The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-26
Mighty American Air
 Fleet To Hit Nazis
Continued from Page D

war secretary, said in Q speech at Davenport today that a second front might end the war this year if the Allies are ready to seize the best opportunity to strike.
 Bases In Siberia
 It was reported also that Russia might offer the Allies bases in Si- beria from which to bomb Tokyo and other Japanese cities if they would open the long-Gwaited second front to force Adolf Hitler to- divert some of the massed forces now des- perately seeking a quick victory on the eastern front.
 Arnold, chief of the Army Air Corps; Rear Admiral John H. Towers, chief of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics and commander of the Historic Navy pioneering flight across the Atlantic, Major General Dwight D.. Eisenhower, tank expert, and Major General Mark w. Clark, infantry specialist, were included In the American mission.
 A few hours after their arrival was announced, Admiral Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, withdrawn from command of the British Medi- terranean fleet to undertake @ spe- cial mission to Washington, asserted that the Allies at one time had Italy on the verge of complete defeat and that they would rapidly and surely overwhelm her in the Mediterra- mean as soon as they had equality of forces.
 Immediate speculation on the ar- rival of the United States mission centered on the possibility of imme- diate massed airplane attacks on the continent, and statements by British informants that 1t would soon be possible to attack Germany with 1000 planes night were re- called.
 No Quick Second Front American informants indicated that the visit of the United States mili- tary mission would be brief, and were inclined to discount the pos- sibility that Arnold, Towers and their associates might plan with Bri- tish leaders an immediate second front against the Germans.
 Further, though there were in- creasing signs that the situation on the Kharkov front was difficult, military quarters said there was no sign of Russian reverses which might make 1t imperative for the Allies to act at once, ven If they were not fully prepared.
 But Russia was reported pressing the Allies to start any sort of di- version, even if on a small scale. which would relieve German pres sure against her.
 A British military spokesman said the Russian position on the Kharkov front was serious, with the Germans steadily increasing the power of their attack in the IZyum- Barvenkova sector, but that there was still not enough evidence to tell which way the battle was go- ing.
 He strongly discounted German claims that three Russian armies had been encircled, saying 1t was most unlikely Russia had three armies on the front.
 May Open Against Italy
 Browne Cunningham, in his state- ment, implied that the time might be in sight when the Allies could open a second front against Italy.
 He divided the Mediterranean campaign into four stages-the "phony war" when 1t was quite, the discomfiture of Italy when British forces late in 1940 and early in 1941 Drought her to the verge of com- plete defeat" the phase in which the Axis had superior air forces, and the present phase in which Allied strength is growing.
 Of the air power-sea power con- troversy he said:
 we shall always need sea power and sea power will always need the assistance of air power. If sea pow- CT has the right proportion of air power, do not see sea power be- ing defeated by the enemy's air power"
 He admitted that since the inc tensified Axis raids on Malta started, sinkings of Axis supply ships in the central Mediterranean had dropped because British forces operating from the island had been hampered.
 He disclosed also that the crews of the French hafkleshins innYnohii. ized at Alexandria, Egypt, were strongly pro-Vichy.
 He added that he did not think it had been proved that French ships had been used to get quanriS ties of materials into French Tun- isla for the Germans and Italians in Libya, next door.
 American Tank Officers
 Eisenhower, c Lieutenant Colonel in the pioneer American Tank corps which aouRlat in Exance iu the last ..i4s SS M M4AA MtasM# z4# MfHNN T.f&sH