– February 13, 1942 – NBC Blue Network – News Of The World – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
February 13, 1942 – War on all fronts this day. The news from Singapore was silence – nothing new since the previous days reports of fighting and evacuations of non-essentials from the city. The last official news arrived in early hours of the morning in London. At that time, fighting was continuing in the Western and Northern sectors, and the Japanese had intensified their activity in the Northern area. The Japanese had supported their attack with dive-bombing and machine gunning from the air – it was stated they were using medium tanks. British counterattacks on the Japanese left flank were reported to be successful. When the statement was issued, the line had extended from the naval base in the north to the center of the island on to the south. From there on it was wait-and-see.
There appeared to be no change in the situation in Burma as of news time.
On the Eastern front – news that the Red Army was taking advantage of the infamous Russian Winter and had driven deep into German lines with the purpose of cutting communications.
Back home – News from Puerto Rico that Sugar producers offered to give the U.S. government 300,000 tons of sugar a year to add to the supply which roughly translated meant six extra spoonfuls of sugar per week. Sugar producers in Florida and Louisiana could increase their sugar output if the government took off the quota handcuffs. The call also came out for stepped up production of planes and tanks, as well as more recruits. William L. Batt of the War production board was hear saying those planes and tanks we had coming out next year wouldn’t hold our tottering outposts now; the U.S. needed over a million fighting men. At the moment there were some 65,000 applications for specialized jobs, but what was needed were the nuts-and-bolts; the ground troops and the field mechanics.
And while the newsroom was waiting for word from Singapore, that’s a small slice of what went on, this January 13, 1942 – as presented by the NBC Blue Network News Of The World.
While you’re listening and reading, consider becoming a Subscriber to Past Daily and, in addition to getting alerts in your e-mail every time we post something throughout the day, you can also download audio to your computer, iPhone, tablet – wherever you spend time listening. And the best part, you can get it all for free for 7-days so you can kick the tires and decide to be a part of the Past Daily family. Just click on the red box below and head over to check it out.
