COMPARISON OF STRENGTHS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 15, 13 October 1943, Page 5

COMPARISON OF STRENGTHS

U.S. And Japanese Navies

TIME HELPED ALLIES (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.! (Received October 12, 11 p.m.)

NEW YORK, October 11.

Japanese production, of military planes of all types in 800 a month; today it is 900 to 1-00, says Hanson Baldwin, the "New York Times” correspondent. American aircraft production in 1941 was 2000 a month and today it is 7000. . ■ Japan’s merchantman construction capacity in 1941.-was 500,000 tons' annually ; today it is 900,000 tons. America in 1941 produced 1,000,000 tons of merchant shipping annually; today the figure is 19,000,000. . Japan’s naval strength today, allowing for all war losses and new construction, consists of 10 battleships, incluaing two new vessels with 16-inch guns. Another is almost completed. In addition she has seven or eight carriers, three or four converted auxiliary carriers, oO to cruisers, 75 destroyers, exclusive or torpedo-boats, and 80 submarines, exclusive of midgets. . . . Japan’s most serious shortage is not cruisers, as many erroneously believe, but destroyers and carriers. Indeed, some of the new cruisers and battleships are now being converted into carriers. American naval strength is conservatively estimated al 21 battleships,, including eight new vessels with 16-inch guns, 12 to 15 carriers in adidtion to dozens of auxiliary carriers, 50 to 60 cruisers, 300 to 320 destroyers exclusive of torpedo-boats, and 165 to 19u submarines. Tins gigantic American Navy is spread over many oceans, but it is safe to assume that the major part, particularly carriers and battleships, is in the Pacific. Moreover, these calculations do mot include the considerable British naval and air strength available against Japan. Mr. Baldwin concludes that the figures sufficiently indicate how the Allies in the Pacific have profited by time. He added: “Barring a naval defeat more serious than Pearl Harbour, Allied naval and air superiority against Japan will increase in 1944 even more remarkably than m the past two years, and the best experts are of the opinion that the Allied strength in the Pacific will be demonstrated within six months by a major offensive against Japan without wailing for the end of the European war.”