Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 3, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Saturday july 3, 1943 he stars and stripes weekly a tabs be l a i the ubiquitous Arab made the North african Campaign different from any the american army has Ever undertaken in the past or Likely to undertake in the future. The Arab gave the operations their Only truly african flavor. Without him to clutter up the landscape North Africa might Well have been mistaken for a dozen other coastlines. If the Arab was often a pest and pretty generally a nuisance he nevertheless was indispensable. He shined our shoes sold us oranges delivered eggs to our front lines right through enemy fire and continually reminded us what blessings we had in the form of chewing gum chocolate and cigarettes j Here in Brief Are some of the things he did he Learned to convert american Barracks bags into trousers by cutting slits in the Bottom of the bag for his legs and using the Cord As a Belt around his Waist. He discovered that a latrine screen could be Cut up As a cloak for to wife and As sandals for himself. In Oran too arabs broken up into squads with their self appointed leaders helped the postal officer Back in november when the first big cargo of mail arrived. I we shelled and bombed Medvez Al Bab until we were sure nothing remained there. Entering the City we were greeted by a Wise old Arab who Shook a Skinny Finger at us and said Quot i predict that the Price of eggs will go  when we entered mat cur a sad eved native handed us a Bill for 5 too francs Tor destroying his City this native later turned out to be a blood Cousin of the Guy who once sold the Brooklyn Bridge. Officials in the know say that the Campaign was crossed off the above Allne provided the ant noon Soldier with plenty of jokes. In at least one recorded instance of the Campaign an american Soldier asked an Arab for chocolate and got it actually the Arab was a Spectator rather than a participant in last Winter s grim business. You All Arab drawings on this Page Are the a Nark of pvt. Edward Vebell stars and stripes staff artist. Can Chalk that Spectator attitude up to history of which he has seen quite a lot he used to be a fighting Man himself but that was a Long while ago. When the Zeal of the Prophet Mohammed s followers expressed itself in a continuous brandishing of the sword. Since that time he has Learned to wage his campaigns with oranges eggs dates almonds and shoe Shine boxes rather than with hand grenades and howitzers. The North african Arab has t been intimately mixed up in a first class War for centuries now having been by and Long Long ago things were Tough in ancient Carthage by in win Shaw special to the stars and stripes a few of the boys were sitting around tilt campfire outside Carthage about two thousand years ego. Eating dinner and dosing themselves on the native wine. I hey Hadnot seen Home for a Long i time my it had been a Tough Campaign and two of them had a touch of dysentery and it was Windy around Carthage that Day and Sand kept blowing into the food and the boys were complaining a Little. A a look at this meat a publius said. I be been chewing on it Tor cig lit minutes and you could use it for a shield. You could t throw a javelin through this meat at ten paces. How do you think the quartermaster picks these goats a a a for their durability a China said. Back at Cyrene they have roast beef twice a  a to i Ever been to Cyrene a Puhi is asked. No but a Friend of mine has a Cousin in Hie ninth legion there and he heard a Quot this w Ine. A Scipio said making i a Long face As he swallowed a was meat Large Content to let the other men of other races do the squabbling. He a seen turks and italians French and British. German and americans quarrelling violently Over who was going to be in charge of the land he once owned and its a fair Assumption that he a developed by this time what could bf1 called a Neutral attitude. During last Winter the Arab showed up wherever the Allied Soldier showed up. Whether it was at the Summit of a vital Djebel or at the Bottom of a garbage pit i the arabs unloaded the ships and loaded the mail trucks and bummed countless cigarettes from the newly arrived troops. Near Rebessa he Cut 50 Yard lengths out of insulated signal corps wire to use As clothes line this added to the complications of signal corps which already included such problems As goats eating off the insulation and camels tromping Down the wires. Near Hafsa one Arab found a Small object which looked nourishing. He tried to crack it open on a Rock. His survivors said he believed that the hand grenade was a Type of Coconut. Then there was patrol in the Steep Diebels of the natural Horseshoe Ridge which was known As the  it was touch and go up in those almost impassable Diebels. This patrol filtered through stealthily in order to observe enemy gun emplacements when they ran across three arabs who wanted to sell them postal cards. It was too close to the German lines so they sent one of the patrol Back with the arabs to see whether the Mph a were interested in arabs wares. At Al Huettar arabs built department stores Over our Foxholes in the heat of the Battle of Hill 609, an urgent message came into the command posts saying that the arabs had broken through and were bringing up vital supplies of rugs and shoe Shine boxes our March up the Road to Tunis was led by a wheeled Arab who spent two of our precious hours whipping a stubborn Donkey out of a trance. Books As a Victory on May 13. 1943 but we say let the officials come out into the Field and see for themselves that the arabs Are still out flanking and out mane vering us. If you want to get into an orderly room these Days you be got to step Over squatting Arab doormen. Retreat in t a Complete formation now unless the last rank outside the Barracks eating dinner and tugging at the Wineskins now and then. It was cold in Home and i Amy and the men had been marched on Maneu vers All Day and the entire legion was confined to Barracks because the general hat. Found rust on three breast plates during saturday inspection and the boys were complaining a Little. In civilian life a Marcus saying �?�1  use this to lace on my  All the Good meats being ship died direct to Carthage a Laurentius said. A they re eating like Kings there. I have an Uncle in Sicily and he sees the boats go sailing by All Day Long  Quot it s warm there a too a Horatio said shivering in the dreary roman blast. He wrapped his tunic around him More tightly. Quot that the greatest climate in the world a Marcus said. Quot i understand after the War. That a going to be an exclusive  and those Fellows just sitting there eating  Lauren is composed of arabs. They even step up to sign our payrolls. The truth will someday have to be told to our children. We their fathers will confess that the North african Campaign never really ended. When leaving this continent. Will go the Story we fell in disorganized Retreat with the arabs on our heels and we ult behind to our opponent great stores of cigarettes Candy and i clothing. A a Baraka a say the arabs meaning  quart of it. �?�1 think the natives Are trying to Poison  a a the Best wine is shipped direct to  publius said. A a everybody knows  Quot yeah said the other two. Passing the wine around. A a everybody knows  a a Anc another  Clima said. Taking another gulp for Protection against the malaria. The mail situation. I Haven heard from my girl for three and a half  the  publius said a what do they care about us they got us Here and that s enough for them. We can rot  Quot Africa a Scipio said. A a just my Luck. I  la ship Ted to Gaul or Britain or stay right there Iii Rome ilk my brother a Law i had to come to Africa. This is one Lousy  yeah. China said. A they re getting Rich on this War in Rome. Charging the army All sorts of prices. Helmets Chain mail Short swords they re cleaning up on   the other two said and passed the wine gloomily thinking about them charging All sorts of prices in Rome. A a and the Dames in this part of i the country a publius said. A not Lone of them Speaks latin i and you a need a Hundred heavily armed men to get them ten feet away from their  Scipio said. What a country Africa a a a Rome a Cinna said. A that a the place to Soldier. A  said the other two and pulled at the wine and sent a recruit out to buy another five Gal 1 ions. And Back in Rome a few of the boys were sitting around the fire1 to us Shook his head. A a and no marching. Just sit there and wait for the siege to end. And african wine is the Best wine in the world. What a life the wine Back Here is hardly drinkable any More. I understand they re using substitutes for grapes around Rome now. Wartime  they All took a gloomy pull at the Wineskins and Laurent is took a second pull because the wind was picking up. A Why did you join up a Marcus asked. A a you did t have to. You had a Nice business. What was it. Chain mail a a a huh a said Horatio. A a Chain mail it looked Good and i sold a lot of it. But the taxes. I was on the verge of bankruptcy. Joining the army was my Only   said the other two. A a soldiering in Rome a Marcus said. You can have   said the other two and sent out a recruit for five More Gallons of wine. Of course this was some time ago and War have changed a great Deal what with air planes and tanks and c rations. And its exciting to imagine How much  change in the next two thousand years. You can just picture a few of the boys sitting around a campfire outside Tunis in 3943, eating dinner and toying a Little with the native wine. Where do you think they got the meat for this Stew a asks a Buek sergeant gloomily. A a out of the tombs of Egypt a yeah a two of the others will Ray. And so on for the next four thousand years