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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6,194
Commentary by the KANSAN Editorials * Features * Patter
Alemein, Axis Trap
Britain's Eighth army has sprung a well prepared trap upon the hapless Afrika Korps of Marshal Erwin Rommel at El Alemein to send his Axis hordes reeling back in confused defeat, if not utter destruction.
The Imperial victory is the result of an astutely engineered plan which was laid to trap and destroy the Axis African armies. General B. L. Montgomery, commander of the Eighth army, warily waited and prepared for the Nazis to establish permanent supply bases at the Alemein front before he struck.
The last 11 days have proven the sagacity of his planning. Axis forces have been totally unable to salvage supplies from their advanced munitions or food depots before falling back; they are without food, gasoline, or shells.
Preponderant Allied airpower has prevented Rommel from bringing up men or supplies by his thinly stretched lines of communication. A cordon of British warships and bombers has kept German supply ships from the Axis ports of Bengasi and Tobruk.
The Germans have lost General Von Strumme, killed in action, and General Von Thoma, captured; Rommel now directs the retreat with an impoverished command. The Axis has lost an estimated 31,000 killed and wounded and 9,000 prisoners. Half of Rommel's 500 tanks are burning pyres on the desert sands. An estimated 60 per cent of the Axis air strength and half its gunpower have been destroyed.
The battle is not yet complete. Gen. Montgomery states, "Complete victory is almost in sight." He has ordered his men to "wipe out all the Axis forces in North Africa." The wiley but weary Rommel continues the retreat; he now has withdrawn his battered forces to Fuka, 70 miles west of El Alemein.
There is little hope of Rommel's regrouping his forces for a stand. Allied pressure continues to mount both on the ground and in the air against fleeing Axis formations. Once back to Fuka, Rommel will no longer have the protective Kuatra Depression on his right flank to ward off encirclement.
If the trend of the campaign continues to favor the Allies, the Axis will soon be driven from Africa; even now Hitler is recalling troops from the stalemated Russian front to bolster Rommel. Montgomery ostensibly has opened—or reopened—the second front.
A Tourniquet on Transportation
The War Production Board's classification of the railroads of the ntaion as civilian industry rather than a defense industry has proved a tourniquet on vital communications.
This order provides that the railroads may draw their necessary supplies and replacements, not from the great mass of materials turned out for defense needs, but from the leftover stock pile. Even after the WPB allocates equipment to the railroads, there is often a delay in releasing the material.
Fast, adequate transportation facilities are an immediate need of military and civilian personnel. The Baruch Committee, appointed by the President to untangle the rubber situation, has publicly stated that it realizes the necessity of keeping as much of the country as possible "on wheels."
The two problems which now restrict traveling facilities are the time element involved in
Just Wondering
A politician is a man who can tell you to go to hades in such a nice way you are looking forward to the trip.
the 35 mile an hour speed limit, and the masses of defense workers in vital areas. More efficient railroad operation would alleviate much of this burden.
With country-wide gasoline rationing, the WPB will find not only civilian contacts impaired, but also those of defense unless steps are taken to place at the railroad's disposal the needed equipment when it is required.
A railroad official on the War Production Board would provide the "common ground" between the Board and the railroads necessary to supply them adequately and promptly.
—S.H
OFFICIAL BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Vol. 40 Friday, November 6,1942 No.29
Notices due at News Bureau, 8 Journalism, at 10 a.m. on day of publication during the week, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday for Sunday issue.
Psychology Club meeting Monday, Nov. 9, 4:30, Room 21 in Frank Strong Hall. Miss Leena Handler, Minister of Unitarian Church, will speak on: "Social Integration of a Community of Evicted Sharecroppers."
CATHOLIC STUDENTS: There will be a Corporate Communion and Breakfast at the 8:00 Mass, Sunday, for all Catholic students and all Newman club members.—Matt Heuertz. Newman Club treasurer.
KAPPA PHI—The regular meeting will be held in Mr. Bernard Frazier's studio in Spooner-Thayer museum from 7 to 8 o'clock Friday evening. Eleanor Patty, Publicity Manager.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
Publisher ... John Conard
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-chief... Alan B. Houghton
Feature Editor... Dean Sims
---
NEWS STAFF
Managing Editor ... Bill Feeney
Campus Editors ... Virginia Tieman, Dean Sims,
Virginia Tieman, Dean Sims,
Dale Robinson, Bob Coleman
Sports Editor          J. Donald Keown
Society Editor         Barbara Batchew
News Editor            Joy Miller
Sunday Editor           Ralph Coldren
Exchange Editor        Eleanor Fry
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Manager ... Oliver Hughes
Advertising Manager ... John Pope
Advertising Assistant ... Charles Taylor, Jr.
NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION
1942 Active Member
Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester. Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school year except on Wednesday and Saturday. Entered as standby member Sep 29, 2015, to the post office at Lawrence, Kansas, under act of March 3, 1879.
Rock Chalk Talk BETTY LOU PEEKINS
Girls at Corbin hall are still recovering from effects of Hallowe'en—having sacks of water over doors and dresser drawers turned upside down. But the most fun occurred when they found a car in front of the house with the sign, "Don't Block the Alley."
The girls found the car on Sunday morning and decided that it should not go unused. Since the key was in the ignition, Ruth Krehbiel, Mary Forsyth, Roberta Johnson, Ruth Blethen and Doris Davison decided to have a little fling. With Ruth Krehbiel driving, they spent the morning touring Lawrence.
What the Corbinites did not know was this: the owner of the car, Harold Fields, Phi Chi, had at last missed it and had the police on the trail.
Result: the girls did not keep the car much longer.
- * * *
The A. D. Pi house is coming in for its share of pledge-active trouble. The pledges were overheard complaining that they had no time to study, since they attended so many meetings, hour dances, and required so activities. The actives decided to do something about it.
At 6 o'clock the next morning, the poor pledges were pulled out of bed. They got up, gathered their books, and some even dressed. After that, they were told they could go back to bed.
The next night actives toothbrushes, anklets, pajamas, pillows, dresser drawers, and bed ladies began to disappear.
The A. D. Pi's are thinking of having a scavanger hunt.
Fraternities, please note:
If any girls come to your front door and ask demurely if you have any old whiskey bottles, don't be upset. These girls are Kappa pledges who are collecting the bottles merely for the Kappa pledge party this evening.
It's Gloria Brinkman, Chi O, breaking into print with one that tops them all.
Gloria was listening to a record, "Brazil," in Helen Alice Watson's room, when she decided to call Virginia Britton and tell her to come over. She went down to the phone booth on second and gave the number to the operator. In the meantime, someone on third answered the phone and said "hello." Gloria asked for Virginia Britton.
The person on third buzzed down to the other phone on second and a pledge answered the buzzer. All the while Gloria was sitting waiting for Virginia to answer the phone. The pledge went down the hall yelling, "Virginia Britton."
At this moment, Virginia walked out of Helen Watson's room and came down to the phone. On answering it, she found Gloria sitting across the booth from her on the other end of the line. Britton had come in just after Gloria left.
Rationing Ruins Grades What, No Coffee?
Before long those plaintive letters from the folks at home start burdening the mailman. Father will want to know why Betty Co-ed can't understand the rudiments of college math—it was so easy for him back in '10—and he can't understand why the college curricula should be so much more abstruse thirty years later.
At this point, Betty can fire one right back at him. She can blame it all on the war! After all, she can explain to Father,
he probably drank gallons and gallons of coffee to fortify himself for the mid-semester study session.
He lived in the cushy era when coffee wasn't rationed and wars were only history book incidents.
He never had to burn the midnight candle, cramming those vital dates, theorems, and equations into a benumbed brain without benefit of stimulant. In these war-torn times, even cokes aren't available to the weary student, either. It's a hard age!
The institution of coffee rationing will hit student morale even harder around the middle of January. Remember—that's when finals roll a
round. The Jayhawker student body will then have a chance to demonstrate their real spartan qualities.
No Folgers or Hills Bros. will be available to brighten the pre-dawn hours, before that 8:30 final exam is due. Probably by that time, some substitute will have been found—maybe Dagwood sandwiches—or calisthenics—or, in the meantime, the prospect is dark, and understanding parents should realize the obstacles and sympathize when those mid-term grades arrive in the morning mail!
Only 184 student and faculty cars have been registered at the University of Nevada this year.
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