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The Brussels Post, 1943-1-13, Page 3SWASTIKA, SWATTED Swift thrusts by allied bombers knocked these Afrika Korps planes out of the fight before they had a chance to take to the air and counter attack. Then the British 8th' Army .advanced so swiftly It had no time to clear littered wreckage from Benina Airfield, near Benghazi. Life Of Contrasts Found In Desert By De Witt Mackenzie In • • Christian Science Monitor I am writing from au inhospit- able zone in Libya which each day is baited by a merciless sun. Yet I'm wearing British battle dress, which is made of extremely heavy wool and buttons right to the chin. Underneath this load 1 have a wool jersey, and I would give a good deal right now for an overcoat. Tonight I shall all but freeze in my bed•an the ground despite woolen pajamas, an eiderdown sleeping hag, several wool blank- ets, and a raincoat piled on top. In the desert, oceans of sand stretch away to blazing horizons. Out of this waste will arise the dread sandstorms. Yet those are tithes when the desert is most. attractive. In the spring the air Is balmy and this normally arid region produces a great variety of lovely flowers. Daisies and Buttercups This is winter, but yesterday, on a hillside where sand grudgingly gives way to determined bits of grass and shrubs, I picked white daisies and buttercups, which re- minded me of my own hills In Ver- mont., Queer specimens of manila', ser- pent, and insect life move about. I rubbed my eyes with amaze - meat when I encountered a gray coated kangaroo about six lnaltes tall Fie had big hind legs for jumping and absurd little front arms. His tall was long, with a bush at the end, and he had a • handsome pair of butterfly ears. ht was a kangaroo rat. Actually, while this war theatre is generally referred to broadly as "the desert," 11 is not by any • means all drifting sand. There are many stretches of higher ground which produce shrubs and some grass. Then there is a consider - table belt of fertile land which ex- tends roughly from the attractive seaport of Berns, westward to Ben- gas!. There are further green je- bels and wades—hills and gorges. —interspersed with desert clear to Ta•tpoll. The country surrounding Ell Aphelia' is pure desert. Winter in the desert extends front November to April, and there 1s much rain. In December and January the temperatures drop to freezing, and It is particularly cold on top of the great escarp- ments which rise abruptly out of the desert floor. These tablelands figure largely in thefighting, be- cause they afford natural d.efensee. Summer Is Hot Summer is the dhy, hot season, Then temperatures soar to maybe 120, degrees or more Fahrenheit in theoretical' shade, with soil thin, peratures (much higher. I have seen ,the soil temperature on the Sinai • Peninsula oast of the Suez .0ana1 nit about t75 -and that's: hot, Beginning the middle of March the. hot, So;ttheast wind known as the ilhamsiu bioWs periodically. Over a period of 50 days, This is one of the great trials offighting loan, tor it IS. like a blast from a furnace. The Kllamsin ,fregaatttl)• is so leaden with sand that you can't' Bea'throdgh it. The Iro,:ps,. broadly speaking, name in Lents and la'ucks. Ali equipment is, reduced Io the 7010I- mtnn because of - the problem of transport rind it should not be fm' - gotten that this is 'a battle of transport, The trek from Cairo to 351 Ag - is 1,500 ,miles or more. There is only 000 main road and that is the miiitary highway skirling tine Mediterranean. - This 511411 (rection of transport Ls linked insepartubly with I:be greatest hardship of a soldier, be he Allied or Axis, and that is the scarcity of water in n land where )nen sweet. and Acquire thirst. - Camp sites generally are based ea Some water Doha, These are frequent but many of them dry up le the summer. Where there is good water, it .generally is not abundant. Army Carries Tanks "Bach unit has its huge water tanks which travel with the ad- vance. Indeed, every vehicle car- ries water and he is an unhappy soldier who•has an empty canteen on his hip.. In the present drive, the Bri- tish have chased the enemy so fast that some of the Allied troops have had to make their water bot- tles do two or three days for all purposes. That means about a quart of water. You 'would be sur- prised how far you can make halt a teacup of water go if you .must. Nevertheless, the desert has many real attractions. This time of year there is much delightful weather. The air has a bracing tang and for days on end there's a pleasant warmth In the mid-day sun. On the whole, the desert is healthful enough despite its hard- ships. British and American troops appear to be extremely well. They are, of course, out in the open all day and they are early to .bed when there is no fighting. . Camps must observe rigid black- out rules lest- the enemy see a light and drop bombs. It 1e dark before 6 p.nt. those days ' and this means that the boys are in bed by 8 o'clock or so. There's nothing to do but sleep when you can't have Lights that are good enough to read or work by. Cats A Necessity In Lumber Camps Useful In Keeping Rats and Mice Under Control The common house cat Is a mighty useful member of society if treated right and kept in its place. And one of the places where Tabby is most useful Is around the big lumber camps -. in the North country. In forested areas, where the lumbering industry is now at its height, a number of well-fed cats are considered necessary to keep the rats and nice down. Rats are attracted to the woods' camps by the quantities of grain kept for the horses and by the garbage to which they can gain easy ac- cess. Mice, likewise, find the camps a paradise and without the cats would increase beyond all bounds. So the cooks and camp manag- ers look upon the 'eats as almost a part of the large craws necessary to keep the job running smoothly. Not pampered but well fed and housed in the barns and shanties, the cats ,grow sleek and fat and have thick coats of fur against the severe weather of the northern winters- Although located in the • depths of the forests, these oats don't do much prowling around and catching birds and game, for they are too well fled. A. good lumberman will never abandon his oats when the job is finished, leav- ing them to Stunt a,nd become wild eats, a menace to game and bird. i THIS CUR OUS WORLD By William Ferguson 1 .6OME DA`/ THE CANADIAN' BRANCH OF NIAGARA FALLS WILL CUT AROUND BEHIND GOAT ISLAND AND STEAL THE WATER THAT NOW GOES OVER THE AMERICAN FALLS...L6AV//VG 7/1/0' AM6�e/GAN S/ 3d 8CIME ORY. COM 194195 NSA 6e01941: INS. @s THIS SOLPIER- AT THE P051T0N.. AGd4RAdIERAC 7GA/L ARMS; CR.4ae A.M.% 00. 5-50 7g2, EARTH IS STRUCK BY Z Cart-4114s1Eel3Cr ON AN AVERAGE oP' ,a7. -7-Y 7YM ES S.Ec'C. 40./ AU a-� T: gy U. e. PAT. OFF, ANEWEIRt Pared/ rest. NEXT: Should the flag maw :dower at sunset? "Wise Oki Owl" Is Stupid Bird Doesn't Know Enough To Build His 'Own Home • Since the days of ancient Greek mythology, the 0)51 has been r0- garcled as the -wisest of birds, but now it seems that this is only one more of those old-time, beliefs which have stood .the test of time for centuries, only to be disproved by the - findings of 20111 century science, writes The St, Thomas Tithes -Journal. It is now reported that behind his huge round un- blinking eyes the owl hides one of the most meagre 1•Q.'e possess- ed by any bird. Iie is a bird moron whowouldrate very low in a test of what -every -bird -ought -to - know. The wise old owl of Old does not know enough to build a home 00 hie own, as most species have to use an old squirrel or wood- pecker hole or a prairie dog's bur- row. At the best, an owl's nest is ]lever any more titan a loose platform of sticks. He rarely knows enough to get out of the way of the shooter, whereas the orow, -for Instance, under similar circum- stances, Is very difficult to shoot. Bolts Mice Whole But perhaps the owl's biggest imprudence, the habit that dis- claims more than anything else his prerogative to the, title of "wise," is his manner of eating. The owl never seems to learn that he can- not bolt ]tis mice whole, despite the fact that he suffers terrible attacks of indigestion at every meal. The owl.insists on bolting his mice down practically whole, while the hawks and shrikes are wise enough to tear theirs: apart into 'comfortable mouthfuls: After digestion begins, all of these birds of prey disgorge the fur and bones back up through the throat in the form of pellets. They get mildly "sick to their stomach" in the pro- cess, but the owl's eating manners cause him to become sicker than the others. When the hunting is good, the owl suffers indigestion at least once a day, simply because he is too ignorant to learn lessons from experience. The fellow who first said that the owl was a wise old bird just didn't know what he was talking about. Signals Service Enlists Pigeons Thousands of Birds Serve With Royal Air Force The pigeons are at war again, and their role is even more ardu- ous than it was in 1914-18. In those days they were mainly mili- tary; now we are hearing of the cherubs who sit up aloft, the "homers" of the R.A.F. They may get an unexpected name as night flyers. At least twice recently pigeons released after dark arrived next morning at their lofts with messages- from aircraft about to )take a forced landing. There are thousands of birds, swift and reliable, in the signals service of the Air Force, Pigeons are in the crews of all bombers and reconnaissance craft which operate over the seas around Britain. If a machine is forced down, or the radio falls, a carrier pigeon and its message may prove to be the sole link with the base, Trained To .Sea Flying Experts in the Signals Direc.• -.borate of the Air Ministry eon• trol the birds. The Racing Pigeon Service, a committee of leading fanciers, helps thousands of people to place their pigeons at. the disposal of the nation. Owing to the greater speed and range of modern aircraft the pigeons' task in this war is harder than it used to be. They are trained first to become used to sea flying. Experienced birds peep their wings closed and do• a "dead drop" until they are clear of the slip -stream from the air- crews. Then, opening their wings, they fly around twice or thrice and make for home. The Army Carrier Pigeon Ser- vice is also continuously on duty, and several hundred homing pig - 0011s, in training as messengers for the' U. S. Army, are being accustomed to battle conditions by aeroplanes which dive at them and crackers which explode near at hand. RADIO REPORTER REX FROST "The Market Basket I Under most promising young artist, had this intriguing title a - new and no easy task on their hands. But valuable series of broadcasts gets ono personality did shine out, one under way in the New Year. soprano voice rang clear and Every Thursday evening 10.15 to sweet ... Gwen Lambert, petite 10.30 that familiar and cheery brunette of Newmarket, captured personality of Mrs. II. M. Aitken, the hearts and imagination of whose chase -the -blues -away pro- tenors and judges alike. So it's grammes you hear every Monday orchids to 23 -year-old Gwen, who . through Friday 10.30 to 10,45 commenced her professional radio a.m. will bring to listeners career with CFRB last New Year's throughout the , province, •a Guide Eve. It has always been an ambi to Buying ---helpful hints with an tion of Gwen Lamberts: to hit the eye -on current food values and airwaves. She has been studying shortages. How to keep the busy singing for several years and since war working family healthy, well commencement of the war has fed and adequately clothed -- gladdened the eyes and ears of how to make goods go further and soldiers in various camps through last longer — how and when to out the province, with sparkling use substitutes , . , these aro the songs, But Gwen has also taken good things Mrs, Aitken's weekly on another war responsibility, she Market Basket will contain. And has taken over duties in a New - incidentally, the programme is to market branch bank for the dura - be an evening feature because it tion, and so helping out on the is recognized that it has appeal manpower shortage problem be - and interest equally to men and tween singing lessons and army women . As Mrs. Aitken her- concerts. We wish her lots of self says, "While the men earn Good Luck and a happy, success - the money, it's the womenfolk ful radio career. Incidentally, the who spend it, thus the household Ontrrio Caravan gets rolling budget is definitely a mutual around the province again pa,- affair" . The first broadcasts mediately searching for new tat- in this new series will give use- ent and another award winner. fel pointers on the buying, con- Galt and Huntsville are already serving and cooking use of those en the January schedule. much discussed food items, meat, " butter and shortening. There's Recently the CBC newsroom an interesting background to The distinguished itself by making the Market Basket you'll like to know first release to the public ,of the about. Mrs. Aitken is donating news of the landing of American her time and services and Radio troops in Nortit Africa, within a Station CFRB is donating the matter of seconds after the state - time making the series a war- ment had been released in Wash - time gift and service to Ontario ington, • The CBC also had. an - listeners. Knowing the sparkle other scoop to its credit a few and interest Mrs, Aitken spins days ago. The CBC listening into all•her work, we suggest you post Ottawa, which snakes a point make a point of dipping into The of tuning in foreign broadcasts Market Basket every Thursday and reporting outstanding news 10.16 to 10.30 • p.m. over CFRB. items to ' the central newsroom, * * * were tuned in to Dakar Radio in "Rolling the countryside in Western Africa, and apparently search of new voices — new tai- was tuned in to Dakar Radio in ent" ... that is the phrase many North America to learn that of you will have heard over the Dakar and all French West CFRB airwaves Thursday eve- Africa had officially: come over nings 9 to 9.30 during the On- to the United Nations. An alert tario Caravan broadcasts. Judges editor put the news on as a flash who were called Upon to decide over the CBC national network the winner of the three months' half an hour before the announce - professional contract, an aware] anent carne from any other source offered by the Caravan to LEO in North America. Good work! STAR DANCER HORIZONTAL 1 Star of a famous group of dancers. 12 Doctor (abbr,) 13 Edible fungus, 14 More acid. 16 Brim. 17 Banquets. 19 Concise, 20 Advertise-. ment. 21 Destructive insect.. 231Roosts, 49 Local 24 Jumbled type. positions. 25 Clearing out. 51 Eighth ounce, 27 Dry. 53 Rajah's Wife. 28 Print measure, 55 Small 29 Acts of selling, depressions. 31 Dutch (abbr.). 57 Mooley apple. 33 Groans. 58 Coral.islands. 35 You. 65 To sully, 37 Natural 62 Neuter power. pronoun, 39 Surgical toot 63 She 41 Ream (abbx;). ' popularized :43 Greaser. — dancing, 46 Burden. 64 She started a 47 Hundredth of 'school of Answer to Previous Puzzle ©E©©RIE ERNE5T ,cool. 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