Evening star., 1943-06-03

%:;''; ;s:. ;s +; ;s.; .;:' ;';S; :;ss: ;s, ~
little chance of David Lawrence.
living against the devastating meas
ures taken against them had more
to do with the breakdown of Ger
man morale than was believed at
the time.
The fact that more Axis subma-
rines were sunk than could have
been built in May is the most reas-
suring piece of news in the entire
period of submarine warfare. The
reader will doubtless wonder what
has happened to make the anti
submarine campaign suddenly so
effective. The answer is that a
number of effective measures have
been taken and that no single
one Of them but all put together
have been very successful
Detection Improved.
For one thing, the detection appa-
ratus Of our escort vessels has been
immeasurably improved. The tech
nique today is not to depend on
depth bombs altogether but to nunt
out the submarines by means Of
detection apparatus and to hound
them till they appear on the sur
ha
the subs can be run down as well
as depth bombs being dropped.
Submarines cannot remain in
definitely submerged. They must
appear on the surface to charge
their batteries. The presence Of
an increased number of escort YES
sells means certain death to a
larger and larger number of sub
marines. And when more and more
crews fail to return, there is diff
Guilty in Germany in getting new
crews. 1t was a mutiny among
submarine crews that helped to
bring on the revolution that caused
the collapse of Germany in the last
war.
1t has not been announced what
the increase in our tonnage OF
escort vessels is today over last
summer, but it can be taken for
granted that large feet is now in
active operation and that every
month will see big additions.
Sub Is Last Hope.
If the submarines effectiveness
has been checkmated, Germany's
last hope Of holding on to the
continent of Europe is gone. Her
alleged blockade of our supply line
to Europe is impaired, and an end
less flow of men and materials can
be sent to Europe to sustain any
invading force that is landed Up
to now the German propagandists
have been fairly persuasive with
their own people, using the argu-
ment that America may be a huge
arsenal of arms and supplies. but
that these are Of little use if they
cannot be transported for combat
on the continent.
1t is in the summer months that
the biggest tonnage in this war, as
well as the last war, moves from
America to Europe, and if sinkings
by submarines are diminished. the
news must sooner or later percolate
to the German people and to the
people inside the occupied areas.
It means that now the United Ma
tions really command the seas and
this, in turn, means sustained COM
mand of the air. because an un-
interrupted supply of fuel and re-
pair parts for airplanes and ground
crews can be assured. It means
more bombing around the clock
in the air campaign against Central
Europe.
Can Shorten War.
There has been a good deal of
pesslmism here lately because of
the expectation of long war The
theory that We faced a prolonged
war has been based more than any
thing else on the belief that the
Axis submarines would continue to
take huge percentage of our ton
mage. When the submarine is
licked, the whole tempo of the war
may be speeded up, especially as
1t is apparent that every day Of
greater air superiority makes pos
sible landing Of ground troops on
the continent.
The next few weeks will see
mopping-up operations in the
Mediterranean. with some land
ings on the islands which hitherto
have been used by the Axis as
bases The acquisition of these
islands will insure control of the
sea lanes and again will make re-
connaissance against Axis SUBJ
marines in the Mediterranean a
simpler task than ever before. 1t
would seem likely that the route
through the Mediterranean to India
will be completely safe for large
shipments of men and supplies by
the autumn.
1t is to be hoped that the success
full battle against the submarine
now will make possible a new
strategy-the simultaneous defeat
of Io,op op6 Cernoapy