Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of The Dav In Pictures'* Mem tier Of Hie Associated Press
• fHE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 6. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1942. Copy in
Wavell Starts Action Against Japs
•___
Gen. Wavell Arrives In Dutch
Indies And Launches Series Of
Counterblows Against Invaders
4 _^
UNDATED, Jan. 14 UP) — Gen
eral Wavell, commander of the
new A lied Far East Command,
arrived in the Dutch East Indies
and already launched a series of
dynamic counterblows against
Japanese invasion forces. Mili
tary dispatches said Dutch troops
are reported moving into action
on the border of the kingdom cf
Sarawak where Japanese troops
seized the capital, Kuching. I
• ». is the most northern territory on
the island.
Wavell’s second in command,
Lieut. Gen. George Brett, form
er chief of the U. S. Army Air
Corps, arrived at the same time
to he p direct the strategy of the
Indies' fighting defense.
A Netherlands East Indies com
munique said 18 Japanese were
killed in preliminary skirmishes
on the Sarawak frontier with a
loss of only one Dutch soldier.
Dutch Indies soldiers were also
reported battling hand-to-hand
with the Japanese invaders near
Lake Tondano at the northeast
tip of Celebes island.
A Tokyo broadcast said yester
day that Japanese forces captur
ed Kakas airdrome and Mena.d
chief port on Minahasha Penin
sula on Celebes Island across
the Celebes Sea from Borneo.
Sim.u'taancously Dutch war
planes b m.bed the Japanese-oc
cupied Tarahan Island cfT the
c ’ast of Dutch North Borneo, and
s Japanege base in the southern
Philippin: s. This base was pre
sumably Davao, on Mindanao Is
land, 600 miles south of Manila,
which the Japanese are b lieved
to be using as a jumping of!
p ace for the invasion of the
Dutch Indies.
l\ S. Bombers In Action
A U. S. Army bulletin said 3
American bombers, fighting with
the Dutch Indies forces, attacked
Japanese warships near Tarakan
and destroyed at least two en
e" y lighters. The American plan
es returned undamaged to an un
disclosed base, the communique
said.
US. and Filipino
Artillery Prove
Superior to Japs
WASHINGTON. Jan. 13 i/P) —
American and Filipino artillery
batteries “proved definitely su
perior" to the Japanese, the War
Department said, announcing
that columns of enemy tanks and
other armored units and infan
try "were dispersed,” in a 24
hour battle. Eleven Japanese bat
teries were silenced and others
were forced to fall back under
relentless shelling by American
and Filipino guns in defense po
sitions on Batan Peninusla west
of Manila Bay, the Department
said.
A usual artillery battery in
the world’s armies consists of 4
guns. On this basis, the report
from the Phi'ippines would cred
it the defenders with wiping out
* 44 field guns, a considerable rrea
sure of fire power in a compara-!
tively small area. The Japanese
losses wore called heavy while.
the defenders labeled theirs as!
"relatively slight.”
Japanese dive bombers support
ed the enemy artillery fire but
Japs Capture
Tarakan, Oil-Rich
Dutch Indies Is.
BATAVIA, Jan. 13 </P> — Jap
anese invaders captured the lit
tle oil producing island of Tara
kan off northeast Borneo, bu'
the stubbornly fighting little
Dutch garrison held them off un
til the oil fields and all equip
ment were thoroughly demolish
ed, it was announced officially
late tonight. Only then, the An
eta News agency said, did the!
garrison’s survivors surrender.
Large numbers of Japanese'
poured into Tarakan. literal’y
overrunning it, the commun:que
said. Only remnants of the garr
ison escaped to the mainland
This is the first Japanese con-,
quest in Dutch E.st Indies terry
tory, however it was “madie j
very costly to the invader."
Dutch and Allied air forces are
continuing to pound Japanese
transports and the fleet lying off
the is ancL, it was announced.
there was no enemy bombing at
tacks on the fortifications on the
southern tip of Batan or on Cor
regidcr Island.
WHERE W AR-TIME TIRES’ WILL COME FROM
* This Is a part of a seven-acre pile of discarded rubber at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Ak
% ron. Ohio, which will be turned into tires made entirely of reclaimed rubber. The “war tires”
cannot be driven over 35 miles per hour, with safety, an official warned.
Russian Armies Within 100 Miles
Of Hitler's Winter Headquarters
Nazis Lose 200,000 Since Nov. 16
UNDATED, Jan. 14 t/P) — Rus
sian troops are reported advanc
ing with.n a hundred miles of
Hitler’s winter headquarters at
Smoier.sk, while in the south.
Red Army forces are pictured
storming the outer gates of Khar
kov, Russia’s ‘Pittsburgh.” In
the Ukraine, Soviet military dis
patches said the collapse of the
German wi 'g defnding the flank
on the Moscow-Mohaisk high
way, knocked the Germans ou'
of the “last zone of positi nal
warfare,” before Moscow, and
‘‘the whole front is n< w in mo
tion.”
The Russians declared that Hit
1 ors reeling armies lost 200,000
killed between November 16 and
Ja uary 6. 20.000 were slain ir
recent fighting in the Donets Ri
ver indu-'triai basin.
Soviet troops are described as
now battering heavily against
the German defenses of Moz
haisk itself, where a Nazi garri
son of 100,000 men still held out,
d pile danger of being trapped
by Russian pincers closing in on
tlie north and south.
German military quarters aek
now’.dged htat the Russians had
broken the Mozhaisk lines Sun
day. but a serted they were dis
lodged by a counterattack which
cost the Russians 300 dead.
On the North African front,
the British noted increasing Axi
arrial activity but reported the1
advacne of Imperial troops, driv
inn forward in pursuit of Gen.
Rommel’s retreating army, south
to Flagheila, 90 miles southw'est
o'1 'he old battle sector of Age
dab'a.
Prohibit Japanese
From Fishing In
Canadian Waters
OTTAWA, Jan. 13 (.PI — The
Canadian government issued an
ord r to prohibit persons ot Jap
anese origin from fishing in Can
adian waters or serving on Can
adian fishing boats. Some 25,000
Japanese live in Canada, nearly
all in British Columbia. Many
of them made their living by
fishing.
Finance Minister Ilsley an
nounced that Canada’s second vie
torv ’oan of the war. $600,000,000
will be placed before the public
next month.
Canada To Move
Japanese From
Defense Zones
OTTAWA, Jan. 14 f/Pl — The
government announced that all
enemy aliens will be removed
from defense areas in British Col
umbia, where some 25.000 Jap
anese reside. The only exceptions
will be those holding police per
mits to remain.
Buy Defense Bonds and Stamps
IJrilish Capture
Salum* Squeeze
Azis Forces
CAIRO. Jan. 13 CP) The cap
ture cf Salum and tightening or
the British encirclement on hold
out Axis troops in the Hatfayn
sector was announced by the Bri<
ish as Imperial vanguards, more
than 300 miles to the west, press
ed on the retreating enemy’s
heels. Between seven and eight
thousand Axis troops are believ
ed isolated in the area near the
Egyptian-Libyan frontier.
A British military commentat
or said the loss of Salum cost
’he Axs garison at Halfaya a
valuable source of water supply.
The garison is reported suffering
serious food and water shortag
es.
-- . -■
Large Ship Sunk
160 Miles From
Shore of N. A.
i
An East Coast Canadaian Port
'VP) — A large steamship was tor- i
pedoed and sunk 160 miles off
| the Nova Scotia coast within the
j past 36 hours. Survivors reaching
; here estimated that 94 lives were
lost and 89 saving in the sink
ing, nearer to the North Ameri
can continent than any other
1 hitherto reported. Those rescued
were 66 Chinese and 23 whites.
Four white crewmen and 90 Chin
s ese crewmen and passengers
were lost. Most of those lost i
were victim? of near-zero wea
^ 4
ther, afloat on rafts and in small
boats.
Alaskans in Charge
At Panama Canal
Colonel Joe Mehaffey, chief en j
, gineer of the Alaska Road Com-;
i mission, succeeding Edgert.on in ;
1915, has been appointed Engin
| eer of Maintenance in the section j
; of the Canal Zone where the
! third locks are being built. Me
i haffey also designed the Douglas !
Island bridge. With Brig. Gen.
Glen E. Edgerton as Governor
of Panama, Mehaffeyl as chief
engineer, Gen. James Gordon
Stcese as assistant engineer of
maintenance, three Alaskans in
top succession, there is 100 per
cent efficiency fior Americans at
this strategic spot.
WINDOWS WRECKED IN BLACKOUT
aw. «■< ^rm
Air raid wardens (left), examined store windows broken by a
crowd in Seattle, Wash., that objected to undimmed lights dur
ing a blackout of lire Puget Sound city as the Pacific Coast area
received reports of enemy planes approaching. Figure in dark
sifit is store dummy.
Alaska Game Commission Meeting
Discuss Demand Soldiers, Sailors
For $1 Resident Hunting Licenses
WASHINGTON. Jan. 13 (/Pi —
The Alaska Game Commission in
its annual meeting here, discuss
ed with Dimond one of its most
vexing problems: the demand by
soldiers and sailors in the Terri
tory that they be permitted to
obtain dollar resident licenses ra
ther than pay $50 for non-resi
dent permits. Delegate Dimond
said that the commission mem
bers expressed the opinion that
legislation might be needed to
permit readjustment of hunting
regulations. Because of the heavy
influx of population, largely ser
vicemen?. it may be necessary to
restrict hunting of moose, cari
bou and big horn sheep to pre
vent their extinction.
Recommend Changes to Ickes
The Commisson will recom
mend changes in the game laws
to Secretary Ickes, who must ap
prove of them before they can
' become effective.
OPM Extends Ban
On Sales Of New
Cars To Eeb. 2
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 </P> -
The Office of Production Man
agement tonight extended until
Feb. 2, the ban on sales of new
passenger automobile and trucks
pending completion of detail of
the rationing pr gram.
Nelson Made Head
Of Nation’s War
Production Effort
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 {.‘Pi —
President Roosevelt created one
man control over America’s vast
war production effort tonight,
with all power concentrated ir
Donald M. Nelson as generalis
simo of supply. The surprise an
nouncement was given out two
houre before Wendell L. Willkie
S. S. (ilevedon
Destroyed By Fire
In
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 </Pi
The destruction by fire of the
Army transport Clevedon in Al
askan waters was reported by
the War Department, The ship, a
combination passenger and
freight vessel of 7,300 tons, was
said to be a total loss but all
personnel was saved. The cause
of the fire is being investigated,
j the War Department said, but
without indicating whether it
was believed to have resulted
: from enemy action. The loss was
j reported in a late day commun
; ique which failed to mention de
; velopments in the Philippines.
was to go on the air with a de
l mand that a one-man control be
j set up to end the “debatng so
ciety” methods.
Nehson, aged 53. came to the
; government as a dollar-a-year
man, from the vice-presidency of
' ears Roebuck.