Milford chronicle., 1942-11-20
A WEEK OF THE WAR

President Roosevelt ordered the
Lend-Lease' Administration to make
available as soon as possible food,
clothing and weapons of war to the
armed forces and the citizens of the
areas in North Africa occupied by
U. S. troops. "No one will go hun
cry or without other means of live
lihood in any territory occupied by
the United Nations" the President
said, "if it is humanity within our
power to make the necessary sup
plies available to them. Weapons
also will be supplied to the peoples
of these territories to hasten the
defeat of our common enemies"
By late November Is Allied forces
had extended the Algerian zone of
occupation as far east as Bone, just
so miles from Tunisia. When
French destroyers at Casablanca
put up strong resistance against
American naval units protecting U.
S. troop landings there, the U. S.
surface forces and dive bombers de-
stroyed an entire fiotilla of French
destroyers and light craft and left
the 35,000-ton French battleship
Jean Bart a burning hulk. All hos
tilities in French North Africa
ceased November IL, n hours after
the U. S. offensive began. In many
places the local population and U.
S. troops Joined in Armistice Day
ceremonies. The War Department
said American casualties were light.
The President described the Afri-
can campaign as a smaller second
front launched in lieu of a big
scale offensive against the Axis
forces across the English Channel.
He said that during Prime Minister
Churchill's visit to Washington in
June it was decided a major often
sive across the Channel could not
have been started until next year
at the earliest. The African often
sive was decided upon by the end
of June, by late July the number
of men necessary and points of at
tack had been determined, and the
approximate date was set by the
end of August.
War Secretary Stimson said that
despite the fact that the Germans
must have been aware some sort of
large operation was in immediate
prospect in North Africa, Axis eff
forts to intercept it with numer-
Gus submarines were futile. All U.
S. forces moved to their points of
attack, only one transport was tor
pedoed, and troops from this ship
proceeded in their landing craft
more than 100 miles to their desti-
nation. Under Secretary of War
Patterson reported 100000 different
items of equipment and supplies
were required for the North Afri-
can operation. Navy Secretary Knox
said it took five to seven times as
many ships to carry men and goods
around Africa to the Middle East as
it would to carry them straight
through Gibralter and into the Med
iterranean.
Other War Fronts
4a In a 10-hour offensive on Jap
shore positions on Guadalcanal
November 12, air and surface forces
of the Navy destroyed at least 30
and probably more out of rs land
ing boats found at Tassafaronga,
shot down 80 out of 81 Jap planes
attempting to attack U. S. ships,
silenced shore batteries and started
large fires. The U. S. heavy cruiser
San Francisco was damaged slight
ly and 80 members of the crew were
killed when a disabled Jap plane
crashed into it. The U. S. destroy
er Buchanan was damaged and five
of her crew killed by a 5-inch shell
from an enemy shore battery. A
Navy communique in the afternoon
of September IA said the naval en-
gagements in the Solomons area
were still in progress.
General MacArthur's headquar-
tiers reported November IA that U.
S.. bombers scored hits on two more
Jap cruisers and damaged an enc
my transport at their buin-Faisi
base. In New Guinea, Australian
troops wiped out the remainder of
a. Japanese force in the Oivi-Gorari
sector and drew within As miles of
the enemy base at Buna. U. S. sub
marines reported the sinking of
seven more transport and auxiliary
ships and the probable sinking of
destroyer in Far Eastern waters.
The sinking of five more Allied