davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-06-10
Allies Fight Against Time
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot

We are now fighting against time in
France.
So far, we appear to have encountered
~only the opposition of the German de-
fensive forces belonging to the coastal
sectors, with the possible exception of
the German 21st Armored Division,
which counterattacked at Caen as long
ago as Tuesday 1t Is stated that ele-
ments of 10 German divisions have been
identified. We might assume that three
would belong to the regular defenses
of the area. between LIE Havre and the
base of the Cherbourg Peninsula two
more might be stationed on the PEN
insula itself, making five as a normal
assignment for the immediate defense
of the front we are attacking.
Then it is quite possible that the
local reserves of two coastal divisions
on either side of the crucial area may
have been rushed in; to this add the
2lst Division, and we have at least parts
of 10 German divisions. The Ger
mans say that our strength in France
now has risen to Is or 16 divisions,
which is quite conceivable. Four of
these already have been identified
the 9Th British Airborne Division and
three infantry divisions-the 1st United
States, 50th British and Sd Canadian
The Germans also claim to have identi-
fed the 82d and 101st United States
Airborne Divisions But there seems lit
tie doubt that other divisions are in
France and more on the way.
The German defensive plan appears
to be the time -honored elastic" de-
fense, which depends on lightly held
front line with plenty of obstacles to
delay and hamper the attacker without
using up much of the defending man.
power, until such time as the defender
can be sure just where the attacker is
making his main effort Then comes
concentrated and powerful counter
attack, at the moment when the at
tacker in reaching the limit of exhaus-
ton Of his first momentum and is trying
to consolidate his position and bring up
heavy supporting elements
The Allied forces need time for two
purposes; To get enough men and
equipment ashore to defeat this major
German counterattack when it comes,
and to gain sufficient space for the
maneuVer OF their forces and for the
establishment of forward supply dumps
ana more especially of forward air fields.
Their great handicap is the time con-
Sumed in transfer of heavy loads from
ship to shore over open beaches, with
the weather as a complicating factor.
The great German handicap in the
matter OF time is the Allied air TO, =,
which can attack their moving colum.
destroy bridges smash railway yaroS
and drop airborne forces In the path of
the German reserves.
Meanwhile, the pattern Of the Allied
Evening star., 1944-06-10
On the Record
By Dorothy Thomson

4 "VSVPcUb
am positive that when the President
evoked God he meant his prayer for
himself and for us all, that in all our
acts we should be guided by the loftiest
aims revealed to us.
His rejection of the lust of conquest
echoes in all Of us. ITO end conquest,
to nberate, to let justice arise, and toll
erance and good will among all Thy
People"
But when we pray for guidance we
assume an obligation. If, in our mo-
merts of greatest concentration, In
which we summon before God the best
in our natures we receive intimations
OF truth, our prayer Is unanswered un-
less We accept that truth For God made
men free, and that freedom includes
even the freedom to betray Him. Thus.
every man must answer his own prayer,
as best he can.
II. therefore, we pray for our sons,
we must work for them. The thousands
OF persons VINO rushed, as the news of
the invasion broke, to the blood donors
were answering their own prayers.
Every man, who praying for speedy VIC
tory and an end Of slaughter, increases
his output at the work bench. or as,
sembly line, is answering his own prayer,
Every one who pleading for purer and
more unified Nation, lays aside old
prejudices, is answering his own prayer.
And every one who, praying that our
arms be truly blest of God, concen-
trates his hatred upon the real evil,
and not against large sections of man
kind as such, is answering his own
prayer.
The help of God is implored by all
sides, in this as in all wars. But God does
not bless their arms, as such. He has
no chosen people He has only the
people who choose Him. Whether they
fight for God or against Him is only
determined by their intentions and by
their actions, as revealed to them
through His truth.
The justice of a cause is fluid before
the perfect Justice. 1t cannot be estab-
lished once and for all It must be re-
established and re-aflrmed by daily
actions and decisions. A praying nation
is nation with modified conscience.
Prayer does not absolve that conscience.
1t binds it,
released by the Bell Syndicate Inc)
Evening star., 1944-06-10

the pre-Stalingrad days. And If they
give any thought to it, our enemies
must see In this virtual dismantling
of our warning system the best evi-
dence yet of how weak they have
grown. Once they were strong
enough to frighten the whole world,
but today nearly the whole world
knows that their days are num-
bered. 1t is thing to crafty every
friend of liberty, not least of all
those thousands of patriotic Amer
lean civilian volunteers who worked
diligently and unselfishly, during all
hours of the day and night, at the
sometimes dull job of watching the
sky when the Nation was in far
greater danger than it is now. Their
service in this respect, though no
longer needed, Is something in which
they can always take pride.
Evening star., 1944-06-10
This Changing World
By Constantine Bro,yn

The Germans have reported the start
OF big Russian offensive in the sector
north of Iasi in Romania.
If the reports are true, usually re-
liable quarters here believe the attack
will not develop as a mai jor assault, but
instead will be diversionary one. It
the central and northern sectors which
can be started only after the muddy
terrain has dried completely.
From strictly military point of view,
a Russian onslaught can be of little
assistance to the American. British and
Canadian troops now fighting the Nazis
in France. There is no military CO.
relation between the two fronts The
Germans have one set of armies for
each of the battle areas with COM
manders who have specialized in the
particular type of warfare character
istic of each of these fronts.
In the west the battle still is in the
movement" stage with powerful stabs
of armored forces and with all the
available aviation in action. In the
east the Germans intend to fight
purely defensive campaign behind
strongly fortified positions and will not
undertake any counteroffensive moves.
But while the opening of second
front" in the East cannot have much
military effect on the battles in the
west an early all-out Russian offensive
Is important because of its impact on
the morale of the German population.
! The battle for solid beachhead in
Western France is continuing with un-
abated violence. The progress is re-
ported by the Allied high command as
satisfactory, but no one ventures to
forecast at this time the final outcome.
The Germans are resisting stubbornly
and are bringing reinforcements at the
important points to delay our operations.
For the time being the German strategy
appears to be purely defensive
The German high command is not
yet fully certain that the Cherbourg
Peninsula is the final goal of Gen.
Eisenhower. Moreover, the operations
still are taking place mainly in areas
Evening star., 1944-06-10
A Moral Responsibility

President Roosevelt's announce
ment that 1000 European refugees
will be granted temporary shelter
in this country will be welcomed by
all who have given any thought to
the plight of those great numbers
of people who have been uprooted
by the war and put to flight by the
Nazis. Life has dealt harshly with
these men, women and children,
and they need the support Of every
nation that can serve as haven
for them. Heretofore the United
States has limited Its assistance to
diplomatic efforts to establish homes
for them in other lands: now. on
the strength of the Presidents de-
cision, we shall share directly In the
task of caring for them. An unused
military camp in upstate New York
will be opened for the purpose.
There, subject to essential security
restrictions, the thousand will live
for the duration, our regular imrli-
grafton procedure being suspended
to permit their entry, with the un-
derstanding that they will be re-
turned to their native countries
when peace is restored. In view of
the dimensions of the problem, the
number seems surprisingly small
and perhaps we shall find 1t desir-
able, later on, to open our doors to
many more-Aa gesture contemplated
by Congressional proposal to set
up several "free ports" to accom-
modate additional thousands. In
any event, no one with the least
humanitarian impulse will question
the fitness of Mr.. Roosevelt's action;
it is simply step in recognition
of the moral responsibility which
every nation, in a position to help,
bears toward the oppressed and
stricken of the world.
Evening star., 1944-06-10
The Vanished Threat

It is a measure of the decline of
the Axis that the War Department
has decided to make a sharp re-
duction in air defense personnel
and installations in the continental
United States. All warning centers
manned in part by civilian volun-
teers and in part by soldiers are to
be closed, with the soldiers and
equipment scheduled to 60 overseas.
Secretary Stimson is at pains to
emphasize that the move, far from
meaning that the war is nearly
over, is designed primarily to re-
lease trained troops for service in
the hard battles that lie ahead.
Nevertheless 1t does reflect basic
Axis weakness, for although hit
and-run raids are still possible, "the
enemy no longer has the strategic
ability to carry bombing attack to
this country"
In other words, what was once a
genuine threat of serious potential
tiles has ceased to exist Two years
or so ago, enemy air power-espe-
cially German air power-was quite
capable of striking heavy blows
against our cities, and it would have
been unthinkable then to have been
lax in vigilance. The picture has
since changed drastically, however.
AS far as the sky goes, the Nazis
and Japanese have more than they
can handle In trying to ward off
our attacks, and it is as certain as
anything can be that this problem
will grow steadily more deadly for
them. In the circumstances, since
they need everything they have for
defense, it is hardly probable that
they will want to waste any bomb
ers in futile sneak raids against us,
but even If they should send some
over, the menace would be of too
little significance to warrant main
tanning our warning set-up on an
elaborate scale.
Nothing could better demonstrate
how spectacularly the balance OF
power has shifted in this war since
Evening star., 1944-06-10

attack continues to unfold with Cher
bourg more and more strongly indicated
as our immediate objective. 1t is now
stated, from Allied sources, that Amer
lean troops are fighting for Carentan,
which is road junction about % air
miles southeast of Cherbourg. Carentan
controls five major highways, and if it
falls into our hands the Germans can
reinforce and supply the garrison of
Cherbourg only by single road rum
ming up the west side of the peninsula.
The highway between Cherbourg and
Carentan is said to have been cut in
several places, possibly by airborne
troops, though this is not certain; for a
statement by a spokesman for Gen.
Eisenhower admits for the first time
that we have made landings on the
eastern shore of the Cherbourg Penin-
sula. and that these landing forces,
after a hard fight, are now being REIN
forced. The town of Ste. Mere Eglise,
on the main road between Cherbourg
and Carentan, is reported in our hands
by the Algiers radio. The Germans have
already admitted it's loss.
furthermore, our supreme headquar-
tiers now has stated that we actually
are fighting only IL miles south of
Cherbourg, which confirms previous re-
ports that We are in the area of Va
lognes, the most important road juno
ton in the northern part of the Cher
bourg Peninsula.
And finally, Allied troops are reported
developing their offensive southwest
of Bayeux," which Ats in with German
reports that we are approaching st. Lo,
road and rail junction of great i'm
portance south of Carentan, controlling
the main highway from LIE Mans and
Western France to Cherbourg.
All of which certainly would seem to
add up to just one thing-we are trying
to cut off and capture the port of Cher
bourg as our first major bridgehead into
France
That does not, of course, mean that
the battle of Cherbourg will be our only
major invasion effort for the time being
Others may come, probably will come
as more and more German power is
drawn toward the Cherbourg area We
have undisputed command of the sea
and undiSputed air superiority. We can
strike when and where we will, within
the limits imposed upon us by available
shipping and landing craft. Gen. Eisen-
hover will certainly seek to exploit
these tremendous advantages to the full
est degree, and the necessity for keep
ing these facts in mind is one of the
greatest handicaps on Marshal Won
Rundstedts freedom of action as he
seeks to parry our attempt to wrest
from him the great seaport of Cher
bourg,
(copyrisht, 1914 New York Tribune Inc.i
Evening star., 1944-06-10
The Eastern Front

AS the great Allied offensive on
the Normandy coast roars into its
fifth day, and as Allied armies in
Italy pursue disorganized German
forces up the peninsula from cap
tured Rome. all eyes are turned
upon the eastern front, striving to
discern when it, too. will burst into
flame and thunder, thus nipping
Hitler's European fortress in
threefold wise.
Nearly two months have passed
since the mighty Russian offensive
which persisted through many
months clear through the spring
thaws died down into unwonted in
activity. This lull has been gen.
orally interpreted as a necessary
breathing spell for the regrouping
of the Red armies and, above all,
for the establishment of rail and
road communications across the
wide belt of liberated territory
which had been Systematically
blasted by the Germans in their
retreats. The extent of this task
can be gauged by recent Moscow
radio broadcast for home consump-
tion, which stated that during the
past year dozens of new railway
lines and bridges were put into op-
GRAFTON" and that more than $4,000
miles of main rail trackage had
been completed, together with
more than 2,500 railway stations
and functions. The war in the
east has been pre-eminently one of
communications. Overextended sup
ply lines was undoubtedly one of
the main reasons why the German
war machine faltered and failed in
Russias illimitable spaces. But
now. that the Red armies are on
the offensive, much the same prob
lem confronts them as their lines
lengthen and those OF the enemy
shorten. We should not forget that
considerably more than half of the
total German and satellite divisions
are concentrated on the eastern
front, and that German generalship
is watching narrowly for oppor-
tunities to take advantage of Rus
sian rashness. Recent German
counterattacks in the Jassy region
of Romania may be interpreted as
attempts to catch the Russians off
balance and forestall a Red Of
fensive that is in preparation.
Everything indicates that a re-
sumption of the initiative by the
Russians is at hand. Moscow halls
the Allied offensive in the west as
the beginning of the end for the
Reich and its satellites, with con-
f1dent predictions that Allied and
Soviet forces will meet in Berlin"
Climatically, the time for a general
Red offensive all along the eastern
front is ripe An unusually mild
winter has dried the ground not
only in the south but also In Gen.
trail Russia to the Baltic. The full
coordination repeatedly decided on
in principle at the Teheran con-
ference can logically be expected at
Evening star., 1944-06-10

within the range OF the guns of the
Allied naval armada, and Field Marshal
Won Rundstedt Is careful about sacri-
ficing men uselessly in operations which
are beyond his power to prevent.
Thus from the strictly military view
we must slug 1t out with the Germans
regardless OF what happens on the
other fronts.
However, a major Russian offensive
at time when the Germans still are
on the defensive on the Western front
and are "disengaging" themselves as
rapidly as possible in Italy may have
powerful effect on the German morale.
At this time the German home front
shows no signs of weakening. The Ger
man propaganda machinery is watching
Its output carefully; 1t Is giving the
German people a connection OF good
and bad news in fair proportions. SO
far 1t has told the Reich the truth about
our landings and our progress. 1t de-
scribes the determined and tenacious"
American British forces as fighting bet
ter than expected and how they are
backed with large amount of first
class war material.
But In the same breath the German
propagandists speak about unbelievably
high losses inflicted on the Anglo-Saxo
forces by the relatively small Nazi COW
ering forces. The Nazis' commentators,
many Of them high ranking military
men, indicate the first phase OF the in
vasion will prove so costly to the Allies
that when the German counteroffensive
begins, the job will be done without too
great an effort.
This mixture Of unfavorable news and
favorable comment unquestionably Is
keeping the home front satisfied.
The operations in italy have never
been considered as important in the
Reich, and the capture Of Rome was
no stirring news for the Nazis. But
when, the reports Of tactical withdraw
ais" in France and of a steam roller
offensive on the eastern front are added
to the daily fare of the German radio
listeners and newspaper readers, it is
a question as to how long the morale on
the home front will hold up.
Evening star., 1944-06-10
OPA Amendments

Despite the difference of opinion
within the Office of Price Admins
tration and the contrary views ex-
pressed In the Senate, the strong
probability is that the Bankhead
amendment to the bill extending the
Price Control Act is decidedly infla-
tionary. If the amendment finally
should become law, the price CELL
ings on approximately 80 per cent
Of textile products would have to
be set high enough to cover the costs
OF producers and assure reasonable
profit. According to Price Admins
traitor Chester Bowles, this would
result in an abnormal rise in profits,
particularly to low-cost producers,
and would lead to price increases
aggregating from $25O,000,O0O to
$500 100000 a year.
The main purpose of the amend
ment apparently is to raise the price
paid farmers for their cotton. But
A. OAAAo NC OSSIAASo a OD-
jective, the criticisms of the Bank
head amendment which have been
made by Mr.. Bowles and those who
share his point of view lend strong
support to the belief that some other
method of attaining it can and
should be devised.
The only difficulty with this is that
Mr.. Bowles and his supporters in the
Senate seem to object to any change
in the price control law. For in
stance, the Senate has adopted an
amendment which would do away
with the automatic penalty against
merchants of $50 and $25 for counsel
fees for any infraction of the price
control regulations. Under the pres
ent system, If merchant sells an
article for one cent above the CELL
Ing price, no matter how innocent
the mistake, he is automatically
Evening star., 1944-06-10
No Relief for japan

In drama and large-scale action
the war against Nazi Germany
currently overshadows the war
against Japan, but events in the
Pacific, and on the Asiatic main
land as well. are nevertheless as
momentous as ever in their po-
tentialities.
In only one area-on the Central
China front, where they are within
four miles of the key stronghold of
Changsha-are the Japanese having
any success at all. Elsewhere, from
the Southwest Pacific to Burma and
India, they are in trouble, with their
forces hopelessly cut off in some
places, notably in New Guinea and
in islands to the east of New Guinea.
While the enemy's threat in
China Is too serious to be minimized,
any sweetness he may find in it
must therefore be embittered some.
It must be embittered by the fact
that British forces are shattering
his attempted invasion of India It
must be embittered by the con-
tinuing success of General Still
wells Chinese-American drive in
Northern Burma. It must be en-
bittered by what is happening on
Biak, where our troops have cap
tured Mokmer airfleld and are still
advancing. And, finally, it must be
embittered by what our ships,
planes and submarines are doing
to japanese shipping and by the
very real possibility that in the
weeks Immediately ahead massive
new Allied blows may be struck in
the Pacific.
Once Biak is firmly in our hands,
for example, our bombers will be in
position to hammer away at key
enemy positions in the Dutch East
Indies and at the Philippines them
selves. It is not for nothing, in the
circumstances, that Tojo's puppet
Filipino government has just de-
creed drastic Capitalization Of
police power so as ito meet more
effectively the present requirements
for the maintenance of peace and
order" Nor are Japan's worries
confined merely to what may be in
store for its southern conquests,
for within recent weeks it has been
placing special stress on preparing
for air raids on Tokyo and other
cities throughout the home islands
far to the north.
It is measure of the immensity
of our Allied land, sea and air power
that even though we are going all
out against the Nazis, the japanese
thus have more than a few fears
of what we may be able to do to
them in the near future. Our in
vasion of France does not relieve
them Of worry on this score. On
the contrary, they realize that be-
fore the summer ends our actions
in the vast Paciflc-Asiatic theater
may conceivably be spectacular
enough to merit as prominent a
headline display as the developing
battle against Hitler. This is one
of the most striking facts of the
whole war: That we have sufficient
strength not merely to strike as we
are now striking in Europe but to
do much the same thing, stimuli
taneously, .on the other side of
the world
Evening star., 1944-06-10
Sick of Them
From the Ottawa journal.

From the Ottawa Journal
There must be much in the diplomatic
relations of the Allies which Allied
statesmen can't discuss publicly; much
which. kept secret by necessity, seems
puzzling; but is that a cause for our
forgetting that, after all, the main thing
is military victory over Germany? For
ourselves, we are a bit sick over the
pontificating of these commentators,
who have grown to take themselves all
too seriously. With their incessant pos
ing as authorities on international af-
fairs, plus their talk about "psychologi-
cal warfare" and "ideologies" and all
their other like jargon, they have be-
come little short of pests, with the worst
of it being that so many seem to take
stock in them.
Evening star., 1944-06-10
Beauty

T,Do pines Were born in a hillside groDe.
One, protected, gre,D straight and tall.
She gathered no time or tUenther marks.
Her figure stayed slim and original.
The other shoDed plainly that years
had passed,
For she stood Where mountain ,Dir,ds
stornaed By;
Her arms kneD torturous ,Deights OF
SnotD,
Her face knetD the sting OF sleet-
filed sky.
The first pine, so youthtully beautiful,
Was picture for all the ,Dorld to see;
But artists Who climbed to the htllstde
grove
Always painted the other tree.
SUDIE STUART HAGER.
Evening star., 1944-06-10
No Labor Druft Now
From the Topeka Capital.

from the Topeka Capital
At least until after election, it seems
safe to predict there will be no labor
graft In the United States, even under
the guise of military expediency.
1t is true the President some time ago
recommended a universal service law.
But he tied SO many other strings to
the proposal he knew it had no chance
OF getting by Congress. And now
Undersecretary of War Patterson is say
Ing about 100000 4-F men should be
assigned to essential industry or be
forced into Army labor battalions. But
Manpower Commissioner McNutt, for
mer national head of the American Le-
gion, Is opposed to universal draft.
Congress shows no disposition to take
such a drastic step.
Evening star., 1944-06-10

A man who had Travelled over the
world for many years remarked:
There is no spectacle anywhere to
match the Pyramids by moonlight"
But had he seen the United States
Capitol at sunrise on a quiet June
morning?