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THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 138. NOME. ALASKA, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1942 Per C’P-' v*
Japs Admit Heavy Naval Losses
Rommel’s Army 400 Miles from Tripoli, Escape Port
j
Japs Admit Heavy Losses To Meet
In Announcing Overwhelming
Naval “Victorv* In Solomons
Acknowledge, For First Time. Sinking Jap Battleship
Claim Terrific Damage to Battleship Idaho, Previously
Announced Sunk by Italians in Atlantic
UNDATED. Nov. 18 (/P) — Tokyo headquarters
admitted heavy losses to Japan’*-- most vital offensive
and defensive weapon—her fleet, as the aftermath of
the gre t American naval victory n the Solomons. For
the first time of the war, the enemy acknowledged the
sinking of a Jap battleship. The;, gave this and a num
ber of other blows suffered: Sunk—one cruiser and 3
destroyers; damaged another battleship; 7 transports
destroyed or missing, and 4! planes. Those admissions
are the heaviest losses ever conceded bv Tokyo and
contrived to the U. S. Navy’s announcement that Am
erican battle forces in 3 days and nights of flaming ac
tion sunk one Jap battleship, 5 cruisers, 8 troop-jam
med transports, 5 cargo ships, and dam ged another
batiI* din and 6 destroyers.
Am: rican losses were listed by the U. S. Navy as
2 iigi-.t •■•ru’.scrs and 6 destroyers. The Tokyo commun
ique tod: v asserted that the Jap-' sank 8 cruisers and
4 or 5 e *sti os e s and transports. The Japs also declared
w that they heavily damaged 2 battleships, 3 cruisers,
3 or 4 destroyers and 3 transports.
Crossed Wires In Axis Propaganda
Cur'ously. the Tokyo radio cl timed “terrific* dam
age” was inflicted on the U. S. battleship Idaho, there
by betraying crossed wires in Axis propaganda, for
on October 6th, without any confirmation then or since,
the Italians reported sinking the Idaho 330 miles off
the coast of West Africa.
As a prelude to the Jap communique, the Tokyo
radio declared that headquarters will tell the world
“of a Jap naval victory so overwhelming that attempts
at a counteroffensive in the South Pacific is a thing of
the past..” By contrast, informed quarters at Pearl
Harbor pointed out that Admiral Nimitz, in a com
ment on future action in the south seas theater said,
“It may be our choosing, not their choosing.”
Upwards of 1*0,OIK) Japs Killed Since Dec. 7
Upwards of 60,000 Japs have already been killed
since the attack on Pearl Harbor, a survey disclosed,
including 5,000 in the Battle of the Coral Sea: more
than a thousand at Midway; between 20 and 40,000 in
the latest sea battle off Guadalcanal; and more than
5,000 on Guadalcanal.
BEHIND THE GUN
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High School Gym Playfield Jamboree Nov. 21
CASH DOOR PRIZE GAMES — FOOD — DANCING_&on r ^
Secty. Knox Says I . S. Has Won
Hound Two In Hattie of Solomons
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (/P) — Secretary Knox
said that the United States clearly won round two in
the battle of the Solomons but “it mustn’t be forgotten”
that there may be a round three. The secretary of the
Navy called last weeks American naval victory, which
cost the Japs 11 warships and 12 other vessels sunk.,
and 7 ships damaged, “a major action but not a d.eUsiv
one.”
He said at the moment we have naval supremacy
around Guadalcanal and “no doubt the processes of
! attrition operate more against them than against us.
Remember we build faster and with greater resources
than they do but remember also that the Japs operate
pretty much in their home waters and adjacent waters.
Oui' Navy is spread all over the seven seas while the
Jap s fleet, which has suffered severely todate, is still
operating in comparatively narrow waters.”
100.000 INSPECTORS
NEEDED FOR TIRES
Washington, Nov. — The
office of Price Administra
tion announced that local
i rationing boards have sign
ed up about half of the
100.000 tire inspectors
needed to make 130,000.
000 tire inspections a year.
Inspectors and garage op
erators will be able to qual
ify for inspectors on a fee
basis. They need not have
all the equipment neces
sary to repair tires, but
lonly the tools to remove
i the tires when necessary
for inspection and will al
so make recommendations
as to the best ways of
changing tires from wheel
to wheel to preserve them,
or proper tires longer life.
At the same time the
OPA announced that a
new type “C” gasoline ra
tion sticker will be issued
in connection with ration
ing.
The new card will not
only indicate the mileage
approved for every vehicle
carrying the sticker, but
also will tell the reason!
why.
Local rationing boards
have been invited to place
a note beside the essential
driving purpose for which
the extra gasoline ration
was granted.
No Quarter Asked
For Jap Warlords
CHICAGO, Nov. — Joseph C.
I Grew, former Ambasasdor to
Japan, in a speech to a Chicago
audience, declared the Japanese
war lords must be eliminated be
fore there can be any peace in
he Pacific.
"The men controlling Japan
are reckless, unscrupulous and
dangerous,” he said. “They will
not be moved by moral scruples
which are the basis of good gov
ernment and sound international
relations. They will give no
quarter and seek none.”
Jap Envoys
A s s e in I) 1 e
In Berlin
Berne, Swizerlan, Nov.
16 — All Japanese chiefs
on diplomatic missions in
Europe have been assembl
cd in Berlin since Nov. 10
They have studied thor
oughly developments of
the situr, t ion in eastern
Asia and Africa as well as
in Europe.
The Jap embassy in Ber
lin issued a commique an
nouncing such conferences
are being held.
It is suggested strongly
in some quarters that Hit
ler might be calling on his
oriental ally for the open
ing of a Second Front ag
ainst Russia in Siberia or
to begin a diversion attack
upon British India or occu
pied Madagascar.
This is directly in line
with reports heard in Tur
key at the outset of the
new North African cam
paign. The Turkey reports
said then that the Jap* de
clined to attack Russia at
that time saying Japan did
not have the necessary na
val and shipping strength.
Allies Await
French Fleet
United States Headquarters In
North Africa, Nov. — Allied
naval circles in North Africa
have not given up hope that <he
French fleet wil come over to
the Allied side.
Navy men say that such a de
cision on the part of the French
naval officers would be dictated
by their hatred of the Germans
rather than any regard for the
Americans and British.
The unloading of troop trans
ports and supply ships is mov
ing rapidly at Algiers, Oran and
Casa Blanca.
British Occupy Dcrna, Still In Pursuit
of Rommel--l. S. Planes Sweep Skies
CAIRO, Nov. IT (TP) — British troops occupied
the port of Derna. 150 miles short of Bengasi, and Me
kili yesterday, and other units of the British Eighth
Army swept by in pursuit of the broken army of Rom
mel, along the Libyan coastal road.
The position of Rommel’s forces was not given in
today’s communique but they were last reported
stretched out along the road from Bengasi to El Agheila
The mass of his battered trucks and equipment ap
parently is in the El Agheila area, some 400 miles from
the main Axis base at Tripoli. Neither was the where
abouts of Rommel’s remaining planes, if any, known.
U. S. Middle East headquarters said its fighters scout
ed the desert skies without finding a sign of any en
emy craft.
All Set To
Open ’Alcan*
Road Friday
Whitehorse, Y. T., Nov.
16— Arrangfiements have
Ivon completed for the his
torie ceremony F r i d a y
when the new Alcan High
way will be officially dedi
cated.
The celebration will
mark the opening of the
11,600-mile verland link be
tween Dawson, B. C., and
Fairbanks, Alaska—a road
hurriedly built after Am
erica went to war.
The Southern terminal
of he Sighwav is usually
regarded as Edmonton, Al
berta, Canada.
Brig.-Gen. James O'Con
nor, head of the American
Army’s Northwest Service
Command, will speak at
the ceremony, which will
also include the cutting of
a ribbon by E. L. “Bob”
Bartlett, acting Governor
of Alaska, and Charles
iCamsell, Northwest Terri
tories Commissioner, on be
half of Canada.
The building of this
highway has been likened
j to the construction of the
■ Panama Canal in the mag
| nitude of the undertaking
and its importance.
_
NAZI SUB IN SHORE
FIGHT NEAR CANAL
! San Jose, Costa Rica,
1 Nov. 16 — A German sub
marine prowling close to
the Panama Canal, was “re
pulsed” afer a sharp ex
change of gunfire with
coastal defenses, it was an
nounced officially.
The submarine was ap
parently engaged in an at
tempt to put ashore crew
members who would for
age for food supplies des
perately needed aboard
: the U-boat.
Gen. Buckner
Wins Battle
In Court
i
Anchorage, Nov.—Major
General Simon Bolivar
Buckner won a victory in a
court battle which result
ed in his being granted a
.“resident’s” hunting li
cenxo for $1.
Tlie Alaska Defense Com
rnand chief went to court
last year, to fight an Alas
ka Game Commission reg
ulation that soldiers, even
if they have been in Alas
ka over a year he required
to take out “non-resident”
licenses which cost $50. He
won the judge's decision.
The U. S. Attorney ask
ed for a dismissal of his
appeal against that deci
sion.
Although Buckner got
the license, it was said he
was too busy to hunt now.
Chinese Warn
Of New Jap
Moves Soon
Chungking, Nov. — A
Chinese Army spokesman
said that the Japanese ap
pear to be making large
scale military preparations
and are massing troops in
five China provinces.
These provinces run
down inland China from
the Mongolian border, and
one of them, Santung, is
on the China Sea coast
north of Shanghai.
Between 60,000 and 80,
000 Japanese troops are re
ported engaged in the new
military movements. The
other four provinces are:
Hupeh, Honan, Shansi and
Suiyuan.
luv Defense Bond.1? and Stamp*