davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
Vacations At Home

II tne idea of spending vacation time in
the back yard does not appeal strongly enough
to keep anybody from travelling at this period
of the war when every railway coach and bus
is needed for military transport and particular
ly in the former case, for the accommodation
of wounded men, Wilmington offers other
pleasure grounds that even A-ration motorists
may visit.
For example, Greenfield park has been
developed for picnickers, even to installing
Dutch ovens. The lake has been restocked with
fish. Boats are available for hire The swim
ming hcle' is vastly improved, with shower
house nearing completion. The playground
more alluring to youngsters than ever.
And even if the allowance of gasoline is too
small to warrant using the family car to get
to the park, bus service is frequent
Greenfield park is no less attractive merely
because it is local asset.
And there are Wrghtsville Beach and Caro-
lima Beach, than which there are none better
on the southern Atlantic coast Buses run to
both.
So far vacation resorts are concerned
the Wilmington area lacks only mountains
Everybody hereabouts can have as good
time at nome, even without patronizing the
back yard, as would be possible at the other
end of rail or overland bus line Try it and
see for yourself.
Save that longer trip for postwar times
when transportation will be a war problem no
longer.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
The Final Straw

| Many an easy chair, and even a rocking
chair, strategist is wondering rather cynically
why such attention is devoted and so much
acclaim given to the Allied campaign in Nor
mandy especially as it Is on much smaller
scale than the drive of the Russians the
Eastern front.
The reason is not hard to find In the first
place American and British forces established
a beachnead when Marshal Ronmel had def
initey counted upon preventing a landing.
They captured Cherbourg, an invaluable port
for additional troops, equipment and supplies.
They took over airfields from which bombers
with fighter support are already operating.
They have broken the two main anchors of
the enemy defense line, La Haye and Caen,
the central anchor, which may have fallen
before this is read They have taken thou
sands of prisoners, seized m C n valuable
equipment, destroyed tank squadrons and i'll
Vulnerable armored trucks and cars. They
are headed for Paris as surely every liv-
luS IlOItdl is nedulIlS toward a grave.
The Battle of Normany is so vital that
Hitler is reported to have taken personal
charge of the German participation therein
Evidently he and his followers recognize it
as of primary Importance. Because Rommel
could not turn the Allies back at the beach
Germany lost its greatest chance to effect a
negotiated peace. Now the Nazis are in a
more desperate position than since the tide
of the war first set in against them.
They are compelled to submit to battle on
four fronts-on the west, on the east on the
south and in the air. None of these alone
could hope to achieve victory, but in COM
bination, with all functioning smoothly if some
times slowly, tne outcome cannot be held in
doubt. And the Battle of Normandy, as the
New York Times puts it, may well be the
equivalent of the straw that broke the camels
back.
There is no excuse for cynicism over what
is transpiring there.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
TEXTILE MEN JOIN
ARMY FOR A DAY

FIT, BRAGG, July IL. - CP :,
Clad in Army fatigue uniforms, "
North Carolina textile manufactN'
ers saw the products of their tac'
tories in use today as they follow
ed Fl. Bragg soldiers through
days routine.
The group was up bright anu
early this morning to observe phy
steal fitness training, hand-to-ha,s
combat, stream crossing eXpe@
lions, medical demonstrate anu
firing of the bazooka, or rocAs.
launcher. This afternoon they So.
a live ammunition demonstra Nv"
of an infantry battalion in detenSH
supported by two artillery 0a''a,
lions. After that the party was cur
Quoted on a tour of the posi- W
Brig. Gen. John T. Kennedy con-,
handing general. after which . lnts
witnessed review of the -VO"
Division.
Tonight the industrialists ~itne .a,
ed men undergoing an lntLltfa.us.'
course beneath machine gun Ils
and night firing of huge artll''
pieces.
The visitors, guests here OF n'
War Department were met ",
terday afternoon by Maj. u1n
W1thers A. Burgess, Tooth DiVlSlgJn
commander, and last night atle"'
ed an all-soldier variety show :,
A motion picture on Cotton a.
War" will be shown tomoflon
morning. The manufa cturerS W..
leave for their homes in the al'"
noon,
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
BY JOHN SELRY

"Grandmother and the Comet"
by Victoria Lincoln (Farrar &
R1nehart; $3.50.
Exactly ten years ago Victoria
Lincoln published novel she call
ed February HILL" and it was
great success. Her novel eventual
~ was dramatized as The Prim-
rose PATH" and she began writing
snort stories-or more accurately
sketches.
She has not done another novel,
more's the pity. But she is publish
ing today collection of her
sketches and poetry called Grand
mother and the Comet" AS is often
inc case, the least interesting story
had the most arresting title:
Grandmother, and the Comet is
a good job, but it does not touch
mo Enemy but Time which is
one of the finest pieces of its sort
ever written by mortal man or
woman. When she gets down to it,
Miss Lincoln writes as we'll as
Virginia Woolf, and sometimes
substitutes a wonderful ironic
sense for Mrs. Woolf's self-con-
scious and deliberate effort to be-
dazzle her fellow authors. M S.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON :
Associated Press War AnaIvs.

'HN',
The bitter end, foot by foo.
Nazi fighting in Normandy tend,
to confirm seemingly autaorita
tive Berlin broadcast saying tina,
the strtegic focal point of tb.
three front struggle for Germanr
lies t h r despite the admitted
gravity of her situation in t h
east.
The Berlin speaker. 1t. Genera,
Kurt Dittmer, did not explain hi,
statement. He did frankly charp.
the Nazi command in the east with
bungling and seemed to be prepar,
ing the German home front for
sweeping withdrawal there in,o
shortened inner defensive lines
That may have been the real
purpose of his remarks which oh.
viously could not have been made
without high Nazi sanction.
The danger in tae east could mt
have been concealed from the Ger.
man public in any case. Dittmar
mdae no attempt to do so. At the
moment he spoke one prong NJ
nearly 400 mile wide Russian ad.
vance above the Pripyat marshes
was less than so miles from! Ger.
many's own frontiers in east Prus.
STA. M scow advices said the waolp
front was moving forward at
pace that might put Russian troops
on German soil before the week.
end.
General Dittmar's remarks. as
reported by Allied monitors. gen.
orally confirmed this f)rebodme
view of immediate possibilities in
the east, yet still contended that
in a military sense the west was
the focal point for German com.
manders. To back that up it is
rumored from neutral European
observation posts that the German
high command headquarters has
been shifted to France.
That could mean that definite
decision aas been reached by the
German high command to yield
space for a time in the east mean
while rislling all reserves to de-
feat the Allied invasion attack in
the west decisively.
In the east. withdrawal of the
line from end to end would oper-
ate to take some of tae steam out
of Russian offensive power be-
cause of long and difficult supply
lines eastward behind them. Il
probably would not greatly IN
crease, except in east Prussia, tn
bombing averages to be expected
since the Russians still are throw
ing most of their air power int
tactical rather than strategic op
erations. Air support for advance
ground troops rather than long
range blasting at enemy war In
dustry, oil sources and commun-
cation facilities still is the Russian
technique.
In contrast, every mile the Brit,
ish American forces gain on the
continent brings bomber bases
that much closer to the heart Of
the Reich. The weight of bombs
falling on Germany would go up by
geometrical progression as the
/ bomber take offs got closer to
their targets even without increase
in the number of planes available
That consideration could be vital
| for the Germans.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
NORFOLK FIRM
GETS CONTRACT

The Norfolk Contracting compa-
nv of Norfolk, Va, was low bidder
yesterday on the city's contract
for construction of a four million
gallon reinforced concrete reser-
voir, with the price set at $751;
$50.
Ten firms submitted bids for the
work, quoting figures ranging from
the Norfolk concerns low bid 10
1898, 500, quoted by Lee Con-
struction company, Charlotte.
Others in the bidding were Neck
lenburg Construction company,
second low at $174,35O; V. B.
Higgins, Greensboro, third low al
S187,940: A. H. Guion, Charlotte;
Calnaugnt Construction company
Portsmouth, Va; v. P. Lofts,
Charlotte; T. A. Loving, Goldsboro
William Muirhead Construction
company, Durham; and Wanna
maker-We Inc, Orangeburg, s.
Bids were read to the council
by C. w. Mengel, engineer-repre,
sentative of William C. Olsen of
Raleigh, the firm serving as con-
sulting engineers to the City OF
Wilmington on its entire water
900 waterWorks program.
The reservoir. which is to pro
vide additional storage facilities for
the city's water supply, will be
built on a site near the citys new
seven-million gallon filtration plant
in Hilton Park, in operation since
last fall.
Sixty per cent of the cost of the
project will be borne by the city
and forty per cent by the Federal
Works agency. The reservoir is a
part of the comprehensive $780,,
900 waterworks program.
The War Production board has
issued a priority rating of AA-a
for critical construction materials
needed for the project. The con,
tractor has allowed $50 days for
completion of the work.
Should the city wish to expand
its storage facilities after the war,
it will be possible to construct an
addition to the proposed reservoir,
plans specify.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13

IN NORMANDY - (by wireless)
During the Cherbourg Peninsula
campaign l spent nine days with
the Ninth Infnatry Division the dl-
vision that cut the peninsula, and
one of the three that overwhelmed
the great pert of Cherbourg.
The Cherbourg campaign is old
stuff by now, and you are no longer
particularly interested in it. But the
Ninth Division has been in this wal
for a long time and will be in for
long time to come. So I would
like to tell you some things about
it.
The Ninth is one of our best
divisions. 1t landed in Africa and
it fought through Tunisia and ST.
oily. Then it went to England for
the invasion of France. 1t was one
Of the American divisions in the in
vasion that had previous battle ex-
perience.
Now an odd thing had happened
to the Ninth while we were in the
Mediterranean. For some reason
which we have never fathomed the
Ninth wasn't released through CEN
sorship as early as it should have
been, while other divisions were.
AS result, the Ninth got a com.
ro1nv thof II Fl y
They fought hard, took heavy cas-
ualties, and did a fine job general.
ly, but nobody back home knew
anything about it.
This lack of recognition definite.
ly affected morale Every COM
manding general is aware that
publicity for his unit is a factor in
morale. Not publicity in the manu-
featured sense, but public report
to the folks back home on what ar
outfit endures and what it accom-
plishes.
Your average doughfoot will &C
though his normal hell is lot more
willingly if ne knows that he is
getting some credit for it and
that the home folks know about it.
AS result of this neglect in the
Mediterranean, the Ninth laid care
full plans so that it wouldn't hap.
pen again. In the first place, a
new censorship policy was arrived
at, under which the identities OF
the divisions taking part in this
campaign would be publicly re-
leased just as soon as it was def.
initely established that the Ger
mans knew they were in combat.
With that big hurdle accomplish
ed, the Ninth made sure that the
correspondents themselves would
feel at home with them. They set
up a small public relations section
VITA an officer in charge, and a
squad of enlisted men to move the
correspondents gear, and a truck
to haul it, and three tents with
cots, electric lights and tables.
Correspondents who came with
the Ninth could get meal, a
place to write, jeep for the front
or a courier to the rear-and at
the time they asked for it.
Of course, in spite of all such
facilities, a division has to be good
in the first place if it is going to
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
CITY TAXICABS
TO BE MARKED

An ordinance passed by the city
council yesterday conpels all tax
icab operators operating within
the city to clearly mark their cabs
with the name of the owner and a
number assigned by the owner.
All councilmen present saction-
ed the measure, which was taken
with a view toward protecting cab
drivers and owners as well as pas
sengers.
City Attorney W. B. Campbell
read and there was adopted res
o'ution calling for a hearing, sched-
uled for a date within the next
two weeks, on tine matter of the
Atlantic cafes application for
beer license. The concern was de-
r;ed a license at the councils last
session, on the grounds that near
by residents had complained that
the place is a nuisance spot, and
that beer has been sold there dur
ing hours when sale is prohibited
by law.
1t was announced that ]. w.
George would be granted a lease
fo1 one year to operate the pro-
posed concession at the City Whole.
sale market, and that Mrs. Lucille
Clay would manage the concession
to be opened soon at Greenfield
Lake.
City Manager A. C. Nichols an
lounced that the Castle street bus
Line was being extended by Tide
Water Power company to serve
residents of the Hillcrest apart
n'ents section.
The council authorized the build
'ng of balustrades to b front
steps of City Hall.
Six beer licerses were granted
An order of survey. in anticipa-
ten of condemning the structure
at 7O9 Dock street was signed bv
the council
w. Ronald Lane mayor pro tenn
IL the absence of Mayor Bruce
q. Cameron, presided.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
TOP O. THE MORNING

"Our Father-our daily bread-our
uns." The Lords prayer, lesson In
praying, is also lesson in thinking. Our
Lord would have us think not of our in
aividual needs alone. but of the needs OF
ALL For how many of us would there be
any sense of genuine need in the prayer
for our daily bread But all over the
world there are those whose need for
dailv bread is reality. The starving Of
China, in Greece, in Poland and Belgium
and elsewhere.
From FORWARD"
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
With Ernie Pyle

get good publicity. The Ninth is
good. 1t performed like a beautiful
machine in the Cherbourg cam
paign. Its previous battle expert.
ence paid off. Not only in individ.
ual fighting but in the perfect way
the whole organization clicked. As
have tried to tell before, war
depends great deal more on or
ganizaiton than most people would
ever dream.
The Ninth did something in this
campaign that we haven't always
done in the past. 1t kept tenacious
ly on the enemy's neck. When the
Germans would withdraw little
the Ninth was right on top of them.
1t never gave them a chance to
reassemble or get their balance.
The Ninth moved so fast it got
to be funny. l was based at the
division command post, and we
struck our tents and moved for
ward six times in seven days.
That works the daylight out of
the boys who take down and put
up the tents, I overheard one OF
the boys saying: I'D rather be
with Ringing Brothers.
Usually a division headquarters
is a fairly safe place. But with the
Ninth it was different. Something
as always happening.
One night they had a bad she'll
ing and lost some personnel. Every
now and then snipers would pick
off somebody. In all the time !
was with them we never had an
uninterrupted nights sleep. Our
own big guns were all around us
and they would fire all night Usu-
ally German planes were over too,
droning around in the darkness and
making IFS tense and nervous.
One night l was sitting in a tent
with Capt. Lindsey Nelson, of
Knoxville, when there was loud
explosion then shrill whine
through the treetops cve' ~.
heads. But we didn't Jump, or hit
the dirt. Instead l said:
II know what that is. That's the
rotating band off one of our shells.
AS an old artilleryman I've heard
lots of rotating bands. Sometimes
they sound like a dog bowling.
There's nothing to be afraid of. -
Sure said Captain Nelson,
chats what it was, a rotating
band"
But our harmless rotating band,
we found a few minutes later, was
a jagged, red-hot, foot-square frag-
ment CT steel from 240-mm. Ger
man shell which had landed a hun
dred yards away from us. It's won
derful to be wise guy.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
SO THEY SAY

we clearly have air supremacy over the
patue zone and its environs. German air
strength even over industrial points in Ger
many appears to be approaching a starte of
thlnness. Secretary of War Henry L. Slim
son.
1t Is youth who must inherit the tribulation,
the sorrow, and the triumphs that are the after
|math OF war. Herbert Hoover
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
KILLED IN ACTION

WASHINGTON, July 12- R -
The Navy department. announced
today Pfc. Cecil B. Bonds, USING,
whose wife, Mrs. Cecil B. Bonds,
resides at Williamson, N. c., had
been killed in action.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
Fair Enough

Editors Nete.-The Star and the News accent ~.
responsibility for the personal views Of Mr. Pexler
and often disagree with them much as many Of
his readers His articles serve the rood purro.s Al,
making people think.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
rs Years Ago
Today
(FROM THE FILES
OF THE STAR-NEWS)
JULY 10, 1919

Mrs. J. o. Carr and children
eft Friday for a trip to Montreal
and Black Mountain, where they
will spend the summer, They were
accompanied by Miss Blanche
Parsley.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13

DIR, c. P. Bolles, one of the best
liked and most popular practlclng
physicians in the city, will give
up his practice of medicine mere
within the next few days and VIII
go to New York where he will De
affiliated with his brother.
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13

Mrs. w. S. McDiarmid of Ne"
Orleans the former Miss Charlotte
Styron of Wilmington, has arrived
to spend some time with relatives
The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-13
Our Chief Aim

To aid in every way the prosecution OF
the war to complete Victory.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-06
SOLDIER ARRESTED
AFTER CRASH HERE

Pvt. Henry Hertch, white, of ''B'
battery, Camp Davis, was arrest
ed by military police on charges
of driving an Army truck under
the influence of whiskey, after the
weapon carrier crashed into Tide
Water bus at Fifth and Princess
streets at 2:35 o'clock yesterday
afternoon.
Two of Hertch's passengers, Sgt.
Sharp and Cpl. George T. Nolien
of Camp Davis, were both treated
for decorations of the forehead as
a result of the impact. Tide Water
passengers were not hurt in the
crash, but both vehicles were dam
aged in the front
The truck also hit the rear of a
1886 Chevrolet, driven by M. H.
Davis, but inflicted no damage to
the car.
Roosevelt Batson of 100 Dock
street. driver of the bus, said he
was travelling east On Princess
when the Army truck, travelling
south on Fifth, failed to stop and
crashed into him. Hertch admitted
that he did not stop.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-06
M.ADEN MAN KILLS
WIFE, THREE OTHERS,
COMMITS SUICIDE

Confined from Rase 0ne)
two shots.
Mrs. Rice ran frantically out Of
the Cain house at the sound Of the
shots, and Rice fired away at her.
Immediately thereafter, the CHI Id
declared, Rice turned the gun on
himself. He fell near his wife,
whirled his body over, and placed
his head on his wife's shoulder as
he died.
Meighbors and relatives explain
ed that Rice had been threatening
his wife, but that his threats had
always been accepted as drunken
hluster.
Surviving Rice are his mother
and father, Mr.. and Mrs. Frank
Rice Of the White Oak community;
two brothers, j. B. and Frank Rice
Of the homeplace; and four sisters,
Mrs. Eugene Davis, Plymouth;
Mrs. Alphine Cain and Mrs. Lacey
McDuffie, White Oak, and Mrs.
James Holman of Cloverdale, ca.
The children who remain are
Helen, Edward, bonus, and Betty
Jane, the infant.
Mrs: Rice has no survivors other
than the children.
| Edge is survived by his widow,
three sons in the armed forces
overseas; one son, Gilbert Edge Of
Rladen county; three daughters,
Mrs. Holton Edge Of Fayetteville
Route s, Miss Fannie Edge Of
Fayetteville, and Mrs. Alonzo chas.
On Of Fayetteville, and two small
children Of the home.
Mr.. Cain. age so, is survived by
his mother, Mrs. Elmira Cain, one
brother, J. Wesley Cain, both Of
White Oak; and two sisters, Mrs.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-06
New Balkan Air Force Sets Up Bases
In Yugoslavia To Help Tito's Forces

been fighting over the Rslkans for
months, and the Italians, under
the Italian air force, have been
patrohng the Adriatic almost since
the day Of the armistice.
The principal hasessr remain It.
ally, but landing strips have
been provided in partisan.held ter
iritory Of Yugoslavia, and there is
a good airport on 3 strongly-de-
tended island off the Dalmatian
coast.
The balkan air force enjoys the
same status as the fifteenth and
twelfth air forces under 1t. Gen.
Ira g. Eaker, deputy commander
IN the Mediterranean, but it differs
from them in that its operations
are concerned primarily with the
Balkans.
Behind its creation lie Is months
Of steadily expanding air support
for Tito and other resistance for
ces in the balkans. There was but
a handful Of Liberators based al
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-06

Suez at first, but the liberation Of
southern Italy placed greater for
ces within striking distance.
~ May, when the Germans
were driving on Hto's headquar-
tiers, Raj units were running q
regular shuttle service to Yugo.
slaVia, bringing in everything
from blood plasma to jeepS and
amhulances and taking out wound
ed, German prisoners, refugees,
liaison officers and once-for a
quick visit-Marshal Tito himself.
Allied fighters and bombers
We're flying to the battlefront to
give Nto's forces tactical assist
ance.
The Americans are represented
by Liberators and CAT troop car
riers.
The British have Spitfire, Hurri.
cane, Aircobra. Beaufighter and
Mustang fighters, Baltimore and
Halifax bombers, Lysander recon.
Nuisance and C-47 transport
planes.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-06
by JOSEPH MORTON

BALKAN AIR FORCE HEAD
QUARTERS, July 15.-Delayedl
-GR-A new Balkan air force
whose roster Of pilots reads like
that Of the United Nations-has
planted bases on Yugoslav soil for
the express purpose Of providing
an air arm for Marshal Tito and
other resistance forces.
Although the bulk Of the forces
are British and American, there
are Italian, Polish and Greek
squadrons, and soon Yugoslav air
men will be flying back to their
homeland to take up the struggle.
Air Vice Marshal William Ell
lott, who once commanded the
air forces at the British forces Of
Gibraltar, has been put in COM
mand Of this air force which
boasts about 20 types Of planes,
from big Liberators, to troop car
riers, to rocket-firing planes.
Most of these pilots already have
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-06
Chinese Launch New
Drive In Kwangtung

CHUNGKING. Aug. 5.-(P)-Stall-
ed in their drives in Kwangtung
and Human provinces for control
Of the Canton-HankoW railway,
japanese forces have launched a
new drive in the extreme south
western portion of Kwangtung, the
Chinese high command announced
tonight.
The attack was launched in two
directions, northeast and northwest
against Chinese-held positions in
the Hoiheng Uuichow) peninsula,
just across the strait from the Jap
anese-held island of Hainan. Only
meager details was given by the
Chinese communique and the pur-
pose of the drive was not readily
apparent.