Evening star., 1943-06-27
Critical Phase of War Effort
Is Now Approaching for u. S.
Problems on Home Front Hamper Production as
American Forces Prepare to Assume
Major Part in Fighting the Axis
By Richard L. Stokes

Wltil biic IlsCdl year 1874, WHICH peglDS
next Thursday, the war effort of the
United States enters a new and critical
phase. Hitherto our energies have been
largely engaged in production" said War
Mobilization Director James F. Byrnes
In recent broadcast from Spartanburg,
S. c. Now we must not only keep up
our production and increase it at essen
tial points, but we must assume major
part in all-out military operations
against the enemy. Thus far we are
only on the outer fringes of this war"
Thanks to phenomenal achievements
of American management, technology
and labor, war production, which started
virtually at scratch three years ago, will
soon level of its steeply rising curve at
pitch of about 500, 900 000,0 a year,
which President Roosevelt has defined
as the maximum strain the national Or
ganization should be asked to bear.
Through exertions equally prodigious,
the War and Navy Departments are
today in sight of their goal of nearly
II 100000 men under arms by the end
of l943. They have already indicted
and put IN training more than 5000 ,000
According to unofficial estimates, the
total is divided among the services ap-
proximately as follows: Army, 100000;
Navy, 100000; Marines, 100000, and
Coast Guard, 165, 900.
Under study Is the question of freezing
the Army somewhere near its present
size, and making the function of the
United States from now on that of arm
ing the manpower of the Allies rather
than its own.
Fleet Size to Double
During the present calendar year the
size Of the American feet is expected to
double. In addition to quantities of
landing and auxiliary craft, the Navy,
during the first five months of 1943,
completed Ill fighting ships, or three
times its total output for 194l. The
number of destroyer escorts to be COM
pleted by December 81 is scheduled to
exceed the total of all destroyers in
service last January /. The number of
aircraft carriers, large and auxiliary, to
be built in 1943 will multiply many times
our total carrier force at the end of
1912.
Output of naval anti-aircraft guns of
all types during 1s43 is scheduled to
surpass by 80 per cent the 1912 record,
which in turn was Is times that of ls41.
The chief weapon in this category is the
5-inch dual-purpose gun. It's produc-
ton in 1943 is expected to beat 1912
deliveries by 230 per cent. This years
output of naval submarine and aircraft
torpedoes promises to top that of 1912
by $50 per cent. During 1s43, naval
bombers are to be multiplied by four
and naval fighter planes by FIVE.
BY the end of 1943, the Army plans to
have under organization 900 air squad
rons of about 1900 combatant planes.
with a fight and ground personnel of
2,450,000. This prospective sky fleet will
equal that of all Axis forces combined.
and also that of all other members of
the United Nations. The American con-
tribution should make Allied air strength
twice that of the enemy.
600 Heavy Bombers Monthly.
The current figure for output of Amer
lean military planes is 1900 month, of
which about 600 are reckoned to be
heavy bombers. In the next few months,
it is surmised, production may soar to
10000 planes a month. BY the end of
next fall, it is possible that raids over
Europe by American bombers alone NAV
surpass the British scaA of 1000 plane
attacks.
The enormous burden placed by naval
construction on American shipyards did
not prevent the Maritime Commission.
during May. from delivering a record
of ITS new merchant vessels. with a