Milford chronicle., 1942-12-04
A WEEK OF THE WAR

operations on all fronts against
the Axis are progressing favorab-
ly, Secretary of War Stimson said.
He summarized the situation as
follows: (D The Germans have
failed in all of their main obiec-
tives for the year in Russia and
will have to withdraw from wide
areas unless they can stop the
Russian counter-offensive (2) The
Allies are building up strong as
sault forces in Tunisia to oust the
Axis, but the enemy there will ''of-
fer strong resistance" (3) Ameri-
can and Australian troops have cor
nered substantial numbers of Jap
anese troops between Coma and
Buna in New Guinea. "a Although
weather conditions make extensive
activity difficult in the Aleutians,
American fiiers are doing every
thing possible to harass tn eenemy.
Navy Secretary Knox said it is
unlikely the Japanese can get rein
forcements into Guadalcanal. Aus
tralian troops, advancing on Bune,
have smashed Japanese counter
attacks, while Allied bombers
blasted enemy gun nests and NOR
tar emplacements, General Mac
Arthur's New Guinea headquar-
ters reported November 2S. Japan
ese naval forces, however, despite
heavy losses, have landed strong,
fresh reinforcements" on the Buna-
Coma beachhead. Earlier Allied air.
men sank two and probably three
troop-laden destroyers and definite
ly sank one other destroyer and
two smaller vessels.
Communiques during the week .
reported Allied forces in North AT /
RIGA destroyed 100 Axis planes and .
21 medium tanks at the cost of .
nine Allied planes destroyed and
four damaged The War Depart
ment estimated U. S. Army and |
Navy casualties from the initial
landings in the North African op- |
erations: Army-killed, $50; woun-
ded, 900; missin, $50; Navy-killed,
10; wounded, $50; missing, $50.
RatiOning
President Roosevelt, in letters to
Rubber Director Jeffers and Price
Administrator Henderson, stated
1--WE must do everything within our
power to see that the mileage ra-
tioning) program starts December
first because victory must not be
delayed through failure to support
our fighting forces" Expanded
passenger car tire and tube quotas
for December to meet needs in the
first month of mileage rationing-
the plan under which virtually all
passenger cars become eligible to
apply for needed recapping services
or replacement tires-were an
nounced by the Office of Price Ad-
ministration. The total of passen-
ger car tires and recapping SER
vices combined is 2,301, ,342 for De-
cember, against 1,2S5,1S9 for No
vember.
Rubber Director Jeffers stated
that unless tires are conserved in
the U. S. by nationwide gasoline
rationing until synthetic rubber
production gets into full swing in
1914, the United Nations rubber
stockpile will be reduced to CON
siderably below the point of rea-
sonable safety" In 1943, there will
only be 80 million tires. including
recaps, available for automobiles,
compared with a normal demand of
As million tires. IF all goes WELL" !
Mr.. Jeffers said, 1--WE should be I
able to allocate important quanti-
ties of rubber for the manufacture I
of civilian tires in the early months !
of 1914. Thus, if there is no hitch
in the program, we should be able ,
in 1914 to replace in large mea- ;
sure the automobile tires now in s
use on the 27 million passenger
cars and the million trucks op-
Grating in the United States" 3
The Office of Civilian Defense 3
said that beginning November 80, :
two million Civilian Defense Block !
Leaders will Swing into action to ,
carry in a coordinated national
campaign the Governments volun- ]
tary share the meat plan to every /
city, town and village in the land" |
Sterilization of Wages
The War Labor Board delegated '
to War Secretary Stimson the pow
er to rule upon all wage and salary
adjustments of the more than one !
million civilian employees in the ]
U. S. and Alaska employed by the ,
War Department, the Army Ex- /
change Services and Government
owned, privately-operated facili- i
ties of the Department. The Board I
issued a list of go industries en-
ploying million workers in which
its regional directors will be au- ,
thorized to act on requests for
wage increases to correct malad-
justments by applying the Little
Steel formula without Board re- ,
view.
The Armed Forces
War Secretary Stimson an-
nounced Army furloughs will be y
granted between December IL and
January IL to no more than 10 per ]
cent of the enlisted strength of
any camp or station at any one time.
Mr.. Stimson said many young off
GERS have been transferred from q
Washington jobs to combat duty,
and they will continue to be trans
ferred until at least two-thirds of ,
the officers on duty in Washington
will be men more than 80. The
Federal Communications Commits
sion announced that after Decem- [
Der 1, members of the armed forces I
and persons sending money to them
t,xtII ,oaasrro a En ,.nt. oanf ,.ofa / 5