Evening star., 1942-01-04
America Will Win
By Meons Of Production
Bu ODen L. Scott.

l O6 ODSSs 6s oNOSS'
The United States now is learning
what it means to send its troops into
battle with fewer planes, fewer tanks.
fewer supplies than those of the enemy.
Possessing almost no machine tool in
dustry, the Japanese have an aircraft
industry which is OF the scrawniest sort.
producing models Of planes Of other ma
tions. They have next to no automo-
bile industry, their resources almost all
are imported across vast stretches OF
water.
Yet a nation Of that kind outmatches
the United States In modern weapons
Of war in the first fight. American SOL
diers are forced to do their fighting
against an enemy who commands the
air and who can throw in more mech
anized equipment.
Reasons for this rather humiliating ex-
perience are two.
One is found In the fact that the
American people-American industry,
American labor. American agriculture
displayed unusual selfishness Instead Of
devoting the past 18 months to driving
preparation for the war that obviously
was approaching. the people Of the United
States preferred production of gadgets
to satisfy personal wants on scale
that was dazzling. They turned out a
flood Of automobiles. refrigerators wash
ing machines. vacuum cleaners. electric
appliances and other goods that fail to
frighten an enemy Then the country
argued about who should be enriched by
the resulting boom.
Armament production was allowed TO
get along as best 1t could. fitted into the
spare parts Of industry. As q result
American civilians have their comforts
and American troops are forced to fight
at . disadvantage.
That Is the first reason for the pres
ent experience. The second lies in what
now seems to have been . measure Of
over confidence in the leadership OF the
United States Navy.
This leadership appears to have been
looking backward to an unusual extent.
1t pinned its faith on the giant battle
ship and refused to be much impressed
by the offensive possibilities OF the air.
plane. AS result. Japan was permitted
to get ahead in the construction Of air
craft carriers and in the development OF
new tactics. Now the American Navy
Is caught with its battleships which it
cannot risk without first being assured
Of supremacy in the air above those bat
tleships.
1t is to take months and even years to
repair the damage that now is develop
ing in part from the insistence upon
building Navy to fight the kind OF wars
that were fought in the past. American
experience today In the sea war with
Japan is quite comparable to the French
experience with the Germans on land
except for the fortunate fact that the
japanese. fundamentally, are far weake,
than the Germans
This countrys admirals pointed to q
war with Japan for 40 years. Then
when war came, they discovered tha,
much of the preparing had to be don't
over.
The United States is In a position te
learn its lessons and to profit by them
The fact that the first victories are goins
to the forces of a pigmy nation like
Japan. probably can serve more thar
any other thing to cause the people O.
this country to bestir themselves. Ono,
the United States decides to get going
and once its military and naval leader
ship is shaken down. as 1t is being shaker
down, there Is little chance that an.
other nation or group Of nations cal
stand against us.
The reason why Is that modern wa
Is made to order for the United State.
In airpower, this country, once organ
lied, can make all others look like poo
seconds. The basis Of a giant aircrat
industry is large and efficient machin
tool industry. No other nation even ap
proaches this country In machine TOT
production. Neither does any other ma
ton possess the mass production tech
niques or the engineering skill or Il,
pools Of skilled labor that this countr
possesses In addition, Americans tax
naturally to machines and their upkee
and repair. as well as to their operation
Once the American skills are mobilize
for war their enemies will begin to Won
der what hit them.
In tankpower, the United States.
It's giant automobile and its railroa
equipment industries. possesses the SKI
and the machinery for turning out tanl
in immense quantities. However, 1t
going to take time to get geared up
mass production In these fields. n
production goals, until now. have bee
quite modest and preparations have bee
on the same modest scale.
In naval power, the shipyards Of tn
country are beginning now to grind o.
destroyers. cruisers and submarines
impressive numbers. All of these smalll
craft are needed on q big scale. AS
result Of recent lessons 1t is probab
that there will be emphasis on produ'
ton of large number of smaller aircra
carriers. The United States he's bee
emphasizing construction of giant ca
, riers, but has only seven of them. IT
Japanese went In for many small
, carriers and is officially reported to ha
Is or more The aircraft carrier Oft
, can deliver heavier blows than any ba
tleship because its planes, used as hea'
artillery, can seek out their targets ov
great distances and can strike hal
Battleships are slow and more vulnerab
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