The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-06-03

One of the greet and as yet unon-
swered questions Of militory science is
this: (which is the more vtol weapon
Dir power or SEQ poWer2" ----------
Ten or fifteen years ogo on Italian
stroteest developed the theory thot
the bombing oirplone had made oil
other weapons Of war almost obsolete
-thot the nation With overwhelming
strength in the skies could force any
enemy to copitulote in q matter OF
weeks. ThCt theory, which was more or
less widely accepted by the Germans.
has proven wrone Britain has been
given incredible punishment by the
luftwoffe, with no perceptible break in
the peoples morale, and with relatively
little effect on British industrial pro-
duction.
Another school, which had many fol-
lowers in England and in this country,
held thot the oirPIone. highly develop
ed as it might be, would be nothing
more than on auxiliary weoPon-thot
battle fleets and land armies would still
be the determining foctors. And thot
theory has olso proven q mistaken one
Germony's air power was her prime
weapon in effeotine her successes in
Poland, the Low Countries and else
where. To c very greet extent, the Reich
land troops simply mopPed UP, otter
the dir divisions had terrorized poPuIo-
tons, confused opposing ormies. and
made effectuoI resistance impossible.
One thing the Bottle Of Crete may do
is to supply something Of on answer to
the long OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
argument. 1t is not perfect test But
it is the best test thot has yet occurred.
The British have overwhelming SEQ
power, onu British squodrons did yoe-
man work in scattering and destroying
German seo-borne transports. The
Germans have overwhelming Dir power
and their Dir transports have success
fully landed thousands Of crack Noz
troops ut vitol points. 0ernnon casual
ties have apparently been high; how
ever, enough men have been sotely
landed, With adequate equipment, to
make the British position q difficult
one, according to late reports.
If Britain loses Crete, it will be, to
some extent, on admission thot air
power is superior to SEQ power. Further,
it would be on extremely serious loss,
and would mean the end Of British
naval influence in the Mediterranean.
If, on the other hand, Britain can hold
Crete and win decisive victory there,
it will b. severe setback for the Ger
mans.
Destruction Of the battle cruiser
Hood, by the new German bottleship
Bismarck, must be described as q dis
oster. The Hood, despite her years, was
the tostcst and most powerful ship-ot-
the-Iine in the world, and wos one Of the
very few ships which could meet the
new German super men-of-wor on even
terms IN both speed and fire-power.
She was considered virtually unsink-
obIe by some experts, and she wos
depended upon as dominant foctor in
keeping Brtoin's SEQ lanes open The
psychological effect Of her loss in on
engagement in which the Oerron
fleet wcs given little punishment, will
be very bod 1t is sofe prediction that
the British Admiralty will move heaven
ond earth to retoIiote by destroying the
Bismarck.
However, even without the Hood,
the British have 5 bottleships to Hit
Ier's four, 50 there should be no danger
Of the Germans seriously challenging
British SEQ supremacy, unless Hitler's
coptoins can perform many more mir
ocIes comparable TO the bIowino-up Of
the Hood. Best chance Hitler hos OF
materially strengthening his SEQ arm is
acquisition of the French fleet. Only
the incurcbly optimistic now believe
thot the pro-Axis Vichy government
would dor much to prevent this. Ad-
.rnifol Doflon, second in command to
the opeient and piIine MorshoI Petoin,
is violently onti-Enelish.