Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of the Day In Pictures** Member of I lie Vssociatcd Press
ZZZ THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 83. NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1942 Copy 134
Churchill Arrives for Talks FDR
Chinese Predict Japs Will Attack Siberia In July
Nazis (Jaim Knife Sevastopol Defenses
Split British In Libya, Assault Tobruk
UNDATED, June 18 (AP) — Hitler’s field head
quarters asserted that the German siege armies storm
ing Sevastopol, captured Fort Maxim Gorky and have
driven within two miles of the harbor entrance, while
on the North African front, the German assault on
Tobruk reached a critical stage. The Nazi claim to hav
ing knifed Sevastopol’s ring of fortifications is uncon
firmed elsewhere, the Russians declaring they have
beaten off a series of savage new attacks.
In the Libyan desert struggle, the British acknow
ledged that British troops have withdrawn from two
key defense points, Sidi Rezegh and El Adem. The
German command said the British forces were split
in two parts. Sidi Rezegh is 25 miles southeast of Tob
ruk and 50 miles from the Egyptian frontier; and El
Adem is 18 miles due south of Tobruk.
An Italian war bulletin asserted that aerial recon
naisance disclosed that the British are beginning a gen
eral withdrawal toward the Egyptian frontier.
Dispatches from Cairo said the British armies are
apparently split into two forces, one falling back to
fortified positions near the Egyptian border and the
other remaining to defend Tobruk. Last year the Brit
ish withstood 8 months of violent seige in the Mediter
ranean coast fortress until relieved by a new expedi
tionary force striking out from Egypt.
A Reuters correspondent at Cairo said Tobruk “is
practically surrounded,’’ with the coastal road the
only route left open to the east. Despite Axis armored
superiority, the British declared, they still maintained
supremacy in the air.
Believe Japan Will Attack Siberia
Concentrating Air Strength In China
r r
CHUNGKING. June 18 (AP) — While informed
sources here believe that the Japs may attack Russian
Siberia before the summer is over, the enemy is now
concentrating reinforcements of his air strength in
the China and Burma theaters. Army intelligence re
ports received here indicated that the Japs now have
500 planes in Burma and increased the number actual
ly in China to 300. A fresh influx of planes to Canton
and Hankow and aerial preparation by the foe gave
weight to the indications that the Japs will intensify
their efforts to tighten the cordon around the still
lree parts of southern China and thereby strangle
Chungking. The present nutcracker offensive in the
eastern China provinces of Cheking and Kiangsi. is
an important part of these efforts.
Canadian Air Forces
Anti-Aircraft Units Active
In Alaska with U. S. Army
VICTORIA, June 18 (AP) —
Royal Canadian Air Force squad
rons and anti-aircraft units of
the Canadian army have been op
erat "g for some days with Unit
ed States forces in Alaska. Lt.
Gen Kenneth Stuart, chief of
the Canadian General Stall' said *
tods Tiie General, who arrived
Tut .|;,y to take over temporar
ily is commander of the Pacific 1
Commands, said he had been au
thor./ed by Defense Minister Ral
stor to make the statment.
II s iid it is the first time that
Can i imp. forces have been
known to take part in any opera
tion w:t ■ the United States
arms S' ) rt attached consider
able significance to the latest
| Japanese move, in an obvious de
, fens ve attempt to neutralize, do
: stroy and occupy such air bases
in t ■ Aleutians as can be used
for jumping off points for raids
cm Japan by shore bast'd air
i craft
Stuart a idea: “It is also true
i that i Japan can hold her gains
I on t Aleutians she will be
much, closer to Canadian objee
i tives than before these circum
i stances, and it is idle to say
I that we are not concerned with
j the developments."
U. S. Bombers Score Hits
On Italian Battleships
WASHINGTON. June 18 (AP)
Tiie War Department reported
that American Army heavy
' bombers scored a number of di
rect hits on the Italian battle
ships Littorio and Cavour in Mon
1 day's air and sea fighting in the
| Mediterranean,
Assassins Reinhardt Hey
drich Shot Resiting Arrest
LONDON, June 18 LAP)—Two
! men, accused as the assassins of
, Reinhardt Heydrich, known to
j millions in occupied Europe as
"The Hangman," were found in
a Prague church this morning
and were "shot while resisting
arrest," the Prague radio an
nounced, two hours after the ex
piration of the German ultima
tum that the Czechs deliver up
the assassins of Heydrich or take
the consequences.
JAP SPEARHEADS POINT AT CHINA'S HEART
I CHUNGKING J~
'iBURMAfc-^ ^HANGCHOW fNINGPO
ex' CHANGSHA PACIFIC
WW FOOCHOW*,' __
* A OCEAN
\ ^FORMOSA
'HONG .
KONG . **
Apparently intent on knocking China out of the war, Japan aimed several spear
heads at the heart of China. The Burma drive (1) was turned toward the Burma
Road and Chungking. To the east (2), the Japs were said to have landed troops at
booehow, supplementing an offensive between Hangchow and Ningpo in a move
apparently designed to forestall United Nations* use of forward areas for an attack
on Japan itself. At the same time the invaders were said to be massing near Han
kow for a drive on the Changsha (3) to Canton railroad. Shaded area represents
territory controlled hy Japan.
Chinese Declare Japs Mass
Million Troops Manchuria
For Attack on Siberia
UNDATED, June 19 (AP) —
li gh Chinese quarters declared
that Japan has massed nearly a
million tro p-i in Manchuria and
i d new advices indicated that
t!ie Japs planned to strike at
Russian Siberia some tune in
July. Neutral observers, how
ever, expressed the belief that
•h pan will not risk taking on a
new enemy until the starting of
the long-delayed grand offensive
against Russia and until she is
mi re the German push is succeed
mg. High quarters in Chungking
aa:d the Jap general staff pre
ferred to postpone further
thrusts in the south seas, in favor
f strategy affecting territory
: .uvr Japan. The Japs want to
establish a “security zone," it is
>a:d, against the hour when Am
• van war production is transla*
ed into a full scale offensive ag
ainst Japan.
On the China front. Chinese
armies doggedly fought against
a dozen or more Jap invasion
columns, chiefly in the eastern
and southern provinces.
Australia's Prime Minister Cur
tin at Melbourne declared that
the heavy shipping losses are be
ginning to cause alarm among
The AJliess.
Jap Losses Reduce Danger
Of Attack on Pacific Coust
WASHINGTON, June 18 (AP)
—Secretary Stimson said the loss
es inflicted on the Japs in the
Pacific has temporarily but sub
stantially reduced the threat of
an attack on the Pacific coast,
but bo repeated that it might he
expected. According to War and
Navy Department information he
said, the Japs thus far have made
only a “very small landing" r
the Aleutians, but stressed that
unfavorable weather has obscur
ed developments in the north
Pacific and in the Aleutian
Stimson added that American
and Jap forces, thus far, have
had only fleeting glimpses of each
other through the eyes of their
air-men.
American Bomber Com
mand In China Created
CHUNGKING, June 18 (AP)
Col. Caleb Haynes, aged 4G, ap
pointed chief of the American
Bomber Command in China, said
just where and when the new
American force will go into ac
tion is naturally a military sec
ret. Haynes recently personally
led the aerial evacuation from
Burma.
Japs Unsuccessfully At
tack Port Moresby
Allied Headquarters in Aus
tralia, June 19 (AP) — Friday,
18 bombers made an unsuccess
ful attack on Port Moresby, New
Guinea, Thursday, the second in
two days. MacArthur’s headquar
ters announced that Allied fight
ers shot down one Zero plane
and two bombers. Two Allied
planes were lost.
Willkie Doubts If He Will
Ever Aspire Public Office
NEW YORK. June 18 (AP) —
Wendell L. Willkie, Republican
presidential candidate in 1940,
declared tonight “I doubt if I
will ever aspire to public office
again. There are some things
which I am so greatly interested
in I do not want to see their
advocacy tinged by self-interest.”
Fateful Decisions in Balance Church
ill’s Second \isit tol.S. In 7 Months
UNDATED. June 19 (AP) — Fateful decisions hung
in the balance as Churchill, arriving in the United Stat
es for the second time within 7 months, conferred with
Roosevelt on win-the-war strategy, presumably on the
urgency of creating a second front, an urgency high
lighted as Hitler’s headquarters asserted that German
shock troops are scoring "decisive success,” and pierc
ed the last northern defense lines in the seige of Sev
astopol. The Nazi comand said Axis troops, attacking
from the north, reached Sewernaja Bight, opposite Sev
astopol. The Nazi command said Axis troops, attacking
with the exception of one coastal fort in the southwest
sector has fallen to German hands after 12 days of
heavy fighting.” The German communique said, under
seige for 8 months, the great Black Sea naval base is
the last Russian stronghold in the Crimea barring the
way for a Nazi thrust into the rich Caucasus oil fields.
With the need for Allied counterblows sharpened,
and critical developments in the battles of North Africa
and the Soviet Crimea, world capitals displayed elec
tric excitment in Churchill’s new flight across the At
lantic. In London, papers hailed it as definite evidence
of momentous events in the making “Second front
talks start,” said the Daily Express. High Jgnirtcance
was attached to the fact that Churchill was accompan
ed by Gen. Sir Alan Brooke, chief of the Imperial
General Staff, who last month told American troops
in northern Ireland 'hat their opportunity to fight “wiT
come soon.”
S«’k More U S. Aid In Mddlo East
Other London quarters said they believed that one
of Churchill’s main purposes is to seek more U. S. help
in holding the Middle East against an expected Ger
man thrust in Libya toward Egypt and from the Soviet
Ukraine and Caucasus. These quarters said the gravity
of the Libyan desert battle situation will likely post
pone until 1943 any real big Allied land offensive in
western Europe.
Tokyo fluttered in nervous indecision, declaring in
one breath that the Churchill visit, is “a mere political
gesture for publicity purposes," and in the next that
the Anglo-American war heads are "certain to confer
on the issue of the formation of a second front in Eu
rope. A third guess by Tokyo decided that the meet
ing was a “confession of imminent crisis in the Allied
camp."
In Moscow. Stalin, making one of his rare appear
ances with Molotov, told the supreme Soviet that Wash
ington and London are giving their "serious attention”
to the question of a second front and predicted "our
common enemy will soon experience at his cost the
results of the ever growing military collaboration be
tween Russia. Britain and the United States.”
Situation Hazardous Libyan, Crimean Fronts
The situation remained hazardous in both the Libyan
desert and the Crimean fronts, but overnight develop
ments indicated that the Russian defenders of Sevas
topol are still holding stoutly. There was no Russian
confirmation of the Nazi claims.
On the north African front, the British announced
that Gen. Richie’s armies are holding strong positions
on the Libyan-Egyptian frontier. In the Tobruk sector,
80 miles to the west is clear, however, a new seige of
Tobruk has begun.
To Chart Plans For Crushing; the Axis
WASHINGTON, June 18 (AP)—Winston Churchill,
British wartime Prime Minister, crossed the Atlantic
once more to sit down with Roosevelt to chart plans for
crushing the Axis, perhaps by opening a second front
in Europe. A brief White House announcement disclos
ed that Churchill reached this country secretly and
safelv for immediate conference with the President but
kept his exact whereabouts a secret.
Presidential Secretary Early told reportrs, without
the slightest degree of qualification, he thought that
speculation ‘is perfectly justified"on the possibility of
momentous deliberations as the heads of the two great
Allied powers touch on the second front.
Churchill’s party included Sir Alan Frances Brooke,
chief of the Imperial general staff and Major General
Sir Hastings Ismay, Deputy Military secretary to the
war cabinet.