Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 4, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Here Are your thoughts about things flying Home saturday september 4, 1943 the  flashes from the Field \ i a a  probably the oldest american army ground unit in All Africa is an ordnance group now working somewhere in Tunisia. They left the states last Spring travelled up to Scotland then Down and around the coast of Africa and landed at Cairo june 22, 1942. Since then they have served in Many other countries besides Egypt Eritrea Ethiopia Palestine Syria Libya and now Tunisia. They were attached to the 8th army and followed it Clear across the desert servicing the tanks that helped Knock Rommel out of Africa. In their Day they be fixed everything from a watch to a Gen. Sherman tank. They done to do much travelling these Days but they still work around the clock mostly on trucks. Sgt. James r. Shearer of Canonsburg pa., sighs for the old Days in Egypt. A Cairo is a Paradise a he recalls Quot All modern facilities combined with ancient  but 1st it. Alfred w. Harwell of Birmingham does no to agree. He has seen Algiers and that a the town for him. A a 4 there s an enlisted Man at a War Hawk outfit Cpl. Frederick Ward Taylor of new Hartford n.  runs a town Hall at a fighter group base at the air front. It s a weekly news forum which keeps the men informed on what the group is doing what is happening on All the War fronts. Cpl. Taylor held a Carnegie scholarship at Hamilton College which he received through the interest of the late Alexander Woolcott. A 44 when the boys in one p-40 outfit finish a Days work they play and Here Are some of the participants it. Frank Collins for two years All Texas conference Star Cpl. James Light Boule jr., ranking Tennis player at Elon College and Duke it. Stanley Rosen four letter Man at Rutgers and Captain of the football team there in 1928 a sgt. Jerry Doyle Arizona diving and swimming Champion from 1935-41 and it. George Tsantes who represented new York in the aau boxing tournaments. 4 4 4 Quot the b-26 s Are the fighting est bomb carrying planes you be Ever seen and done to believe that there Arentt horses in those engines a says it. William a. Rynne of new York City. He gives the Case of the a lib Langely. Her Pilot is flight officer s. G. Fauts of Memphis Tenn. His ship has just made a one engined record run for planes of its class. All the Way from a lies it came Back Home and came in on its belly when it got there. And there was a lot of Patchwork to do for there were 350 holes gaping it her innards. 4 4 4 a two Way radio conversation Between a flight Leader and a Pilot in c damaged War Hawk was responsible for the Safe return of the Pilot and his plane after the raid on Pula. Capt. John c. Watkins former aviation editor of the Baltimore Sun told his flight Leader it. Col. Gordon Austin Scranton pa., that he was going to land. The colonel kept up a Stream of conversation and encouragement while the other p-40�?Ts kept circling to offer Protection. This kept up for some time until suddenly their own Airfield came into sight. It was lonely. A a a two p-38 pilots it. Richard a. Campbell Ferriday la., and it. Richard g. Actkinson Pasadena calif., were flying top cover for a formation of bombers when they ran smack into ten Blue Wing Bottoms me 109�?Ts. Quot they were flying in a regular old Box formation a it. Campbell said Quot and we made a pass. They broke up and started to come at us but before the fight was Over we each clipped the wings off one and saw them go Down in  the bombers by the Way All got Home safely. 4 4 4 when it. Paul g. Matthews Weymouth mass., and his Crew were returning from a a flak alleys in their marauder with Only one engine churning they called on their p-40 escorts for cover. Later a crash Landing was made at sea and the Crew were safely in their raft the p-40�?Ts kept buzzing around. A a one of them threw Down a life raft so we could have More room. There were never a nicer Bunch of  4 4 4 Clarence j. Galligan at 23, believed to be the youngest lieutenant colonel in the army air forces was promoted recently from executive officer to group commander in the Naaf troop Carrier command. It. Col. Galligan who comes from Staten Island n. Y., wears the air medal for his participation in the paratroop Mission from the British Isles to North Africa last november. He joined the flying cadets in june 1940 after three years at new York University. 4 4 4 when a p-40 sinks a submarine that a news. One of the few pilots to destroy a a boat is 2nd it. William r. Elliott of Eunice n m he did it when he was returning from an escort Mission off Sardinia. In the words of the War Hawk sub killer Quot the submarine was on the surface and no one was on deck. There was a Large Swastika on the conning Tower so i fired about 60 rounds into the top of it. I done to think there was a single slug that did no to go into it. After a big explosion the Tail end went High. There was no Wake. It went right  a note o n the mail situation a contemporary Pup tent philosopher recently remarked that the two most important things in a gigs life Are Chow and mail. From the number of inquiries we re deluged with each week on both these subjects we re inclined to agree with him. Take the current mail situation for instance. Soldiers Are forever putting Stamps on a mail forms with the thought that stamped a mail would get priority Over Ordinary a mail. There is no such distinction and All a mail letters whether they carry postage or not Are now microfilmed and flown to the states. A mail letters coming to North Africa and Sicily from the states Are All microfilmed and Are arriving into this theater at the rate of six and a half million a month. Soldiers evidently receive More mail than they Send since Only four and a half million letters Are sent Back to the states during a comparable month. In addition to a mail there is a tremendous undisclosed total of Ordinary mail which passes in and out of the theater each month. Mail flown at the present time All mail is being flown Back to the states a even Ute common Garden variety of Ordinary letter mail that is if it does no to weigh Over two ounces. An air mail stamp on an Ordinary letter will insure its continuing by air to its destination once it hits a port of arrival in the United states. Between sept. 15 and oct. 15 Christmas parcels will be accepted in the United states for mailing to soldiers overseas without request. A Soldier May not receive More than one package a week during this period. There has been a Large increase in the number of packages received by soldiers since the amendment of the regulation requiring the written permission of a soldiers commanding officer. Since the modification of the restrictions which require Only suggestions Here Are some suggestions regarding the handling of a mail from postal authorities who request they be followed in order that a More expedient and satisfactory a mail service May be rendered l the address should be in Large Block letters or written Large and Plain enough so that the a mail facsimile would be Clear and legible. S. The folding Type a Mau letter Sheet should be addressed and censored on the inside As Well As on the outside. 3. Words requiring deletion should be blacked out with Ink but not Cut out of the letter. 4. A mail letter should not contain enclosures. If a second Sheet is necessary to Complete a letter the regular a Mau form must be used and it will is addressed and censored the same As the first one. 5. Your a mail forms should not is written with faint Pencil Ink or Crayon. These do not make Good reproductions and in most cases it is impossible to make legible facsimiles. 6. Non folding Type a Mal forms should be kept Flat and barked up with cardboard or heavy paper for Protection against damage and rolling while in transit. This Type a mail form must not by used when the folded Type a mail forms Are available. The folding Type a ust he folded and sealed As they jul not be accepted at the Apo in open condition. 7. A mail forms should not be sealed with Staples clips adhesive tape. Only mucilage and the like will be used for scaling a mail. 8. Apo a and geographical locations should not appear together in the address of the a mail form. 0. A space of 3-4 Inch should be allowed Between any writing or signature and the Bottom of the letter Sheet. Organisations mime graphing their own a mail forms will adhere strictly to this in order that there will be a sufficient Border for photographic purposes. Written request from the Soldier himself military parcels to soldiers in this theater have More than doubled. In making your requests remember that anything fragile or perishable will not be accepted by the postal authorities Back Home. Soldiers planning to Send Christmas parcels Home should get them called before oct. 15 to allow for transportation and clearance through customs. Packages must not exceed 70 pounds in weight and too inches in length and Girth combined. List contents the customs authorities require that the contents and value of the items sent be listed on the package. Soldiers Are allowed customs exemptions up to 60 dollars if the articles Are Bona vide gifts. A certificate in the following form should be signed by the sender and enclosed in each package Quot i certify that the enclosed articles Are Bona fide gifts from a member of the armed forces of the United states on duty outside the Continental limits of the United states and under Public Law 790 Are entitled to free  arrangements have been made with the French postal authorities to permit letters going from soldiers to French civilians in North Africa to go free of postage. If they Are written in a foreign language the soldiers commanding officer must Send the name of the Man and the language in which he is writing to the base censor. But whether it s written in French or English the letter must go through regular army channels. During july and August 15 million Blank a mail forms have come into this theater. Blanks Are now available at most Apo s and the Supply is being constantly . M. H. A these three Pec s Are shown feeding a mail letters going to the states into a re Cordak machine which reproduces them on Rolls of 16 nun. Film. Each Roll contains 1700 letters. The a feeders Are Mike Kahrimanian of Philadelphia Myron Tususian of new York City and Francis Rinser of Athens a sgt. A. J. Hruska of Cleveland Ohio a former postal employee in civil life keeps a hand in the game by operating the Developer Bath in one of the three a mail depots in North Africa. Each Day Hruska runs thousands of feet of film through the machine which first washes and then Drys it. This process is known As Quot Squeve  cutting a Roll of letters from the states Cpl. Edward Lincoln shown in foreground. The letters were developed from the microfilm on sensitized paper. Usually this step in the reprocessing Joo is dime by French girls working in the Laboratory stars and stripes weekly Paffe 5 Washington a Gen. Dwight d. Eisenhower Allied commander in chief this Wek was appointed a permanent major general of the line of the United states army and received his second award of the distinguished service medal Oak Leaf Cluster. Although a full four Star general by temporary appointment the Allied commander held the permanent rank of lieutenant colonel until a Short time ago when he passed his physical examination for the rank of colonel. He was promoted on the same Day aug. 31, to permanent brigadier general and major general. The citation accompanying the dam award to Gen. Eisenhower commended the general a skillful planning and direction of the Allied nations in both the african and sicilian campaigns. It concluded with throughout the period of these operations in preparation and execution Gen. Eisenhower has displayed conspicuous ability to secure Complete Unity of command and action of a great Allied Force with disastrous consequences to the  a medical unit was faced with an emergency operation and rigged this improvised operating room in front of the altar of a sicilian Church which had been taken Over As a Field Hospital. Surgeons Are pictured in the midst of their delicate task in the unusual operating theater. A photo by army pictorial serviceltsmaj.Gen.1ke on permanent list improvised quarters