Evening star., 1941-02-02
Newfoundland Now
Hornets Nest of
Air and Sea Power
Defense Strengthened
Already, Although New
Bases Are Yeor Awuy
py the Associated Press.

py the Associated Press.
Although the United States has
barely begun to develop her new
bases in Newfoundland, any foe whe
might try to pass that gateway from
the New World to the Old would find
1t already hornets nest of aerial
and sea power.
The great island of the east
coast of Canada is the northern
anchor of the chain of eight naval
and air bases assured for America
when so old destroyers we're traded
to Britain last fall.
American troops are now aug
nenting its British defenses, living
in the former German liner Amer
ika at the capital city of st. Johns
until barracks can be completed.
Engineers and architects are busy
on new shore facilities for ships
and planes-facilities that will take
more than a year to build-and ad-
ditional fortifcations are in the
making.
Harbors for Tenders.
More important. from the stand
point OF immediate defense against
any possible attack across the North
Atlantic, is the fact that harbors
already have become available for
sea-going filling stations called ten
ders. From these, patrol bombers
and submarines may fan far out
across the approaches to this conti-
nent. The Navy is silent on such
subjects, but it is reported that pa
troll squadrons have been operating
regularly in this manner since the
middle of last November.
Furthermore, one of the largest
airports in the world is already in
existence deep in the interior of the
island. sheltered from the fogs which
sometimes hinder aerial operations
along its southern shores. Few per-
sons doubt that this vast British
flying field would be made available
to fighting planes of the United
States Army's general headquarters
air force if any enemy attempted
to establish bomber bases of its own
in this part of the world.
Newfoundland has been the key
to North America ever since its
discovery by John Cabot in 1497,
five years after Columbus. sailed
into the West Indies. 1t is the
easternmost large area of land COM
manding the shipping lanes between
Europe and the United States and
Canada. With many harbors which
could contain almost the entire
United States fleet, and many lakes
where flying boats could operate, it
is natural base for forces charged
with detecting and intercepting any
hostile thrust from the northeast
against the industrial heart of
America.
Extended 1000 Miles.
The Atlantic area which this
country can patrol effectively with
its existing ships and planes has
been extended roughly 1000 miles
by acquisition of the base sites in
Newfoundland. Instead of using
most of their fuel to go to and
from the scene of patrol operations,
as they would have to do if based
on the United States, patrol craft
can spend more time in the zones
where they are needed. Surface
ships also may find anchorage, fuel
and food supplies in Newfoundland
Immediately; and, after the new
bases are built, facilities will be
available for minor repairs.
Possession of bases in this area
not only extends the range of Amer
ican patrol operations. 1t goes a
long way toward denying any Euro
pean enemy the bases from which
Boston, New York and industrial
cities as far West as Detroit might
be haraSSed by bombers.
Even if an enemy fleet got past
ST. Johns, its plane carriers could
not proceed with impunity while a
nest of American fighters and
bombers remained in existence on
Newfoundland. Landing troops
from ships or aerial transports to
establish an enemy base on the
island Itself would likewise be haz-
ardous as long as the American
bases remained in existence and
were able to send forces against
such operations.
FulfilIs Two Requirements.
In other words, this country's
bases would have to be put out
of commission before the enemy
could operate efficiently from the
island or the waters nearby.
Newfoundland already fulfills two
of the three requirements laid down
by Admiral Mahan, master of Amer
lean naval strategy, for a good
naval base: Position and resources.
The third, strength, is being met
as swiftly as the Army and Navy
and the industrial power of this
country can do so.
The triangular island is larger
than ireland, measuring about 300
miles from one tip to the other
It's northernmoSt point is only a few
miles from Labrador, on the North
American mainland, while the port
of st. Johns juts olt in the At
lantic far past such American ports
as Portsmouth, N. H.; Boston and
New York.
From st. Johns to Boston is 885
miles, to New York l,08l, to the
shipbuilding center at Newport
News, Va. 1,276; to Quebec about
800, to Detroit about 1,400-all
within the extreme operating radius
of long-range bombers.
Newfoundland is not the frigid
and barren land that many Ameri-
cans imagine. In the north the
cold is intense, but the climate along
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