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VOL- LIII No. 104 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1943
PRICE FIVE CENTS
I
;*
Nazi
Bom bers
Raid
London
in
Retaliation
____._ _____t; ,
RAF Blasts
Back Again
At Germany
British Continue Fierce
Round-the-Clock Blows
As Nazis Attack Weakly
- BULLETIN -
By .The Associated Press
LONDON, March 4 (Thursday)-
Lbndlon, which was raided lightly by
Grman planes last night, had an air
raid alarm'shortly before dawn today.
and after a few, moments a terrific
anti-aircraft barrage was set up in
the east of the capital.
Searchlights sent their powerful
beams flashing into the skies trying
to spot the raiders.
As in the first attack, the raiders
appeared to be 6perating singly.
By The Associated Press
LON ON, March 3. - German
bombers struck weakly at London to-
night . in an expected reprisal raid
mace by single planes which kept the
ir itish Capital under alert for about
94 mnutes.
The first raiders, swooping down in
retaliation for the RAF's mighty
assault on Berlin two nights ago, ur-
loaded showers of fire bombs, and'
other planes dropped explosives, but
there was no concerted attack.
Several districts were bombed, and
there were a number of casualties at
one place. Rescue workers dug in the
ruins of one bombed dwelling for res-
idents who were trapped.
But the RAF was apparently
smashAing back again, for the
O)eutschlandsender, the maih Ger-
man domestic radio in the Berlin
area, went off the air late tonight.
Its silence indicated that Allied
lanes were striking at the conti-
nent for the eighth successive
-ight.
(The Federal Communications
Commission in New York heard the
Deutschlandsender announce that it
*ould be off the air "for some time.")
r.ndicating the lightness of the Ger-
man attack on London, one observer
cqunted only a few planes over a per-
iod of half an hour.
A' lull followed the swoops of the
first few raiders and then the thun-
der of gunfire and brilliance of
flares marked the arrival of another
enemy plane.
The raiders approached singly, and
the noise of their motors frequently
was drown out by the thunderous
)iirrage of London's powerful anti-
aircraft guns and new weapons.
But the raid wasn't anything
like the answer that Londoners had
expected in reply to the heavy and
concentrated attack on Berlin
1Monday night when the RAF
dropped around 900 tons of bombs.
Knox Sees
High NavyI
Casualties
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, March 3.-Secre-
tary Knox, projecting a Navy 2,250,-j
000-strong by July, 1944, and big
enough to control the world's sea-I
I ways, solemnly warned the nation
today to expect that one out of every
10 Navy men may be killed or wound-
ed.
Knox's prediction of a 10 per cent
casualty rate and his proposals for
an all-ocean Navy were made public
by the House subcommittee on naval
appropriations in finishing work on
a new $4,000,000,000 supplemental
naval appropriation measure.
The committee trimmed the Navy's
budget figures by $187,793,417 and
challanged Knox's calculations of
personnel needs. While no legal limit
has been set on Navy enlisted
strength, the committee observed in
its report, "an expansion of suchI
magnitude should be the subject of
careful scrunity and recommenda-
tions to the house by the naval af-
fairs committee."
As approved by the committee
the measure provides $3,816,206,-
583 in direct appropriations and
$239,740,400 for contract authori-
zations.
Committee members were quick to
question Knox's casualty estimate.
Knox acknowledged that on Feb. 8,
the Navy casualties totaled only
19,022 and Rear Admiral Randall
Jacobs, chief of the Navy's Bureau of
Personnel, explained that less thani
10 percent of the Navy had been in-
volved in fighting, But Knox-echo-
ing the words of John Paul Jones, the
Revolutionary war naval hero-de-
clared:
"We have just begun to fight."
Gibert Chosen
Ca e Captain
Ralph Gibert, '44E, Wolverine for-
ward from Flint, was elected cap-
tain for next year's basketball squad
in a short meeting held yesterday af-I
ternoon in Rentschler's Studio.
Casting ballots in the election were
lettermen recently chosen: Jim
Mandler, this season's captain, Mel
Comin, Gerry Mullaney, Bob Wiese,
Leo Doyle, Don Lund, and Fred Gip-
son, senior manager.
The Wolverines finished the sea-
son with four Conference wins as
against eight losses. In the final
standings they were listed in eighth
place, one of the poorest years in
Michigan basketball.
Russians Roll
Into Rzhev as
Nazis Retreat
Red Army Seizes Huge
Enemy Booty, Sweeps
Toward Railway Center
By The Associated Press
LONDON, March 3.-The strategicI
Nazi central front stronghold of
Rzhev fell to the Russian Army today
after a violent struggle in which
2,000 Germans were slain and enor-
mous enemy booty was captured,
Moscow announced tonight in a spe-
cial communique which also told of
a Red Army sweep in the south to
a point only 45 miles from the Bry-
ansk-Kiev railway.
The capture of Rzhev, 130 miles
west and slightly north of Moscow,
accelerated the Russian drive to
knock Finland out of the war and
IthreatenedHitler's entire northern
defense line astride roads leading to
Poland and the occupied Baltic
j States.
The German High Command ad-
mitted the loss of Rzhev-a Ger-
man reverse which the Soviet
Army newspaper said Hitler him-
self had ranked as "equal to the
loss of half of Berlin."
The Berlin bulletin, broadcast sev-
eral hours in advance of the Moscow
communique, represented the setback
at Rzhev as a withdrawal, saying it
was an evacuation "in accordance
with planned movements for short-
ening the front."
A German rearguard was said to
have "detached itself from the en-
emy unnoticed during the night of
March 2 after blowing up bridges
over the Volga."
But the Russian communique re-
corded by the Soviet radio monitor
said the strongly-fortified town fell
"after a prolonged and violent en-
gagement" begun several days ago.
Among the booty taken were 112
tanks, 78 guns, 35 locomotives, 1,200
freight cars, and ,huge quantities of
shells, mines, machineguns, rifles
and other materiel, "according to
incomplete data."
Scene of Jap Disaster
Allies Shoot Down
55 Enemy Planes
Japanese Suffer Major Disaster' as
Entire Force of 15,000 Men Is Lost
By The Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN AUSTRALIA, March 4 (Thursday)- A
deadly, efficient aerial armada of Allied planes has almost completely de-
stroyed a powerful Japanese convoy in one of the greatest triumphs of the
war, sinking or disabling all 10 of its warships and all 12 of its transports,
wiping out 15,000 troops aboard "almost to a man" and downing 55 protect-
ing Nipponese fighting planes, Allied headquarters announced today.
All 22 ships of the convoy, totalling 90,000 tons, were sunk or left sink-
ing, with "this major disaster" inflicted upon the enemy at the astonishingly
low cost of only one Allied bomber and three fighters lost, the Allied noon
communique asserted.
The battle was believed here at headquarters to be the greatest victory
ever achieved anywhere by purely air action against a naval surface force.
The convoy was smashed in assaults throughout Tuesday and yesterday
despite bad weather-as it headed toward New Guinea to reinforce Japanese
troops at Lae, and although the corn- _
STATUTEMILES
Deadly sharp-shooting Allied planes completely destroyed a power-
ful Japanese convoy off New Guinea, Allied headquarters announced
last night. Map shows the area where the Jap fleet scattered wide near
Lae and the dotted lines show the strategic area the Allies command.
Ro nmlei Gives
More Ground
By The Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN'
NORTH AFRICA, March 3-It ap-
peared tonight Marshal Erwin Rom-
mel's phantom panzeis decided to
yield hard-won Sbeitla and the Feri-
ana valley, on opposite sides of Kas-
sarine Pass in central Tunisia, with-
out a struggle to gather strength to
face an expected blow from the south
by the desert-hardened British
Eighth Army.
Advance Allied Forces, pressing the
withdrawing Axis armies over the
same trail of the Allied retreat 181
days ago, were reported in an Allied
communique to be pushing farther
toward Sidi Bouzid south and south-
west of Sbeitla, indicating that half
of the territory won by the German
smash that began Feb. 14 had been
meekly abandoned without battle.
FIRST OF SERIES:
Manpower Corps War Forum
Will Discuss Explosives Today
King George,
Doffs Crown
For Overalls
By The Associated Press
LONDON, March 3.-King George
has beconie a part-time worker in a
war factory, standing at a bench two
evenings a week turning out precision
parts for RAF guns. it was disclosed
tonight.
Fellow workers say he "clocks in"
regularly at 6 p.m., wearing overalls,
and leaves about 8:30 p.m. His fore-
man said he is "clever with his hands
and the use of precision, tools."
Recently the Queen, accompanied
by Princesses Elizabeth and Margar-
et, visited the plant and watched the
King at work. He was able to answer
all their questions about his task, the
foreman said.
Several members of the Royal staff
were doing similar work at the fac-
tory when the King went to visit
them. He watched them a while-and
then asked if he could have a job.
The foreman pointed out to His
Majesty that he would need some
training.
"How long?" asked the King.
The reply was that that depended
on the aptitude of the applicant.
"I rather fancy I might be pretty
good at the job," the Monarch re-
sponded. "I think I'll start 'at once."
ERC To Be Tested
For Special Ability
When Army Enlisted Reserve
Corps leave the University to go to
Fort Custer, Sheridan, Camp
Grant or Scott Field, they will
probably face aptitude and intelli-
gence tests to determine their fit-
ness for the Army Specialized
Training Program.
Indications are that the men will
be kept in the induction stations
for a short time and then sent on
to other training depots where any
specialized talents can be utilized.
, Many of the nation's colleges
and universities will be used as
training centers.
Weakened Gandhi
Ends 21-Day Fast
POONA, India, March 3.--(R1)--
Mohandas K. Gandhi sat up in bed
and sipped a glass of orange juice
at 9:30 a.m. today, ending the 21-
day hunger strike which he under-
took on Feb. 10 in protest against
detention and which nearly cost his
ilife.
Lnkinr tired1 ut.heerful-h . , id
munique declared that all the ships
"are sunk or sinking," it did not di-
vide the losses.
The final blows at the convoy,
which was first'attacked off the nor-
thern coast of New Britain,. were
struck in the Huon Gulf area off
northeastern New Guinea-the ulti-
mate goal. of the armadak..
A spokesman at headquarters esti-
mated that possibly several thousand
Japanese naval personnel died in the
wreckage of the convoy, in addition
to the 15,000 troops aboard, as the
Allied planes hurled down more than
100 tons of bombs upon the ships.
"We have achieved a victory of
such completeness as to assume the
proportions of a major disaster to the
enemy," the communique declared,
and the whole convoy "was practical-
ly destroyed."
Allied headquarters estimated
15,000 enemy ground troops were
aboard the transports, and that
these "have been sunk or killed Al-
most to a man."
(If all 22 ships find their way to
the bottom of the Pacific, it will raise
the unofficial total of Jap losses since
Pearl Harbor to 510 ships of all types,
according to the Associated Press
tabulation.)
All categories of Allied air strength
joined in the mighty assault that
smashed the convoy, hitting ship af-
ter ship with bombs loosed from low
altitude. .
"Enemy air coverage became weak-
er and weaker; his forces more scat-
tered and dispersed; and finally his
remnants, isolated and bewildered,
were gradually annihilated by our
successive air formations as we sent
th m into combat," the communique
de lared in graphic account.
"Our losses were light, one bomber
and three fighters shot down and a,
number of, others damaged but re-
turned to base."
General MacArthur himself de-
clared that "a merciful providence
must have guarded us in this great
victory."
The communique asserted that
"our decisive success cannot fail to
have most important results on the
enemy's strategic and tactical
plans. His campaign for the time
being at least is completely dislo-
cated."
This was the convoy which had
been sighted Monday advancing from
New Britain toward New Guinea,
protected then by foul weather that
kept Allied planes from blasting at it
for more than a full day.
On Tuesday Allied aircraft braved
the rains and clouds to smash at the
convoy, which at that time consisted
of 14 ships, sinking or damaging four
of them.
Eight more vessels joined the en-
emy column yesterday afternoon, the
communique said, making it one of
the most powerful convoys ever dis-
patched to bring troops to the New
Fourth Term
Is Suggested
To Roosevelt
Democratic Chairman
Says President Will
Not Discuss '44 Race
WASHINGTON, March 3.-( P)-
"Two or three" members of the Dem-
ocratic National committee suggest-
ed to President Roosevelt today that
he run for a fourth term nomination
if the war is still on next year, Dem-
ocratic National Chairman Frank C.
Walker disclosed, but the suggestion
"got no response from the President."
Walker, who emphasized himself it
was "too early" to talk about the
1944 Presidential race, headed a
group of 13 National Committee of-
ficers and members who discussed
war and politics for 30 minutes with
the Chief Executive on the eve of
the latter's tenth anniversary in the
Presidency.
After describing the President as
"optimistic" over the trend of the
war, the party chairman and Post-
master General was asked whether
a fourth term was mentioned.
"One or two," he replied, "said
that if the war is on the President
should be a candidate." He later said
two or three unidentified conferees
made the suggestion that the Presi-
dent either should be or would "have
to be" candidate.
"But they go no response from the
President," Walker added. "I don't
think he heard it as he was doing
most of the talking. If he did, he
smiled it off. It was said rather light-
ly and there was no discussion."
In response to questions, Walker
said the committee group is "practic-
ally all agreed that the war will be on
next year."
8,000 More Units Are
Planned at Willow Run
WASHINGTON, Marcn 3-OP)-
Housing Administrator John B.
Blandford, Jr., reported today that
more than 8,000 family accommoda-
tions now are under construction for
war workers at the Willow Run
Bomber Plant near Detroit.
Contracts for about 3,000 more
units will be let within the next few
weeks, Blandford said, predicting
housing needs of workers with fam-
ilies at Willow Run will be filled by
1 late next summer.
Initial discussion in the Manpower
Corps series of Warfare forums will
acquaint students with methods of
handling bombs and high explosives
when Prof. G. M. McConkey, of the
School of Architecture, speaks at 4
p.m. today in the Architecture Build-
ing Lecture Hall.
Prof. McConkey has held classes
for the instruction of the Buildings
and Grounds men, teaching them
methods of controlling the flames'
and exploding of bombs. He just
finished a course in high explosives
and bombs. He will explain the
properties of falling bombs when met
in either civilian or military life.
Norman Shumway, '44, chairman
of the series, urges that every house
on campus send' their Air Raid War-
dens to the meeting and if wardens
have not been appointed that some
representative be present for every
sorority, fraternity, rooming house
and dormitory.
The forums are scheduled for every
Thursday, and at present three ses-
sions have been planned. Entitled
.Informal Discussions on Related
War Topics," these programs will be
SMART AS ANY SOLDIER:
t Mltr Lowdown on Soviet MiiayMen
* (Editor's Note: wartime life in Rus-
i. sla will be the subject of tomorrow's
article, the fifth in a series of nine, by
Henry C. Cassidy, Chief of the Asso-
ciated Press Bureau in Moscow.)
By HENRY C. CASSIDY
NEW YORK, March 3.-(P)-The
Red Army man is stepping out
these days, as proud and smart as
any soldier, with epaulettes on his
shoulders and the assurance of
success in his heart.
Adolf Hitler, in a moment of
exasperation, once called the Rus-
sians "swamp animals." From ques-
tions I have been asked since my
return from Moscow, I gather many
Americans think of them as big,
rnnh. bear-like creatures.
the ornaments of the Czarist sol-
diers, and therefore, to the Soviet
people, the insignia of enemies of
the state. Their restitution was
taken by Moscow observers to indi-
cate a return of the Soviet Union
to traditions of old Russia.
Another sign of this rooting of
modern Russia in its past was seen
in the creation of numerous deco-
rations and orders, including those
named after the Czarist Marshals
Suvorov and Kutuzov.
The epaulettes, stiff. oblong
boards covering the shoulder. and
bearing the colors of the various
branches of the Red Army, insig-
nia of rank, and number of regi-
ment were not the only toihing-
Do not appear in public markets. expanded until they give a broad
Do not sit in a public convey- general background in civilian de-
ance if a superior is standing. fense.
These did not mean the Red Discussions planned for March 11
Thee id otmen te ed and 18 will be centered around
Army man had been unkept, un- Chemical Warfare and Incendiary
shaven, burdened with bundles Bombs. They are planned to be of
and babies, and slouching in a interest to the public and more par-
streetcar while generals stood ticularly to students living in Uni-
around him. They were meant, versity residences.
rather, to correct minor, isolated. The Manpower Corps originated
cases and to provide a uniform this program to educate the campus
code of behavior. about the new problems arising from
There were rumors in Moscow, modern methods of warfare.
just as I left, that another change
was coming: that the word "tova-
rish," or' "comrade," used for a Hyma Claims Hate
quarter-century since the revolu- .
tion, would be dronned from the