davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
FOOD 'CZAR' PLAN
PASSED BY GROUP
House Agriculture Com.
mittee Disregards
FDR'S Wishes

WASHINGTON, June "a Up -
Dsiregardin President Roose-
velt's wishes, the House Agricul-
ture committee today approved a
measure to create an all-powerful
wartime food GEAR"
Chairman Fulmer Cd. 3. c.
said:
THE food situation is getting
critical, and the legislation is de-
signed to deal with the emergen-
cy."
The bill, if made law. would
take all food rationing and pricing
powers from the Office of Price
Administration, headed by Prem
tiss Brown, and place them with
the War Food Administrator, Ches-
ter c. Davis, who now supervises
food production and distribution.
Mr.. Roosevelt last week turned
down suggestions by two bi-parti-
san Congressional committees that
such action be taken by executive
order.
The measure approved by the
Agriculture committee would give
Davis final authority on foods
not subject even to the approval
of the President. However, Mr..
Roosevelt would have power to
replace him, in case of hopeless
Continued on Page Two; Col. A.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
Secretary Stimson Warns
That Heavier Losses
Lie In Future

WASHINGTON, June "a R -
With a warning by Secretary OF
War Stimson that heavier losses
lie ahead, the War and Navy De-
partments today announced a to-
tai of 90, $50 war casualties to date.
Secretary Stimson said future
military operations are likely to
involve much greater numbers Of
troops and that correspondingly
heavier losses should be expected.
'Tt is certain" he stated, that
in practically all theaters Of war
in which our troops have been en-
gagged, the enemy's losses have
been much greater than our own.
He gave the Arny's total cas-
ualties as 63,958, including 1923
men killed in action or died of
wounds, 17,128 wounded, 22,687
missing, and 1855 officially re-
ported taken prisoner.
The Navy's latest casualty list
today said Navy, Marine Corps,
and Coast Guard losses were 26,-
Continued on Page Seven: Col. II
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
'rwards Figures To OPA;
Electric Boxes May.
Be Released

AS!lmating that Wilmington to-
|! is receiving approximately SO
l cent Of the ice which was
|aliaole this time last year, al
|.agn W. the city's population has
.ISeased, ~ City Manager A. c.
[sAols revealed Thursday that he
h forwarded the results Of a
|,'a [,mpfehensive survey Of the ice
tsuon here to the district office
VIC Office of Price Administra-
Nc ne said that he had been ad-
" u; oy L. W. Driscon, head Of
!, UlS'rlct OPA office, that there
is,t possibility that the OPA
nj shs release a supply of electric
rns rserators for purchase here as
'edsufe to alleviate the short
II re city manager emphasized
{isoss,O s,O'ernment relief from the
BssiSi,,.lc ice problem was only a
teonst.Iy and that, in any case,
e notice would be given
'nued on Page Seven. Col. u
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
Merchant Marine Hostel
? Set Up In Mafitt Area

Wilmington, at last, has become
a friendly port to Fighters in dun
garees,'' men of the Merchant
Marine who must spend day or
two in the city before boarding
Liberty vessels that will take them,
and stores of war cargo, across
the seas of the world.
Announcement came Thursday
from Arthur Bartel, port execu-
tive for the United Seamen's Serv-
ice, that an entire dormitory in
Maffitt Village has been converted
into a hostel for Merchant Marine
crews, where they may sleep and
enjoy simple recreation, without
cost. The center, in operation for
the past three weeks, has already
accommodated 148 men for a total
of 265 nights.
1.-THE fellows who have taken ad-
vantage of the service pronounce
it one of the finest centers they
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
undreds Of Allied Bombers
Pound Hitler's West WalP
AS Enemy Tightens Defenses
American Air Force
General Is Missing
After Raid On Kiel

LONDON. Friday, June 25.-R-
Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford For
rest, great-grandson and namesake
of the famed Confederate general,
was lost June 13 in one of history's S
greatest aerial fights during the
mass American daylight attack on
Kiel, Germany.
An official announcement today
listed the 38-year-old general, who
rode as an observer on the heavy
bomber which lead the assault, as
missing.
1t was said, however, that For
rest, one of Americas youngest
generals, might have come through
alive even though his plane was
shot down when hundreds of enc
my planes rose to meet the Ameri-
can raiders.
The Kiel attack has been de-
Scrlbed officially as the greatest
air battle over Europe. In a twin
blow at Kiel and Bremen that day
the Americans lost "a bombers.
Forrest, as chief of staff for
Major-Gen. Robert Olds, eomman-
der of the Second Air Force in the
United States, played an import
ant role in the development and
expansion of the heavy lombard
ment program.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
NO HELP ASKED
in ICE MATTER
Red Cross Reports Donors
But No Pleas For As
sistance From Public

Although 16 persons have vol
unteered contributions of ice cubes
or space for food in their refrig.
orators, the Red Cross emergency
''ice clearing house" has received
no orders for help, Mrs. Ida r.
Speiden, executive secretary Of the
Red Cross chapter, said Thursday
afternoon.
"We have had the offers tc
assist, but no requests for assist
ance," Mrs. Speiden reported. The
clearing house has been operating
for only one day, however, and il
is possible that the community
has not been sufficiently advised
of the service, it was explained.
Offers of trays and refrigerator
space for persons suffering effects
of the ice shortage said to be
prevalent here have come from
Lake Forest, Market street, Prin-
Continued on Page Two; Col. u
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
Red Army Smashes Axis
Lines At Velikie Luki

LONDON, Friday, June 25.-
R-German dispatches report
ed early today that the Red
army had smashed into Axis
lines south of Velikie Luki,
only 80 miles from the Latvian
border, but said a German
cOunter-attack had sealed off
the breach in this sector which
had been comparatively quiet
for months.
The regular midnight Mos
COW bulletin did not specifi-
cally name the Velikie Luki
sector, but said Soviet scouts
and artillery had destroyed IL
dugouts and eight machine
guns on the western front.
Velikie Luki is 275 miles west
of the Soviet capital.
A special Moscow broadcast
also announced that the Ger
mans lost 19 planes in attempt
ed daylight attacks Wednes-
day on towns near Leningrad.
Four Russian planes were lost
in blocking the raiders, which
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
AIR ATTACKS MAY
HAVE UPSET AXIS
Stimson Says That Raids
Could Have Wrecked
Drive On Russians

WASHINGTON, June "a R-
The blasting of German industrial
areas by Allied bombers in re-
peated assaults from British bases
may already have wrecked Axis
plans for great summer often
sive in Russia, Secretary of War
Stimson suggested today.
Reporting that recent raids by
both British and American bomb
ers against German targets had
been met by strong forces of enc
my fighters, Stimson told press
conference this indicated Germany
had found it necessary to concen-
trate much of her fighter plane
strength to protect industrial and
military installations on the home
front.
"It is probable he said, "that
many of these planes were with
drawn from the eastern r n t,
which may be one reason why
Germany has not yet launched a
summer offensive in Russia"
The lull on the Russian front
was described by the secretary as
''extraordinary'' in view of the
fact that the weather for several
weeks has favored major military
operations, and the Axis has more
than 200 divisions there.
Another possible explanation for
the delay of the long expected
Axis drive against the Red army
was seen in Stimson's report that
Germany has shifted 10 or IL ad-
ditional divisions into France, and
has sent several divisions to Italy.
This latter move seemed to dis
pose of speculation that Germany
intended to leave Italy alone to
face an Allied drive from North
Africa. Instead, the senior part
ner of the Axis apparently intends
to bolster Italian defenses heavily
in an effort to prevent Allied cap
ture of Sicily and Sardinia, or g
landing on the Italian mainland
Whether the divisions moved into
Continued on Page Two; Col. "
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25

failed even to reach the towns,
the announcement said.
The German-controlled Paris
radio reported the fighting at
Velikie Luki in a broadcast
recorded by the Associated
Press, but did not indicate
whether the engagement was a
large-scale one.
Soviet scouts also killed ISO
Germans and destroyed three
large blockhouses and several
machinegun points in another
stab into German positions
west of Axis-held Belgorod on
the southern front, said the
Moscow bulletin recorded by
the Soviet monitor.
Fifty Films were reported
killed above Leningrad in
minor clash, and Soviet artiI-
Iery scored hits on German
positions near Lisichansk,
southeast of KharkOv.
In the air the Russians said
their airmen and gunners
downed five German aircraft
during the day.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
City Manager Complies
Data On Ice Shortage
Solon Sees Roosevelt
Draft Plan As Move
To Veto Strike Bill

WASHINGTON, June 24.-(P
Senator Robertson (R-Wyo)
said today that President Roos-
evelts proposal to lift the draft
age to IS is OBVIOUSLY a subter-
fue reason for vetcing the
Smith ConnalIy anti-strike legis-
lation." .--
This bill becomes law at mid
night tomorrow night unless Mr..
Roosevelt vetoes it.
president Roosevelt of course,
has no idea that Congress
would ever enact his proposal
to amend the Selective Ser
vice act and bring almost ev-
cry adult in the country below
IS. years of age under -execu-
tive control. 1t is a slave
labor proposal" Robertson said
in statement.
"And because it will never be
enacted, the nation would be
left with no proposal to re-
strain strikes in war indus
tries"
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
90,86O War Casualties
Listed By United States
Allied Bombers Set
Huge Fires At Jap
Base On New Guinea

IN AUSTRALIA, Friday, June
25.-tR)-Allied Mitchell bomb
ers set big fires yesterday at
Salamaua, New Guinea in a
low level attack, the high COM
mand announced.
Allied fighters destroyed two
Japanese bombers over the
Tanimbar islands, 300 miles
north of Darwin.
In the re-awakened ground
fighting sector at Mubo, IL
miles below Salamaua, Allied
attack planes bombed and
'strafed the japanese position
on Woody island and along ad-
jacent tracks in support of the
ground troops but ''the ground
situation was quiet" the noon
communique said.
"In his recent attacks, the
enemy sustained over 200
known casualties" it added.
Our losses were very light
In proportion"
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
ITALIAN ISLANDS
HEAVILY BOMBED
Allied Air Commands Send
Fire And Steel Down
On Enemy Bases

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
North Africa, June "a - P) -
Bomber squadrons from the twir
Allied air commands in the Me
diterranean - Raj heavyweight!
from Middle East bases and Wei
lingtons flying under the North
west African communicative a
gain spread fire and steel owe,
Sicilian and Sandman targets,
was announced today.
The Middle East forces on Tues
day night drove in over the Me
diterranean to assault the Italia1
airdrome at Corniso in Sicily
which was left erupting with two
violent explosions and many fire!
and the hangar and workshop!
were squarely hit. This attacl
cost no Allied planes.
At the same time, said Genera
Eisenhower's communique, the
Northwest Africa Wellington.
threw in an assault upon the dock!
at Olbia, in Sardinia, leaving the
harbor area wildly alight.
Other formations attached K
this headquarters carried out pat
rol sweeps, in which an enemy
tanker was sunk. In all operations
the cost was two Allied planes
Fighter-bombers from the Nal
ia base, the third from which thu
Allied air offensive is being car
ried on, continued their long at
tacks on Italian transport, tti!
time bombing the railway sidings
at Pozzallo, Sicily. A German
plane was shot down by British
Spitfires springing from Malta.
The Wellington smash at Olbis
was the first blow at Sardinia
since last Friday, the weeks ear
lier operations all having beer
against Sicily and the Italian
mainland. In addition to Olbia':
docks, an enemy ship in harbo1
there was set afire.
The Italian command, in com
munique broadcast from Rome
claimed without any Allied confir
Continued on Page Seven; Col. 6,
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
DRIVE IS FORCED
Big Bombers Strike Again
| By Night AT Invas-
ion-Jittery Foe
NEW TECHNIQUE NOTED
Shuttle Bombing System
Set Up AS Planes
Roar Across Land

LONDON, Friday, June 25.
|-(P-The Allied air forces
pounded Hitler's atlantic
Wall" defenses with from 400
to 500 bombers and fighters
by daylight Thursday in one
of the busiest day offensives
yet launched in the new STEP
ped-up air war over Europe,
and then quickly returned to
the attack after dark to keep
the battering assault on a
round-the-clock basis.
Late last night waves of
heavy bombers were heard
roaring across the southeast
coast toward the continent,
flying at a great height.
Coastal observers said the
noise of their engines was in
cessant for a long time as
they headed across the chan
mel for the Axis targets.
I'm New York the Federal
Communications Commission
reported that the Nazi-con-
trolled Paris radio went off
the air Thursday night, indi-
eating that the Allied bomb
ers might be heading for Nazi
targets in France.)
La Spezia Raided
These two attacks - the big
daylight raids, which stretched
from the Netherlands to the Cher
bourg peninsula of France, and
the night flights-followed a spec
tacular bombing of the italian ma
val base of La Spezia by new
Angland-Africa shuttle technique.
| Six types of Allied craft churn-
| ing the air in swarms carried out
the big daylight attack, bombing
Nazi airfields and war installa-
tions along the French, Belgian
and Dutch coasts.
P-47 Thunderbolts, the fastest
and heaviest-gunned U. S. single
seat fighters, joined Spitfires, Ty-
phoons and American-made Ven
turas and Bostons of the RAF in
the virtually unprecedented day
sweeps.
La Spezia was pounded early to-
day by several squadrons of Lam
caster bombers in a surprise as
sault after these same planes had
smashed at Friedrichshafen in Sou
thern Germany Sunday night
and then flown on to North Afri-
ca to rest and refuel. The flight
inaugurated a shuttle of great po.
tentialities.
Today's targets in the furious
daylight battering launched from
Britain were oil storage targets in
Flushing, Holland, and in France
freight yards at st. Omer, an air.
field at nearby Fort Rouge, the
CONTINUED on Page Seven; Col, ~
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25

have ever found in a port town, ;"
Mr.. Bartel explained. In addition
to sleeping and entertainment
quarters, the men obtain meals
from Maffitt Villa ge cafeteria
nearby; board is their only ex-
penSe.
The port executive, native Of
New York, who will manage the
hostel for an indefinite period, in
dicated that So persons may be
accommodated in separate rooms
of the dorrnitory; provisions can
be made for additional men, if
necessary, through assistance OF
the Housing Authority of the City
of Wilmington The Merchant Ma
rine headquarters are "Dormitory
b." at the corner of U street
and Hooper drive.''
War housing agencies and citi-
CONTINUED on Page Two; Col. y
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
WESTERN ATTACK
MAY Be DELAYED
Sicily Seen As Next Step
In Plan; Allies May
Wait On Continent
By JAMES M. LONG

LONDON, June "a. 4.-tREThe pat
tern of the Allied air attack-one
of the surest signposts Of the fu.
ture course Of the war-has sug-
gested strongly that Sicily may
soon become the next objective OF
the 1943 Allied land forces and
that full-scale invasion from the
west along the road to Berlin is
not likely until later.
This is unofficial speculation,
based on a study of the targets
of the aerial onslaught and the
reaction along the still-stabilizeo
eastern front in Russia.
By carefully studied plan the
mighty winged partnership of the
Raj and the United States Eighth
Air Force is concentrating upon
the factory-by-factory ia ruin of the
Reich's Ruhr war plants.
Obviously the Gripping toll Of
this systematic assault is not sap
ping the Axis field force presently
massed awaiting invasion, but is
intended to ,vhittle down and pre-.
vent the replacement of the Wehr-
macht's power in the months to
| come.
When actual pre-invasion bomb
ing comes it will probably find
terrific Allied striking power cen
tered on destruction of airfields
on the French front and on road
and rail supply lines to the in
vasion coast.
This clearly is developing in
Sicily.
There is every indication in the
massing of Allied armies in North
Africa and the Middle East that
mop-up of Sardinia, Crete and
the Dodecanese islands might be
undertaken at virtually the same
time, in order to deploy the Axis
defense strength and win full ano
final control of the entire Medi
terranean.
Meanwhile, Soviet Premier Sta
lin, although more optimistic ir
his recent utterances, is still call
ing imperatively for a front or
the continent this year.
1t is possible, of course, thai
Stain would regard an invasion
of Sicily and a general engage
ment of the Axis forces along the
whole length of the Mediterranean
plus the threat of an ALI e q
knockout punch elsewhere-as ere
ating that front. The test would
! be whether it succeeded in keep
| ing Hitler's high command from
daring another all-out drive to the
east, and there are many indica
tions that already this may be the
case.
BY the end of summer, even the
Germans know now, resurgent
Red army can be counted upon
to give the Nazi invaders another
blood-letting spell of defeat and
withdrawal. They know, too, that
a heavy engagement of the Ger
mans in the east would strike a
| Continued on Page Seven; Col. 81
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
HEALTH CENTER
IS COMPLETED
Construction Company Is
Ready To Turn Building
Over To County

The 1ong-awaited public health
center is now complete, it was
announced Thursday as Tracy c
Ballou, Of the Ballou Construction
company, declared: 1.-The build
ing is now finished. The last bi-
of electrical wiring, held up by
priorities, is complete. We are
ready to turn the new health cen
ter over to the government fol
occupancy by the New Hanover
county Board of Health.
The Center has lacked only ths
wiring for over week, but coult
not be released until the job wa!
done. A pump of the heating plan
which will not be in operation
until late fall, is expected to b.
installed shortly; meanwhile tht
government has given the count!
special permission to take ovel
the building.
Mr.. Ballou was of the opinion
that the Federal Works Agency
through c. F. Churchill, local en-
gineer, would be- able to release
the Center to the county "the frs
of next week.
Cost of the unit, built with FWA
funds on county property, was
$50, 900. The two-story brick build
ing contains 20 rooms, two Ions
corridors, and an entrance foyer
There are laboratories, drug rooms
medical offices, treatment rooms
consulting rooms, prenatal clinic
quarters, Horoscope rooms, wait
ing halls, dentist rooms, storage
(Continued on Page Two: Col. AZ
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
BLOW Is EXPECTED
Germans Shorten Lines,
Concentrating Their
Strength In Balkans
MANY MEN STATIONED
Axis Reported To Have
About l,125,O0O Troops
Awaiting Attack

LONDON, June 24.-(P)-
The Axis was reported to-
night to be shortening it's an
ti-invasion defenses, pulling
back some of it's island gar
risons and concentrating more
strength in the Balkans ap-
parently in expectation of a
massive Allied blow from the
southeast.
An unofficial source, who
would not permit his name to
be used but who has conti-
mental connections said the
movement extended from Sar-
DINA eastward to the Dode-
canese, while Ankara dis
patches quoted a Balkan
source as saying the Axis had
Is divisions, or approximate
ly 1,125, 900 troops, stationed
in Yugoslavia Greece, Crete,
and some of the larger Aegean
islands.
Report Is Borne Out
The German radio tended TO
bear out this wholly unconfirmed
report, stating that the Italian
garrison on CasteIrosso already
had been withdrawn. This tiny is
land off southern Turkey is con-
sidered easy prey for Allied am
phibious forces attacking from
nearby Cyprus or Syria where the
Axis had said powerful Allied un-
its were massing.
Spanish dispatches relayed from
Madrid and also broadcast by
Berlin said four British battle
ships, two aircraft carriers, and
18 destroyers were concentrated
at Gibraltar while two other bat
tleships had left that British ma
val bastion and put out into the
Mediterranean yesterday.
The British Admiralty announ-
ced that its submarines had sunk
13 Axis ships and damaged six
others in Mediterranean opera
tions extending from the south
ern French coast eastward to the
Aegean sea. Those sunk were a
7,0OO-ton armed merchant ship,
two auxiliary vessels, and ten sup
ply ships, the communique said.
Axis apprehensions of an Allied
move in the eastern Mediterran-
can were reflected in Rome an
nouncement that Italian planes
had attacked an airfield in Lata-
kia, which lies on the eastern
Mediterranean coast north of Le-
banon, and communications at
Fuka, Egypt. These points repre-
sent the ends Of an Allied pin
GERS menacing Axis positions on
Crete and in the Balkans.
The unofficial source who told
of withdrawal Of Axis island gar
risons, presumably to the Italian
mainland in an attempt to find a
stronger defense line, gave this
picture of the situation:
Sicily-the garrison has been
cut to four Italian divisions, where
as ten days ago it numbered from
five to six divisions. There are
no Germans in Sicily except some
airforce and special units.
Such a situation would contrast
sharply with that once prevailing
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25

h obtain portal-to-portal pay and
Iv President Roosevelt's warning
/ That strikers in government op-
|erated war facilities will be in
Eucted into the armed services.
| John P. Busarello, president of
Bhe United Mine Workers district
EO. 5 at Pittsburgh, said: "This
draft threat is just like. pouring
|nore oil on the fire" He reported
|nany miners were saying they
|gould stay out until they draft
he."
William Blizzard, official Of a
big district in the Charleston, W.
|Va.. area, predicted, "they will be
back on the job in due time"
In Washington, Secretary of In
|teriOr Ickes, the fuel administra-
| tor said it appeared coal ration
| ing might be necessary. He ex-
pressed the opinion, too, that the
government will have to oper-
ate The mines ''for a considerable
tme,' and announced plans to
take more active hand in their
m4ement.
hong the miners continuing the
ENE stoppage. Ickes' office said
|FHe about $4,000 of the $4,000 who
Eet out anthracite operation" This
(loup has been negotiating in New
/ Fri on a new contract for an
Facite operations.
| stogether, about 100, 600 of Penn
|Tania's 100000 bituminous and
|-hracite miners did not work.
Fsenteeism in West Virginia av-
Fsged about Is per cent. No more
Fsn half of Ohio's $1,000 worked.
|bout $4,000 out Of $4,000 in Ala
|ima and 21,500 out of $1,000
[MW) in Kentucky did not work.
U. S. Steel already has closed
PUN five blast furnaces of the
| it has in the Pittsburgh district.
lckes asked 29 major mine own
FS to meet with him in Washing
En today to discuss his plans for
more active part in management
the mines.
He hoped, he told them in a
Flegram, that the miners wage
Fntroversy would be settled quick
and the mines returned to their
'ontinued on Pare Seven: Col. ~
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-06-25
40 Per Cent OF Miners
Refuse To Resume Work
(By The Associated Press

An estimated 40 per cent of the nations 100000 coal
Winners continued to stay away from their jobs yesterday
Thusday and warvtal production of steel suffered
her blow when the United States Steel corporation
ouced it will shut down five additional blast furnaces
TODAY friday for lack of fuel.
The miners refusing to work were described by local
m leaders, in some instances angered both by failure