Evening star., 1942-04-19
America Is Beginning
ReoI War Effort
By OUen L. Scott.


tanks aircraft guns, ammunition. war
ships and merchant ships. although sub
marines are neutralizing this last-men-
toned gain.
The output now under way is not yet
food. It is far from the totals that
are planned II also is nine months be-
hind the schedule that had been set.
But that output suddenly is impressive
and, with major technical problems
solved. it is going to move ahead very
rapidly from this time forward.
Briefly the situation is this:
In aircraft-More than $500 military
planes are being produced each month.
The proportion OF bombers In this total
Is large and growing; the proportion of
trainers is declining. Mr.. Roosevelt's
goal OF so 900 planes this year and l25,-
900 next very probably is to be reached.
AT the moment not all of the planes
produced are ready for combat The rea-
son why Is that there still are delays in
delivery Of some vital parts, owing to
strikes in le4l. Time lost has never been
regained.
In tanks-So large is the current pro-
duction that the existing needs of the
American Army for tanks could be filled
with two months production. Those
needs are not being filled because tanks
are being shipped to battle fronts as
rapidly as possible. A large and grow
ing proportion of American tank output
is in the medium weight category-28
tons and over. Production of new
model all-welded tank, with improved
armament and greater power, Is getting
under way in large volume. This prob
lem Is about solved.
In guns-The big bottleneck, until
now, has centered in anti-aircraft weap-
ons Production of the large-caliber.
really important ani-aircraft guns was
negligible. The problem involved in
turning out these weapons now is solved
and the guns are rolling. 1t is much the
same with larger caliber artillery. Mass
production techniques are being applied,
The Presidents 1912 goal is unlikely to
be reached but it will be approached.
In ammunition-Until recently, the
situation in ammunition was very bad.
American troops in last falls maneuvers
did not even have blanks for more than
token nse. There was an insufficient
supply of shells for the few tanks that
the Nation then possessed. The situation
in artillery was even worse. Now all of
that Is in the past An immense flow of
ammunition Of all canbers and for all
purposes is getting under way. 1t soon
will be in food volume.
In warships-All production schedules
have been and are being surpassed in
the production of warships. However,
this production necessarily is slow busi-
ness. In the case of battleships and
aircraft carriers 1t is measured normally
in terms of years. In the case of de-
stroyers and smaller craft, construction
is matter of months. Yet records are
falling and by 1s43 this country will be
grinding out warships in very impress
sive volume.
In merchant ships-An average OF one
10000-ton ship Is being completed each
day. BY mid-year this rate will rise to
two a day. 1t should approach three a
day before the start of 1s43. The trouble
with this situation is that German sub
marines right now are sinking ships at
not far from twice their rate of produc-
ton. This is crucial situation and one
that can nullify all of the other produc-
ton efforts II 1t cannot be corrected.
The Navy thinks that 1t can get on top
Of this problem before many months
hou I1xy fa h
marine problem, however, will require
that attack be made upon the center of
production of German submarines.
All in all, the production outlook is
encouraging.
Furthermore, that outlook is made
even more encouraging by action that
Donald Nelson, as head of the War Pro-
duction Board, has taken. Mr. Nelson,
after hesitating for several months, is
ordering an end to all construction of
any size that is not related to war. He
also Is ordering that all of the metal
working industries end production of
goods for civilian use before mid-1942
This means that after July l. 1912, the
United States will settle down to fighting
war. This full shift from emphasis
upon peacetime pursuits to emphasis
upon war will take place about seven
months after the start of actual war in
volvement and two years after the fall
OF France made it almost certain that
the United States would be unable to
escape eventual war.
From this time forward, there will be
no way that industry can avoid involve
ment in the war problem There will be
no incentive to hoard scarce materials
or to try to find ways to maintain normal
peacetime production or to argue for
delay in making the shift from peace to
war in industry. The decision to shift is
made. Hereafter, there is every incen-
tive for industry to find place for itself
in war production. The alternative is to
close down.
What all of this is going to mean is
best seen by glance at the experience
of the automobile industry.
That industry went its normal peace
time way during most of l94l. 1t then
was ordered to close down on production
OF automobiles for civilian use and to
convert its men and machines and man
agement to war production. The biggest
previous conversion job in this industry
had been that of Henry Ford from the old
model T to model A. That conversion
required nearly two years