davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

tank defenses, deep bitches, rows Of
tree TRUNKS stuck firm In the earth.
There are stone barriers and stones
Weighing q ton, poised on low
plank platforms, ready to be rolled
into the road on q tank.
Work on New Lines
I saw hundreds Of men working
on new lines Of defenses, one be-
hind another, dynamiting the frozen
earth.
The country Is extremely favor
for the defense. We passed through
snow and Ice for several hundred
miles through forests with trees
from Ave to eight feet apart Every
road Is well defended and appar.
emily impossible to tanks and
mechanical vehicles. The Firms
know every forest path.
Finnish officers say that II the
Russians get through they will burn
every house and leave behind q
dead country. Farm houses have
been evacuated, and so have the
cattle, but milkmaids with sufficient
COWS have been left to supply milk
for the soldiers. This Is perhaps
the only completely dry army In the
world. Liquor Is forbidden men at
the front.
The little Finnish army has It's
casualties.
AS we left the front In the dark
ness, two big Red Cross BUSES drew
UP to take back wounded and dead.
Beside us were half a dozen bodies,
tenderly Swathed In fragrant spruce
boughs, and O dozen wounded.
Back at the base, watched q
hospital train being loaded. Big
buses drew up and evacuated their
wounded. Each train Is fitted to
carry 100 stretcher cases and 200
sitting cases. In the Icy cold the
bearers expertly lifted the stretch
ers out Of the BUSES and passed
them through windows into the
coaches. The walking victims chung
to the shoulders Of the stretcher
men and hobbled to the coaches
where they were helped UP the
steps. Some I noticed were wound
ed In q foot or leg. They hoped
along on one foot, hanging on to q
stretcher bearer. Each stretcher
case had strapped to his stretcher
his boots, his blanket and his
equipment.
The train had been inprovised
from q passenger train. There were
hooks, hung from baggage racks,
into which a stretcher was insert
ed. There was a lower tier for
stretchers to be put on a wooden
framework. One car carried 80
wounded. All had been treated at
field hospitals and wore bloody
bandages, or arm or leg splints.
Almost every man had received
his wound from a shell or hand
grenade-bad craftsmanship by the
Russians, the Films said. There
was no gas case.
On the hospital trains are girl
nurses, volunteers. They were clean
and very efficient. The wounded
mostly looked cheerful. A few OBJ
viously we're suffering. Their faces
were contorted and covered with
perspiration In the Icy night.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

formation that the control tower for
the Graf Specs six 11-inch guns
had been destroyed by British shell
IRE and that all six guns were out
Of action. This would mean that Il
the Graf Spec put out without ef-
fecting repairs TO them she would
have only her secondary battery Of
eight 6.0-iflci guns against six and
eight-inch guns Of the British
cruiser Death Watch--leaving out
the possibility that the Renown,
with six 16-ihch and IL four-inch
guns and q speed Of 20 knots
the Graf Specs 20, might be here
or on the way.
The Urusuayan navy commission
which inspected the Graf Spec
finished It's examination at $50 D..
m. and delivered Its report to For
eign Minister 0uani. II this report
held that the German ship was sea-
worthy, II would have to get out by
$3.50 tonight q p. m. EsT) or &C.
cept internment.
German Minister Otto Langmann
had formally asked that the ship be
permitted to make repairs. British
Minister Eugene Miliington- Drake
had asked that the ship be made
to leave by li:66 last night--the
end Of Its first 24-hour period
because Its machinery had not suf-
fered damage. One thing was men,
toned unof1icially as certain-that
u the government did intern the
Graf Spec II would disrnantle II to
make sure 1t did not escape OF some
future time.
Repairs Started
Montevideo, Uruguay, Dec. IS
(UP)-Preparations for repairs on
the damaged German pocket battle
ship Admiral Graf Spec were start
ed today, apparently for q dash to
sea through Gordon Of British
cruisers.
German sailors hauled steel
plates aboard the pocket battleship
and sources close to the German
legation Indicated they were to be
used TO patch the holes In the Spec
made by eight and six inch shells
from British cruisers in O running
battle day before yesterday. The
same sources indicate dthat q dash
to freedom would follow.
Activity around the German chip
In the harbor indicated the Graf
would choose q battle at sea rather
than face internment and dis.
mantlement In this neutral port.
While Nazi seamen loaded repair
materials the shattered bodies Of
the 80 German navy men killed this
week In the battle off Montevideo
were taken TO the shelter Of o com.
mon grave In the north cemetery.
The cortege arrived at the ceme-
terry at 9:35 a. m, EST, and simple
services were conducted amidst the
graves OF other Germans and Brit
ons who had died here In times Of
peace.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15
PRISONERS ARE
GIVEN FREEDOM


kGVAAtA1HWSU AAVAAA k0MQ ~
fight the British cruisers which
drove it into port, the door Of the
big single room In which they were
kept was bolted on them.
smashes Steel Wall
One small shell from q British
cruiser smashed through o steel
wall into their room but caused no
casualties.
4 never thought I'd get a bit Of
Old England right In o German bat
tleship," commented Captain
Charles Pottinger, master OF the
Ashley, second Of the Orafs vic
tins.
The men had known that their
own ships were trying to send them,
with the Germans, TO the bottom
Of the sea. The first they knew OF
the outcome Of the long fight was
when, after the Graf put into Nom
tevideo, one Of the Graf Spec sea-
men commented:
you've been our prisoners. Now
guess we'll be yours"
The prisoners were released last
evening after signing pledge not
to 60 to sea again during the war.
To do 50 would mean that they
would be liable TO execution II cap
tured by the Germans again.
They Said Good Bye
A Uruguayan tug took of the
prisoners. Ofiicers Of the Graf Spec
saluted them as they left ana
called:
Good Byel"
AS they landed, the younger ones
among the prisoners, capering on
the dock, laughed and shouted at
the smiling people who watched
them. Uruguayan marines formed 0
guard Of honor.
The Britons were In good health.
They were mostly unshaven and
lean, but they were bronzed and Mt
looking. Most Of them had lost all
their possessions. One wore high
sea boots and O pair Of shorts.
Taken to the naval prefecture,
the prisoners were formally handed
over by the German naval attache
and the commander OF the Graf
Spec, both In full dress uniform.
All Were Excited
British consular attaches took
the prisoners over from the Urug-
uayan project, and took them TO the
British consulate TO talk. They had
not eaten, In the excitement OF the
fight, since the day before.
The Graf Spec sank the steam
ship Clement october 2. 1t sank
eight more, confiscating oil provi-
sions In each instance.
The Britons said their own food
had been plain but ample. They
were frequently allowed on decks
and never more than two sentries
guarded the big room where all
were kept, officers and men.
Captain Pottinger Of the Ashley
said.
Mostly we prisoners played rum
my, and sat around and smoked.
The Germans let us keep our money
when we were captured and allowed
us TO buy cigaretS from their stores.
Captain Patrick Gerald Gordon
Dove Of the 7S0-ton Africa Shell
said:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

Continued from Page y
drink while on the rounds OF his in
vestigation. The drinks, besides
whiskey straight and In highball
form. included wine and beer, the
officer said.
Drank 30 Ounces
Asked 10 be specific In calculate
ing In ounces the amount Of drink
consumed, Trooper Struck was IN
formed, after mental notations by
Mascolo, that he drank 80 ounces,
mixed. In the space Of several hours.
Were you affected by the drinks
when you drove your carp" the at
torney asked.
mo" the trooper replied, adding
that the drinks were spaced, and
were mitigated by food.
Defense testimony In the Clement
case was also given by Charles
Richards, waiter. who said he
didn't remember ever having seen
the two troopers.
Lieut.. Patrick Moylan. Of the To-
cal vice squad, also testified for the
state.
Clement said he was the proprie-
tor Of q restaurant at 293 Bank
street, while Marchiani gave his adj
dress as 239 Bank street. Both men
claimed full liquor permits.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15
Webb Miller Pictures
Brave Firms In Battle
tccntinued from Page y

was. We opened up on them when
they got to the middle Of the river.
They had gone 100 yards and had
100 more to go. AL their boats were
blown to pieces. The river was full
of dead and wounded and drowning
men. The drowning ones screamed.
Their heavy overcoatS and equip
ment made it impossible for them
to swim. We machine gunned the
masses of them and picked them
off with rifles. Nearly every man
was drowned or shot. Only a few
managed to get back to their own
bank of the river"
could see the smashed pontoons
sticking up in the river.
Evidences Of Fighting
I reached the extreme front line
by walking about three miles
through a thick fir forest along mar
row footpaths. About mile from
the front we came upon evidences
of terrific fighting. Thousands of
Russian shell holes made gaping
black in the forest snow. We had to
scramble over tree trunks toppled
by shells. The path was Strewn with
fir branches. At places trees foot
thick had ben cut off clean. Hun
dredS of trees had been SCARED by
shell hits. I picked up several shell
fragments half a foot long.
Here and there we stumbled over
shining six-inch Russian shells
They weigh 10 0pounds-which had
not exploded. Every soldier told US
the Russian shells were of poor
quality.
The firing was going on all the
time. We could often hear the
slithery whining of shell, and
crouched to wait for a burst that
did not come.
Half q mile from the front we
approached the exposed positions.
Don't smoke from here on" Or
dered our conducting officer. Don't
talk. Walk In scattered formation"
One of the soldiers accompany
ing us was Einar Grumioos, who
worked in paper mill at Fitch
burg, Mass.
Front Line At Last
In the front line at last, we en-
tered a communication trench. It
led us directly into the extreme
first line, Peering cautiously over
the trench parapet, often ducking
unconsciously when a shell burst too
close, could see on the other bank
with my naked eyes the figures Of
Russians moving about. From lit
tie dugout projecting in front of the
trench I looked through periscope
and watched a party of perhaps a
dozen Russians peacefully rounding
up horses. The Finnish sharp shoot
erS on our left were taking pot shots
at thenl-without result, so far as I
saw.
Our party followed the front line
trench for perhaps half mile. At
several places. warned, we crouched
low because the positions were more
exposed.
Firms Grin At Us
Every few yards alert Finnish SOL
diers, with white cloths tied over
their steel helmets, stood with re
files ready and grinned at us. They
obviously were not bothered by the
continuous racket of exploding
shells. Here and there machine
guns poked their shouts over the
parapet, but the Finnish artillery
was firing only a little now and
then when a useful target appeared.
Conclusions of Russian shell
bursts about quarter of q mile
away shook down showers Of snow
and ice from the spruce trees. Three
inch and six-inch shells burst at
the rate of one every two seconds.
Sometimes they came In salvoes.
Now and then on our left the Fin
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

great brittle clods Of frozen earth
slither through the ice-encrusted
trees, swapping off branches and
sometimes entire trees.
Firms Laugh at Them
The Firms Taught and say the
Russians are wasting their am
munition.
What they want to know is
whether the Russians are preparing
for q new offensive. For, the first
one, my visit to the front has left
no doubt, has definitely failed.
It was a strange, grim fight,
fought in part of the world where
1t gets light late and gets dark at
$3.50 D. M, a land of lakes and for
estS, of bitter cold and glaring ice
and snow.
In the battle has figured the
worlds smallest submarine, the
Finnish Saukko, 80 tons, with a
crew of a dozen men, operating on
Lake Ladoga, the biggest lake in
Europe, at the east side of the
front.
The Russians have fired at the
Firms not only frontally but also
from the glank, from their own
gunboats in the lake,
They have tried to send men
across the Taipale River into the
Finnish line in small boats. The
Firms blew the boats to bits and
phlegmatically, methodically, swept
machine guns into the masses OF
Russian troops struggling and
screaming, in their heavy overcoats,
in the freezing river as their marks
men picked off individuals with their
rifles.
Thousands Go In, Go Back
Thousands upon thousands OF
men, day by day, have been thrown
into the fight, and have been
thrown back.
The battle opened on the Finnish
Independence Day, December 6. 1t
collapsed on the eighth day OF
fighting, Wednesday, For the mo-
ment it / sa business of angry ar
tillery fire, an occasional burst Of
machine gun fire, the casual crack
of o rifle as a Finnish sharpshooter
picks off an insufficiently careful
Russian 200 yards away across the
river.
When I came to the front, atten-
ton was on the fighting farther
north. But I came to find that the
biggest battle of the entire war has
been fought here ON this narrow
front where big masses of men are
opposed, and that the Films have
won it, What is to come remains to
be seen.
Soviet Spearhead
1t was evident as soon as I got
here with the first part of American
correspondents to reach this front
that the Russian general staff had
picked this particular point on the
Ta,pale river rs the spearhead oil
th0ir attack. They figured. appar-
emily, that If they could get across
the river they could work along
Lake Ladoga, and outflank the
Mannerheim line. Their tanks, their
arnored cars, their rivers boats,
their lake gunboatS in enfllading
fire, their artillery. their infantry
has ben thrown into action, The low
gray clouds have kept down their
planes.
A soldier who was there told me
about the attempt of 500 Russians
to cross the river in pontoon boats
We stood on the river bank as he
pohte:
Boats Blown To Pieces
"They pushed out into the river
there. The boats were swarming
with men. Our artillery had been
held in reserve. 1t had not fired and
tho Russians did not know where 1t
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

their country to the invader and
rallied for new resistance southwest
Of Salnnajaervi The last point to be
abandoned was the bridge, hotel and
church ct Borisgleb, a mining town
jutting into Norway. Most Of It was
burned yesterday and the scorching
Of much Of northern Finland was
completed today when black smoke
rose from what little had been
spared earlier.
Observers on the svanik side Of
the frontier, although ordered to
leave by the Norwegian authorities
watched preparations for new bat
tie south Of salmaj aervi.
Stay There All Night
Some Of us stood here all night
The smoke from fires In Finland
made us cough.
A Finnish soldier came over q
bicycle. He was tall, broad shoul-
dered and smiling. His white cape,
thrown over his shoulder, was spot
ted with blood. I asked him how
many Russians he had killed and he
said he had given UP counting.
There were about 1000 men in
the Russian lines and more kept
coming, he said.
1T seemed that we shot down
hundreds but they kept on coming"
he told me. Then he rode back to
the battle lines across the Ice. In the
light Of the last fire the last Of the
civilian population, only 20 or 30 per-
sons, fed into Norway.
War Briefs
Capetowr1, South Africa, Dec. IS
(UP)-The German freighter Adolf
Leonhardt, 1889 tons, was scuttled
by Its crew In the south Atlantic af-
ter It had been intercepted by q
British warship, 1t was disclosed to-
day.
The crew was picked up M the
British warship, landed at Cape
town and taken to Pretoria for In
ternment for the duration Of the
war.
The Leonhardt was one Of several
German ships which left Lcbito
Portuguese Africa, recently after
having found shelter there since the
outbreak Of war.
Moscow, Dec. 15--(UP)--Radio re-
ports said tonight that Russian
troops have broken through Fin
lands Mannerheim defense lines on
the Karelian Isthmus.
The Red army forces now were
operating In the rear Of the Finnish
army, the reports said. They did not
indicate at which points Sovies
troops claimed to have broken
through the Finnish defenses.
The radio announcement gave
brief details Of the Finnish defensen
and said that "the Red army Is
crushing them successfully"
Bergen, Norway, Dec. 15.-CUp)-
Heavy continuous fighting ragged III
northern Finland today with Rus
slams who took the Norwegian FROM
tier town Of salmajaervi yesterday,
attacking Firms between Saima-
jaerw and PitkajarW, according TO
latest reports received here.
The Russians, dispatches said,
were using tanks and airplanes In an
attempt to extend their lines down
the FINNISH Norwegian border south
Of SalmajaerW.
London, Dec. 15-(UP)-The Bel.
CLAN steamer Rosa, i,103 tons, sank
after an explosion of the northeast
coast Of England today. One man
was killed, two were injured and Is
were rescued.
London, Dec. i5-(UP)-The war
office announced today that Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain has
arrived In France to spend q few
days with the British expeditionary
forces.
London, Dec. 15.-(UP)-One Greek
and two British ships have been sunk
"by German action" In Norwegian
waters, 1t was disclosed today.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

Fred Astaire owns O motion pic
ture reel which includes every
dance he has ever done before the
cameras.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

ish planes frequently few only 100
feet above the. German fortihca-
lions, 1t was said.
The British reconnaissance had
been going on for two and O half
hours before the warships were
sighted, II was said.
The air ministry said that "con-
siderable forces Of the raj" had been
operating over the North Sea In the
last "a hours. They were carrying
out normal reconnaissance fights"
to test German defenses on the
Helgolard Blight and Friesian
Islands.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

II you who read this are suffering
don't delay getting relief. Vendo
has helped thousands and win d
the same for you.
Wendell Is sold and highly recon1
mended here by Apothecaries HaH
Co., SO Bank st., and Is also sold Is
RickInan's Drug Store, ! Mort
Main st., Bristol; The Spo0ner Drsz
Co.. Oakvllle; Naugatuck Drug g
and Don0vnn's Pharmacy, In MAJ
galuck; Ecnaon Rharmacy h Thon
nHtan.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15

Peru is continuing its public
construction activities to boost bust
ness.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15
BRITISH, NAzI
PLANES BATTLE

CONTINUED from rage u
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15
BRITT BOMBS FAIL

Berlin, Dec. 1b.-lUP)-'TWo Brit
ish planes attempted TO attack the
German island Of sylt and dropped
four OF their bombs into the sea,
the German high command an
rounced todya. II was not stated
when the attempted raid occurred.
Another British plane, the an
rlouncement said, few over Borkum
without bombs and was chased of
by anti-aircraft fire. Borkum Is
an island In the North Sea at the
mouth Of the River Ems.
An attack by British planes on
the North Tristan Islands yesterday,
according to the coinmurique, re.
suited In an air battle In which
German pursuit planes shot down
10 Of 20 attacking British planes.
One German plane was forced down
at sea.
(Tee British air ministry yester-
day said that In an air battle over
the Helgoland Blight four German
and three British planes were shot
DOWN.
On the Western Front, the COM
mrinique said, there were no par
ticular events.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15
BOMB NAZT sEAPLANEs

London, Dec. l5.-(UP)--Royal
Air Forces planes last night and
early this morning bombed German
seaplanes at their moorings In the
German North Sea bases Of Borkum,
Sylt and Norderney. the air minis
try announced today.
The operations were part Of the
British security patrol" designed to
strike at German mine-laying planes
before they could leave their bases
and imperil shipping In the Brit
ish waters.
Royal aircraft again patrolled
bases OF Borkum, Norderney and
Sylt during the night and early
hours Of this morning." an air min
istry bulletin said. Enemy sea-
planes, observed ct their mornings,
were attacked with bombs"
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-15
TWO MEN ARE
FOUND GUILTY

Continued from Page y
Imperial Valley press., 1939-11-28
British Capture
Z German Ships;
Six U.Boats Sunk

LONDON, Nov. %. CUP)-Reports
in naval quarters said today that
British warships, blockading the
North Atlantic, had captured or
sunk u German merchant ships
which had sailed from the United
States disguised as neutrals.
The report was published today
by the News Chronicle, quoting a
member of the crew of the armed
British merchant ship Chitral, which
landed at Glasgow yesterday with
IL survivors of the British auxiliary
cruiser Rawalpindi.
Six German submarines have been
sunk by naval patrols during the
past 10 days, French dispatches said.
The French said also that in ad-
dition to the intensified war on the
sea one of the most violent combats
of the war had occurred II miles
east OF the MoSelle river sector
Continued on Page 8: Col -
Imperial Valley press., 1939-11-28

Blond, rosy-cheeked Lieut.. Conn.,
mander Guenther Prien, who amaz-
ed the world by taking his U-boat
into Britain's mighty Scapa Flow
naval base, added to his laurels by
directing the attack on the British
cruiser east of the Shetland Islands.
The sinking as announced by the
Germans brought the death toll in
the 10 sea victories to at least 1872
British.
The cruiser sunk in Prien's second
exploit was of the London type
the Shropshire, the Sussex, the De-
vonshire or the London. All were
completed in 1929 and are of $3.50
or $3.50 tons displacement.
AS commander of the submarine
that sank the heavy cruiser, Prien
became the outstanding naval hero
of the war, at least in German eyes.
A handsome, vigorous young man
apparently not more than 80
years old-the U-boat commander
already had been decorated by Adolf
Hitler-and praised for his skill and
daring by British First Lord of the
Admiralty Winston Churchill-as a
result of the sinking of the Royal
Oak, on which $40 men perlsned,
The normal complement of the Lon
don type heavy cruiser is 650
Prien also expressed confidence
after the Scapa Flow raid that an
Continued on Page 8, Col. %