July 20, 1942 – News Of The World – NBC Red Network – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
July 20, 1942 – Starting with news on the Eastern Front as reports come in telling of the threat to Rostov and Stalingrad growing daily, almost hourly. Russian withdrawals and regrouping as Hitler continues to bring up reinforcements while Soviet reinforcements are coming up as well. News that American tanks and planes are now joining Russian tanks in the Don River battle. They are fighting side-by-side with the latest Soviet models of tanks and aircraft but there are not enough of them as yet to upset the numerical superiority to the Germans being achieved in this area. There is no exact information on troop movements from either side but that severe engagements are taking place day and night and that the Red Army is still on the retreat. However, on the Voronezh front, the story was different. The Russians were improving their positions by leaps and bounds with the Germans hastily throwing in reinforcements and digging in more feverishly but to little purpose. In that area of the front, the Red Army was steadily regaining territory and destroying German crossings. The Eastern Front was anything but a clear picture.
Meanwhile – in the Pacific – it was noted that this marked the 8th day where all was relatively quiet and that the Japanese had failed to raid any Allied bases in that time. It was almost the longest period of inactivity since the conflict over Java. Concern over the situation in the Aleutians and growing troop presence along the Manchuria/Russian border may explain the relative lack of activity in the South Pacific, but that would remain to be seen.
And on the homefront, the biggest issue facing Capitol Hill was one of wage and price controls and the threat that the forces which affect the cost of living may get completely out of hand during the coming days. Official Washington was saying the President would be ready to ask Congress for new laws intended the check the inflationary spiral of the economy.
And that’s just a little of what went on, this July 20th, 1942 as presented by News Of The World from the Red Network of NBC.
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