The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-12-18
8
&e Gseema Gimes
: Clapper

Wsr No Tine for
Sleep Taking
~ RAYMOND CI-APPER
WASHINGTON = American
military equipment IL showing M
very wei On the whole. and su-
pernly % In some instances.
There ID plenty Of invention and
new design and rapid improve
ment We have always been
proud q our mechanical inre-
nmfy. but . little apologize
about cur military ingenuity.
Nobody can take anything
away from the Hurricane and
the spiffire or the heavy truck
horse bombers that Britain has
made In numbers that would be
astounding TO cur public. In fact.
considering the industrial cspae-
NY with which Britain began the
war. what she has done has been
IN industrial miracle.
30. when We brag II u not 10
minimize what Britain ard Rus
sia have done industrially. II IL
30 Try to set straight our own
achievement which 10 still 10
much moderated In this country
because Of q defeatist Psychology
ofter Pearl Harbor.
Our General sherman tank has
shown itself to be such . good
mouDetrap that our allied soldiers
want nothing else-and the sher-
man 70 going 10 pack an even
sitter wallop before long. Gen.
erai Arnold says we are going to
bring new weapons into tia air
war; Factories are producing
new weapons. new models. new
gadgets. tricky stuff like that
belly turret for the Flying Fort
re- that some Of IN curled up In
at the Briggs factory In Detroit
. few days ago Ingenuity in
weapons seems possibly 70 be
even greater than ingenuity IN
commercial products. for brains
both In industry and in the serv-
Ices have gone in heavily behind
the theory that n our men arc
Just a. good as the Maxi. then
the ones with the best weapons
win win
Army ordnance and other pro-
ducing branches In the services
are working very closely with In
dusfry. Primarily the weapons
are those asked for by those us-
ing nrms- Ordnance goes out to
get what the armored force.
the artillery and other branches
want. Changes are being made
constantly - there are several
hundred minor changes pending
On one airplane model now. Bat
lie sometimes reveals need for a
quick change. and heavier gun
has to b improvised out Of .
weapon already In production.
You almost have to telegraph
changes back from the battle
field to the factory to keep really
mp TO date.
The ordinances branch b q kind
Of whipping boy for the army.
although its task IL only to get
out the weapons that the using
arms want For instance. a big
inside row 10 going on over the
oo-called trackicss tank. Gen.
X. H. Campbell. chief Of army
ordnance. u being accused Of
killing off the trackless tank
because II was not invented IN
side the army. Actually General
Campbell revived interest IN the
eight wheeled trackless tank
after II was scorned by armored
force officers . year ago. and he
got II tested by board Of field
Officers from the armcred. tank
destroyer and cavalry forces
They recommended IL TO Be- drop
ped The machinery was too
complicated. they thought. for
rough field service.
When someone accused the
ordnance chief Of suppressing the
invention. his retort was that he
would get anything the armored
force wanted
IF the armored force wants an
1s-wheeled vehicle that win run
sidewise. vel try 10 get II for
them General Campbell said.
There must be close participa-
tion Of the military in production
FOR tia reason that changes in
equipment come almost On order
now from the front. For instance.
n our f1iers work out . new
homhing trick. It may require
amznsdiats changes in the bombs.
b. Telegraph orders back TO the
factory. The way war b now. II
leaves No place ezcept for open
anh quick minds- It's only In
politics that you can still get
b. with talking in your sleep.
. THOUGHTS