World War II Chronicle: September 13, 1942
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A dispatch from a Marine combat correspondent mentions Col. William J. Whaling, executive officer for the 5th Marines (see page four). “Wild Bill” Whaling is organizing what will become the foundation for the Marine Corps’ scout snipers, and his crack force will spend the next few weeks hunting down the Japanese defenders on Guadalcanal, killing hundreds. The St. Louis Browns drafted Whaling after high school, but he enlisted in the Marine Corps when the United States entered World War I. He was gassed during the Battle of Belleau Wood and the Battle of Saint-Mihiel where he earned a Silver Star Citation. An expert marksman, he competed in the 1924 Olympics in the 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event. Whaling will later command the 1st Marines (succeeded by Chesty Puller) and the 29th Marines. During the Korean War he is assistant commander of the 1st Marine Division (replacing Puller)…
On page ten, several generals have sent greetings to Gen. John J. Pershing, who celebrates his 82nd birthday today… War correspondent Clark Lee has three columns on page 13, including one noting that American airmen fell that Japan may have lost most of her good pilots during the Battle of Midway… Famed writer Ernest Hemingway and Hollywood’s Gary Cooper are pictured on page 20 while hunting birds in Idaho… 158th week of the war summarized on page 33… “District Area Fighting Men” on page 40…
Sports section begins on page 43, which reports that the St. Louis Cardinals have caught up to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the pennant race after defeating Brooklyn 2-1… Also, Sgt. Joe Louis and Pvt. Billy Conn (pictured on page 46) were among the 44,000 Polo Grounds fans to witness Col. Robert Neyland’s Army All-Stars defeat the New York Giants 16-0. The soldiers’ have a grueling ‘ schedule features three pro clubs in eight days, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Bears still ahead. Mentioned are:
- Norman Standlee, All-American at Stanford, 1941 All-Pro with the Chicago Bears
- John Pingel,1 All-American at Michigan State, Detroit Lions
- Sam Bartholomew, Tennessee, Philadelphia Eagles
- Len Coffman, Tennessee, Drafted by Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940
- Hal Van Every, Minnesota, Green Bay Packers
- Vic Spadaccini, Minnesota, Cleveland Rams
- Nick Basca, Villanova, Eagles
- Jack Russell, Baylor, 22nd overall pick of 1943 NFL Draft
- Jackie Wilson, Baylor, second overall pick of 1942 draft
- George “Bad News” Cafego,1 All-American at Tennessee, played for Brooklyn
- Arthur “Tarzan” White, All-American at Alabama, five seasons with the Giants and Chicago Cardinals, All-Pro in 1938
Bear in mind that this is just one of two Army All-Star teams. Col. Neyland leads the Eastern club and former Duke University head coach Maj. Wallace Wade leads the West, which lost to the Washington Redskins but defeated the Cardinals and Lions. Jarrin’ John Kimbrough and the Western All-Star soldiers are about to face Curly Lambeau’s Packers (see page 45)… Lt. Cmdr. Edward H. O’Hare is pictured on a recruiting ad on page 85. The Navy’s first ace now leads Fighting Squadron 3 on Oahu, having relieved Lt. Cmdr. John S. Thach (VF-3). To the point that the writer made earlier in the paper about Japanese pilots becoming increasingly less skilled, the Navy has assigned both Thach and O’Hare to instructor roles for the time being, passing their experience on to younger pilots. Japanese aces are left on the front lines, taking priceless experience and knowledge the bottom of the sea when they are splashed.
1: College Football Hall of Fame
Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 13 September 1942. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1942-09-13/ed-1/
