The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-01-19

ex brig adier's
rating at the time its proprietor
died.
Senator Alexander Wiley Of Wis
consin. one of the authors Of the
generals posthumous promotion,
even limited at a suspicion that
what he termed our military
caste" still is pretty somnolent Of
the subject Of up-to-date fighting S
requirements on land and sea and
up in the air. He didn't make it as
an unqualified assertion, but he did
recommend an investigation, to
settle the question.
The same idea was expressed.
and rather more pointedly, in the
British house of commons, directly
following the Japs' initial attack
on the United States. Not only, ac-
cording to these London spokes-
men, was Uncle Sam caught by
surprise. but his professional SOL
diery and saiTory. they insisted,
haven't learned yet that today's
war is altogether a different thing
from 19l4-1S's. The critics men,
toned were promptly hushed up
by other Britons, who. were horri-
fed at the notion Of giving offense
to this country. but they'd sue
ceeded in getting themselves on
record before they could be choked
of.
In Washington. though, we're
entitled to find all the fault with
ourselves that we please.
Alaskan Defenses
Besides Senator Wiley, Territor-
ial Delegate Anthony J. Dimond,
from Alaska, has done some of it.
Dimond's decidedly exercised rela-
tive to the preparations he says we
haven't made for his bailiwick's
protection, since it's easily within
the Japs' reach. Japan's equally
within Alaskas reach, he adds.
and, if we'd had adequate air bases
and facilities at the southwestern
end Of the Aleutians. we could have
made one Of those well-known
"shambles" out of Nippon over
night, in return for Jap aviations
visit TO Pearl Harbor and Homo
lulu. In fact, it was a yisit Dimond
thinks the Japs wouldn't have
dared to make if we'd been fixed
to reciprocate promptly from his
home territory.
General Mitchells personal mis-
fortune was that he saw too far
into the future. for his own imme-
date good.
What he envisioned was there
alright. but he couldn't prove it
right then.
He tried to. While the argument
was on, we had a former German
dreadnaught, the Won Tirpitz, at
anchor in Hampton Roads. A prac-
teal flyer. Billy loaded up a plane
with a few bombs, fitted down to
the Roads and sank that craft in
short order, with a couple Of shots
down its tunnels.
How about that" he inquired.
Pooh" answered the surface
experts. The Won Tirpitz was at
an h or and unnamed. You
couldn't have hit it II 1t had been
zigzagging around, and. while you
were trying. the crew'd have shot
you down"
The truth probably is that the
surface professionals didn't like TO
admit Billy's contention that their
land and sea arms were verging on
obsolescence. They denied it as
matter Of professional pride. It's
understandable why they didn't
like to acquiesce in Billy's reason
ing that they were back-numbers,
even partially. They wanted planes,
but only as army and navy Access
series. They accepted EN- for OBJ
servation purposes. and they also
described EN- as "projectiles," to
be fired from ships deck or by
grounding artillerymen.
Not Diplomatic
II has been conceded that Cen
eral Mitchell wasn't very diplomat
&c with the terrestrial bunch. In
stead Of trying to convince them.
he called 'em uncomplimentary
names.
Finally they denounced him as
insubordinate and chased him out
Of the service.
Today Billy Mitchelrs thesis
Chat land and sea ornaments
might as well be scrapped forth
with. aviation being 100 per cent