Evening star., 1949-05-17
Admiral HaIsey Raps
Idea Of Fixed Concept
For War Weapons
Hero of Pacific Minces
No Words in PIeu for Use
OF All Striking Forces
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
World War II might have been
prolonged and the cities and air
craft factories on the Pacific Coast
of the United States might have
been bombed by Japanese carrier
planes If the United States Navy
carriers had lost the battle OF
Midway
This Is the opinion expressed by
Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey,
the man who commanded the most
powerful feet of aircraft carriers
the world has ever seen. In a
copyright interview in United
States News and World Report,
the hero of the Pacific minces no
words in pleading for unrestricted
use Of all weapons Of war.
While not mentioning the super
carrier recently Cancelled. the ad-
.miral calls it ridiculous" to limit
any service as to what tools 1t
might use to win a war. He criti-
cizes the idea OF fixed concept"
for war weapons and says:
The only thing I can think OF
that is more ridiculous is the fact
that you have weapon and
through legislative or other act
you cannot use that weapon be-
cause it might interfere with the
glory Of some other person who
has a similar weapon. I think the
object of war is to strike with
as many weapons as possible as
often and as fast as possible. I
think that is the Surest and best
way to terminate a war. I would
20 further than that. and say I
do not think any weapon should
be in any way restricted, whether
It belongs to the Army. Navy or
the Air Force. or Is used for a
special purpose. In other words,
they should be used where they
are most needed"
Lessons Disregarded.
Admiral Halsey points out that
the lessons of the last war are
being disregarded and that "the
British navy was all but ruined"
when the air arm was taken away
from 1t. He thinks Norway could
not have been held by Hitler If
Britain had had the kind of car
rier task forces that the United
States possessed. He thinks the
Russians might never have re-
tanned Stalingrad If the Japanese
navy had won at Midway, because
the Japanese carriers could have
interfered with American sup
plies sent to Russia via the Per-
sian Gulf.
Speaking Of the supposed vul-
nerability of carriers to air attack
from land bases, Admiral Halsey
declares that, out of all the car
riers lost by all the navies on both
sides in World War II. not one
carrier was lost to shore-based air
forces. Likewise he states that
planes from the decks Of Navy
carriers and Marine aviation de-
stroyed $4,000 out Of the $4,000
Japanese planes lost in the war.
He adds that. after the task-force
system of protection was devel-
oped, the United States Navy
didn't lose single one of its big,
fast carriers either by submarine
or air attack of any kind. and this
included attacks by land-based
suicide planes of the enemy.
The Admiral says he is amazed
that anyone should make the
statement that there is such a
thing as invulnerable high-flying
strategic bombing today in view
of everybody's knowledge about
the power of pursuit planes"
Comments on General Staff.
With reference to suggestions
recently made that general staff
replace the Joint Chiefs of STAFF,
Admiral Halsey says bluntly: You
would then have what Germany
had and what Japan had" He
does not elaborate but Ieaves the
inference that such system of
STAFF organization did not win the
war for the enemy. while the joint
chiefs idea did win for the Allies.
He comments: II don't think any
body can become a master Of the
thinking Of all three services"
The admiral lashes out at the
present system whereby two armed
services can outvote the third
service as to what weapons each
should have. He says:
you've then got the inexpert
making q decision. If each serv-
ice Is charged with q certain mis-
sion but is restricted as to weapons
by the order of the two other
services. your operation WILL hard
ly be effective"
Most significant is the Admiral's
comment about the Pacific situ-
alton:
II feel there is going to have
10 be a reorientation In our mill
tary thinking to take real cogni-
zance Of the Pacific. The Com
munists have within striking dis
tance the development Of a very
powerful body polite throughout
Asia today. and that situation has
been radically changed from what
It was when we walked of the field
In 1945. As long as we nave big