The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-10-22
Two Hard Years
Of War Ahead
BY Harry L. Hopkins
(WNU Feature-Through special arrangen
with The American Magazine.1

vibrant with the hope of quick vic
tory. Well, in my opinion, we're not
going to have it. The German-Japa-
nese portion Of the Axis isn't a push
over.
! believe two years Of hard fight
ing on the fronts of the world and
two years Of increasing sacrifice at
home lie ahead of us. Two years.
at least. We must work harder, 60
without more things, lose more and
more lives.
I say this with a deep conviction
Of our ultimate and inevitable VIC
tory. Call me gloomy, if you wish,
but my optimism has been unwaver-
ing from the beginning and will not
change until we have won. C0nsid-
ering all the realities of this vast
conflict, I am really predicting .
short war for us. Five more years
of it would make long one, and we
can have long one if we let down
the war effort because Of over
confidence.
This is a highly technical war. In
World War I, men were sometimes
sent overseas with few months
training. While I cannot give you
the actual figures, may say that
it takes almost year to make q
fairly finished army ground soldier
out of a recruit, sometimes even
longer if the man is given special
lied training as well. sis
It takes at least year and half
from the time young bomber pilot
first puts on uniform until he carts
a load of bombs over the enemy.
The training of fighters and bonn
bardiers takes almost as long. Re-
member that the youngsters who
are being drafted now will probably
not see active service for year or
two years from now. The army and
navy don't think the war will be
over quickly.
Must Adjust Weapons.
AS the war progresses and we en-
ter France, Norway, China or Ger
many, it may be necessary to adj
just our fighting tools to new condi-
tions.
When we first entered North AZ
RIGA with an experimental tank crew
to serve with the British, we had to
redesign a turret to give a wider
horizontal range to the gun. Back
went word to the factories. ''Time
lost!" they cried. 'These fellows
don't know what they're doing"
But they do know: that's why
they change. If Germany comes out
with a fighter that can down our
Bits, we've got to change.
I have NO desire to- wet-blanket
our national optimism. simply
want to see it endure through the
long months Of hard fighting and
hard working we have ahead Of us.
But our over-confdence sometimes
leads to relaxation, and relaxation
leads to longer war. sl3
Soldiers in battle do not reflect.
This moment is always the moment
for the supreme effort. It is only we
who have time to sit down and re-
fleet, who begin to question the war
aims of our Allies, and begin to
bicker about postwar plans. The
fighters don't do it. Russia and
China don't do it.
Best Army i'm History.
It cannot be assumed that China,
because she has fought bravely for
FIVE years, can fight forever. But
we are on the offensive with sol
diers, sailors and marines trained to
the hilt and equipped as no army or
navy in history was ever equipped.
We know how well they fight. ] be-
lieve we will have victory in 1945
against both Germany and Japan.
do not think that is long to wait.
The Axis powers were preparing
for a world war eight years before
they marched, the Japanese much
longer. They have been preparing
to fight us ever since they said hello
to Admiral Perry.
We were not prepared; here in
the United States we had done too
little up to Pearl Harbor. That's
why some of our stocks Of vital ma
terials are low. Long ago, our enc.
mics keyed their industries to war
production and since the war began
they have expanded these indus
tries. Today they have more pro-
ducing plants than when the war
began.
have talked with a lot of army
and navy men, and I have not met
one who believes we can win quick
victory.
We must send our men across
seas. The enemy's men are fighting
in their own front and back yards.
We must send our men everything
they need-oil, food, clothing. bull
lets, tanks, planes, soap and tooth
picks-in the North African CAM
paipn. 700, 900 items in all.
And ship in which we send men
and supplies is mere speck in the
ocean. A ship can't carry much.
and a cargo plane even less, but
everything we send to the front
must be sent that way. It takes
time, and more and more ships and
planes. 'p = ls- IS NVs q "a.