Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-06-25
WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.


Washington, D. c.
"But, General :"
The other day I said that after
long and enlightening talk by high
army officer who was patiently and
painfully trying to show US why, de-
spite the recent victories of the Al
lies, we still had formidable enemy
to meet, dangerous, deadly and
undefeated enemy. Victory, of
course, is certain Eventually but
serious reverses, setbacks and sac
rifices are still before us, he had
said.
I believe my own exclamation,
'but, general is typical of some
of those "buts" which have arisen
in your minds.
America is the super-duper land
of inventive genius, business genius,
organizing genius, mass production,
high standard of living, assembly
line, giant industry, efficiency,
wealth, central heating, apple pie
and unlimited opportunity. True, we
got our first real drubbing at Pearl
Harbor but we came back; the Brit
ish were licked at Singapore, too,
but they won the battle of Britain.
Latterly, we elaborated in the
smashing victory of Tunisia
the Russians beat 'em at Stalingrad,
the Chinese have held 'em off for
what seems lifetime. Why,
then :?
The general looked a little weary
but he went on politely-I can't
quote all he said but will give you
the parts the owl says is "okeh."
1.-THE enemy has the biggest, most
effective fighting force in history"
Biggest? But America and Rus
STA and Australia?
Armed Strength
Figures (U. s. Army Officially: The
arms. The German soldiers and
their satellites, some little ragged,
still total II million trained men.
The Japs have at least three million
in uniform. These (the good and
the bad) combine to make 'the big
gest most effective fighting mass
ever assembled in history" Remem-
Der, the enemy has been years build
ing this force, and the civilians in
these militaristic countries have sac
rificed all the things necessary
things we wouldn't even think of ra-
tioning, including liberty and de-
cency.
In cold numbers, the enemy still
outnumbers us in land forces.
And even today, after Midway,
Guadalcanal, Attu, Tunisia, Stain
grad, and the bombings, the enemy
is still well equipped, well trained,
well co-ordinated, can operate under
adverse conditions and in the face
of terrific hardships which our
troops are just now beginning to
master.
That is brief sum up of the en-
envy land forces from a military
mans point of view.
AS to the enemy naval forces.
The Germans have, though you
may not have realized from recent
news, a small but highly specialized
navy still afoat, plus the sub!
The submarine is still the biggest
Allied problem. Submarines are
tough animals now. Our own are
tough enough and these animals
are the German specially. Depth
bombs have to 60 deep to do any
more than break the glass in the
shaving mirrors and instrument
faces. Even in the last war, it took
lot of depth bombs to get one sub.
Now the subs can crash dive, SILVER
and rise to fight back and fight
back they can! They are mounted
with guns, they can stand up to an
escort ship, at least corvette, and
it takes destroyer or fast cruiser
to catch them even when they stay
on the surface where they can re-
turn fire. The small stuff go cali
ber) bounces off their scales.
Japan's Navy
The surface ships which Germany
has are not so much of a factor.
But Japan's navy is still to be reck-
oned with. 1t is not destroyed but
it has to be before we can achieve
victory in the Pacific. Just taking
islands won't do the job-and see
how long it took to take an island,
first Guadalcanal; now (almost at
this writing) Attu.
Airforce: America now leads the
world. But remember Germany was
the first to build a supreme fluff
waite" and that luftwaffe and the
men who made it are not all dead