Evening star., 1942-12-06
War America Disaster to Take Offensive to the Axis
Critical Battle
African Campaign Near
a Decision
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
Just II months ago tomorrow the
United States found itself at war.
Those IL months have seen the Nation
turn into an armed camp. AL its energies
and all its ways of life have been directed
toward the one purpose Of winning the
war and bringing a just peace to the
world.
There have been dark days There
has been mourning in many homes.
There has been defeat and disaster.
But the year ends in q general chorus
Of victory all over the earth and this
gigantic Nation has just started to fight.
Next year. it is confidently expected, will
tell far different story.
But victory still is far from won. The
ordinary ways Of life must be changed
still more, and more energies must be
devoted to the single purpose. Just now
the news is so good that the Nations
leaders are little fearful of a dan
gerous degree of optimism on the part
OF millions who do not realize the mag
nitude of the job ahead
japanese losses to date have been five
to one compared to those of the United
States, Secretary of the Navy Knox has
| revealed.
Since December T. 1941,~ he said, "our
| Army and Navy have lost in all opera
tions approximately $4,000 men, killed
| and missing. This includes some 10000
Americans killed or missing in the Philip
| pines 1t is estimated by our intelligence
that up to November 25 Of this year tho
| Japanese in all theaters have lost in
| killed or permanently injured 25o,o00
| men. OF this total about $1,000, killed
| or incapacitated, were members of the
Japanese Navy. or approximately 10
per cent Of the estimated japanese naval
personnel. Our own naval losses have
been about l per cent"
| A Larger Navy.
| And in spite of undeniably severe ship
| retary Knox revealed, I'VE have larger
and more powerful Navy, measured in
tonnage, air power or anything else, than
the day before Pearl Harbor. Produc-
tion records have been broken on almost
every type Of craft and I might add that
the Navy uses more than $50 types"
The United States lost 1910 men and
five transports in its two great North
| African landings, hailed as the Begin
ming of a second 'front.'" it was revealed.
| The transports were the Tasker l..
Bliss, Hugh L. Scott and Edward Rut-
ledge, sank off ~Casablanca; the Joseph
Hewes, lost off Rabat. and the Leeds
town. sunk off Algerers. All were ships
of more than 5000 tons. Few lives we're
| lost.
| In the same movement the British
lost an aircraft carrier, three destroyers
and seven lighter vessels.
Axis resistance in North Africa stiff
fened during the week. There is every
indication that there will be last-ditch
fight for the invaluable seaports of
Tunis and Bizerte upon which American
and British troops are converging. Both
cities are bomb-shattered and can ex-
pect mericless bombing until they fall.
Meanwhile, the Allied drive westward
in pursuit Of Rommels shattered army
seems halted temporarily at Ell Agheila,
with only minor patrol encounters and
some air battles reported.
| Advantage With United States.
All advantage in the South Pacific
area during the week seemed to rest
with the United Nations.
On Monday and Tuesday came the
third great naval encounter in that area
as Japanese warships, escorting troop
transports, tried to fight their way to
Guadalcanal Island The United States
Navy smashed the attempt, sinking nine
enemy vessels. From 1000 to 5000 Jap
anese troops were drowned. Two large
destroyers or cruisers, four smaller de-
stroyers, two troop transports, and one
cargo ship were sunk.
The battle was fought in the waters
Immediately north Of Guadalcanal. The
victory cost the United States one
cruiser sunk and an unspecified number
OF ships damaged.
On the New Guinea coast at Buna
Japanese continued to hold a shallow
beachhead. American air forces broke
up an effort to reinforce these defenders
in a 12-hour battle with four enemy de-
stroyers protected by a screen of fighter
planes. Altogether they knocked %
enemy aircraft out Of the sky. Earlier in
the week Allied airmen attacked and
probably sunk two other destroyers on
the same mission. Further to the west
an 8000-ton German ship was inter-
cepted and its crew of 78 captured after
they had scuttled their craft.
News from Russia continued highly
encouraging throughout the week. as the
unbearably bitter Russian winter tight
ened its grip on both sides.
South of Leningrad and west OF Mos.
COW the Germans were reported losing
approximately 1000 men day as white
clad ski troopers clashed with Nazi re-
Inducements. Reports that many enemy
tanks and trucks are frozen and aban-
doned Is probably due to the fact that
Germany has not been able to improve
It's supply of lubricants, major reason
for defeats last winter.
From Rome came the voice of Benito
Mussolini, silent for nearly year, who
once declared that peace was a menace
to civilization. What II Italy did stab
France in the back In the darkest hour
OF the republics history Mussolini
asked. France at various time had also
stabbed Italy in the back.
He then detailed italian casualties
during the first 80 months of war as
| follows. Dad Q4 102. wounded m ITO.