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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1942-11-05, Page 6PAGB SIX New Highway Open To Alaska One of the present war's most im- portant fronts has not yet seen Axis troops, It is far inland on the North American continent, 1,200 miles long and stretches from DawSou' "Creek, British Columbia, to Fairbanks, Al- aska. It is commanded by Brigadier General William Morris Hodge of the United States Army, More than 26,000 men were engaged. It recent-.. ly had front page attention when the first truck travelled the entire length of the new highway, This front is the Alaska Road—the most gigantic road building project ever undertaken. Although few realize it, ,Alaska to all intents and purposes is an island. It is cut off by mountains, forests and swamps, just as Midway and, Hawaii are cut off by the sea. Up to now it was accessible only by air and water. There was no rail or road to this vast outpost and under sustained attack it could be isolated almost as easily as Bataan, When ships were sorely needed elsewhere almost all supplies and personnel had to be sent to Alaska by sea. With the road completed to Alaska, untold quantities of supplies can be sent overland to strategic points. The "northern anchor of Americas ramparts in the Pacific"' is of trem- endous importance both defensively and offensively. Military strategists have long regarded it as the Achilles heel of the North American contin- ent. The late General Billy Mitchell, prophet of air power, once said "he who holds Alaska, holds the world." Defensively Alaska is the front line of the great Northwest. It flanles any effort of the enemy to attack Vancouver, Seattle, or SanFrancisco. ' Kodiac, in Alaska, is only 1,450 miles from Seattle and Ditch 'Harbor is closer to SanFrancisco than Pearl Harbor. As long as Alaska is held, the great Northwest can be spared from a major attack. If it falls, Wes- tern Canada and the Pacific coast cities are in immediate danger. Offensively, it is the spearhead of a northern attack on Japan. The Al- eutian Islands reach out towards Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula which may serve as a springboard the moment Russia joins the. United Nations' in the war' against the Nipponese. A glance at a globe reveals clearly the shorter distances in the Arctic' regions. With the development of air power and global warfare, Alaska soon may become the crossroads of the world, and perhaps the lastbest, route to the battlegrounds of China, India and Russia. The new highway known as the "prairie route" follows the already existing air fields and the Great Circle east of the Rockies. It stretches from Dawson Creek to Ft. St. John, to Watson Lake, across the Continental Divide to Whitehourse, the headwaters of the Yukon, and then to Fairbanks. Fairbanks, site of the army's big air base, will connect with Richardson Road to Valdez on the coast and also by rail to Seward. By comparison it is like building a road from New York City to the heart of the state of Kansas. After much controversy the short- er coastal routes were rejected. The present course is beyond the reach of carrier based planes from the Pacific. Bombing expeditions would be required to cross the steep and jagged Canadian Rockies in order to strike a blow. It traverses some of the- wildest country in the North American con- tinent, which is inhabited only by Eskimos and fur trappers whose life has changed but little in the past 300 years. Waterfowl, moose, deer, grizz- lies, caribou, and fur -bearing animals abound. The road passes through the last great wilderness of the continent. Its construction is one of the most pic- turesque undertakings of the war, North of Port Nelson, the road will traverse huge chasms simillar to 'Whirlpool Canyon and Hell's Gate. Other passages are studded with streams, lakes, small spruce timber, and bush. Work began in the north country The Battle for TTP SF...ORTH N1WS • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER s, 1945 matters, and It is doubtful if 'anyone, lrnowe the real sftnation except Stalingrad Stalin, and perhaps the Allied High By Brigadier General H. S. Sewell. It was :in the nrud of October 1941 '1'he army of Stalingrad has held that the Russians forced the Nazis' out for nearly eight weeks against spearheads back frozrr the gates of Continuous Assault with the stuuxe' Rostov, and it Is possible that it may spirit of bravery and tenacity as was be the intention of Marshal. Timo- shown by the defenders of Odessa' shenko again to profit by the wee- Sevastopol, Tllis outstanding teat• of ther conditions of the fall. Russian arms is. due almost entirely to the pressure against the German left resilience of the Russian morale: flank all the way, from Voronezh to Tactically Stalingrad is a bail posi. the outskirts of Stalingrad. has in. tion for the Russians to defend.. They creased, and though it is perhaps too lave their backs to .a river ".a mile much to haps for the success of 1941 wide and thoy are practically cut off to be repeated against the far great- fromi the main Red Army in the er German forces at Stalingrad, it is north. The bulk of their supplies and not impossible that the German in- reiuforcementa must be ferried to vasioa of the Caucasus may be de - them across the river, and the only feated along the banksof the Don, way .in which they can evacuate The German 1942 offensive opened their wounded is by boat. with an attack in the Crimea, design - The city with its factories and ed to gain control of the western built-up area le sprawled Out for Black Sea and to open up conimuni- more than thirty miles along the cation by rail from Sevastopol to western bank or the Volga, and every Staling and Kharkov. This campaign portion is under artillery lire and air was followed by the blitz attack from bombardment. I Kursk toward Voronezh, and then by Real rest for the troops, even when a succession of drives into the Don in reserve, must be impossible and bend, each starting from a point fur - the army of Stalingrad has . been liv- ther south: The Don was crossed east ing under these conditions, which' of Rostov and from then the offensive havegrown progressively worse, for: was conducted in two directions, the the last two months. main drive cbntfnuing towards the It is reported that the attaolcing an- bend in the Don and Stalingrad, with fautry, as soon as they begone ex- a strong secondary thrust towards hausted, are relieved by fresh rein- Krasnodar, Novorossisk and the Cau- forcements brought up by air, and cases. that the, tanit divisions that have It was necessary for the Germans suffered heavy losses in the assault to gain control of the railroad from are at once replaced by divisions Novorossisk to Stalingrad to assist from the rear. their main drive and to ensure future In this respect the Germans have supplies. They captured Novorossisk, a great advantage, If the Russians but were stopped short of Tuapse and. were equally fresh, they could prob- ably prevent a break right through the center of the city to the river bank for a. considerable time, but there is a limit to human endurance, and there is no way for the tired troops to be relieved., The Germans are in desperate need of the city itself for winter quarters. Even in its battered state it will pro- vide cover and warmth for the win- ter. They also require it as a strong point where the right of their "east wall" can rest on the Volga. Stalin- grad is also needed to protect' their long lines of communication through north Caucasia towards Grozni and the mountain passes. The Volga Already Closed to Traffic The actual situation' on the west bank of the Volga on each side of the city is uncertain, but the battle is so close that it must be impossible - for any of the normal traffic to pass up and down the river. It is probable that the Russians stopped the sailing of freight ships some weeks ago when they were first threatened by attack from the air. Though the city is still unconquered, the great 'port of oil and other necessary supplies from the south for the agriculture and factories of Russia. Hitler in his speech gave thirty million tons as the quantity of traf- fic ou the Volga in six months. It will be surprising if any figure about Rus- sia from this source is accurate, but there is no question about the im- portance of the river for the life of Russia. Will the Winter Help the Russians? Normally the Volga is closed by ice early in the winter, and its loss as a supply route will not be felt im- mediately. But unless the invaders can be thrown bask beyond the strik- ing distance of the great waterway, Russia's economy and war effort will be seriously affected next summer. The obvious and probably the only means by which Russia can hope to force the Nazis back is with an offen- sive from the north. Marshal Tim; shenko's army has already engaged. in a local offensive between the Don and Volga. Though this is reported to have made some 'progress, an attack in so restricted an area is not likely to have had any object except to re- lieve the immediate pressure on Stal- ingrad. But it is another proof of the resilience of Russia's fighting forces. An offensive on a much greater scale will have to be made to en- danger the main German army on the whole of this critical front. What reserve strength the Red Army may early last winter. Surveys were made have for such an operation is a mat- by means of sled and pack horse, ter of pure conjecture. The Soviet The entire course was photographed command keep their counsel on such from the air, Then hundreds of freight cars carried soldiers, laborers, trucks, jeeps, "cat" tractors, bulldoz- AUCTIONEER ere, food gasoline, and supplies to the railhead at Dawson Creek. Here sidings were constructed and reload- . w. W. AHRENS, Licensed • Auction ings made onto trucks, and machin- ser for Perth and Huron Counties ery and caravans moved north before Sales Solicited. Terms on Application the ice thawed. Farm Stock, chattels and real estate property. R. R. No, 4. Mitchell Phone 634 r 8. Apply at this office "Has she given you any encourage- ment, Harry?" HAROLD JACKSON "011, yes. She says there are only Licensed in Huron and Perth conn• three other fellows ahead of me now, ties. Prices reasonable; satisfaction guaranteed. Por information write or phone Harold Jackson, Phone 14 Want and For Sale Ads, 3 ,weeks 50c on 861; R R.4, Seaforth. have not been able to reach Grozni. In attempting the .capture of Stalin- grad and the penetration of the Cau- casus mountains simultaneously, the Germans departed from their usual method of taking one objective at a time, The troops which they used in the Caucasus would have been better employed on the Stalingrad front. Marshal Timoshenko's strategy has been to preserve his armies intact, to delay the Germane everywhere and to retain his hold on the city of Vor- onezh. If he has the strength to coun- terattack, the most effective way to damage the Germans wouldbe by a thrust from Voronezh, south across their lines of communication.` Officer: "How long did it take you to learn to drive a motor -car?" Private: "Oh, three or four." Officer: "Weeks?" Private: "No sir motor cars!" "Love Was My Undoing," Says Pola Negri A thrilling life story ! In The American Weekly with this Sunday's (November 8) issue of The Detroit Sunday Times, begins the intimate memories of Hollywood and Europe by the famous filet star who was the fatal women both in the lives of her sweethearts and in her own life. IL- LUSTRATED IN COLOR. Be sure to get Sunday's Detroit Times. Machines such as these, powered by electricity, produce .303 cartridges. • We have the men, and they have the courage and the will to win. What is needed now is a steady increase in production of the weapons of war that will make our forces invincible. Hydro powered machines in hundreds of Ontario's war plants produce weapons to provide greater fighting power for our men at sea, in the air, on the battle fields. To (rain equip, transport and maintain our armed forces, each of us must work hoarder., save a little more and lend all we can to Canada. The more Bonds we buy, the greater is our investment in Victory. To safeguard and conserve our vital supply of electricity—in our homes, offices and shops—is a paramount duty. There are opportunities every day, every night For each of us to save Hydro For our war industries. These plants need al( the power they can get. Every Victory Bond you buy and every "bit" of electricity yousave are contributions you can make to Victory! THE HYDRO -ELECTRIC POWER COMMISSION OF ONTARIO The high-speed salesman had join- ed the army, gone into action, been wounded: For several days he lay delirious, but eventually he turned the corner. On the first day of his recovery he was surprised to see all the nurses standing round his bed, offering him money. "What's this for?" he asked. "Why for the radio and refrigera- tors you sold us while you were un- conscious," they chorused. N 1f L S DDEAD or ISAB ED Quicl ly removed in clean sanitary trucks. Phone collect 219 MITCHELL or Ingersoll 21 WILLIAM STONE SONS LIMITED Lounte'r' Check Books • We Fire Selling Quality Books Books are Well Made, Carbon is Clean., and Copies Readily. All styles, Carbon Leaf and Black Back. Prices as Low as You Can Get Anywhere. Get our Quotation on Your Next Order. • The Seaforth News SEAFORTH, ONTARIO,