The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-03-06
How Does The u. S. War Potential
Compare With Nozi Europe?

In this day of mechanical warfare any war
is determined largely by access to raw ma
terials and industrial productivity. Without
industrial productivity war cannot long be
waged.
Let us examine the war potential of the
United States and compare it to Nazl Ger
many to see just what we would be up az.
ainst should we be compelled to face q NaZl
army, either from invasion or on the con-
tinent of Europe.
Vital in a mechanical army are steel, coal,
and oil. How does the u. S. rank when COM
pared to Germany and the small countries
she has conquered?
The steel industry in the u. S. is capable
of turning out 83 billion tons annually and in
recent weeks actual production has ranged
from 95 to 80 per cent of capacity. There IS
no reason, according to authorities, why this
production cannot be upped at least 70 per
cent bringing us to 100 billion tons OF steel.
Germany entered the war when her entire
steel production amounted to % billion tons.
Since that time Hitler has taken Luxembourg,
Belgium the Netherlands, and the industrial
section of France. He has unimpeded ac-
cess to ore in Sweden. Thus Nazi Germany
controls II billions tons of steel production
in the conquered territory in addition to her
own which makes a total of AZ billion tons
for Hitler against Americas production OF
83 billions. A ratio of 83 to az.
In coal America has a two to one advan-
tage against Hitler. Our production has been
geared to 615 billions tons. Nazi Germany
produces 1856 billion tons and takes l4l
billion from the rich coal sections its army
occupies.
In the matter of oil the ratio is not two
to one but 20 to one. During the first half
of 1910 the u. s.. produced SO, zoo, 900 tons OF
oil. Industrial leaders say our production can
easily be boosted to 100 million tons for the
six months period or 200 million tons an
p,o1lv, Corpoanu nrn1upac Ou1v fOnr million
tons annually, counting the natural and the
synthetic varieties. Add to that the entire
output of Rumania, six million tons, we see
where America has 200 millions tons against
ten million tons for all of Hitler-dominated
Europe.
In a war of invasion against America Hit
Ter would have a severe headache in supply
ing oil for airplanes and ships of invasion.
To date ne has had to use little against Bri-
tain because bombing distance is compare
lively small.
In addition to steel, coal and oil America
has the plants, labor, skills, raw materials,
motorized equipment and tools necessary
for producing a military machine greater
than all the nations of Europe combined.
The only element we need is time.
Germany started seven years ago to build
up a war machine which today is stronger
than that of any nation in the world. 1t
has from II to 80 thousand warplanes of all
types against 10 to % thousand for Britain.
Germany's output today is estimated as &C
c~urately as possible at between 2100 to
5000, Britain's at between 900 to 1900 and
Americas in December was 800 a month.
Thus Americas entire output of planes at
present levels combined with Britain's might
approximate Nazi production. The level in
America should go up steadily, however, and
by the end of 1941 we are due to reach the
Nazi level of production.
All America needs is time to gear her in
dustrial machinery and get it in high .
and time to train an army to use the guns,
planes and tanks we are now beginning to
manufacture.
On June 80, 1910, the u. S. had a total
of 625,516 men in the armed services Of the
United States. The regular army accounted
for 264 ,035 followed closely by the National
Guard with 241 ,612 men. There were 49,.
$50 men in reserve forces.
We are now engaged in training 100000
men for one year under the ~selective service
system, bringing our man power to one and
a-half million men.
Hitler has an army of four million men
fully trained and equipped to wage modern
warfare.
1t will be a long time before America can
muster a trained army to compete with him
on a man to man basis. Of course we could
put an army in the field as big as Hltler's
in Just a few months, as we did in the World
War, but they would be just as poorly train
ed and equipped as were the World War
soldiers and would probably be needlessly
slaughtered just as were thousands of World
War dead.
In 1917 this country had a standing army
of 629, 1868, nearly 1000 more than we had
last year before the induction of draftees
in the army. After the war started we