JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 6

JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT

U.S. Navy’s Savage Blows At Axis DISTANCE PROBLEM (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received October 28, 10 p.m.) NEW YORK, October 27. “The navy has hit the enemy some savage blows, and we have just begun to fight,” said the Secretary of the Navy, Colonel Knox, broadcasting. “We are producing merchantmen faster than the enemy can sink them, and he is not sinking them so fast either. We are producing aircraft, bombs, and trained crews in such quantity that Germany no longer has unchallenged mastery of the air. Ships, aircraft, and trained men are coming faster now, but still not fast enough.

“We have a long way to go to do properly our world-wide job of patrolling, escorting and lighting in all the seas. Bit by bit, American men and material are piling up in front of the enemy, but the distances, are enormous and the problems infinite. There has never been enough anywhere. Submarines have taken an awful toll of the previous ships and men. The enemy has pushed us back to the waters of Australia and the banks of the Volga, but the picture is changing now. “The United States has paid an awful price for negligence after the last war, and it must not make the same mistake twice. It must insist on the maintenance of American naval power, at least during the transition period at the end of the present war.” Keeping Sea Lanes Open. RUGBY, October 27. The world today was .witnessing the most impressive demonstration of sea-power in history, said Admiral Stark, commander of the United States naval forces in Europe, broadcasting to America on the occasion of the United States Navy Day celebration. Admiral Stark said that a second, third, fourth or any number of additional fronts were possible only if the sea lanes were kept open and only by control of sea lanes and air lanes overseas could the United States bring to bear its enormous strength. Sea-power alone could not- win the war, but only sea-power could ensure transport of men and munitions to vital theatres. Either we would go to the enemy or the enemy would come to us. That was the great issue. Seapower would decide that issue. Till a year ago, Britain and the Dominions were fighting almost alone to control the vital sea lanes. For two and a half rears the British Navy, singlehanded, had in fact kept open the road to victory for our way of life against Nazi tyranny. A Washington message says that President Roosevelt today signed the 15,000,000,000-dollar Bill containing funds for the construction of more than 14,000 naval planes and authorizing the construction of aircraft-carriers with a tot.a' tonnage of 500,000— equivalent to 25 carriers. German Navy Estimated. Allowing for Germany’s losses' since the outbreak of war and for certain additions to her navy, we may assume that she now has in commission a few battleships, including two pocketbattleships, two cruisers, four light cruisers and about 70 destroyers, and more than 300 submarines and more than 100 torpedo-cutters, writes Captain Cekurov, of the Soviet Navy, in the latest issue of the “Soviet War News.” He adds that during the past year about half the big German vessels have not appeared at sea, which lends weight to the assumption that they are undergoing capital.repairs. Germany is experiencing an acute shortage of skilled shipbuilding workers, and Allied bombs have further reduced their productivity. The Germans pan now produce no more than 120 to 140 submarines annually, whereas in 1940 they launched about 200. To make good the loss s of more than 3.500,000 tons of merchant shipping, Germany is forced to build numerous merchant vessels and small warships for convoy work. To build a powerful navy, at the same time maintaining powerful land and air forces, has proved beyond Germany’s capacity.