Evening star., 1945-02-12
AdmiruIs INDICATED
By Progress of War
Doctrine of 'Airpower Alone
Delayed Victory, Writer Says
BY David Laurence

Delayed Victory, Writer Says
BY David Laurence
When Secretary Stimson acknowl-
edged publicly the other day that the
B-2Ss had done relatively little damage
to Japan and had not fundamentally
weakened her production, he was revers-
ing trend in publicity which has had
unfortunate effects.
The power of the airplane as an essen
tial to modern warfare and bravery of
our airmen are conceded but the exag-
gerated claims of what air power could
do to bring Germany to her knees are
now being disproved
Even Prime Minister Churchill who, In
May, 1943, was telling the world that it
was worth while trying to see If air
power alone could defeat Germany
played = part in misleading public
opinion and depreciating the value of
ground troops and field artillery.
Today the American people and the
nome front generally are being criticized
for having let down and the American
Congress is even considering an enforced
labor statute all because of alleged re-
Taxation or lack of realism in the fac
tories.
But the damage done to morale by the
governmental spokesmen themselves and
the military men rarely comes to light
because censorship protects the details
and timid Congress is afraid to inquire
into mistakes that have been made.
But when the war is over the truth
about the over-reliance on air power and
the delaying effect it had on the proper
organization Of ground forces with suf-
ficient infantry and artillery that might
have been in action months sooner on
the western front may be revealed.
Battleships Justified.
Along with overemphasis of the "air
power alone" doctrine went a certain
amount of scofflng at the battleship in
particular and surface navies in general
as obsolete. This, too, has been dis
proved. Today sea power, which means
weapons above and below as we'll as
on the surface, has demonstrated that
it needs all instruments of combat
America Jagged tragically behind In de-
veloping the naval aircraft carrier. but
the Navy men who insisted on strong
battleships and plenty of cruisers and
destroyers as we'll as aircraft carriers
have been proved right.
Without our magnificent sea power to
lead the way and protect the landings
Gen. Macarthur would not now be in
the Philippines and perhaps even Aus
tralia would today be in the hands OF
the japanese.
The story of how our small but pug
nacious feet began in December, 194l.
after the big losses at Pearl Harbor to
assure supply line to Australia and
then assist the Army and its planes to
get bases from island to island until the
the best argument that could be made
for the maintenance of large navy as
the first line of defense for the United
States in years to come.
It would be mistake, however, to
underestimate the future of such STRAIT
egic air forces as the 20th Bomber
Command, which is operating under
direct orders Of the United States chiefs
Of staffs and Gen. Arnold.
Such a force will furnish always a
powerful weapon and the day may not
be far distant when several such STRAIT
egic air forces scattered at bases around
the world may do much toward assuring
hu fhoir
Big Army Held Needed.
But even when all the reconnaissance
and offensive strength Of strategic air
forces is taken into account, the fact
remains that big army of infantry
and artillery, with tactical airplanes to
serve as air artillery, will be perma-
| nent part of future military calculations.
This war has already lasted more than
year and half longer than the
World War despite all the modern in
ventions Of rocket bombs and airplane
bombers and despite the fact that the
Allies have had not only superiority on
the seas but supposedly a mastery of
the air.
The morale of a people on the defen-
sive is evidently not cracked by air
power alone. The ground troops and
their artillery must be relied on in the
old fashioned way to gain territory
and crush the enemy. It's vindication
for the old-fashioned admirals and
| generals who were ridiculed earlier in
| this war as behind the times" but whose
| judgment, if it had prevailed sooner,
might have saved tens of thousands of
| lives and brought the war to a conclu-
sion long before this.
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