Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 296, Ed. 1 Tuesday, December 14, 1943 Page: 1 of 6
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Nazis Reinfora
IAST NAZI WEST BANK STRONGHOLD FALLS TO REDS
AMERICANS
J1AMPERED
Nazi May Wish
For Spent Reserves
LONDON — (*UP) — News of
lieutenant General Patton's mil-
itary tour of the Middle East
has sent Balkan invasion talk
skyrocketing to a new high.
All that is revealed by a Cairo
report is that the American Sev-
«(fith Army commander spent
three days inspecting strategic
military zones in the Middle
East. The only place specifical-
ly mentioned is Palestine. But
it is presumed that Patton, in
Jais swing, studied key defenses
Slid disposition of Allied forces
in the vital Middle East area.
That long has been a potential
springboard for the attack in
Europe from the South — a blow
heralded by the recent Tehran
'.♦inference.
Pointing up Patlon's move-
ment#, shrouded in military
secrecy, is a report that Ger-
many is rushing all avail-
able reinforcements to the
t Balkans.
And ;i United Press dispatch
from Switzerland quotes reliable
sources as saying air squadrons
ear-marked for Italy and materi-
al originally intended for the
•^Russian front have been divert-
ed to the Balkans.
Hitler's Balkan satellite of
Bulgaria is reported already in
a dilemna of unrest. And among
other reports of the troubled stlr-
, tings in the eastern Mediterran-
ean is a London newspaper dis-
patch quoting a Turkish diplo-
mat. The diplomat is said to
have stated flatly that Turkey
will enter the war in the near
future.
♦ Speak ins on the Tehran
conference today, British
Foreign Secretary Eden said
il makes certain a shortening
of tlie war.
Eden made his statement in
Apening a house of commons war
nebatii. .He declared -the confer-
ence also laid plans for main-
taining what he calls "the
"world's progress" after the
war.
Eden apologized for the ab-
sence of Prime Minister Chur-
chill.
Then Eden, fresh from the re-
cent Allied conferences, told
Commons:
Britain will throw all her re-
sources against Japan after Ger-
many's defeat.—and plans for t ho
overthrow of both are complete.
The Roosevelt-Churchill talks
with Turkey's president were
what Eden terms "encouraging."
t* Britain has sent a military mis-
sion to the Jugoslav partisans
anil is doing everything possible
See AMERICAN Page (I
Safety Council Warns
\'Against Using Candles
CHICAGO — (UP) — The Na-
tional Safety Council warns
against the use of Christmas
tree candles.
,a The council says lighting can-
Tiles is one of the most, danger-
ous holiday customs. The safety
group says that the shortage of
light bulbs and cords and the
conservation of electricity are
•"resulting in a heavy demand for
Kindles.
Weather Forecast
WEST TEXAS—Mostly clou-
dy with light snow in the Pan-
Aiandle and South Plains. Occas-
ion,! I rain and snow flurries in
the upper portion of the Pecos
Valley: occasional rain lower
portion of Pecos valley and Del
Rio-Eagle Pass area. Colder in
•>he Panhan 'le and South Plains
today and tonight. Temperatures
r, to 10 degrees in the Panhandle
and South Plains; It) to 15 de-
gree's in the upper portion of
the Pecos Valley: 15 to 20 in the
«^1 Paso area and the Big Ben I
ountrv, and freezing in the Del
Rio-Eagle Pass area. Fair in the
Panhandle, South Plains and
Pecos Valley. Generally clou-
dy elsewhere; snow flurries in
the El Paso area and occasional
P i in in the Del Rio-Eagle Pass
area tonight. Wednesday fair,
colder except in the Panhandle
and South Plains. Fresh to
strong winds diminishing early
h\Ve Inesday. Livestock warning.
SHOPPING \
DAY? LEFT-J
-TO FIGURE. OUT
sowrmiNo roa. j' .
M/vuor in me / rVv!
By JAMFXi HARPER
UP Commentator
The Red army is rolling again
west of Kiev.
For a month, the Germans
have been hammering the nose
of the southern front salient
with one counter-attack after an-
other. But" the Nazis apparently
have spent their strength. The
drum-lire blows have dwindled,
and the Soviets have swung to
the offensive. «
The Red army captured Kiev
November 5th, and the trans-
Dnieper salient ballooned west-
ward. The Russians rolled to
F'astov in the south, and west to
the rail centers of Zhitomir
and Korosten. The salient bel-
lied out too fast. Russian sup-
ply lines behind Kiev were
poor, with only one rail line
feeding through the city. On
the other hand, the Germans
were operating from good rail
centers at Brest-L'itovsk, Lem-
berk and Tarnopol, all less than
200 miles from the battlefield.
When tlie Russians struck
at Kiev, I he Germans —who
had not expected the thrust
until tlie one-thousand-foot
wide Dnieper froze over —
were rolling reinforcements
eastward to meet the attack.
It is these reserve divisions
that the Germans have been
expending at the rate of
one battalion a day for over
30 days.
The Germans knifed into the
Kiev swelling. They advanced
more than 30 miles all told. And
they re-took Zhitomir and Koro-
sten, thus re-opening their nor-
th-south rail lines. But the Rus-
sians — still 55 miles beyond
Kiev—are holding fast on a line
from Mai in to Fastov. The Ger-
man attacks are subsiding and
the Russians are moving ahead
again.
There were a number of valid
reasons for the desperate Ger-
man counter-attacks. In the first
See NAZI Page 5
High School Trio
Entertains Lions
Club Today Noon
The Sweetwater I.ions club
was entertained at noon today
by a high school trio, Jose-
phine Warner, Betty Trammell
and Billy Lou Townsend, who
sang a series of selections in
blackface and appropriate cos-
tumes.
Preston C. Lightfoot, Newman
high school principal, was pro-
gram chairman.
Carl Pratt and J. S. Huffman
were inducted as new members
of the club, Huffman as an as-
sociate member.
Bob Cooke, president, was in
charge.
Texan First Hellcat
Flier To Become Ace
ABOARD A U. S. AIRCRAFT
CARRIER OFF THE GILBERT
ISLANDS — (UP) — Lt. L. E.
"Tex" Harris or Brownwood,
; Texas, has become the first
member of his navy Hellcat figh-
ter squadron to qualify as an
; ace.
Harris bagged his fifth Jap-
' anese plane while en route to
Makin Island for an oarly-morn-
! ing pre invasion sweep. He is a
veteran of Pacific aerial war-
fare.
GUYPKFKI'IT ESTIMATE
AUSTIN' — (UP) — The
I'SDA crop reporting service
now estimates the state's citrus
crop at 17,200,000 boxes. This
estimate is for grapefruit.
West Texas' Leading City MM More Than 15,000 Reader*
Sweetwater Reporter
FLU WAVE IS
SPREADING TO
EAST, WEST
By I nited Press
The wave of influenza and
colds is spreading to the Hast
and West but appears to have
passed its peak in the Midwest-
ern states.
Health authorities predict that
colder weather will help check
the contagion.
The disease is reaching epi-
demic proportions in some east-
ern cities. And western states
report growing absenteeism in
schools and war plants.
A Washington. !;. ('., physician
estimates that _'() per cent of
the congressmen have contract-
ed influenza or a respiratory vi-
rus infection. Some 100-thous-
and cases are recorded in the
city and four deaths have re-
sulted.
About 20 per cent of Philadel-
phia's population is suffering
from the" flu, and health author-
ities have recommended cancel-
lation of ail public gatherings.
In Massachusetts, four private
schools closed a week early for
Christmas holidays because of
the prevalence of flu.
Birmingham, Alabama, offi-
cials estimate that 30 per cent
of the city's adult population has
had the flu during the present
I seige. Eight per cent of the
I school children are absent.
in the West, motion picture
! production has slowed to a stand-
still as Hollywood's stars, direc-
tors ;>nd technicir.ns take to their
beds or enter hospitals for treat-
ment..
Flu is widespread but mild in
Utah. School absences range I
from 10 to 25 per cent, with ;
about 10 per cent of the teach-
ers affected.
Oklahoma City reports 25 per j
cent, of its school children all- i
sent. And Dallas authorities es-'
timate that 15 per cent of its!
See FLU Page 5
BUY IT IN SWEETWATER
"West Texas' Leading Newspaper"
46th Year
Sv/eetwater, Texas, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 1943
DEDICATED TO SERVICE
Number 296
David H. Hopkins
Gets Commission,
Wings In USAAF
Second Lt. David H. Hopkins
I son of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. W.
i Hopkins, of Rural Rt. 1, Sweet-
j water, today was a member of
I the thirteenth and second larg-
, est graduation class of B-2-1, Lib-
J erator bomber pilots to graduate
j from the AAF Pilot School at
Fort Worth Army Air Field. The
! roster included flying officers
from 37 states and the District of
| Columbia, 'Texas taking repre-
sentation honors with 25 poten-
| tial Axis busters.
| Lt. Hopkins,' 24, received his
I pre fonr-engine-bomber training
i at Sikeston, Mo., Independence,
I Kans., and Frederick, Okla.
The nine week course at Tex-
as' only Liberator pilot school
; entails every phase of servicing
f and flying the giant bombers
j that are making aerial history in
j every theater of war. Function-
I ing on an around-the-clock sche-
j duie, the specialized four-engine
j school curriculum includes many
| liours of ground school, combin-
I ed with a brisk athletic program,
| and long, cross-country naviga-
tion flights under every type of
weather condition and altitude.
When the graduate pilot re-
ceives his certificate attesting his
mastery of the 28-ton sky giants,
he receives immediate assign-
ment as a Liberator flight in-
structor, or is sent to a tactical
unit for final, pre-combat train-
ing.
Wm&.m
mmm
y - '
FA9MS NEED
28/r000 MEN
JONES SAYS
AXIS LOSSES
BELIEVED BIG;
SMELA NEXT
MOSCOW —(UP) — A trium-
I phant Red army has captured
| the last. German stronghold on
I the west bank of Russia's low-
i er Dnieper river.
The Germans themselves an-
i nounce that Nazi troops aband-
oned the railway and industrial
! city of Cherkassy last night.
And now, the big Russian vic-
tory has been confirmed official-
] ly in a special order of the day
j by Premier Stalin. The announ-
i cement says Cherkassy was
! stormed and captured by Gen-
! eral Konev's Ukrainian army.
WASHINGTON — (LP) —
War Food Administrator Mar-
vin Jones estimate-; that Am
; erii-an farms will need 287,000
| more agricultural workers to
j meet, the nation's 101' war food.
: production goals.
He has urged the house ap-
1 propriations committee to ap-
prove an appropriation to in-
; crease substantially the land
! army which served to tide the
' farmer through the 1943 season.
I The committee, however, has
| returned to a sub-committee
| for revision a bill appropriating
funds for the 1044 farm labor
! program. The full committee
; was unable to agree on a pro-
| posal in the measure which
would have removed ail juris-
! See FARM Page 0
ATTACK ON I . S. (AKIMFK SIM-ILLS DOOM I"OK JAP PLANKS — \ flaming Jap torpedo
plane, plunging to its doom, the \ i<*tius of accurate anti-nirei alt fin- from ;i I*. S. Pacific Fleet
carrier, is shown in the lop portion of tills photo. The plane is one «>1 i\ enemy planes that
were shot down when (hey attempted to hit a I . S. currier. Bottom portion shows a Jap plane's
watery grave marked by a column of smoke alter attempting to hit the I . S. carrier. This ac-
tion took place when the U. S. Pacific Fleet at'acked the Jap-held Marshall Islands on Decem-
ber 4th, when 72 enemy planes were downed. :i American destroyer can tie seen at the left
of tile smoke. (Official F. S. N try photo from N KA Telephoto).
City Tax Payments
Reach 24 Per Cent
Of Total Rolls
Payments of city taxes have
| been gratifying W, H. Whalev,
• city comptroller said today. Oom-
j paring this year's 'cbliectioris
i with those of last year for Oeto-
: ber and November, 24 per cent
: of the total rolls have been col*
I lected.
The rate having been lowered
1 from SI.70 to $1.65 this year, less
i money has been collected, but
I the percentage remains the same.
Payments to date this year
; total $31,936 as compared to
| $34,220 last year for the period.
City taxes may be split in two
! equal payments, the first due
: on or before Jan. 31, and the
i remainder before July 31.
The battle for Cherkassy
has been raging savagely
since early October when
the Russians first swarmed ..
across the half-inile*w1de
Dnieper and carved out brid-
geheads above anil below
the Citadel.
Early in the fight, Soviet for-
ces half-encircled Cherkassy.
Then, just one week ago, fieid
dispatches reported that the last
link isolating the German garri-
son at Cherkassy from the rest
of the front had been forged.
These front reports added that
all enemy attempts to break the
ring, both from within and with-
out. had failed.
Time and again, street fight-
ing has raged in the city. And
at one time the Nazis admitted
See AXIS Page 6
Stevenson Undecided
On Special Session
Police Arrest Suspect
Before They Hear
About Crime
ZSSJLU***- rUV, (JatiHS-
: police seem to be working on in-
tuition these days.
And this time it paid off.
Last night they arrested a
suspect before they heard about
l the crime.
The su.-pect turned out to be
Frank Ceili. escaped Galveston
convict noted for his numerous
breaks from Texas prison farms.
Shortly after arresting Celli on
suspicions, tlie police heard from
the sheriff's office a description
of a person who had taken
$85 from a Dallas cafe.
The description fitted Celli. His
latest prison break was from the
Retrieve prison farm on Decem-
i ber 4th.
We're Climbing Thru Ropes
For Main Pacific Bout"Knox
AUSTIN — (UP) — Governor
Stevenson says he cannot say
now whether he will call a spe-
cial session of the Texas legisla-
ture to facilitate soldier-voting
if the present congressional plan
of referring the matter to the
states is adopted. .
Governor Stevenson has said I °* service to the Allies
State Department Lacks
Enthusiasm For Carol
MEXICO CITY — (UP)—The
current publicity campaign of
ex-King Carol of Rumania—now
in exile in Mexico—is not moti-
vated by a desire to live in the
United States, but merelv to be
WASHINGTON — (CP) —
Navy Secretary Knox says the ;
Allied heavyweight of war now j
is climbing through the ropes j
for the main event in the Pacific.
The preliminaries, says Knox j
are over. And soon, our forccs i
will be in there handing out |
big blows that will end in a
knockout of the .Taps.
The navy secretary says we |
are getting stronger and strong-
er in the Pacific theater — that
the operations of our combined
sea, air and land forces have
been going forward in a very
satisfactory way.
And then he adds:
"We now have the equip-
ment find trained men to do
a complete'job."
Knox explains the strategy be-
hind the preliminary moves
we've been making in the South
Pacific.
"It is perfectly obvious now,"
na\ \
under
ba-
the war
complete
Japanesi
sitm.t ion
( onlrol.-'
There is little fresh news
from the actual Pacific fighting
fronts. American Liberators
hit. the .Tap-held Marshall Is-
lands again Sun lay with a 50-
ton attack.
On Bougainville Island, our
plane forces supported Ameri-
can ground forces at Empress
Augusta Bay with 175 individual
plane attacks on Jap positions.
Australian forces on the Hu-
on peninsula of New Guinea
scored another two-mile advance
paced by their Matilda tanks.
And on the Asiatic mainland,
American Liberator bombers
struck twice at the Jap base of
Hankow, and again at the Hanoi
rail yards in French Indo-China.
Dead Bear Comes Alive And Proves
Himself Cut-Up; Hunters Are Sorry
^CtmmSeifs
BROCKWAY, Pa. — (UP)
Here's a story about three hunt-
ers th;it bagged a bear without
firing n shot, and then were sor-
ry they had even seen the crit-
ter.
The hunters were driving back
to camp after hunting all day
when the car in which they were
riding struck a bear that was
crossing the road. The men haul-
ed bruin into the car and pro-
ceeded on their way, happy
about their catch.
But the bear came to a few
minutes later. The man who was
sitting next to him in the back
seat broke all records for jump-
ing out of an automobile. His
companions followed him. They
stopped only long enough to lock
the bear in the car.
While the hunters were dis-
cussing what to do about their
catch, the trapped bear proved
himself to he a cut-up by rip-
ping the upholstery in the car.
The hunters finally lured him
out of the oar and shot him.
The final results: The uphols-
tery was ripped: one rear tire
and one gas tank were ruined
by bullet holes; the insurance
company refused to pay for the
damage, and—to top it off — the
game warden charged the trio
with killing a bcar,out of sea-
son.
Dismissed Director
Is Rebuked By Law
HOUSTON — (UP) — A dis-
missed director of the Texas Ex-
tension service has drawn a
smarting rebuke from K. M. Law .
chairman of the Texas A. A: M
college board.
He is George A. Adams and
is reported to have said that he
was discharged from the exten-
sion division because he was not
a graduate of Texas A. and M.
Of this statement Law said:
"All I can say is—if he made
that statement, it's silly."
Adams had served some 24
years on the A. and M. Exten-
sion Service and was recently
dismissed.
says the .secretary "that what
sci med to be only nibbling, was
carried on with the purpose of J
progressive^ decimating the
enemy's air and surface.
st length."
Then Knox points out a rather \
lit usual angle -that the Japs
actually have been helping us
carry 6ut our strategy of pre
liminary attrition. Instead ol
sending really powerful forces
against us, the enemy has sent
small task forces. One by one.
these enemy forccs have been
overwhelmed. Thus, Knox says,
the Allies have been able to nip
• rr very important elements of
the Japanese fleet piecemeal.
1ii( idi lit.•!!>-, too Japs
have suddenly abandoned
their propaganda claims ol
victory. For the first time,
Tokyo has told the Japanese
people of the loss of the
Gilbert Islands. And it adds:
"It cannot be said that the
Five Texans Among
Latest Class Cf
Avenger Trainees
Five Texan arc among the
latest class of WASP trainees to
niter flying training at Aveng-
er Field.
They are Marie If. Adler cf
1'erclair, l.cta Jane Brownfield
of Brownfield. Mary J. Cummins
of Taft, Muriel V. Kicster. I.a
I'eria, and Jacqueline Hart
Twitche"11 of Dallas.
Mrs. Twitched was the first.
girl to work on engine run-up as ,
a flight ramp inspector of North i no fault of their own, are
American AT G "Texans" which tints of circumstance.
she is scheduled to fly when ■ Mrs. S. O. Herring, who di-
Sce FIVE TEXANS Page 5 i rects the city-county welfare of-
he is in favor of soldier-voting. ;
However, ho points out several |
difficulties to soldier-voting in ■
Texas.
He says one difficulty would
be of receiving the soldier vote i
in the first primary in time to \
canvass the result and determine
the rival candidates in the sec-
ond primary.
There would be a difficulty al-
so in getting second primary bal-
lots out to the soldiers in time
for them to vote in the run-off,
he says.
Stevenson says also that the
poll tax requirement on Texas
voting seems to be the greatest
legal barrier. This could be cured
by a special session but Steven-
| son says there is no data avail-
' able on how many of the sold
iers already have paid their
i poll taxes. Those who have paid
This is what his publicity ag-
ent—Russell Birdwell of New
York—has told Mexican and for-
eign newsmen.
Birdwell says that Carol feels
he can be of service to the Unit-
ed Nations because of his knowl-
edge of Balkan affairs and he is
ready to put his knowledge at
the disposal of the United States
State Department whenever it.
wants it.
However, Birdwell admits that
the state department had not
shown much eagerness yet to
avail itself of Carol's services.
7 7 War Workers Killed
In Trailer-Bus Crash
BATH. New York—(UP)—Ele-
ven war workers have been
killed in the crash of a bus with
a trailer truck half way he-
property taxes have had to in- j tween Bath and Corning, New
elude the poll tax.
There Still Are Needy Folks in Sweetwater
Whose Christmas Will Be Scant Without Aid
While mativ Sweetwater rest
j
I dents are feeling the wounds of
i war, they still are unselfishly
I contributing generously to or-
; sanitations that rescue people
i from many unpleasant condi-
. lions; One of those is Sweetwa-
ter's needy families for whien
Goo-leilows are asking dona-
tions.
Setting no specific goal this
year, Goodfellovvs ask everyone
to donate enough so that baskets
of food may be given, along
with a toy being mended by Ace
Vorgay's firemen. to bring
Christmas to the doorsteps of a
group of families who, through
vic-
fice, has fewer people who need 1
help this year, but those on her '
rolls are in need as badly as ev- j
er.
One widow, who is desperate- j
ly making an effort to keep her j
five children in school ,lives in t
a two-room-frame, where she j
washes to support her family. !
Children are 6, S, 10, 12 and 15. ;
The eldest, a girl, assists her i
mother when she is home from j
school.
Another widow, a semi-inval
id, has an invalid daughter
York.
The bus overturned and caught,
fire, and the victims were trap-
ped in the flaming wreckage.
At least eight other persons
were taken to hospitals suffer-
ing injuries. The bus was mak-
ing a daily passenger run with
the war workers when the acci-
dent occurred.
Texas Resources Drained
By Other States—Rainey
HOUSTON — (UP) — Other
states have not only drained Tex-
| as of its natural resources, but.
: its scientific and intellectual re-
' sources as well.
That is what Dr. Homer Price
i Rainey—President of the Uni-
versity of Texas—told graduat-
ing seniors of Texas College of
There is no income. It is only Dentistrv in Houston.
through the welfare agency thai , pr. Rainey called for continued
they exist, lt is homes like these ; development of vocational, sci-
that dollars can be used to the
best Christmas advantage.
Donations may lie mailed to
Charles Paxton or left at the
Reporter.
entific and intellectual training
within the state.
Most of the new graduates
were immediately commissioned
into the armed services.
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 296, Ed. 1 Tuesday, December 14, 1943, newspaper, December 14, 1943; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth282797/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.