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IH = ways sail on, British Oil Fleet Always Sails On Grimy Tankers Are Pipe lines Carrying OIll and Avia tion Gas to Britain Behind the British aircraft car rying its deadly load of bombs to drop on Germany, ther§ 'fs an ugly, begrimed ship of Britain's Merchant Navy-~a tanker with her great yawning holds filled with oil and petroleum, i Those tankers act as- Britain's heart, pumping into the body of Britain the very lifeblood of her war effort. : In the British Isles there are no oilfields, no great pipelines. The pipelines are the little ships which shuttle back and forth across thé oceans connecting British 'air. dromes, warship bases and muni. tion wdrks with the oil centres overseas. =~ Every drop of aviation spirit in the tanks of. British-based bombers, every drop of oil in Bri- tish warships, has come by sea, For three years men have risked their lives to bring it to them. . . . Carrying oil by sea is a danger- ous job even In peacetime. In war the risks are multiplied. There 1s always danger of fire and explos- fon near that highly inflammable cargo. The flash of a torpedo, the explosion a bomb or a shell can bring dea¥h to men, can burn a ship until nothing remains. And above all, valuable fuel with which to fight the Nazis may be lost forever. A A single tanker can transport as much as 5,000 tons of oil every time she croses the oceans--and 15,000 tons of oil is enough to keep an army lorry going for 30,000,000 miles. The Nazis know this--and they know, too, that il they could stop oil supplies, they would stifle the British war effort. So, using "submarines, bombers and surface raiders, they have tried to prevent those supplies getting through. None the less they have failed. Admittedly, some tankers have been sunk. Some have been dame aged, repaired, put to sea again, damaged and repaired again. But the oil fleet 'salls on and will al- * Ad * * Here is a typical story of how the men of the tankers say to themselves "The oil" comes first, whatever the danger, and what- ever the cost." : A Dritish cruiser was attacking an enemy coastline and all enemy . ships which might try to interfere, So that she could go on fighting she needed to be re-fueled. A tank- er on her way to pu thousands of tons of oil into the cruiser had -- -beén seen by the Nazis, had been ° "bombed, and had her decks and' sldes raked with machine-gun bul. lets. ! Another tanker received a slg- nal on her radio asking her to leave the trades routes and change her course towards the cruiser. Within five minutes she was obey- ing that order and racing full speed ahead to re-fuel the warship. Sho found her and, after the tranfer of oil had taken place the tanker went searching. for her | damaged sister-ship, overtaking her as she limped along. The holes in the sldes of the damaged tank- er were clean' througlt to the tanks. Oil poured out in jots llke - water through the. holes of a col: ander, From the damaged tanker to her empty. sister-ship went the flash. ed signals, "You're just in time. We're sinking. Can you take from us what 'juice' is left?" The two tankers were soon al ong slde each other, and the prec- ious ofl was pumped into the sea- worthy tanker--oil to be used for further fights to come. ; The pumping of oil from one ship to another was a dangerous operation, Two stationary ships locked together made a sitting "target for enemy alrcraft. But they took the risk, and thousands of tons of oll were saved. b, * . LJ There are countless, stories like that to be heard at Britain's oll ports, There are countless stories of men fighting for days on end, tongues of flame leaping from the - ofl{illed holds of thelr tankers. It would be easy, sometimes, for them to abandon ship and fake to the boats, But that's not the tradition{of - Britain's tanker men. The other day I sat in the cap- tain's cabin of a tanker which had just brought home 12,000 tons of oll and petroleum. An officer switohed -on the radlo. Over the air came the news that again Bri tish bombers had bombed a great German armament centre. The tanker men smiled. They knew that, without them that raid could never have been achieved, They had carried the oll and the petroleum for planes which had wrought destruction, amid the Nazis, Death Penalty Mussolini has decreed that Ital fan industrial workers and em- . ployers alike must remain at their Jobs régardless of air raid dangers, under penalty of death, Swiss despatches from Rome reported recently. : i SEER = accelerating. | Canada fly an average of 2,000,000 miles. still fantastic but the distance travelled by training aircraft is ap- - proximately the equivalent of nine one-way trips to or from the moon, DAILY MILEAGE OF B.C.A.T.P, PLANES In three years the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan has grown from a vision and a few blueprints to a vital factor in the confident hopes of the United Nations. has placed thousands of trained airmen in the acrial fighting fronts of the world is still growing and its production of aircrew is still | Day in and day out, training planes of the BCATP in The Plan which already ° Trips to the moon are I There were eight of us all told and we were gathered from widely différent parts of the world, The Christmas season is always a spe- cial time when sailors foregather. Even after the lapse of years, 1 recall that big fellow from some- where in South America, the two sailor lads from Glasgow and two from London--both pairs appar- ently anxious to compete for a prize in their fine sense of humour, There was a man from Denmark, also; but the one who interested me more than others was a young sailor from Toronto. It was Christmas Eve, and prep- arations for the celebration of Christmas were abundant. The Christmas trce--the largest that could be had--lay at the end of the Hall, wajting for the sailors from the home vessels to erect in its proper place and to decorate according to the usage of past years. . . - young sailors from all over the seven seas was tho British & American Sailors' Institute fn Ham- burg, Germany. I was there for years as the Chaplain to the sall- ors frequenting that great port. "Great" is permissible, for at that time it-was the third or fourth largest port In the world. On. thls Christmas Eve we gathered around the fire. As Chaplain, I suggested . that we each tell our best Chrlst- mas story. It was simple to get them to talk. The dh vy storles were particularly interest. ing. The Toronto sallor confined British Colonial Empire Is Not Coming To End Lord Cranborne Asserts Cit- Izens Have Mission To Do Replying authoritatively to crit. fca of imperial policy, Lord Cran. borne declared not long ago that "the British Colonial Empire is not coming to an end." "The work we have to do is only beginning," the House ot "Lords was told 'by Lord Cran. borne, retiring colonlal secretary, who replaced Sir Stafford .Cripps cabinet shakeup. 3 : "We citizens of the British Em- pire have a mission to perform . . essentlal to the welfare of the world . , . to ensure the survival 'of the way ot lite for which the United Nations are fighting and in Atlantic" charter," he said. "In that great mission we must not and shall not fall." ~ "that what stood between Hitler and absolute victory In 1940 after the fall of France was not Bri. tain, an {solated {sland standing alone in the dea, hut tho British Empire, that commonwealth of free "peoples and dependencles which only clung closer as the danger grew." "We say, and truly, that the ultimate objective of our pollcy is colonies," he said. ° This place of meeting for those as lord privy seal in the recent harmony with the principles of the "Let us not forget," he sald, to promote self-government in the: * CHRISTMAS IN PRE-WAR DAYS By: George M. Speedie himself for the most part to the Christmas stories he had heard at the Sunday .School of which his parents were members. He told his stories differently to the other men. He was educated and had had experience on the Lakes as a sailor. All would have gone well but father and he had had a serl- ous misunderstanding that drove the young chap to sea. Something opened the gates of memory"and he thought: of Home. There was a motto on the wall just over his head "A Home From Home" which probably made him think of his home in Toronto. We encouraged him to talk of it for it was Christ. mas. - . . Strangely enough, perhaps, Christmas was usually a qulet day at the Sailors' Institute at Ham. burg. For one thing the offices of the British Consulate downstairs were closed. The vessels going to the British Isles and the "Tramps" to all parts of the world had a free day as far as it could possibly be arranged, and the English people in Hamburg had their Christmas at home with their friends. It was the occasion for the quiet enter- tainment of "Boys away from Home" --lonely 'lads on the great sea of life, and our Toronto friend - was among them. There . were _qulet heart to heart talks with him about his early experience of Sun- day School and Church, and the Pilot of the (ialilean Lake and he sald, "I will arise and go to my Father." Probably that is not quite the exact way he phrased it but, looking hack over the years, let me say that was the declslon he reached on that Christmas Day years ago. LJ * - . Yes, years have passed, and I am now in Toronto. When first I came, I looked up my friend of Hamburg days but changes - had - taken place. The house had been demolished. And so: we had met and parted like ships meeting in the night--the pathos of it! y It is surely & matter for thank. fulness at this Chirstmas season that organizations such as the Brit. fsh Sailors' Society are keeping open door and a hearty welcome to the Sailors of the Navy and of the Mercantile Navy all over the seven seas. wd Yoo PRESS IMPARTIAL RAF, While some people are busy trying to sell' the maudlin idea that we are fighting the Nazis and not the dear, good German- people, it is comforting to find that the Royal Air Force draws no such distinctions. With all due respect to His 'Grace of Canter- bury, or anyone else who may feel sentimental at times about the enemy, the bald fact is that, without the enthusiastic support of the 'German people' aforesaid, there would hive been no rise of Nazism, Y yan WITHSTOOD A LOT The human body is a wonderful instrument. ~~ Although he lived without water and had only ope- half an orange to eat for twenty- two days Capt. Edward V. Ricken backer was in excellent shape when rescued from a rubber life- boat in the mid-Pacific, according to U. S. Navy Pilot Lieutenant Joseph Isner. --Sault Ste. Marie Star == HELPS TO EXPLAIN IT War orders placed in Canada by the United States so far total al- most a billion dollars, . That's how close relations are between the two countries and it helps to ex- plain why Canadu has been able to pay its way without relying on lease-lend aid. ""--Sault Daily Star --0-- A BIT TOO THICK Remember hearing: "No matter how thin you slice it it is still ba- loney?' Well, no matter how thin you spread it, the butter situation is still a bit too thick, --Woodstock Sentinel-Review eens COST OF DEFEAT Stalingrad, it is said, cost the Boche 3,300 men geday in killed alone over the 90:day siege. A terrific price even for victory-- but Hitler paid it for a defeat. _--Ottawa Journal ~~ BRITAIN"S GREATEST WEAPON Not since mid-summer of 1940 has there been any doubt about Britain's greatest weapon and the source of her unconquerable strength. It is Winston Churchill, --Detroit Free Press in HAVE NOTEBOOK HANDY Even a doctor will tell you the + best thing to take when you are run 'down is a license number, -- Guelph Mercury --0-- DEFLATED Mussolino must be feeling so small right now that he could crawl with ease through a stick of macaroni. 5 --Hamilton Spectator -- Brantford Expositor Prime Minster's Day Of 24 Hours Mr. Churchill Adds Two Hours To Working Effort By Midday Sleep : There are 24 hours in the day ot each Prime Minister, measured - by : the clock, The use made of them depends on physical stam- ina, mental vigor, gifts of organ. ization. No man can long endure the straiu of the. position 'who Is not endowed with an fron consti qution or is unable to restore his strength with sleep. The greatest commanders - and the greatest statesmen have been.able to sleep at will and to do so at the height of a campaign or a crisis. . . . Gladstone normally slept the moment he put his head on the pillow and was not disturped by a debate In the House but only by an unusual occurrence like the coustruction of a Cabinet. During the First Great War Lloyd George disciplined himself strictly at the table, went to bed about 10 o"- cloek, woke early, read memoran- da, telegrams, newspapers, and sometimes dozed again before get- ting up for a 9 o'clock breakfast, During the day he snatched short spells of sleep. . . . "For every purpose of business or pleasure, mental or physical", wrote Mr, Churchill, "we ought to break our days and our march. os Into two. When I was at the Admiralty In the war I found I could add nearly two hours to my working effort by going to bed after luncheon." And today as Prime Minister he is reputed to continue the practice, to -tho dis- comfiture and disablement of his colleagues and chiefs of staff. The Duke of Wellington got up at b o'clock every mornin; and made appointments with Palmerston be- tore breakfast; Mr. Churchill makes them for after dinnor and prolongs them far into the .night, To Paul MeNutt has been given the tremendous task of allocating all U. S. manpower, both in in- dustry and the armed forces, LIFE'S LIKE THAT By Fred Neher WHA, ILL 777,77 7 PET ~ AY Z, IA 7 &. : A --y--] SHED NEEL "I brought home a poor report card. . . . What did you bring, Pop + + + half your pay envelope?" Clearing Tunisia Of Axis Powers Key To Open Sea Lanes To Allies Gen. Dwight D. Elsenhower, su- preme commander of the Allied forces in Northwest Africa, is un- likely to delay his task of clear ing the Axis out 'of Tunisia any: longer than is absolutely neces. sary, for, until all of Tunisia Is in his hands, th@é successful United Nafions ventures elsewhere in North Africa cannot be fully ef- foctive, says an article In the Christian Sclence Monitor; Indeed the primary mission ot the cam- paign is to regain controlVof the sea route through the Mediterra- nean, " . "Not until the narrows dividing the Eastern and Western Mediter- ranean are firmly in Allied con- trol can the route through that sea be again available to shorten the long haul around the Cape of Good Hope by about 10,000 miles and releade vitally needed ship: ping to other usgs, While Tunisian ports remain In Axis Dhauds, the enemy can make the short runs from Sardinia and Sicily under cover of As long as communication of this character can' be maintained, stores, mochanized equipment, and heavy materlals can be provided in far greater quantities than would be possible by air trans. port. So the sooner these ports are taken, the better, Importance of Sicily Furthermore Hitler 1s reported to be hastening all available air strength to Sicily and Sardinia, where the Nazis have previously erected formidable fortifications. Control of the Mediterranean, as Mussolini's mouthpiece, Vir. ginio Gayda, pointed out in his book, "The Problems of Sicily," depends upon. Sicily. Sicily, he said, was Italy's vitab through which all historic move- wents from Europe to Africa and vice versa had proceeded, The quicker Hitler's dispositions can he attacked then the less trouble there will be in projoct- ing future Allied operations, Once the Axis is swept from North Africa, Hitler will have good cause to worry. Already he has moved troops into Southern France, and into [aly in antici pation of these areas being select ed by the United Nations as sec- ond front objectives, but there are many other miles of sea front that must be covered. From the primary mission of opening the Mediterranean flow several secondary objectives, some of which bulk almost as large in their ultimate effect as does the primary mission. Among them Is the insuring of the total destruc- tion of Axis forces in Libya, se- curity of the Suez Canal, and ob- taining positions from which thrusts in force against areas in Southern Europe can be launched. Coasts to Watch Although the Nazis apparently ha¥oéidiscounted the possibility of an Allied attempt being made through the Iberian Peninsula, probably because of the difficulty of forcing the passes In the Py- rences, there are the Dalmatian and Greek coasts to guard in addi- tion to those of France and Italy. Nor is the possibility of a descent on the Atlantic coast of Europe to be neglected. The -Russian winter is now at work on the Nazis. What effect its grip will have during the next six months cannot be foreseen, but Ilitler has many more worrles with which to cope than was the case last year when the Russian winter all but wrecked his east ern front. Allied planes undoubtedly will play a conspicuous part in forcing the Axis from Tunisia, but_planes cannot do it all. An armored divi- fon has been calculated to con- sume 75,000 gallons of gasoline in its [first 100 miles of march, To carry that- fuel by land re- quires 50 lorries. Each 100 miles thereafter require anotlier 60 lor- 'ries, since the lorries "themselves use up gasoline. The United Nations are indeed fortunate in holding the Atlantic ports of -Morocco through which supplies, as needed, can be sent in case the U-boat menace looms large in the Mediterrancan. darkness," base - again , , J" Other Allied Ports They also hold, in Algeria, Oran, Alglers, Bougle, and Bone, arated from these by Blzerte and THE WAR . WEEK -- Commentary on Current Events. Bop (| / Tunis are the Libyan ports of To: vi bruk and Derna, in Lieut, Gen. Sie Bernard I, Montgomery's hands. Bengasi should- be the most valuable port for Genera) Mont gomery "in his -drive on Tripoli tania. No official information is forthcoming here about the pres .seut state of that port, but probe ably, for the time heing, it is vire tually. out of commission, Eye witness accounts of the much. bombed port describe havoc in the harbor there «as far worse tham anything else In North Africa. However, it is extremely diff cult to put a port out of action altogether. Bizerte-Tunis Raids Tobruk may be virtually out of action while it is being repeatedly bombed. But when the bombing ceases it can soon be back in come mission unless ships have been sunk In crucial places. Even then "no port i8 completely out of aoe tion so long as there Is water, Damage to port Installations, however, which was severe at Bengasl, considerably affects the amount of traffic which can be handled. Air ralds are reported to be ak ready battering the Axis in the Bizerte-Tunis area, and heavy Une ited Nations ground forces are said to be closing im on their ob. Jectlves, but not until the enemy strength has been felt out and overcome can we be sure that our primary mission in North Africa has been attained. - However, Hitler realizes his danger full well, and he has been pouring reinforcements into North. ern and - Bastern Tunisia by ale and sea'ever since the Allies made their thrust, He is reported to have withdrawn air supportifrom his sorely pressed forces before Stalingrad and in the Caucasus in order to implement his strug- gle for a bridgehead In Tunisia, ond German troops have been rushe ed to Southern France, Italy, and Greece. Russian Counter-offensive Pressure on the Russian Front is being eased, and the Russlan counter-offensive, perfectly timed - to the United Nations push In North Africa, is under way. Gere man troops are sald to be shunted first In one direction and thon in another, and are heing drawr from Nori and other lightly-held area gated to Austrian, Hungarlan and Italian troops, Taken as a whole, the bits of information that come from Eu. rope seem to form a composite that is none too favorable for the Axis cause, and indicate that Hite ler at last has been deprived of the benefit he has so long derived from being able to exercise the initiative in projecting an offen ive. Duesseldorf Ruined 190,000 Homeless Dusseldorf is a ruined city with "no less than 190,000 people made homeless" and an undetermined number killed, the Alr Ministry news service said, quoting a letter written by one resident to ane other in Berlin, The letter, which reached Lon. don through neutral channels, said: "You may thank God you got off to Berlin in time. On Sepfember 10 we had the biggest 'blitz' ever. The first raid was big enough, but no -comparison with this one, It is impossible to exaggerate how bad it was. The bombardment at the front couldn't be worse. "The whole of Duesseldorf was fn flames . . . Duesseldorf has be- come a regular city of ruins. It is a pathetic' sight. No less than 190,000 people were made home- less. Don't know how many were killed. Material damage is colossal. "The night train to Berlin is still cin tho station. It was just start ing when it got a direct hit. It was crushed like a machbox. f "You won't know Duesseldort Bluey and Curley of the Anzacs "Africa Manoeuvres" * = By Gurney (Australia) NOW LOOK, - SUPPOSING THE MILK JuG 1S- BENGHARN, TH' ~ OUR BOYS (5 TW MUSTARD. - PoT MOVING ALONG PAST Te JAM SPOON... SEE J WHERE 5 MUSSOS THERES Mussos MoB Tis "ERE PLATE OF TRIPE. // Garrison duty is beipg rele.