The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1942-10-29
Axis Nations Face 10 Face
With Strengths. Air Power
Americas Theoretical Aerial Strength
Translated Into Actually; Japanese
Revise Three Major Campaigns.
BY BAUKHAGE
Ne1ps analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, 1s4s H Street. NV.

WNU Service, 1s43 H Street. NV.
Washington, d. c.
As this Is written Washington is
discussing q pitched battle in the Sol
onions and the beginning Of a sharp
rise in American air activity over
Europe. Exciting stories are COM
ing In from all quarters of h globe
about the achievements of u pilots
and our planes but few civilians
realize the significance Of these sep
arate exploits. The enemy does. And
I'm the opinion of air force officials
in Washington the Axis partners
have at last been brought face to
face with the fact that America is
In the war, that the theoretical strik-
ing power Of the United States has
been translated into q practical inn
pact of American strength which is
now being felt on every front.
Since the smashing victory Of Mid
way, the Japanese have been forced
to change their whole campaigns in
three different sectors: in the Aleu-
tians, in New Guinea, in the Solo
mons.
And, as Rommel girds for another
attack in Egypt, it is conceded that
what might have been a victory in
the drive on Alexandria was turned
to defeat in a not unimportant meas
ure by American bombers and fight
ers.
And lastly, with the great raid on
Lille early this month, the Germans
found themselves faced with the
prospect Of terrific destruction Of
their cities or the revision of their
whole program of air defense.
From the beginning. the Germans
knew that America had the men,
the money, the u to build
the most powerful war machine in
the world. But they never thought
the parts Of that machine could be
assembled in time. Now as we ap-
proach the anniversary of Pearl
Harbor, we are still unable to fur
nish our Allies with the men and
material required to make any sim
gle front, Of the many we are feed
ing. strong enough for an offensive
in which there is combined action,
air, land and sea. But in one arm
we have developed the beginning of
superiority and for the first time we
are emerging on many fronts as the
growing giant of the air.
This is now possible because we
have been able to do three things:
provide a terrific engine Of preci-
sion destruction in our mammoth
bombers; provide those bombers
with such fire-power that it makes
up for their lack of maneuverability
and thus offers in a single unit the
ability to carry out precision bomb
ing of individual targets and at the
same time the ability to fight off
the enemy defense in the air, a COM
bination perfected for the first time
in this var.
a comparison
To reduce this achievement to lay
terms: Heretofore the big bomber
which could drop tons of destruc-
ton on the earth below, vas so
cumbersome in the air that 1t was a
prey to fast moving acrobatic fight
er planes. Like the buffalo which
mn,,Id ho uulIod doun hv . ho,J -
agile wolves. Now, because of the
terrific effectiveness of the guns our
bombers carry, those fighters can
not get near enough to them to dam
age them. The wolf pack is cut to
pieces before its fangs can seize
the monster.
In addition to giving our heavy
ships their own protection we have
built pursuit planes - the agile
wolves - which are sineWed with
some Of the might of their bigger
brothers.
Our pursuit planes are able to
carry bombs, too, and perform
some Of the functions Of the dive
bomber with the added advantage
of maneuverability.
With this equipment we have been
able to make the Japanese hold on
the Aleutians untenable. We have
already dislodged two footholds CAT
tn and Agattu islands. and will prob
ably force the Japs out of the third,
Kiska, before the winter sets in.
That is n radical change Of plan
which the Japanese did not antici-
pate we could bring about.
In the southwest Pacific there has
been wrought another change of
plan. In conjunction with Austria
liam fiers. American forces have
completely broken one offensive. the
n directed at Port Moresby. by