The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-18

]
Edison doubling shipping
capacity. And this improves ire
mendously the outlook for the long
promised stepping-up OF the often.
sive against the Japs In Burma ana
China.
Source of the now publishable
record of U. s. Army strategy In
Asia is General George @. Mar
shalls report as chief Of stan, COW
ering the period up to July l. 1S4S.
Developments beyond that date and
the full story Of what has gone on
before cannot yet be told for reasons
of security, but enough is revealed
by General Marshall to give q bet
ter understanding Of this phase OF
the war.
Even before Pearl Harbor, Gen.
eral Marshall reports, large guam
titles of American material were
sent to the Middle East under lend
lease. American missions were es-
tablished in Egypt and Iran, large
ly technical personnel, to service
American planes, tanks, trucks, and
to establish air ferry routes over
which American aircraft were dis
patched to the Middle East, Russia,
India and China.
BRITISH REINFORCED
Withdrawal Of the British Eighth
Army into Egypt in June, 1912,
threatened these supply lines. In
this crisis, aircraft, tanks, guns and
other equipment. some Of which was
actually being used by U. s. troops
at home on n1aneuverS, were taken
away from them and rushed to the
support Of the British.
Bombers were flown directly from
the United States. Aircraft carriers
shuttled across the Atlantic and
planes were flown from their decks
to land at bases on the west coast
Of Africa and hop across the conti-
nent to Cairo. Other aircraft were
shipped Grated, unloaded at Tako-
radi, to be assembled there and
flown on east. All this air strength
was eventually formed into the u.
s. Ninth Air Force, which strafed
German supply lines across the
Mediterranean and later bombed
Sicily, Naples and other points in
Italy.
Large U. s. ordnance and aircraft
bases were established In Eritrea,
the Nile Delta and the Levant states
for use in case the British should be
driven back still further east from
Egypt, but as General Montgom-
ery'S Eighth Army took the offen-
siVe and drove the Germans west,
U. s. support Of these bases was
withdrawn and they were turned
over to the British.
| Aid to Russia through Iran has
| been continued, however, the over
all shipments to Russia by all routes
amounting to 5000 planes. 2,400
tanks, 10000 jeeps, 10000 trucks, T.
900 motorcycles, 10000 field tele-
phones, 100000 sub-machine guns,
$4,000 tons Of explosives, as well as
munitions, food, raw materials.
P-4OS FOR CHINA
In the Asiatic theater, one Of
General Marshalls revelations is
the first account Of how the origin
al 100 P-40 pursuit planes were sup
piled to China for General Claire
Chennault's Flying Tigers. When
the Chinese became desperate for
lack Of aircraft in January, 194l,
General Marshall proposed that the
British turn over to the Chinese so
Of their planes being manufactured
by Curtiss plants in this country, to
be followed by IS in February and
by IS more In March. In return for
this, General Marshall allocated to
the British 800 more P-40s, for de-
livery in June. The 100 planes
reached China in midsummer in
1941.
When the Japanese advanced
through Burma to capture Lashio,
terminus Of the Burma road to
China, an aerial supply line was es-
tablished over the Himalaya Noun
tains. But by the summer Of 1912, q
large amount Of equipment had
been accumulated in India which
could not be moved into China by
air. 1t was therefore decided to
move the Chinese troops to the
equipment. Two small Chinese
armies, with a great willingness to
fight but with little equipment, had
withdrawn into India after the loss
Of Lashio, and these have become
the nucleus for complete tactical
force.
Strengthening Of U. s. air forces
in India and China during the past
year has permitted increased raid
ing Of Jap positions from Burma to
French Indo- China and have served
to force a dispersion Of Japanese
strength across a southern front Of
$500 miles from Burma to the Sol
onions. Losses inflicted on the
enemy have been so heavy as to
threaten their air power and the
efficiency Of their sea forces.