The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1941-07-24
tDen AynAteAta-WNU Service

VASHINGTON.-n Is not beini
shouted from the housetops. but
good many Of our army aviator.
are already in the shooting" war
There are the pilots recently sent al
observers" to China, and much
larger number observing" in Brit
ain. It may be denied that the,
functioned as did the newspaper
man who got In 50 bad in the frs
World war by shooting gun from
q German trench, but If anyone
thinks they are not doing bit o.
shooting as well as plotting that per
son could be classed as gullible.
One of the things now being urged
inside the administration is thai
we provide a larger number Of
military pilots to fly planes across
Africa. Note that word larger
1t is the word used by officials in
explaining what they want done. In
other words, some military pilots Of
the u. S. forces are already in this
work.
The planes are destined for Egypt
and Syria-primarily for the de-
Tense of the Suez canal 1t takes
SO long to take them across the Pa
cific and Indian oceans, and up into
the Red sea, that the shorter route
across the Atlantic to Africa is be-
ing used. That involves long flight
from just under the western hump
of Africa northeasterly to Cairo.
Actually the planes fly almost
straight east to the line SO long
maintained by the Cape to Cairo air
line, and then follow the estab-
hshed airline up to Cairo. This
route enables them 10 take advan-
tage Of the existing fueling and
other facilities established by this
commercial line long before the war
started.
What is suspected is that good
many of our aviators who start in
to do this trans-African ferrylng job
will wind up shooting at Nazi planes.
BRITISH POSITION SERIOUS
1t is frankly admitted that the
British situation in Egypt is very
serious. even with the Russians fight
ing the Nazis. But before Hitler
decided to attack the Reds the Brit
ish position near the Suez was al.
most desperate.
President Roosevelt was desper.
ately anxious to dc everything pos.
sible TO prevent the Germans tax.
ing Egypt There was no way Of
stepping up delivery Of planes &c
the British by the Pacific-Indlan
ocean and Red sea route, so this
plan OF ferrylng them across Africa
was set in motion The use Of mill.
tary pilots was the next step.
All of the sentiment IN admins
tration circles in Washington is &c
speed up help rather than slow
down as a result OF the war in Rus
STA. Conviction here is that the
present situation offers an oppor
tunity which may not come again
for years, and successfully taking
advantage of it may spell the diff
ference between a two or three-yeaI
war and nine or ten-year war.
There is no longer any hope OF
starving the Germans out. AS a
matter of fact there never was
much basis for any such hope. The
Germans were not starved out in
the last war. Confidential investi
gators for Herbert Hoover reported
that just before the end of the last
war, in 1918, the Germans had
enough food, and were not facing
any famine. Their diet was moi
what the average German wanted
of course. 1t was hardship, in
that sense, but there was no danger
of anyone starving, much less the
army and navy.
What beat the Germans in the last
war was the failure Of the kaiser S
promise to the German people
that he would win the war before
American troops could get to Eu
rope. When the Germans found out
American troops were fighting in
the front lines they knew that
promise was pie crust.