The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-10-25

W e T e a n
groggy, for a while after the cur
rent world conflict started. in in
sisting upon the essential character
Of their own comparatively old
fashioned service to guarantee
nations rulership Of the ocean.
Aviation, they had TO admit, is
spectacular. It's new, too, whereas
the battleship and cruiser, swish
ing around on the brine, just as
the Ark did, as far back as the
time Of Noah, are no novelty. Con-
sequently the flyers, objects Of in
tense. almost unsatisfied curiosity,
got all the headlines. Stories Of
what was going on underneath gen.
orally were relegated to the back
pages.
Now, though, the navy boys are
beginning TO call attention to the
fact that the British feet has
everything afoat pretty completely
dominated.
German airmen do lot Of dam
age, scooting over John Bulls
island, but they can't land there ex-
cept to be captured. and seemingly
they can't do it by boat even across
as narrow a stretch as the English
channel; Mr.. Bulls feet won't let
'em.
Italy has a formidable force in
north Africa, jabbing at Suez,
through Egypt. But this force has
to have supplies to accomplish any
thing. 1t can get 'em only across
the Mediterranean and Mr.. Bulls
feet controls the Mediterranean.
Italy's aviation arm is known to be
first class. 1t was expected to put
the British Mediterranean squad
ron out Of business. It doesn't do 1t.
That, say our army folk, is because
aviation isn't what it's cracked up
to be.
Neither Germany nor Italy can
get things they need from overseas.
They get some Of them overland,
from the eastward, but not every
thing they require. The British
feet has 'em bottled up from the
Atlantic and Mediterranean direc-
tons. Planes can't transport big
bulk commodities.
But England gets, from our side
of the water, whatever stuff 1t
wants and can pay for. Why
doesn't Axis aviation put a stop
to it? Because. reply our navy
critics, it's a task that aviation
isn't equal 20; that takes surface
strength.
Germany is desperately anxious
to keep up its trade with South
America. German producers Of
their kind Of stuff, that there's a
South American demand for, have
made coolies Of contracts with
South American concerns, prom
Using deliveries and undertaking to
penalize themselves financially II
such deliveries aren't effected. And
they can't deliver. The South
Americans, such as Brazil and Ar
gentina. are scooping in the penal
ties, from German holdings in their
various republic. Planes can't make
deliveries, and they can't be made
otherwise. because the British feet
won't permit it.
That's how our navy critics ex-
piaiy, tha situation,
Only an Adjunct
They don't undertake, to be sure,
TO dispute the vital Importance Of
aviation. The point that surface
fighters (army as well as navy
make is that it's merely an arm Of
their respective services. They both
concede that either one Of them
might be fatally handicapped
minus capable flyers. They MAIN
tain, however, that aviation's an
adjunct only-just like guns and
ammunition.
Indeed, they frequently refer 70
bombing plane as proJectile. OF
course planes are invaluable for OBJ
servation purposes also, but that's
a different consideration.
The plane didn't get much OF a
try-out during the last war: II