The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-07

Ing spirit Go Inspire the best trained army VIC ever sent Into war-and the best led,
 AS never before in peace, We have trained generals, In those post Pearl Harbor maneuvcrS Eisen- hover and Clark proved themselves as chiefs Of staff, Frendan as a corps commander, Patton as a tank commander. They learned to handle men in the field and the men learned to handle themselves in mountain, jungle, desert, Shore- landinRS--aS Africa shows.
 They learned new tactics com- binine individual initiative with teamwork. They mastered new equipment now streaming from production lines that year ago seemed elogged with Inertia and red tape.
 Today Africa and the solomons show that We have the best wea- ponS in the world in the new Garand rifle, carbine, l05mm, howitger, medium tank and new. CT devices for de.blitzing the blitz- krieg.
 KITS ARE TOPS
 As for personal equipment, an inspecting British general eS- claimed: Cad Your privates' kit is up to our officers'l" Those troops were going to Iceland, one of thirty odd ends of the earth where neraly a million of our four-million-man Army tgoing on 7,5oo,0O0) is dis tributed.
 On every continent our Army has demonstrated that 1t has one of the worlds finest air forces. Its heavy and medium bombers are changing aerial tactics and even strategy, making possible an attack on German military targets, including key cities, of a day-and night accuracy that was beyond the splendid R.A.F. It's fighters are showing a superiority over the Japanese of from to 10 to 1, and new types look good against the Luftwaffe.
 Our Navy's aviation primarily is responsible for turning back the Japaneae from Australia; late ly its surface vessels have retri- eyed earlier shortcomings. But more Shakeups are likely. The Navy is paying for a publicity policy that before Pearl Harbor was too careless and since has been too careful.
 On December ', ls4l the Navy was proclaiming itself ready - in both oceans" Today that claim begins to be justified. It escorts conveys safely over the Seven Seas while sinking Japanese war ships so fast-sometimes three to one-that th.ir Pacific superior ity is ending. We build about three to their one, four times our l04l production. scrapping all rec ords, launching in one autumn month twelve major warships. SUBS STILL THREATEN
 Smaller warships lag, hence submarines are stil our most serious danger, merchant ship ping our most serious lack. Yet merchant ships are now launched faster than Sunk-six times as fast as a year ago-sometimes in less than five days. For Africa we and the British found 800 which, escorted by $50 warshipS, got through virtually unscathed.
 If our African expedition clear the Mediterranean, shorter hauls mean that there one ship will do the work of three, releasing more fro use against Japan. Already her merchant ship losses are worse than ours. Sine, Pearl Harbor we have sunk a million tons of hers; she can build only a third of that. And ships bringing her staple rice soon will be eXpoed to attack not only by our better recommended sub- submarines, but by our better-flown submarines, ut by our etter-flown airplarcs. land-ased.
 JAP WAR IS "OURS"
 Japan's standard of living pro- duction is known, despite cen- sorship, to have fallen too. She seriously needs automobiles and ma chine tools and her steel output is T 500 .000 tons against our 90,0"0, 0O0' Japan is not cracking up yet but her dishonest economy shows pre- liminary cracks. Our need tc pre- vent her exploiting her recent con- quests helps explain the risks we have taken in the Solomons.
 Pearl Harbor meant that the Jap war would be our war. Even Churchill recognizes that, saying relatively little about Pacific strat- egy. And increasingly the Hitler war becomes ou rwar. American men, ships, planes and friendship with the French made possible the second front" in Africa, while American men and planes in Brit ain bring nearer a third front in France. Other American men, planes and supplies, mass.d creasingly in Persia and elsewhere in the Near East. help secure against attack from Greece the rear of the Brit ish pursuing Rommel, and also secures the Turks, whom this American reinforcement is draw ing more openly into the United Nations camp.
 Ore year after Pearl Harbor American strength is making it. self felt to the ends of the earth fore decisively than seemed pos sible Another year will see our accomplishment unprecedented in