attacks, with heavy losses to the
enemy. A British communique announced that Allied
airmen continued to hold control of the skies and blast
ed repeatedly at enemy airdromes, fortified positions
and other targets. One formation was reported to have
winged its way to attack Crete. At least four enemy
planes were shot down and many others damaged,
also four were destroyed when the El Adem airdrome
was attacked.
Col. Edward Backus, aged 36, of Vernon, Texas, i
commander of one unit^of U. S .bombers, said while
the men are getting “plenty of opportunities, they
scrap like hell for assignments.”
Mrs. Roosevelt Calm As Sirens Sound
LONDON (JP) — The Banshee
wail of air alarm sirens failed to
interrupt Mrs. Roosevelt as she
talked calmly on to a group of
girl war workers in Surrey and
by night, at the close of a busy
day, the President’s wife had cov
ered 150 mils of English country
side visiting five military estab
lishments.
The alarm was he firs exper
ience under war conditions by
M rs. Roosevel. She was address
ing a group in the Home Coun
ties Auxiliary Territorial Service
Training Center The girls cheer
ed her uninterrupted talk.
After spending Sunday after
noon with Mrs. Winston Crurch
ill in the country, Mrs. Roosevelt
started her day in a U. S. em
bassy car visiting an airport
where twenty-two American
girls are serving as ferry pilots.
Braves Rain
She was accompanied by Mrs.
Churchill; her secretary, Miss
Malvina Thompson, and Mrs.
Overta Culp Hobby, director of
the WAACS. She braved a driz
zling downpour without even an
umbrella and walked down a
line if fifteen planes ranging
from huge Halifax bombers to a
Fairchild taxi. She shook hands
with the American and British
girls who ferry the planes from
factories to fighting bases. Mrs.
Roosevelt warmly greeted Miss j
Virgian Farr of Rochester, N. Y., i
at the air transport auxiliary in- j
spection, complimenting her on
her trim appearance.
Then the party drove overland
to an auxiliary territorial service
training center at a town in
Surrey. She found the girls prac
ticing cooking meat pie, cab
bage and fig pudding.
It was wrile she was address- i
ing these girls in the mess hall
that an alarm was sounded. Lat- |
er she explained she was used to
sirens because of drills in Wash- i
ington.
Visits Red Cross Unit
The First Lady then went over
land to the A. T. S. staff college
and the A. T. S. motor trans- j
port training center where she
watched with interest as the
girls listened to a lecture on auto j
fVlost Sweeping
Alteration Canada
Business Life
Ottawa, Nov. 2 (/P)—-The
Canadian war economy
slipped into a higher gear 1
and most Canadians felt a,
resulting change from the |
series of freezing orders1
and restrictions w h i c h
went into effect with the
openin of business.
Perh p the most sweep
ing alt 11ion in Canadian1
business life was contained
in the 'or by the Board
of Pric as, freezing a var
iety of businesses and es
tablish: seats to their pre
sent status and forbidding
the starting of new busi
nesses W-: opt by permit.
The ere a of new sell
ing outle's, stocking lines
if goods mil already handl
od and . - dng into larger
premises are prohibited ex
cept by permit.
Gov. Gruening
Inspects Highway
Enroute Wash., DC
Edmonton, Oct. 31 (dP) —
Governor Gruening was
here tonight after an in
spection of the Alaskan
highway. He said it was a
superb job of construction
and urged its extension be
yond Fairbanks to the Ber
ing Sea. As a guest of Brig.
Gen. O’Connor, Gruening
drove over long stretches
of the new road and in
spected other sections
from the air.
The Governor is enroute
to Washington to confer
with President Roosevelt
and other officials. The
Governor said great strid
es have been made in the
defense of Alaska since the
7th of December.
‘MICKEY TO AW
$500 RING STOLEN
HOLLYWOOD — A $50) dia
mond wedding ring inscribed
‘‘M.ckey to Ava" was among the
loot taken recently from the
apartment of Ava Gardner, cur
rently estranged wife of film star
Mickey Rooney, police said.
Other jewelry taken from the
apartment while Mrs. Rooney
was absent included a $1,200 plat
inum ring, an emerald ring and
a gold earing, each valued at
$175
Mrs. Rooney recently anonunc
ed that she and the young star
expected to effect a reconcilia
tion.
engines and d.d repa.r work in
the garages.
Behind an escorting car with a
clanging fire bell, Mrs. Roosevelt
returned to London to visit the
Charles Street Red Cross Army
Nurses’ Club.
Mrs. Anhony J. Drexel Biddle,
director of the club and wife of
the United States envoy to the
exile governments in London,
gre ted her th _\re.
Rommel's Left
Flank Endangered
By British
Ca : . Nov. 2 (/P) — The
left flank of Rommel’s
Egyptian battle line was
apparently endangered by
British thrusts which cut
through his defenses and
trapped a portion of his
forces in a narrow area
along the Mediterranean
coash in a encircling man
euv it was disclosed. A
Britt ’ communique said
last n: ;ht that British fore
es. holding their positions,
smashed ail enemy efforts
to break out of the area.
The circled Axis forces
are s id to lie between the
coa railway a n d a
shore sector only a few
mil vide. The communi
que odicated the trap was
cl os d some ime Saturday.
Fiercely Defend
Military Hi way
Across Caucasus
Moscow, Nov. 2 (/P)—The
Red Army fought fierce
ly throughout the night to
defend its approaches to
its vital military highway
across the Caucasus, after
a retreat from the Nalchik
area, but a midday com
munique reported that the
Germans were thrown
back in various parts of
Stalingrad.
Of the crucial situation
n the Nalchik area, the
communique said only
"Our troops fought heavy
defensive engagements.” 4
enemy tanks, 12 troop
trucks and 5 guns were re
ported smashed by Soviet
artillery fire in the Nal
chik area. The main Ger
man strength seemed gath
ering in the shadow of the
towering Caucasus mount
ain crags while the action
a Stalingrad has apparent
ly dwindled to small en
gagements in scattered sec
tors.
Unidentified U.S.
Carrier Lost In
South Pacific
Washington, Oct. 31 (/P)
— A United States aircraft
carrier, as yet unidentified,
has been lost in the south
Pacific as the result of a
bombing attack, the Navy
announced tonight. The
carrier was attacked on
October 26, near Santa
Cruz Island about 260 mi.
northeast of Guadalcanal,
in the same engagement in
which the U. S. S. Destroy
er Porter was destroyed.
The Navy said there were
i few casualties.
Japs Suffer Damage To 7 Big
Skips In Battle on October 26
l .S. Losses: 1 Carrier. I Destroyer
Enemy Also Reported Lose Between 100 & 150 Planes
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (/P) — U. S. naval forces
appeared to have the run of the waters around Guad
alcanal as a result of the devastating battle of October
26th. The Japs are now reported officially to have suf
fered damage to seven big ships, in what the Navy de
scribed as the first detailed report of the naval.and air
battle east of the Stewart Islands, one week ago.
The enemy is also reported to have lost between 100
ind 150 planes. The Jap warships listed as damag< 1
included two aircraft carriers, two battleships, three
cruisers, and to this is added one battleship and two
heavy cruisers, a score previously reported.
It was announced that U. S. losses in the engage
ment were one carrier, as yet unidentified, the destroy
er Porter, and other ships reporting lesser damage.
As the battered Jap armada retired from the scene,
American warships swept the area, from which enemy
vessels bombarded the defenders of Guadalcanal, and
let go two-hour cannonading of Jap positions on the
island. Several buildings, boats and some artillery
were destroyed by the shelling, which occured on Fri
day, Solomons time.
At the same 1in)e, seven Gruman “Wildcats” paid
another call on the enemy base at Rekata Bay, north
west of Guadalcanal, shooting down three Zero float
planes, two biplanes, and sending a fuel dump up in
smoke. Dive bombers attacked enemy destroyers in
the vicinity of the Russel Islands, about 30 miles north
west of Guadalcanal, Thursday night and again Fri
day morning but with inconclusive results. One bomb
; er failed to return.
—
\irmen Under MaeArthur Unload 33
Tons Bombs In 4tb Consecutive Raid
MacArthur’s Headuarters, Nov. 2 (A3) — Striking
twice, to unload 33 tons of bombs in the fourth consec
I utive pre-dawn attack on Jap naval concentrations in
the Buin and Fassi area of the Solomons, Allied air
| men, fighting under MaeArthur, are believed to have
sunk or seriously damaged seven enemy vessels yes
terday. The war correspondent for the Melbourne Her
ald said the vessels included warships and merchant
men and pointed out that the 33 tons of bombs drop
ped in this raid represented the heaviest announced
weight of bombs unloaded from planes under MacAr
thur’s command since the intensive attacks in the Sol
omons area began.
Reds at Nalc hik
And Stalingrad
Still Holding
Moscow, Oct. 31 (A5)—Re
j formed lines of the Red
Army are reported holding
in fierce fighting on the
Nalchik Plateau in the cen
| tral Caucasus and German
I attacks were again repel
led at Stalingrad.
A battalion of subma
chine gunners, supported
by 60 tanks and armored
cars were repulsed during
attacks upon a community
in the Nalchik area. Twen
ty-two machines were de
stroyed. The Germans are
reported to have with
drawn their light tanks
from the battle of Stalin
grad._
Buy Defense Bonds and Stamps
US. Still Holds
Knox Reports
Washington, Oct. 30 (/P)
—Delayed —Secretary of
the Navy Knox said “We
still hold Guadalcanal and
are occupying every inch
of ground that we ever con
trolled . ” Simulanteously
he told a press conference
that the Japs’ fleet “return
ed to the scene” of the Sol
omon battle and some of
the Jap men-of-war are re
turning to their bases.
Knox declared: “I’d say,
as a figure of speech, the
first round gives the im
pression of optimism but I
do have a great feeling of
pride in the way our men
get into the onslaught in
the Tulagi and Guadalcan
al area. The skill with
which these forces have
been handled is a superb
job.”