Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 280, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 25, 1942 Page: 1 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.
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I
“Troops Have Withdrawn
To Defense Lines 400
Miles From Suez*
WASHINGTON, June 25 —
(UP)—Prime Minister Winston
Churchill told congressional lea-
dears today that Britain feels
confident she can hold Egypt
against the mechanized drive of
Germany’s desert legions.
House Republican Leader Jo-
seph W. Martin. Mass., told
newsmen in a joint press con-
ference with Speaker Sam Ray-
burn that Churchill had given
the conferees considerable en-
couragement on the African sit-
uation despite the serious rever-
ses this week.
"He indicated that Britain
will hold and that there is no
danger of losing Egypt,” Mar-
tin said.
Rayburn, House Majority Lea
der John W. McCormick, D.
Mass., a fid other conferees
agreed that they too were great-
ly encouraged by the presen-
tation of the situation on the
war fronts made by President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister
| 3 Churchill in a White House
conference.
Churchill explained, Ray-
burn said, that the Itritish
have withdrawn to defensive
positions Hint lie across
jj 40 miles of desert from the
Suez Canal.
The legislative leaders also
disclosed that the prime minis-
ter had offered encouragement
on the Russian situation.
3 Another conferee said that
Churchill had been asked some
“critical” questions regarding
Britain’s reasons for keeping the
bulk of its army at home on the
British Isles. This conferee said
J that the prime minister fenced
with his questioners on that
point but had assured them of
See ENCOURAGING Page 8
-Y-
> Nolan’s Rubber
Salvage 8 Pounds
y For Each Person
An average of more than eight
pounds of scrap rubber for each
man, woman and child in Nolan
county has been collected for
i> the nation’s war chest, figures
this morning indicated when a
total of 139,817 pounds was re-
ported on hand at the various
collection agencies.
) British Airmen
Finding Texas
v ‘So Wonderful’
“So Wonderful.'” is th - remark
made Wednesday night at the
USO club by British students in
n training at Avenger Field, when
9 asked how they liked Texas'.
Not only were the youth high
in praise of the state, but of
their new base west of town and
the new clubrooms, now com-
■% pleted and equipped for serv-
9 ing tile British men and sold-
iers of nearby camps.
E. H. Saulson, director, was
well pleased with the large turn-
out Wednesday evening, and is
J asking more Sweetwater people
to come to the upstairs club on
East Third street to meet the
botys. They are given leave
from 7:30 to 9:30 p. m„ Wed-
nesdays and Fridays and have
more liberty periods Saturday
evenings and all day Sunday. ‘
Formal opening of the club
will take place Saturday night
with an orchestra playing
dancing.
1“ The kitchen has been equip-
ped and Wednesday evening iced
tea and cookies were served.
-v-
•Can Hold Egypt/ Churchill Says AND U.S. DEFENSE
B-24 Bombers Join
RAF In Big Attack
On Rommel’s Base
Encouraging View
Given Rayburn
And Others
Sweetwater Reporter
Rommel Rushing
Troops To Make
Quick Conquest
45TH YEAR
SWEETWATER, TEXAS, THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1942
NUMBER 28U
(Staff Photo)
THE SWEETWATER DEFENSE GUARD paused in its drills last week long enough to liavp
this picture taken. In the picture arc, front ro w left to right, E. N. Daniel, John Darnell, cap-
tain, ami M. B. Harp; serond row, same order, W. E. Biewetl, M. ('. Monroe. M. X. t arson,
Arthur Partain, B. R. Books, Chart's Bledsoe, Mack Johnston, t'lco W. Tarter. Gifford Dillon,
Ellis Mc.lenkins, E. .1. Neigh, Raymond .Moulton and Pete ( irridenoii; Third row. A moil John-
ston, Harlan Shade, J. P. Sexton, William Shook, Fred Forgay, Sherman E. Taylor, Virgil
Daniels, Ralph llollis, T. Taylor, R. A. Wright, Lloyd Hard). and Troy Dement; fourth row:
Marvin Hampton, Moyc Smith, Walter Gasper, .1. C. Clark, Paul Wick, June's Alton Bard-
well, M. \\. Fife, Mack Alexander, Charles Dyer, Hoy DeBusk, Carlos Morris, and Pete Watson.
E. E. Smith stands near the center at top of photo. This group is composed of regular men in
the infantry group and soin : from the recent ly disbanded air wing of the Texas Defense
gli aid.
Infantry Will Patrol City
Defense Group
Adds Military
Color At Drill
lly J. Cross
In a few days, Sweetwater
will see yet another concrete bit
of evidence that this city' along
with the rest, of the nation is
a community at w ar.
A detail of 20 men from the
Sweetwater Infantry guard unit
will be patroling the streets and
acting on guard detail at var-
ious points within the city.
Tile unit has been training
vi-r\ Thursday night for the
last several weeks and has be-
come a familiar sight on the
streets, the men being decked
out in neat kiiuki uniforms and
oversea* caps.
.Members of the patrol detail
will lie identified l>.v arm hands
aid white billy clubs.
The infantry unit was organ-
ized March 11 for the purpose of
training men to lie ready for
service to their country when
and wherever any emergent v
arises. Captain John Darnell said
yesterday.
The basic training of the n-.iit
consists of military training,
guard duty, including police pa-
trol. manual of arms, military
discipline, rifle practice, and
morale.
The unit consists of three com-
missioned officers. I t non-com-1
See DEFENSE Page A
Germans Paying
Terrific Costs
At Sevastopol
Make Slight Gains In
Northern Action
Over Piles Of Dead
MOSCOW, June 25— (UP) —
Heavy German pressure, main-
tained without regard to losses,
forced the Russians back on the
northern sector of the Sevasto-
pol front today.
The Communist party organ
Pravda said the defenders of
that sector fell back only after
a day of the most violent battle,
and that fighting was mounting-
I ly fierce along the entire Sevas- |
! topol front, and especially o.i
1 he northern and southern sec-
! tors.
i See GERMANS Page 6
—--v-
Extra! Extra!
Fire Damages
Tire On Truck
In this great rubber crisis,
i it had to happen to some-
one. The Sweetwater Fire
Department was called late
yesterday afternoon to ex-
i tinguish a fire burning a
tire on a truck driven by
Charles Scott and belonging
to the Sweetwater Cotton
Oil Company.
Scott believed the fire
was started when a lighted
piece of paper blew under
the truck tmd* against the
tire. The tire was damaged
and slight damage also was
done to the truck.
Other calls yesterday were
to grass fires which were
put out before any damage
j could be done.
-A-
Bataan Air Hero
To Make Film At
| Randolph Field
HOLLYWOOD. June 25 —
(UP)—Capt. Hewitt T. Wheless,
pilot hero of an epic aerial battle
over the Philippines, will por-
tray himself in an army air
corps training film, Warner
Bros, announced today. Titled
“Beyond the Line of Duty,” the
production will be filmed at
Randolph Field. Tex.
-v-
By Joe Alex Morris
United Press Foreign Editor
Strong Axis mechanized columns drove deeply into Egypt to-
day and threatened to drive the British 8th army back 140 miles
to the Mersa Matruh defenses despite hammering counter-blows
by American and British airplanes and allied mobile desert units.
Three enemy columns under Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
crashed across the Libyan frontier, throwing their main strength
into Siclt Omar sector some 35 miles from the Mediterranean coast,
and forced the British to fall ( —
back from their frontier forts t C 11
at Solium to avoid encirclement. Jjcllltl \a011CClfe
Britisn mobile units opposed j
tiie enemy and inflicted “heavy" 1 dJCH |HM| Pj-»F icc
losses in the desert, but Rommel 1 C-I XVAoi.
smashed through to a point | _
southeast of Sidi Barrani, which H Qt- l ||{* | f*
which
lies 53 airline miles inside the
frontier although the Axis units
probuoly had penetrated Egypt
as much as G5 or 70 miles by
road.
American air corps B-24
homhers joined with the
RAF in one of the heaviest
attacks of the war on the
Libyan hasp of Benghazi in
an effort to break up Rom-
mel's supply lines and other
allied planes battered the
German transports and tanks
in the forward battle zone.
But Rommel obviously had
b ell able to strike before the
crippled 8th army could get set j
and dispatches from Cairo and
London indicated that Lt. Gen. j
Neil M. Ritchie might not be |
able to make a strong stand short
of Mersa Matruh, which is 140
miles inside Egypt. The present
Axis penetration to Sidi Barrani
has already edged past the high
water mark of the Italian inva-
sion of 1940.
The Axis gains provided a
threat to the Alexandria naval
base tome 250 miles eastward at
a time when Axis armies on the
Russian front were hammering |
at grey co t into the Crimean
naval base of Sevastopol and
driving tank wedges into the
Soviet lines on the Kharkov
front.
There was no decisive change
in either the Sevastopol or Khar-
kov front, but Moscow dis-
patches continued to speak of
growing enemy offensive opera-
tions near Kharkov, and told of
the almost complete destruction
of Sevastopol—once a beauty
spot of the Crimea.
-TODAYS
WAR
_MOVES
Louis F. Keemle
FIGHTING REDS’ HERO—I , ailer of the Soviet western ar-
mies, Marshal S. K. Timoshenko lias heroine No. I military
hero of his country, eommanils the iiii<|iinlilie<l admiration of
United Nations leaders. New photo jur-t arrived by elipper.
jHOUSTON HECKLERS
BATON ROUGE, La., June 25
I —(UP) — State representatives
I who have “been continually ha-
| rassed, annoyed and threaten-
ed” by the Christian-American
association of Houstoij, Tex., to-
day asked for a complete inves- i mere incident compared
By
Of the UP War Desk
The British are facing a test
in Egypt which, if it turns out
adversely, is capable of doing
incalculable damage to the al-
ied cause.
The loss of Tobruk, which
caused such violent reaction m
London and Washington, was a
to the
tigation to determine if the or-1 consequences should the* -eve-
, ganization is “conducting subver- rely mauled British eighth army
I sive activities in the. United I be unable to hold at Marsa Mat-
States.’
See WAR MOVES Page 4
Bombing Of Dutch Harbor Called ‘Nightmare’
By Evacuees Arriving In U.S* On Former Liner
HOLLYAVOOD. .Tune 25 —
(UP)—Lana Turner report-
ed a multi-million dollar sale
today in kisses and war
bonds and said she believed
her venture into combining
high finance and osculation
was an unqualified success.
She received no complaints
from any client.
The customers who paid
$50,000 each got their mon-
ey’s worth, she said, in
bonds.
The eminent!} kissable
Miss Turner was home from
a tour during which $ie sold
$5,250,000 worth of kisses
and securities. That’s a lot
of money, Miss Turner said.
Miss Turner said she had
given considerable thought
to the question: AA'hen a gen-
tleman pays $50,000 for a
bond and a kiss, has he got
his mind on investing his
money at three per cent?
“I sincerely hope the an-
swer is yes,” she said. "A
kiss at $50,000 really is pret-
ty expensive. Believe me,
it isn’t worth it.”
-v-
Divide Dedicates
New School Gym
Saturday Night
Open house will be heid Sat-
urday night at Divide Consoli-
dated school to dedicate the new
$10,000 rock gynasium and au-
ditorium completed this week to
replace a similar unit that was
destroyed by fire Oct. 23. 1941.
The get-together will be in-
formal, H. D. Norris, superinten-
dent, said this morning. No spe-
cial program has been planned,
hut musical selections will he
presented and impromptu talks
made. There will be no admis-
sion and the public is invited.
Constructed on the same foun-
dation that served the former
combined gymnasium and audi-
torium. the building is more
modern and convenient. It is SO
by 80 feet and is complete with
a stage, dressing rooms with
lockers and the acoustics has
been improved greatly. Seating
capacity on the solid built jn
bleachers is approximately 400.
Norris said. Chairs may he add- j
ed to seat many more people.
In the fire all folding chairs
were burned with the exception
of 85 that were salvaged.
The community built the gym-
nasium with a $10,000 bond is-
sue and with labor shortage and
frozen materials it has been un-
der construction since February.
No heating has been installed
due to systems being temporari-
ly frozen. Othewise it is ready
for use.
American Air Force
Counted On To Help
Turn The Tide
CAIRO. June 25 — ((UP) —
German Field Marshal Erwin
Rommel’s advance forces have
broken through it he British
frontier line and driven more
than 55 miles into Egypt, a mid*
die eastern command communi-
que said today.
The British frontier line has
been withdrawn from Solum, on
the coast, to the Sidi Barrani
area 20 miles to the southwest,
it was admitted.
Rommel’s steel clad army.jid-
i vancing at racing speed in hope
; of a quick glittering conquest,
: had smashed into the uncomplet-
| ed British line at its strongest
I point, it was indicated.
Led by three crack divi-
sions, two armored and one
light, the axis forces had
chosen a from from the
| See ROMMEL Page 7
-v-
Native Texan
! Named To Lead
; European AEF
AA'ASHINGTON, June 24 —
(UP) — The war department
1 announced today the establish-
ment of a “European theater of
[operations for United States for*
i ces.”
A war department communi-
que said Alaj. Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower, formerly assistant
j chief of staff in charge of the
I-war operations division, has
I been named commanding gener-
I al of the European theater, with
! headquarters in London,
i. Simultaneously the war de-
j partment released a statement
| by Gen. Eisenhower on his ar-
i rival in England saying “formal
| establishment of a European
: theatre is a logical step in co-
! ordinating the efforts of Great
Britain and the United States.”
Gen. Eisenhower was born in
Tyler, Tex., Oct. 14, 1890, attend-
ed the U. S. Military academy
and entered the army as a sec-
j ond lieutenant on June 12. 1915.
--v-
‘Timers* Credited
With Smashing
Four Jap Boats
CHUNGKING. June 25— (UP)'
—A central news agency dis-
patch reported that American
Volunteer fliers mtacked enemy
river concentrations south of
Hankow Tuesday, but a spokes-
man at AVG headquarters later
said nothing was known of the
reported raid. The central agen-
cy dispatch said the American
pilots destroyed three small en-
emy craft and disabled a Jap-
anese gunboat in a * surprise
i ^l. their first in the Hupeh
province.
The news agency ~uid the
American fliers engaged a force
of 21 Japanese fighter planes
after dropping their bomb loads
on the enemy shipping. At least
one enemy plane was. destroyed
and five probably were shot
down, the dispatch said.
Hankow, the principal city of
Central China, is GOO miles in-
land on the Yangtze river.
Weather Forecast
SAVEETAVATER — Tempera-
tures: higli yesterday, 98; low
today, 76: at 11:30 a. m. today,
89. Continued fair, not much
change in temperature, and in-
creasing winds.
AVEST TEXAS — Continued
warm this afternoon and to-
night. AVindy this afternoop in
the Panhandle, south plains and
El Paso area.
EAST TEXAS—Little temper-
ature change except cooler in
SEATTLE, AA'a.sh., June 25 —
for] (UP) — Japanese palnes sub-
jected Dutch Harbor to a “night-
mare» of bombing and mach-
ine gun strafing at dawn June
3 and met a terrific hail of an-
tiaircraft fire from defenders
who were expecting them, eva-
ueees from Unalaska said today.
Soldiers, sailors, construction j darted from pier to open sea and
workers and women and child- back again.
ren evacuated from the north
Pacific outpost have arrived at
Seattle and have told their stor-
ies of the first aerial attack on
North America in history and
the first blow in the battle still
raging in the bleak, foggy Aleu-
tian Islands. The 13th»naval dis
trict released their stories
publication.
bor. hi North Pacific waters. The
Passengers, many of them: population heard rumors that
caught asleep in their beds by caused uneasiness. A few day-
tile first wave of Japanese- ply- 'before the attack liquor stores
ms sai l they owed thoii- lives ! were dose!: blackouts more rig-
to an army anti aircraft batter.-.- idly enforced,
aboard the vessel. The gunners I Then, at 5:45 a. in. June 3.
brought down an enemy bomb- - the island was jarred by a ter-
er and two fighters as the ship ; rifit* burst of anti-aircraft fire.
The enemy planes had come.
Eyewitnesses estimated their
Men, women and children,
some with arms in slings and
heads bandaged, lined the rail-
ings and stood at port holes as
the ship, a former luxury liner,
docked.
The arrival was unannounced
and they looked in vain for
for | friendly faces in the handful of
1 officials and newspapermen.
Nineteen of the evacuees were ! Each person had his own sto-
the extreme northwest portion 1 removed front the army trails- j ry t f what happened to Unalas-
tonight. Scattered thundershow- i port to ambulances by stretcher, j ka Island 23 days ago. Some
ers in the lower Rio Grande
Valley this afternoon. Fresh to
strong winds 25 to 35 miles per
hour over the north portion and
fresh winds 16 to 22 miles per
hour over the south portion to-
day, diminishing tonight.
number at from 12 to 21.
(The navy has announced the
squadron consisted of four bom
bers and about 15 fighters.)
They arrived from different
directions, in groups of three.
They immediately encountered a
1 arrage of file from the blazing
guns aboard the transport and
ashore. The ship, which Japan-
ese pilots apparently believed to
be a United States war vessel
and later claimed to have been
The ship that brought
them through submarine-
infested waters of the north
lYcific herself participated
in the action and her gun
crews played. >1 valiant role
in the defense of Dutch Hat-
ka Island 23 days ago.
wouldn’t talk, but from those j sunk, found herself a prime tar-
who did canie this composite ! get
' story:
It was known to high authori-
| ties in Dutch Harbor and neigh-
] boring town of Unalaska that a
1 sizeable Japanese task force was
The planes dived for her,
braving heavy fire as they
loosed bombs estimated at from
500 to 2,000 pounds.
Tiie ship moved away from
shore. More bombs fell and al-
though some hit clcse enough to
shower decks with water, the
transport escaped a direct hit.
An enemy bomber, mean-
while, was bagged by the
ship’s gunners and fell with
a trail of smoke beyon-l the
bills luck of Dutch Harbor.
A Japanese fighter plane
staggered and plunged, flam-
ing, into the harbor. Anoth-
fell on land.
Most of the invaders still were
in the air and their marksman-
ship was accurate. They hit an
oil tank, blowing it 500 feet into
the air. They blasted warehouses
and barracks. Streets of Dutch
Harbor and Unalaska were ma-
chine-gunned.
Three sailors in a gun posi-
tion were killed by a direct hit.
A machine-gun bullet pierced
the hand of a young aviation
machinist and went on to kill
one of his buddies.
AVcmen and children were
hus'tled into cellars land dug-
outs and some were taken to a
secluded valley. AA’orkers for
the Siem-
Company,
navy base,
try.
Drake Puget Sound 1
contractor for the!
made for open coun- j
MacArthur \\ ires
Encouragement
To British Chief
MELBOURNE, June 25 —
(UP)—Gen. Douglas MacAr-
thur today cabled this mes-
sage of encouragement to
Gen. Sir Claude J. E. Aueh-
inieek, British commander-
in-chief in the Middle East.
“You can do it. You can
still fight your way
through. Remember AA'ell-
ington.’
The Duke of Wellington,
one of Britain’s most cel
ebrated military leaders, di
rected the final and crush
ing defeat of Napoleon’s ar-
my at Waterloo in June, 1815
Williams Resigns
His Principalship
on Williams' resignation, and
that “Williams is a good school
man. we'll miss.”
R. S. Covey, superintendent
Gerald E. AA'illiams. principal
of John H. Reagan junior high
school for six years, today an- j
nounced he has tendered his re-
signation to the Sweetwater I
school board.
AA’illiams. connected with the
John R. Lewis school for half
a year, was promoted to the
junior high school post on
the death of A. B AA'illiams,
Newman high school principal.
The Newman vacancy was fill-
ed by J. H. AA'illiams. who had
been principal of Reagan jun-
ior high.
AA’illiams, in resigning, said j
that he would continue as an etu- AVASHINGTON. June 25 —
ploye of the Texas Electric Ser-; (UP)—The war production board
vice Co., a position he has held today added Big Sprint’ and Fort
since school closed in May. | Stockton. Tex., to the defense
A. G. Lee, president of the house critical area list, making
Sweetwater school board, said them eligible for priorities on
the board had taken uo action building materials.
of city schools, is out of town
and could not be reached this
| morning.
Mr. and Mr-. AA'illiams have
been prominent in church cir-
i l ies, school activities and civic
See WILLIAMS Page 8
Big Spring Put
In Defense Zone
Upcoming Pages
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 280, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 25, 1942, newspaper, June 25, 1942; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth710189/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.