Current Events July 9, 1942: GIGANTIC BATTLE OF TANKS RAGE AT DON RIVER:

THE RACINE JOURNAL-TIMES

RACINE, WIS, THURSDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 9,1942.

Hitler Spurns War Losses

In Race Against 2d Front

Gigantic Battle

Of Tanks Rages

At Don River

Germans Say Attacks

Shake Soviet Lines

Along 300 Miles

MOSCOW, July 9.—(UP)—

German offensive spearheads,

breaking through Russian defenses

in a drive against the

Don river front, were reported

tonight fighting "probably

the most gigantic tank and air

battle in history" against

Russian defenders who littered

the west bank of the

river with scores of wrecked enemy

machines.

British Pocket

Nazi Force on

Alamein Line

Patrols and Planes

Use Slugging Tactics

Against Enemy Guns

CAIRO, J u l y 9. — (U.P) — B r i t i sh

p a t r o l s and air squadrons kept up

steady, slugging attacks on axis

positions west of El Alamein today

w i t h imperial infantry units adopt-

ING new tactics to knock out enemy

gun positions and capture additional

prisoners.

Dispatches from the front rep-

o r t e d that imperial troops had

pocketed a big force of German

tanks, guns and transport trucks

on the Alamein line and were

closing in on them despite desper-

ate enemy attempts to escape.

I n a combined army and air

force operation, the imperials of

Gen. Sir Claude Auchinleck's

eighth army succeeded in surrounding

the enemy south and

southwest of the point at which

t h e German line bends westward

i n the desert dust bowl, it was

reported.

At present the German force is

pocketed in an area of several

s q u a r e miles, it was said.

War Will End

In 1942 or 1943,

May Predicts

WASHINGTON, J u l y 9.—

(UP) — P r e d i c t i n g the war

would end "probably i n 1942

and unquestionably in 1943,"

Chairman May (dem., Ky.)

of the house military affairs

committee said today there

would be no need, for the

army to induct married men

or youths in t h e 18 a n d 19.

y e a r group.

T h e information on which

he based the prediction, the

Kentuckian told reporters,

was "a military secret," obtained

since the recent ap-

parent Russian reverses.

The assertion that the

drafting, of m a r r i e d men and

boys under 20 would be necessary,

May said, was based

on selective service records.

The w a r department has not

requested that youths of 18

and 19 years be drafted.

' May expressed t h e view an

arm y of 5,000,000 was all the

nation needed. T h e a r m y has

said it hoped to have 4,800,-

000 men under arms by the

end of this year.

"The enemy soon will be

so busy abroad coping with

the men we now have there

and will have there shortly,

that he will be unable to give

us any invasion worry, and

there will be no need for a

large home army, May

said.