Oldest* "Newspaper In Alaska. ” i hr News of the Day In Pictures*' Member of I be Associated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 142. NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, OCT. 23, 1942 Per Cow
Japs In Solomons Repulsed Again
Mrs. Roosevelt In England To Study War Effort
m
Americans In Solomons Repulse
A Second Small Japanese Attack
______
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (/l5) — Marines, soldiers,!
and sailors replsed a second small attack by the Japs
on their western flank and desroyed at least 12 enemy
planes in recent days, the Navy announced. A com
muniue said a small enemy force attacked American
posiions on October 21st and were repulsed by U. S. i
troops. On the same day, seven enemy bombers, es
corted by fighters attacked the Guadalcanal air base.
Anti-aircraft batteries destroyed one bomber and dam,
aged two others, the Navy said, while intercepting
fighter planes shot down six Jap fighters. Two Ameri- |
can fighters were lost.
■ The discovery of additional Jap landings on islands
near Guadalcanal was indicated in the Navy’s report
that American Douglas “Dauntless” dive bombers at-1
tacked the enemy on Russell Island, about 30 miles j
northwest of Guadalcanal.
Several groups of enemy planes attacked the Guad
alcanal airfield during bad weather on the afternoon
of October 22, but Gruman “Wildcat” fighters inter
cepted and downed one entire group and destroying
five bombers. The communiue also reported a second
shelling, by an enemy ship, of American positions on
Espiritu Santo Island, in the New Hebrides.
► Fighter Escorts For Bombers Going
To Bomb Kiska Find Little To Do
Alaska Defense Command Headquarters. Oct. 21 (/P)
— The latest group of Liberator bombers, which
daily are attacking the Japanese, attempting to rein
force their garrison at Kiska, reported that the enemy
positions were unchanged on the island. The Army an
nounced that a group, one of several conducting the
Army’s raid-a-day tests against the invaders, was led
by Captain Lynn R. Moore and his flight who noted
hits in the camp area, and one especially heavy' explo
sion which may have been a gasoline dump. Moore’s
flight, like all since October 3rd, met no aerial oppo
sition. which dropping its 12 tons of bombs on the
Jap in this latest attack, concentrated on Trout Lagoon
and the main Kiska camp. A number of cargo ships
are already beached in that area, and Jap positions at
Gertrude Cove, where reinforcement attempts are be
ing concentrated, are also unchanged.
The fliers reported that the raiders met a continu
ing anti-aircraft fire, but most of the Japs scurried for
cover on sight of the American planes. Strafing by
raiders earlier this month taught them to find protec
tion when U. S. Army fliers make a visit. The pilots
believe the Japs are even using bomb craters for shel
ters, sometimes putting up tents and such improvised
protection.
Fighter escorts for the American raiders recent
ly have been reduced because the fighters which do
go along find little to do. Occassional they find ships
trying to make a get-away or radio shacks upon which
to turn their machine guns, but lack of fighter opposi
tion reduces their duties. One group of four fighters
recently came around a hill and were ready to return
to their own base when they spotted a small war ves
sel. All four went down and delivered bursts of ma
chine gune fire. The first two ran into heavy anti-air
craf fire but made havoc of the gun crews. Lieut. Ro
bert L. McDonald of Reno, who already has one Jap
plane to his credit was in the last ship. He said:
“There wasn’t anything left to hit with the guns
and there was no more fire coming up, but if I had a
bomb 1 could have been sure of getting myself a ship.
A chance like that may never come again.”
Possibly Some Fliers Of Tokyo
Raid Are Prisoners of Japanese
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (/P) — Secretary of War
Stimson said it was possible that some of the Ameri
can fliers who took part in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo
were forced down after leaving Japan and captured
by the Japanese. Stimson said the names in Jap pro
paganda broadcasts “fairly well correspond” with
those army air men long carried on Army records as
missing. Stimson told a press conference that the War
Department had no reports other than those by the
Japs that the men were subjected to trial.
“Our fliers who attack Tokyo were instructed to
attack only military objectives and our reports show
that they did so with remarkable accuracy,” Stimson
said. Discussing the planes, Stimson said, “One was
interned in Russia and several others involved in fore
ed landings in China, but very few of these planes
are carried as missing.”
Mrs. Roosevelt
In England To
Study War Effort
j
London, Oct, 23 (/P) —
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt ar
rived in Britain as guest of
the King and Queen “in or
der o gain first hand know
ledge of the British wo
men's war acivities, and to
visit the U. S. forces in
Britain.” Buckingham Pal
ace announced that the
First Lady, accompanied
by her secretary, Malvina
Thompson, flew to Eng
land over a route not dis
clos d. Site is expected to
stay two or three weeks
and nspect every phase of
the British war effort.
Navy Announces Loss
Of Destroyers O’Brien and
Meredith in Solomons
Washington, Oct. 21 (/P)
—The Navy announced to
night the loss of two de
stroyers, the O’Brien and
the Meredith, in the still
developing battle for Guad
alcanal, but American air
men damaged a Japanese
destroyer and stopped a
cruiser with a bomb hit.
Aerial activity on Monday
and Tuesday resulted in
’he destruction of two en
Mmy bombing planes, nine
Zero fighters and a sea
plane. Three American
planes were lost.
A communique said it is
believed that nearly all the
personnel of the destroyer
O’Brien were saved, and
many from the Meredith
were saved. Each carried
a normal complement of
175 officers and men. The
skipper of the Meredith
was Commander Harry
Flnsob Hubbard while Lt
Commander Thomas Bur
ro wes commanded t h e
O’Brien. There was no in
formation as to whether
either were saved.
AlUied Domination Of
Skies Grows Mightier
In Pacific Battlefront
Washington, Oct. 21 (TP)
—Allied domination of the
skies in the vast Pacific
battle front appeared grow
ing mightier as American
bombers slugged Jap in
vasion bases from the Al
eutians to the Solomons.
The fury of Allied bomb
ing of enemy troops and
British Battle
Meet Reported
In Indian Oe.
London, Oct. 23 (TP) —
The presence of a power
ful British battle squadron
in the Indian Ocean includ
ing at least 3 battleships
and the aircraft carrier Il
lustrious, was disclosed au
thoritatively as a sequel to
Gen. Wavell’s declaration
that Burma must be re
taken.
The squadron is said to
consist of the battleships .
Warspite, Royal Sover
eign and Resolution, pre
sumably in addition to a
large force of cruisers and
destroyers, all under the
command of Admiral Sir
James Somerville.
The Illustrious, one of
the most famous ships of
the British navy, and a vet
eran of many Mediteran
nean battles, was last re
ported in a northern Brit
ish port in April.
Japs In Owen Stanley
Mountains Retreat For
Second Successive Day
Mac Arthur’s Hqs, Oct. 21
(/P) — Thursday — Japan
ese forces in the Owen
Stanley Mountains were
forced to retreat for the
second successive day, be
ing driven from defensive
positions at Eoba, in heavy
fighting.
The Allied command an
nounced that a raid by Al
lied bombers caused ser
ious damage to the Jap oc
cupied town of Maobisse,
in Timor, north of the port
of Darwin. It was reported
that Allied heavy bombers
attacked shipping in the
harmor of Rabaul in New
Britain, causing fires and
explosions.
supply concentrations in
the Solomons seemed thus
far to have stalled, at least
temporarily, the full force
of the Jap thrust to retake
the American-held Gaud
alcanal air base, and win
control of the southwest
Pacific.
United States bombers
dropped explosives on the
embattled islands of the in
vaders on October 18 and
19 and started fires at the
Jap Rekata Bay base on
Santa Isabel Island, 150
miles to the northwest.
RAF FI ies Over Alps to Heavily
Bomb Port, Industrial City Genoa
Complete 1500-mile Round Trip In Considerable Force
Without The Loss of A Single Plane
LONDON, Oct. 23 (/P)—The mighty bomber arm of
the RAF reached across the Alps last night to strike
the Italian homeland its heaviest blow of the war, hit
ting Genoa with such a weight of explosives that even
Rome conceded “great damage.” Turin, Fascist arsenal
city in the north was also hit but apparently the chief
assault fell on the harbor and industries of Genoa. The
Air Ministry mentioned “strong force of aircraft” but
didn't disclose just how many planes were in it, but an
Italian communique spoke of “the notable dimensions”
of the assault. Hitler’s Axis partner has now appar
enly sampled he fiery devastation of 4-motored bomb^
ers of he RAF, scourging the Reich week after week.
The two air raids last '85 minutes and 86 minutes.
The Swiss city of Geneva attested to the numbers of
- planes which the British flung over Europe on the
round-trip flight of 1500 miles, across 3 countries and
■the continent’s tallest gaountains. The air ministry said
not one British plane was missing, from this first raid
on Italy by home based RAF bombers, in more than
six months.
—
Snow Swirls Across Steppes Of
Don-Volga ( orridor, Winter Starts
First Snow Fall Is Deep And Russians Announce
Recapure Several Buildings In Stalingrad
MOSCOW, Oct. 22 (/P) — Snow swirled across the
steppes of the Don-Volga corridor and the Russians
announced the recapture of several buildings in the
industrial area of northern Stalingrad. In a major
trench raid northwest of the city more than 200 Ger
mans were slain.
Winter is starting to grip Russia’s greatest battle
field of 1942 and the steppes were converted into mud
dy bogs. A Pravda dispatch reported an abrupt shift
in the weather, of dry warmth, was suddenly succeed
ed by rain and a’colcf wave.
The first snow fall of the season was deep. Snow
fell in the mountains of the Caucasus where the Ger
mans bogged down in two main sectors, in the dis
trict of Mozduk and southeast of Novorossisk. Soviet
dispatches said the Germans continued to press nu
| merous attacks in the foothills without effect.
Nazi Attacks On Stalingrad
Growing Successively Wcakcr
—
Threats of Revolt In Balkans Force Germans To
Reinforce Garrisons by Several Divisions
—
UNDATED, Oct. 21 (/P) — Hitler’s latest week-old
offensive against Stalingrad was reported dwindling
as cold rain again drenched the cemetery streets. Rus
sian headquarters announced that the Red armies held
their lines unbroken for 48 hours in the 58th day of
the siege.
As the din of battle subsided, with Nazi attacks
growing successively weaker, the Soviet command
reported that the city’s reinforced defenders beat off
a series of attacks and hurled back the enemy to his
original positions. German losses were estimated as
high as 70 percent of their effectives, in the new drive
which began last Wednesday.
Reports reaching Ankara, Turkey, said German
firing squads had executed 13 more alleged revolution
aries in Yugoslavia. Threats of revolt in Belgrade, cap
ital of the conquered Balkan nation, had forced the
Germans to strengthen the city’s garrison by at least
two regiments.
| Fierce air battles raged over the Egyptian desert
; front, possibly heralding an early resumption of the
| long stalled lang fighting.
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