RUSSIA Su-^d-iL 0 - ^ /) l < j v i n The extent of the sweepinr Soviet advance in southern Russia is indicated by the fact that the Fed Army is threatening the City of Millerovo. This place is two hundred miles southwest of Stalingrad-, f^i in Wirear of the Nazi forces between the Volpa and the Dor / The swift advance of the Soviets over the weekend- hts reached the outskirts of Millerovo, and the P<=xl Army . / even had hopes of presenting that key^city to SUnn as a birthday present. The Soviet war leader was i sixty-three years old today. ylt does not appear that Mrllerovo was captured troa-ajr for a ^irthday present, 7 A Ure fact that the Red Army hgs got that far is immensely significant. ^ Berlin admits the Ipreak-throughy Today the German high command stated that the Russians, after an attack by strong tank formations for several days, succeeded in breaking through the German lines on the RUSSIA 9 Don 'Ivor front. The Germans are counterattacking in desperate attempts to stop the Soviet push - the Russian rush, you mifht call it^ has encircled twenty-two German divisions in the area beiore Stalingrad. 6< ^i-C-nUL- An -intiaat®, story of the great Soviet a , ... J^fensive oublished today, an account written by ; / United Press Staff Correspondent Henry Shapiro. He was permitted to make a tour of the Stalingrad front,', I anC; he eives the following reason for its great success:* ,TThe blow took the enemy completely by surprise,” 7^1 /-d; ... , . writes^j^iraT'^rr1^—adds : ’’That was admitted to me by r captured Rumanian General, with whom I talked.” Thrm - t-h-r?--^ .-fl - ondjej^ quotes the Rumanian General - follows: ’’The Russian offensive wc s so unexpected and so crushing, ^W* ethat it sha&JL e r ed all the plans of the German-Rumanian high command^" U%-<. / SEFBIA The Germans are said to be threatening to use poison gas in Serbia. This information comes from the Jugoslav Government in exile^ in London, which has word that, the Nazis have started a new campaign of terror in their attempt to suopreSs the guerrilla resistance led by General Mikhailovitch. They are burning villages, making mass arrests and shooting people for helping the guerrilla bands. And they have threatened to employ poison gas against the Serbian Deputation, unless the forces of Mikhailovitch stop fighting. AHERIC UN _BEPS London tells us of a bif air victory scor£d by American bombers over France. Flying fortresses and Liberators hit a German center seventy^ miles east of Paris, and got irt-ba a huge ai^-ba + tle^ In fair, they A ' are said to have shot down at least forty-six Ornan fighters and damared thirty more. The figures ■■ rP no^ official, but they are considered substani iaxl> correct.! Six of the bombers were lost. A Today's bulletin states: "Some of the bitteres aerial fighting of the war over Nazi-occupied country, | occurred Sunday, when American bombers fought their 1 Vw Oc'VC'to-^ way deep into France." ^^Cu^ETsicht of Paris, where most of the airmen saw /' the F. if el Tower for the first time. Crack German souadrons of Focke-Vlulf Hundred and Nineties swarmed to attack the., and the battle ..a °"- 'H»ldi"r *lrht to their formations," says London, "the bombers laid amf . pican bombf . rs . 2 down a murderous fire." And that incessant blaze of ^f-TTR from the bomber formations, accounted for the VT ttw v-cdk- big bag of Nazi planes. The flying fortresses and Liberators hit tneir target hard - an important German military airdrome. 1 FRENCH^WARSHIPS ‘ | ■ We have some more word about the French fleet at Toulon, information bearinf on the Question - How thorouphly was it wrecked by its crews? Madrid has what it calls "reliable reports from France", and 'tell I these xhrtrraiv* that a commission of experts was assigned : A /\ by the Germans to investigate the French ships. These experts have done their job, and line that most . i of the warships by-far, are beyond any possible use. | A few mifht be salvaged, but even these will take a year of intensive work. I The experts are said to have reported that a majority of the shins sunk by their crews can be raised ! to the surface within six months, but they all have beet;! damafed inside, damaged so heavily as to be worthless. Several smaller ships, light destroyers, might be raised and .«i. Bt,„orthy. Bdt the experts apreed | t it was hardly worthwhile to attempt any salvage ■ ■ I f w T't FRFNCH WArSHIPS > ? of the heavy and medium ships. Some of the craft vrere not sunk, and these included three destroyers and two cruisers. The explanation is that the vessels were not scuttled because they had been dismantled, and the French navel command considered them worthless. Such is the story that Madrid gives us of the complete of the French fleet. /I SPAIN-POBTUGAL Spain and Portupal have joined forces to maintain their neutrality. This we hear from Lisbon, where the Spanish Foreign Minister is conferring with the Portuguese government. The two nations, that occupy the ancient oeninsu.a of Iberia, have formeci. what they call-jj an Iberian bloc." —a-rrvt-e- Lisbon te?Is us that at a banquet given b\ the Portuguese Foreign Minister to the Spanish Foreign Sinister, the former declared: "Our two nations &ve determined to remain aloof from the conflict. We if have created an Iberian bloc." In addition to tne no;icy of neutrality, Spain and Portugal are joining forces to exert a larger influence on international oolitics - ana , t0 heip in the cause of eventual peace 1 The Spanish Foreign Minister states: "Our hopes today are to Pacify hates, a ttenuate enmity and calm passions. . spain - portugal - 2 We hope,” he adds, "that the Iberian bloc its aim of maintaining our peace - and of to- the world . " 1 can accomplish ! bringing peace AFRICA Todey we a^e fiven a figure for the speed that u-v\ Rommel^ North Afrika Korps is making- London states that the defeated outfit is averaging fift^pn miles a day,‘ which is rapid retreating Rommel has now reached \ the vicinity of Sirte, w4HrC#<^ a hundred and seventy-fire I 1r i miles nas&ed-El Agheila - the place where th-ey tried j ' A ~~£\ s O*2 j last temporary stand. The British are completely A v convinced now that Koanr.el won't stop until he gets to Tunisia. His olan is ^.o abandon Libya and join forces with the N a z i -Tun is iarj army, which is resisting the Americans and British. London tells us that Rommel has made an urgent npeal to Hitler for reinforcements^, and s"o has !| Colonel-General Nehring, the Axis Commander in Tunisia. "hey demand new contingents of men and machines to be -ent across to maintain a last Nazi toehold on the continent of Africa - the tip of Tun’"'- ' ■ ISia. f. -rx AFRICA O as if a major attempt mirht be made to get reinforcements across Mediterranean waters - this according to reports from Madrid, be hear' that an .Axis convoy of a hundred and fifty ships is massed na ready for an attempt to make the run to Tunisia The convoy is likely to get a hot reception from Allied ships and planes. « In Tunisia tiself, not much activity is reported. Today's Army bulletin tells merely of one _______ ____ ________ _______ _ _ ---------- - ene^_^raid./In Axis detachment made a local attack, which was recalled, /it is assumed that bad weather IS hampering militardoperations - perhaps air operations also. Today's Army bulletin has only this bit of sky fighting to report! "In the course of routine patrols over Tunisia yesterday," it says, "our fighters destroyed one enemy bomber and one enemy fighter, without loss." ^ In Burma, British General "avell continues his th^ £ ac vance into th^/Jaranese- occuoied The /K /O <^cV _ British, nushinr do^n .the Bay of Benpal, are noyr within ., . r—— sixty miles of the important port of Akyab. The Japs are offering no resistance apparently* Why not? e X don't know. Neither do we know/whether V/aveil's thrust / is merely a local operation -or the beginning of a ' / major attempt to recaptura.xBurma. The British are being supported by American air forces based on Cnina^ General Claire Cnenault's big, bo mb ersi struck heavily at the ace Jao air base at Lashio and am- out of commission. / / X Tae-aiia.uat...of damt. e aon«. is rele.tcc xi&i vividly bp &*-p-t-ain—John -R-use of beGran-ee, Illinois. H-e led -a bomber formation t-hat attached theAwarehouse. area^e tno-E,i4^ banmev "W=e could see two r,if f-ti'es," s«ys he, "an! the reminder ^ tiwet_area. af the_ e-ity-was I’ICK': 1'IBACKER Today one of Eddie Rickenbackerfs companions in that adventure and ordeal on the Pacific, told about the attitude of the others toward Rick. Lieutenant Jcmes G. Whitaker says: "When we started out, we thought* he vas just another man who had influence enough to get a ride." Y/hen the plane was forced down at ses% they went drifsting tor three weeks in n bo ft, their ettitude changed. "Captain Rickenhacker took the > leadership and pull us through," says Lieutenant YJhitaker. Rot only did Anerica's ace in the First ,'orld War display the moral qualities that made him a leader, j hut he also showed the greatest amount of physical stamina e. Lieutenant Whitaker says that when they finally “P- ”0"4 0f th0 C0Uid h,V' isnt.ed more than forty-eight hours - rhile p,ictenbacker RICKFNBACKFB - ? could haveAefctmmi out for anothpr week. A /v Today people were talking about the extraordinary story that Pick told on Saturday at a V;ar Department press conference and 1 .-aleis. on the rec.io A One XKaiiR particular thing is provoking a ! ot of discussion; how the castaways prayed ior ^.ood jf A v O held a orsver meetinr. goes on to tell: A ''Within an hour after the prayer meeting," says He, A seagull came in and landed on my head, and you can imagine my nervousness in trying to turn around and get him, which I did.” So they had seagull to'eat ,A £rni-s* 4 a C VCp- Ct -V 1 t^^to add to the anthology of stories response to prayer. F 0 R EIG N_ C 0 R R E S P 0 N D ENT.8 Probably the largest number of American war correspondents ever to be together at one time v/ill foregather Wednesday evening of this v/eek. They are going to see the American premiere of a motion picture called "In Which We Serve," A!though PsoraQ of the correspondents, Quentin Reynolds and others, have seen 1 a preview of- tillswhich tells the life story of a destroyer in this war, --The picture was conceived, the story written and produced, by one man. And, he plays the leading role. His name is Noel Coward. And the role he plays is supposed to be taken directly from the life of young Lord Louis Mo untbatten. At any rate, at‘the American premiere this Wednesday night at the Capitol Theatre in New York, • the entire proceeds will go to a fund for American war correspondents. In proportion to their number, more war correspondents have been killed in this global war than men in any other line of activity. There are no exact figures on this. But ten American correspondents CORRESPONDENTS 2 have been killed since Nineteen thirty-nine; twenty-one wounded; two are missing and unaccounted for; and fifteen have been captured, not including the large number who were taken prisoner and put in internment camps and prisons in Germany, Italy and Japan until they were exchanged and sent home. iiie oil raT, ionin^ is going to stay ^ - — • - Q-Q rA'lruA-^-t pottv This was stated today by : conomics Stabilization Director Byrnes. "There is no hope lor any lessening of the restrictions upon the use of gasoline e.nrl fuel oil," said he. He added that any change would consist of an improvement of rationing methods. This statement by - followed the lifting of the ban on sales of gasoline to private automobile drivers.in seventeen eastern N/WW*- states and the District of Col-umbia. You getAgas on A, B and C coupons^but not as much as before on B and €•>. The value of these is reduced from four to three gallons. A coupons stay at three gallons. And T coupons, used only by commercial vehicles, retain their former value of five gallons. 94_1. Coord-rrreHT»P Beke» t-e-dray—iro-suod an DIVORCE 1 The Supreme Court today upheld the legality of ^eno divorces. This came about in a decision handed down by the hiph Justices in a North Carolina case. - .. . 6f man and woman went out to the metrouolis—of-divorce# aivEfc--Ahad a spouse back : in North Carolina. I'hey got <Reno divorces, and proceeded | to marry each other in Nevada. Then they went back- to North Carolina, where they were presently charged with bigamy, tried, and convicted. They appealed to the state Supreme Court, which upheld the conviction. They carried the case on up to the Sunrerne Court of the United States, an' t da^/ the high.est tribunal gave its verdict. The conviction is set aside, the Justices voting six to two to reverse the conviction for bigamy. iXad this amounts to a Supreme Court verdict upholding Eeno divorces. Legal opinion around Washington is tnat today's nvopcE o decision is of far reaching imoortance, and that the y s t c< t p, no matter what the divorce laws oi that, state may be, hereafter will have to uohold the validity of divorces granted in Nevada or in any other state. HOLLYWOOD hollywood stars are temperamental, as we all know. But 700*0 think that even screen celebrities would be a little more consistent than is revealed today. bach year the members of the Hollywood Women*s Press Club take a vote to pick the most cooperative actor and actress of the year -- the most popular. Their vote, as announced today, picks Rosalind Russell as the most cooperative actress. Nothing so surprising .about that, but a paradox is discovered when we learn what acrtress was voted to be the most non-cooperative. -The prize for unpopularity goes to Ginger Rogers. Why is that astonishing? Because last year it was the other v/ay around. Gin.: er was then vote^ to be the most cooperativer the most popular. A similar upside down reversal of things is to be discovered in the vote for the most coocerative actor. Cary Grant is named. He is acclaimed as the HOLLYWOOD - 2 most popular this vear. He has changed a lot since last. Because a year ago Cary Grant was at the foot of the class, was handed the boobey prize for non-cooperative unpopularity. So apparently the stars change a lot in growl,^the next Hollywood. / year they are all smiles and gentle friendliness. Which now calls, not for scowls and je ® growls, but for smiles and gentle friendliness, from Hugh James. LTP.1942.12.21i.pdf LTP.1942.12.21ii.pdf