European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse An american infantryman watches an approaching enemy formation As it wheels across a Flat expanse of North african Torch and on to Rome the Mediterranean staff covered combat but not Patton a slap the Call for volunteers to Start operations in North Africa came at the perfect moment for Ralph Martin the Guy who a helped Andy Rooney with that i Alley Story. Martin had been getting a Little tired of writing features on Madame Tussaud a London Wax works and even bombing missions were beginning to seem old hat. The american invasion of North Africa offered the Chance to cover real combat and Martin was one of a half dozen staffers who jumped at it. The group a . Hodenfield Russ Jones Earl Erickson Dean Hocking Robby Robinson and Martin a arrived in Algiers in Early december 1942, about a month after the american landings. To their Surprise Bob Neville and Milt Lehman were already there printing the second Issue of the new Algiers edition a weekly that first appeared on dec. 9. Neville and Lehman had taken Over la Echo do Algier a Dingy Little newspaper operation near the Nasbah in Algiers. Being of French manufacture the firms Linotype equipment was subject to stubborn spells and the keyboards lacked is and is. The presses were also in poor condition and newsprint had to be begged from the French or just As Dicey a proposition from London where the rest of the stripes staff continued to put out its own edition. In addition to production problems the staff was almost immediately embroiled in a Power struggle for control of the paper. Lining up on one Side were most of Llewellyn a people from London on the other a newcomer named it. Col. Egbert White. White a new York advertising executive. Before the War had been a private on the world War 1 stars and stripes and had served As the first commanding officer of yank the army a weekly Magazine. As Erickson remembers it Quot White had connections with Eisenhower a Headquarters and he somehow ended up As the top Man at the new Whites Assumption of Power did no to sit Well with some of the England staffers and Hodenfield Jones and several of the others decided to return to Britain apparently with some bitterness. Neville a onetime foreign editor of time Magazine who had worked with White at yank was put in charge of editorial operations and quickly began rounding up former newsmen from outfits fighting in the african desert. Jack Foisie a cub reporter from the san Francisco chronicle was found driving a Hal track for the 1st army div. David Golding who a written for Hollywood Trade papers before the War transferred in from an air Force Engineer continued on Page 12 saturday april 18, 1992 50th anniversary special edition a Page 11
