The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-18

wants q British land and air fS
 m Manila, as in Mosoow, find, the first question 6 government offi- | eial, soldier or Hotel porter asks is: ~Why don't the Brstssh invade the eonttnontq"
 Tho average Bgltisher is just as eager as the average worker and peasant ia the sovlet Union that Britain should give effective aid to the Soviets end when I left Bri- tain in August he was already be- ginning Co wonder whether iils gov- ernuasnt was golnf to let tho Rus eians down.
 The sacrifice Of Q few British di- visions on the continent now ur- doubtediy would relieve the pres- sure on bO Q Fmcre Soviet divisions. xt would help keep the Red Army intact for many months and might even permit the Russian to launch . successful counter.att
 1nvasien Not Likely
 Mevertheiess, unless the situation has radically change since Josef Gta- lin or November 7th made his plea for British intervention on the continent, there ia little likelihood hht the pTitish will strike across the channel or gend on expedition aFy force Into the Caucasus within the practicable future.
 have discussed the possibility of an invasion Of the continent with British officials and officers in Brlt- AfEa Afsa Aaastmk RFalAe. aaA ka.a NRtA ale East. This is what they say:
 The British army will not be eeady Co strike on tho continent be. fore spring, # then. It may carry put raids which will he bailyhooed tor Q few days as "invaBions" but G.e imperial general staff will no: risk large forces until it feels con- eident thsF0 will be no more "glog- ious withdrawals"
 One os the chief reasons for this policy as that the British army Is not yet equipped for another trial of strength with the Germans. Ger. many, the British officers point out, has been aTmlng for seven years. Britain for only two or three.
 Each stage of the war 90 far has cost the British heavily in equip- menk. Dunklrk was strewn with BTitish guns, caiasons. tanks, Bren gun carriers, motor transports - all the equipment Of "the finest army Britain ever put into the field"
 Remembew DunkiFk
 Altar Dunkirk, the army In the Britlsh Xsiea could boast only one fully equipped division. NeveFthe- Ices, even though tho country was threatened with invasion the gov. eEnuaent and general staff took the gisk os sending large supplies to Egypt, including equipment for one AFIncred division.
 0en Sir Archibald Waveil'g guc- eessful drive across Libya to BenS gEaxi fast winter did not cost many ives but it took c heavy toll in material. Of $50 tanks which went out, oniy 4e came back. Tn the Greek canapaign the equipment of as least three divisions had to be left be. hind in the mountains and on the beaches.
 Crete cost more anti-aircraft guns, field guns and trucks. Mere mater. tai was rushed to the Middle East and under demands from London, Wavell launched c new drive in July against his own better judgment. The German position in L!bya was stronger than expected and Wavell lost more than half his entire tank strength.
 ProAuctiOn Not Good
 Meanwhile, production had not been going SO well in Britain. The campaigns in France and the Md- die East showed many defects in British tanks, guns, arTnor plate and other equipment and the Brit ish, who ike to do c thorough job, kept tinkering until they felt their designs had been perfected.
 This cut down production. one tank, for instance, was subjected to B,OOO notifications and the first models were not delivered until one year after Ehe schedule date.
 Now, the British government claims that production problems have been solved and equipment is rolling from the factories in il- creasing quantities. This material, however, must be spread all over the world. With the danger that the Germans will turn south this win- ter the armies in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Iraq. Iran, India and Burma must be strengthened. The threat of war in the Far East obliges Bri- tain to send badly needed materiel to Singapore, Australia and New