ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, ALGIERS. Feb. 12.—(AP)—
Mud-spattered Fifth Army troops
grimly tightened their grip on the Anzio Beachhead tonight as their commander,
Lieut. Mark W. Clark, assured them that supplies were arriving for them and
that their victorious march on Rome was 'sure to come."
LONDON, Feb. 12.—(/P)—
Prime Minister Churchill
announced in a statement from No. 10 Downing Street tonight that he had been
assured by Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wilson and Gen. Sir Harold Alexander that
they had "confidence that the great battle now proceeding for the capture
of Rome will be won."
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12. — (AP) —
The American Red Cross offered a year
ago, it was disclosed today, to turn over to the Japanese in the mid-Pacific or
e l s e w h e r e ships loaded with supplies for Americans In the enemy's hands
but Tokyo did not even deign to reply.
By NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
Japan's Marshall Islands, a
cluster of coral necklaces, now under attack by United States land, sea, and
air forces, have been Pacific trade and war prizes for more than half a century.
(see map of Marshall Islands below)
'Victory Sure', Says Yank
General as Supplies Land,
Weather Break Frees Planes
General Clark's Message, Page 2
By GEORGE TUCKER
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, ALGIERS. Feb. 12.—(AP)—
Mud-spattered Fifth Army troops
grimly tightened their grip on the Anzio Beachhead tonight as their commander,
Lieut. Mark W. Clark, assured them that supplies were arriving for them and
that their victorious march on Rome was 'sure to come." Their hold on the
shell-pitted battleground was firmer than at any time in the past 72 hours
after a German attack was repulsed with the aid of warships which ranged boldly
inshore and shelled the Nazi positions.
Landing of supplies for the beachhead
was carried out successfully despite heavy shells, and a slight break in the
weather gave promise that overwhelming Allied air superiority might soon return
to the aid of the hard-fighting ground forces.
URGES
BREAK-THROUGH
In a message to all his troops along
the Western Italian front, including those who slugged out limited gains in the
Cassino sector, General Clark urged his men to break t h r o u g h the Germans'
thinned out lines" and to crush the enemy on their way north.
Supplies were arriving at the
beachhead, General Clark said, which would give the Allied forces there the opportunity
to kill Germans "in large numbers."
ALEXANDER, WILSON ASSURE
CHIEF 'BATTLE GOES WELL'
LONDON, Feb. 12.—(/P)—
Prime Minister Churchill
announced in a statement from No. 10 Downing Street tonight that he had been
assured by Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wilson and Gen. Sir Harold Alexander that
they had "confidence that the great battle now proceeding for the capture
of Rome will be won." General
Wilson is Allied commander in chief in the Mediterranean theater, and General
Alexander is commander of Allied forces in Italy.
The text of the prime minister's
statement said: "The prime minister has received reports from General Wilson
and General Alexander in which both commanders
express confidence that the great
battle now proceeding for the capture of Rome will be won.
"In the bridgehead itself
the Allies now have a very strong Army and superiority both in artillery and
tanks. "Although spells of bad weather interrupt from time to time the
delivery of supplies, the amount landed in the bridgehead substantially exceeds
the schedule prescribed before the operation was begun, owing to reserves which
have been built up in the fair-weather period.
"All battles are anxious as
they approach the climax, but there is no justification for pessimism,
according to reports from responsible authorities."
Jap Disdain
Of Red Cross
Plea Revealed
Tokyo Even Failed to
Answer Suggestion of
Supplies, Workers Say
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12. — (AP) —
The American Red Cross offered a year
ago, it was disclosed today, to turn over to the Japanese in the mid-Pacific or
e l s e w h e r e ships loaded with supplies for Americans In the enemy's hands
but Tokyo did not even deign to reply. The Red Cross told of the offer in a summary
of its futile efforts to get a regular flow of relief to American prisoners.
All the enemy has permitted to go through are two comparatively small shipments
on the diplomatic e x c h a n g e ship
Gripsholm, delivered in August 1942,
and November, 1943.
Giving details of recent
disclosures that relief supplies are waiting in Siberia for Japan to agree to
distribute them, the Red Cross said the Japanese themselves suggested this channel
in April, 1943, saying they "would consider accepting supplies sent by
Soviet ships from a West Coast port to Vladivostok."
SOVIET
AGREES
The Soviet Government agreed in August
to carry 1500 tons a month, but as yet the Japanese have not come through with
a proposal for their distribution. "Further steps to obtain a solution of
this problem," the Red Cross said, "are receiving continuous consideration."
Emphasizing it "has spared and will continue to spare no effort" to secure
Japanese compliance with the Geneva c o n v e n t i o n concerning treatment of
war prisoners and to establish a regular route for shipment of supplies, the
Red Cross said its efforts to send a relief ship began in the first month of
the war.
It finally chartered and loaded
the Kanangoora, a Swedish ship then Berthed in San Francisco, in the Summer of
1942. but was forced to cancel the charter when the Japanese refused safe
conduct for the vessel.
The account continued:
SUGGESTIONS
MADE
"It was suggested in turn, (1)
that neutral port be .selected to which
a neutral ship might carry relief supplies from the United States, the supplies
to be picked up at this neutral port by Japanese ships; (2) that the American
Red Cross turn over to the Japanese a fully-loaded ship in mid-Pacific, or at
any other point acceptable to the Japanese; (3) that supplies be flown from the
United States to a neutral point for relay to Japan: (4) that, if the necessary
arrangements could be made with the Russian Government, supplies be shipped on
Russian vessels to Vladivostok and thence transshipped to Japanese-controlled
territory.
"The most far-reaching
proposal was made in February, 1943. When the American Red Cross, with the approval
of the United States Government, offered to furnish to the Japanese Red Cross a
ship to carry relief supplies to the Far East,
"The proposal then made was
that a fully loaded ship be turned over to the Japanese at any point specified by
them—even in mid-Pacific. i£ necessary—and there to be manned by a Japanese
crew and after the distribution of the supplies, returned empty. The Japanese
crew would then pick up a second fully loaded ship and the process be repeated.
"The Japanese never even replied to this proposal."
MID-PACIFIC
ATOLLS IDEAL
FLEET BASES
By NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
SOCIETY
Japan's Marshall Islands, a
cluster of coral necklaces, now under attack by United States land, sea, and
air forces, have been Pacific trade and war prizes for more than half a century.
Japanese strength is believed to be
centered at Jaluit, Kwajalein, Wotje, and Eniwetok atolls, most favored by
nature for development of bases,
Jaluit atoll, peacetime
headquarters of the Marshalls, is 2420 miles from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; 1255 miles
from Guadalcanal in the Solomons; 2800 miles from Tokyo.
Just above the equator, about
half way between the Hawaiian Islands and Australia, the 32 atolls and 800 reefs
of the Marshalls are strewn over the ocean in two roughly parallel chains about
100 miles apart—the eastern group known as the Ralik (Sunrise) Islands, and the
western called the Balik (Sunset) Islands.
SMALL NARROW ISLES
Nowhere are the coral strips more
than 40 feet above the sea. Many are so low that big, wind-driven combers ride
over the island rims into the lagoons of the atolls. The beads of coral strung
around saltwater pools make harbors without benefit of land. Most of the
islands are narrow, some only a few yards wide
Coral floors of. the basins are
uneven, cause lagoon depths to range from shallow to deep-water anchorages for
biff ships. Reefs spike the approaches to lagoons, are daggers at low water.
Longest lagoon is about 90 miles from end to end; widest, about 20 miles
across.
Seasons change only in name.
Climate is hot and humid. Average year around temperature is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rainfall is
plentiful. Prevailing winds are easterly, rustle the palms into island lullabies. Typhoons are occasionally generated in
this region, blow out to sea with roaring fury.
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