The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-07

VCkSRCSeAVC AACCuCNA whole situation of the war. It has opened to attack what MT. / Churchill well described as "the under-belly of the Axis" and it has removed the always dangerous threat of an Axis attack through West Africa against the South Att lantic ocean and the continent of South America itself.
 The well-timed and splendidly executed offensive from Egypt by the British Eighth Army was a part of the same major strategy of the United Nations.
 Mud Delays Battles
 Great rains and appalling mud and very limited communications have delayed the final battles of Tunisia. The Axis is reinforcing its strong positions, but l am con- f1dent that though the fighting will be tough, when the final AL lied assault is made, the last ves- tige of Axis power will be driven from the south shores of the Mediterranean.
 Any review of the year 1922 must emphasize the magnitude and diversity of the military ac- tivities in which this nation has become engaged. AS speak to you, approximately one and half million of our soldiers, sailors, marines and flyers are in service outside our continental limits, all through the world. Our mer- chant seamen are carrying sup- plies to them and to our allies over every sea lane.
 Few Americans realize the amazing growth of our air strength, though I am sure our enemy does. Day in and day out our forces are bombing the enemy and meeting him in combat on many different fronts over the world. And for those who ques- tion the quality of our aircraft and ability of our flyers, point to the fact that, in Africa, we ,, are shooting down two enemy planes to every one we lose, and in the Pacific and In the south west Pacific we are shooting them down four to one.
 We pay the tribute of the United States of America to the fighting men of Russia and China and Britain and the various members of the British Common wealth-the millions of men who through the years of this war have fought our common enemies, and have denied to them the world ] conquest which they sought. We pay tribute to the soldiers and flyers and seamen of others of the United Nations whose countries have been overrun by Axis hordes.
 As 8 result of the Allied occu- patton of North Africa, powerful units of the French army and navy are going into action with the United Nations forces. We well come them as allies and as friends. They join with those Frenchmen who, since the dark days of June, l940, have been fighting valiantly for the liberation of their stricken country. . Churchill Lauded
 We pay tribute to the fighting leaders of our Allies, to Winston Churchill, to Joseph Stalin and l to the generaliSsimo Chiang Kali 1 Shek. There is very real unan- imity between the leaders of the United Nations. This unity is ef- fective in planning and carrying out the major strategy of this war ] and in building Up and maintain ing the lines of supplies.
 I cannot prophecy. cannot ! tell you when or where the United Nat'ons are going to strike next | in Europe. But we are going to strike-and strike hard. l cannot tell you whether we are going to hit them in Norway, or through the Low countries, or in France or thorugh Sardinia or Sicily, or thorugh the Balkans. or through Poland-or at several points si- multaneuosly. But I can tell you l that no matter where and when we strike by land, we and the British and the Russians will hit them from the air heavily and re- | Ientlessly. Day in and day out we shall heap tons upon tons of explosives on their war factories and utilities and seaports.
 Hitler and Mussolini will under
 stand the enormity of their mis-
 calculations = that the Na2is would always have the advantage of superior air-power as they did
 when the bombed Warsaw, Rot
 terdam, London and Coventry.
 That superiority has gone-for-
 ever.
 Yes = the Nazis and the Fas-
 cists have asked for it-and they
 are going to get 1t.
 Production Front Vital | Our forward progress in this
 war has depended upon our pro-
 gress on the production front. There has been criticism of the
 management and conduct of our
 war production. Much of this self
 criticism has had a healthy effect
 It has spurred us on. It has re-
 fiected a normal American ,impa-
 tience to get on with the job. We
 are the kind of people who art ' never quite satisfied with any.
 thing short of miracles
 R,ft there has been some criti.
 cisin based on guesswork and ever