The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-12-31
By ALBERT \. LEHMAN


NEW YORK - The principal
Job Of allied flyers is 10 hunt
down axis hawks and kill them.
But another extremely important
task-litue known BY the pub
hc-is to bring 'em back alive
a captured plane reveals secrets
enemy advantages which erri-
neers can overcome by new de-
selopments in our own shipsL
We eagged Jap Zero intact and
now we understand exactly what
makes this type tick. The Bnt-
ish recently caught an unnjured
Focke-wulfe 100. which - sup
posed to be Goering's master
piece. They discoveras bugs"
that debunk the machise's repu-
tation.
This latest miracle vas credit
ed with skimming through the
clouds at nearly 40C miles per
hour. II this were tire, she would
be a genuine terro'. But tests
demonstrated that her velocity
decreases rapidly once she scars
above 10000 feet. Now that they
are acquainted With the facts.
Flying Fortress pilots can shrug
their shoulders.
Berlin secretly put into COM
mission a fo,r-engined Hetnkel
lit and sent high over Britain
to startle the Raj. None has
yet fallen irto our hands, so our
teehnicians do not know all the
details Of the newcomer She is
said to have nearly 5000 horse
power for tskeoff purposes and
a four-bhded propeller.
Reports have reached United
States air forces in England that
the Luftwaffe has a bomber with
double 2s-cylinder engines. Should
the story be correct this is the
first tune in aviation history that
such motors have been used. We
shall pierce the mystery when
a htky bullet or a storm brings
down one OF these birds un-
harmed.
i is quite simple to dramatize
the deeds OF soldiers storming
IN. machine gun nests Of Tu-
mia, flyers diving upon the Japs
In the palm-fronded islands. and
siilors shooting it out with the
Enemy in the Pacific night. But
me ceaseless vigil kept off the
stormy Old World coasts by
American and British tars does
not always create heroics and
headlines.
Yet the two groups are trans
porting hundreds Of thousands of
troops safely across the pond.
The London admiralty has just
released statistics which show
that more than 10000 conveys
have been escorted along $4,000
miles OF supply routes with a loss
of less than one ship in 200.
Though blsnketed by censorship,
Uncle Sans record Ia no less
impressive.
The allies have introduced a
new tactic against the U-bosts.
The Germans concentrated their
subs in wolf packs which preyed
on merchantmen and for time
were deadly antagonists. Now
our watchdog destroyers also
travel in crowds. The grouping
of hostile underwater craft pre-
sents a bigger target Our little
warships crisscross a threatened
patch of waves and their delicate
Instruments locate the providers.
A barrage Of depth charges Is
almost certain to score more
than one bulrs-eye. And we have
other tricks with which 10 BATTLE
and exterminate axis sea ser
pents.
The allies are not the only bel
liserents whose affairs are jun
bled in the wild Balkan noun
tains. Americans were puzzled
upon being told lately that Cen
eral Mikailovitch's guerillas are
taking AZ many pot shots at Com
munist partisan bands a. at axis
oppressors. Adherents Of both
factions in New York city are
glowering at one another. and
staging a preview OF what IS
likely to happen when the aecu-
INFLATED bitterness Of Yugoslayia
is dumped on the peace confer
ence table.
But Herr Hitler also has hot
potato in his mitts. The puppet
government which he set UP IN
Croatia in hated by both Serb
and croat patriots. An assassin
tossed a bomb at the pro-nAzi
Premier Pavelitch which missed
him BY inches. In order 10 COW
his own people this desPot or
dered his fanAtieal Ustashl po-
Hcenen to execute 10 peasants
accused Of conspiracy.
Unknown plotters kidnapped one
Of the tyrant's administrators
and another gang wsyisid ard
killed q German officer. The
Teutons retalisted by outehering
20 crost hostages. and rebels Of
that nationality turned upon the
Italian soldiers ia Dzlnstia- In