– March 7, 1942 – News Of The World – NBC – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
March 7, 1942 – News from the war fronts was mixed – although in some parts of the South Pacific news was relatively calm, it didn’t mean there was no fighting going on, particularly Port Moresby. Japanese forces were experiencing stiff resistance in Burma, Timor, Sumatra, Celibes and Borneo. Raids were increasing over Port Moresby and inflicting more losses. News from London told of a new mobilization law requiring all able-bodied men and women to be available to be called in to service for such tasks as digging ditches, carrying messages, observing, first-aid work, carrying stretchers or sandbags and repairing firing posts. Anyone refusing to obey the order would be subjected to a ten-year prison sentence or fined $2,000 or both. The only people exempt were full-time civil defense workers and members of the regular services. The new rule didn’t go the whole way to require carrying arms or fighting to be part of the job, but it was assumed that, should an invasion actually occur, just about every citizen would be willing to join in the shooting as a matter of duty. The example of what was happening in Russia and their scheme of national service had so far turned out to be a great success.
For the first time, German radio admitted troops were trapped behind Russian lines as the Soviet counter-offensive gained strength and steam. Attempting to fly German reinforcements in was proving to be costly as Radio Moscow reported some 79 Nazi planes had been shot down in a 24 hour period, the majority being planes carrying reinforcements.
And Radio Moscow reported German casualties at some 40,000 in a one month on the Central front alone and that some 263 towns and villages had been re-taken by the Red Army.
And that’s only a small sample of what happened, this March 7th in 1942 as reported by NBC’s News Of The World.
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