Evening star., 1943-08-17
The tert Of War Mobilization

Director James +. ByTnfS f1dtO
address last night folloiDs:'
For three years or more we have
been mobilizing to defend ourselves
Now we are beginning to strike down
our enemies who sought to terrorize
the world.
The tide of battle has turned In
our favor because we have succeeded
in mobilizing for war. In tacal war
our fighting men do not win on the
battlefront unless back home their
fathers and mothers, brothers and
sisters for months past have worked
as a team building up the supplies
and the weapons with which bat
ties are won.
Since we have begun to win some
real and decisive battles on the
fighting front, there has. unfortu-
nately, been tendency to slow
! down our production pace and to
start quarreling among ourselves.
This may be just relaxation Of the
tension that gripped us when there
was grave danger that We might
lOSC blllo wal DC1oAC VIC NOaAN AAAS-
bilize our resources for the fight.
But we must not forget that it
was the united effort of our people
on the home front that has brought
our fighting men where they are in
Africa and in Sicily. in the Solomons
and the Aleutians and has made
possible their devastating aerial
bombardment of Germany's war in
dustries. And it will be only
through our continued united ef-
fort on the home front that our
fighting men will be able, without
undue delay and unnecessary blood
shed, to overcome the Axis powers
both In Europe and Asia.
Victories in Africa
And Sicily Hailed.
Brilliant have been the achieve
ments of the American, British and
Canadian forces In Africa and Sicily.
But we have met and defeated less
than per cent of the combat di-
visions which the enemy has in the
European area. The strategic re-
suits of these victories are of ma
jor Importance, since they have
given us the initiative. but the
initiative is Of no values unless fol-
lowed vigorously with great forces.
Our heroic Russian Allies have
been fighting against approximately
10 per cent of the enemy's European
combat divisions. So the enemy
has been using less than half his
combat divisions IN actual battle,
while the Allies have been using
nearly three-quarters of all their
combat troops which are in the gem
eral European area.
II italy is knocked completely out
of the war and her army sur
rendered, the enemy will still have
more combat divisions in Europe
than will the Allies, and will have
as many divisions as the Allies will
have even after the American mo-
bilization is complete with it's full
strength of over 80 divisions. Only
In the air will we have numerical
superiority.
Even with Italy out of the war,
Germany will be as strong for a
defensive war as she ever was for an
offensive war. This, of course, in
wolves shortening the Russian front,
svacuating much Russian territory
and adopting an entirely defensive
plan Of campaign.
Severe as have been the losses in
hicted on the Germans by the Rus
slams, they are still much less than
those suffered by the Russians to
date. In the war of attrition, the
Germans still have a huge net bal
ance In their favor in military and
naval losses suffered, strategic ad-
vantages gained, territory and peo-
piles conquered and even in equip
ment destroyed, as, to date, the Allies
have lost more by U-boat sinkings
than the Germans have lost through
the magnificent bombing operations
of the American and British air
forces, although the current opera
tions here are in our favor.
Fatal Blow Not Struck
Against Nazis and laps.
What we have gained is that price
less edge on the enemy-the initia-
tive, and Allied morale and materiel
and resources are increasing, while
those of the enemy are decreasing
But our enemies In Europe and Asia
have not yet been struck a fatal
blow, and we cannot relax for one
moment in the vigorous prosecution
of the offensive.
In the Far Eastern theater, Japan
occupies one-fourth of the territory
of China proper; dominates one
half of its population and controls
its developed resources. In addition,
she has taken over from neighboring
countries and islands many valuable
resources-including 80 per cent OF
the worlds crude rubber.
There is nothing to justify the
hope of unconditional surrender by
the Axis powers in the near future.
1t is by no means clear that we are
today as near winning the war as
the Axis was in the summer of 1910.
No full-scale offensive against Japan
has yet commenced. The heroes OF
Bataan are still prisoners of the
Japs. No Allied army has crossed
the borders Of Germany. Before that
is done thousands of American SOL
diers will make the supreme sacri-
flee. The roads to Berlin and Toxic
are still long, hard and bloody.
Our overconfidence Is based in
great measure upon the belief that
the Italians no longer possess the
will to fight. That cannot be said
either of the Germans or the Japa-
nese. And as the Nazis and Japs
read OF our reduced production and
our absenteeism, they may think
that the American people no longer
have the will to make war. We must
realize that the war will be won by
those who win the last battle. And
the .last battle has not been fought.
We have every reason for conf
dence in an ultimate overwhelming
victory over both Germany and
Japan. but I am authorized by the
President to say that in his judg-
ment, as of today. the major battles
lie ahead of us, not behind us.