Evening star., 1942-02-12
Letters to the Editor
Discusses Problems Of Marine Defense
And Need for Aircraft Strength.

Discusses Problems Of Marine Defense
And Need for Aircraft Strength.
To the Editor Of The Star:
Not so many years ago a million dol
lars was large sum to most Of us but
just now we are asked to shoulder a ma
tional debt of 100000 times that amount.
Recently $4,000, 100000 for a tremen-
dous increase in war aircraft was re-
quested. This expenditure should in
clude the building of an adequate num-
ber Of additional modern aircraft car
riers for service in hostile waters where
land bases may be few and far between,
the fourteen carriers now in the Allied
service together with the sixteen now
building being woefully inadequate in
plane-carrying capacity.
Summing up naval strength, we find
that Britain, at the beginning of the
present war, had sixteen battleships in
service while we had seventeen. OF these
thirty three, four have been sunk, leav-
ing twenty mine, tonnage and armament
not being taken into account. AS against
these Allied ships the Axis powers COM
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reduced to an estimated fourteen.
What are our bulldogs of the sea do
ing to win the war? The tasks of sub
marine hunting, escorting conveys and
anti-aircraft action definitely and for
good reasons do not belong to capital
ships but to smaller craft.
Of the seven battleships sunk or dis
abled during recent months one only,
the British battlecruiser Hood, was sunk
by gun fire, the others being destroyed
principally by aerial torpedoes. Why
spend $4,000 100000 for new capital
ships? In the face Of evidence against
them, we must conclude that they are
on their way out. Recent events have
shown conclusively that we do not need
q huge two-ocean fleet of capital ships
but that we are in dire need Of strong
any-ocean air force.
The mighty combined fleets of Amer
lea and Britain, so costly and once con-
sidered so powerful and now so little in
the public eye, together with our bill
lions in appropriations, seem powerless
to cope with the war force of small
Oriental country which, like the other
Axis powers, does not possess great
wealth, accessible foreign credit and
natural resources.
Oh yes, we know that our combined
navies must protect commerce in the
Atlantic. The inhabitants of the British
Isles must not be overcome nor allowed
- loo ;ol 10 efor nd
to that we agree almost 100 per cent.
In this gigantic struggle all Of US, in
cluding the British, have been griev-
ously wrong in Understanding the
fighting capacity and ferocity OF the
Axis powers. But you cannot indict
nation as a whole, so the responsibility
for our severe reverses must fall directly
upon those whom we have entrusted to
manage our national affairs-the ad-
miniStration In general and the Army
and Navy personnel in particular. In
the arraignment of our naval officials
we should remember, with perhaps
doubtful solace, that the British Navy
has fallen Just as far short as ours In
actual accomplishments, If not more so.
Two months have elapsed since the
debacle at Pearl Harbor. But what has
happened? General Macarthur In .
little corner of the Philippines with a
handful of brave and efficient men are
fighting for their lives against tremen-
dous odds and without the assistance
which should have been theirs, the Japs
having almost invariable success at all
invaded points in Allied territory.
At this writing Singapore Is about to
be taken by the invaders. Like Pearl
Harbor, the guns in Singapore point the
wrong way, there being little danger
that either fortress will be attacked from
floating craft.
We eventually shall win but It is most