Thoughtfully curated historical journalism
“Nothing Can Stop Us”
NEW YORK, Oct. 26.—Tokio correspondent of the New York Times says that, addressing 200 higher officials at Osaka, the Japanese Prime Minister (General Tojo) said:—
“With the world environment changing so quickly, we cannot tell what is in store for us at any minute, but the Empire stands solemnly on the national policy which has been reiterated time and again.
Are German seaplanes engaged in laying mines or acting as supply columns to some of their U-boats?
The movements of Nazi planes over the North Sea during the last few days suggest that this may be the case and it is generally admitted both by naval and air experts that the plan is feasible.
The German submarine U570, captured in August 1941, has since been carrying out patrols under the White Ensign, manned by a specially selected and specially trained crew of the Royal Navy’s submarine service. The particular object of her patrols was to seek out, and, if possible, destroy craft of her own kind.
SINCE Tuesday the House of Commons has been debating war production, and the statements make disquieting reading for the public.
It is perfectly obvious that our organisation is far from being satisfactory, and it is equally clear that after twenty-two months of war we are a long way from achieving full and efficient production.
By REAR-ADMIRAL E. L. COCHRANE, USN, Chief of the Bureau of Ships
By first punching the foe off balance and now smashing his last holds on the ocean, our aircraft carriers have proved modern speeders of Victory. Here “Buships” chief details how we’ve come from a mere seven to more than a hundred of these sky-sweepers.
December 7, 1941, the United States had on hand seven full-sized carriers, the Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger, Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp, and the Hornet, also the small escort carrier, Long Island. Of these the Lexington, Yorktown, Wasp, and Hornet have since been lost. For every one of those veterans lost, however, there has been built and are now at sea, nearly 30 replacements (including the escort carriers transferred to our allies).
In the two and a half years since Pearl Harbor, the number of carriers on hand (excluding the 38 transferred by lendlease to the British) has been increased to 90. totaling more than 1,400,000 tons. During this same period the combatant vessels of our Navy in all categories have more than tripled — going from 345 vessels, totaling 1,382,755 tons, to 1071 units, totaling 3,434,762 tons.
With the outbreak of war and following the heavy carrier losses in 1942. the desperate need for carrier strength in the Pacific and the growing demands for fighter transports pushed six vessels of the aircraft carrier program into top priority. With first call on the nation’s scarce materials and components, the inauguration of shift work, and the seven-day week, actual completions surpassed even the most optimistic forecasts.
“Superman,” the plane—not the bird or the radio hero of Mutuals afternoon serial—is now riding the air waves over Germany. A Boeing Flying Fortress, member of the famous Eighth Army Air Force which has its base in England, has been named “Superman,” in honor of the fabled radio character.
Letters from friends mean much to all of us. Some people have a knack for writing interesting letters. The following quotations are from a letter from a man in the service. You may be interested in some of the things he writes:
“As we near our rendevous with destiny many of us especially we older ones often get together in informal yet searching gab-fests and bull sessions.
“What we’re fighting for can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. But to us of the Combat Team, though we may express it in many ways, we are fighting for victory for our United States and the United Nations; we are fighting to assure ourselves, our loved ones, and our posterity the right to live in these United States in peace, security and dignity. We are fighting to justify the faith and confidence which other Americans have in us, a faith which enabled them to withstand ostracism, criticism, and ridicule, and sometimes even threats of violence.
The Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, “the most decorated unit in U. S. military history,” has received 1002 decorations and more than 4000 Purple Hearts, as of 7 Aug. 1945, according to the organization’s record. On 17 Sept., the unofficial figure for decorations was listed at 1,580, exclusive of Purple Hearts.
With the Fifth Army, Italy
Pfc. Frank T. Harada recently was awarded the distinguished unit badge for his part in three battles in which he fought as a member of the 2nd battalion of the 442nd Japanese American combat team.
The battalion was given the distinguished unit citation for out standing performance of duty in one battle on the Fifth army front in Italy and two battles in France. Each member is entitled, by virtue of the citation, to wear the blue and gold badge on the right breast.
In the first action cited, the battalion took a hill dominating important supply routes running through Alsace into Germany. Protected by dense minefields, the hill was defended by three German tanks and many self-propelled guns, mortars, machineguns and other automatic weapons and small arms. More than six enemy machineguns were silenced. An enemy command post and considerable quantities of German equipment were seized, 125 Germans were killed, and 20 were captured.
Gen. Eisenhower announced that the air-borne landings in Holland were “going well” in this latest blow, a blow which might break the back of German resistance strained by the piling up demands of many fronts.
“One of the greatest air-borne operations in military history,” as it was described by Lt. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton, commander of the 1st Air Army, was said by the Germans to be centered at Nijmegen, only about 3 miles from the Dutch-German border and 12 miles northwest of Kleve, where the Siegfried Line is reported to end.
Other landings were reported by the enemy radio at Arnhem, 10 miles north of Nijmegen, where a bridge head would have been established across the famous water barriers of Holland—the Waal River and the Neder Ryn (Rhine).