INDIA’S WAR EFFORT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 113, 22 February 1941, Page 5

INDIA’S WAR EFFORT.

ARMED FORCES AND PRODUCTION s '. '■ • v CONSIDERABLE EXPANSION (Received This Day, 1.30 a.m.) LONDON, February 20. As “Father of the Indian Army,” Field-Marshal Lord Birdwood has sent greetings to old comrades who have “ever fought so gallantly for the Empire. arid with whom I have,been intimately associated during 46 years of active Indian service.” These greetings are contained in the fonaword to a booklet by Sir George Dunbar on the Indian war effort. Recalling the Eastern Group Conference at IDfelhi of Ministers from the various Dominions and colonies with the object of making the.whole eastern Half of the Empire mutually self-sup-porting as regards war supplies, the booklet expresses the opinion that India is the focal point of the British Commonwealth of Nations, east- of Suez. “Modern developments in aircraft performance have revolutionised grand strategy, and this conquest of time and space has advanced India’s strategic frontiers eastwards to Singa-

pore and west to the Suez Canal,” it says. / Of tins. Army in India it says that the Government is now engaged in providing as a first step and in. a comparatively short time nearly 5,000,000 men of all arms, trained and equipped and mechanised in accordance with modern requirements. The large number of officers required is being obtained by widespread' recruiting. The process of "Indianisation,” is being speeded up and Indian officers will be posted to. all Indian Army unit* instead of to specified formations only. Indian shipyards are building wellarmed minesweepers and anti-sub-marine patrol boats. Australian shipyards are helping with larger seagoing craft and modern sloops built in Britain for the Royal Indian Navy will shortly be in commission. To-day India is estimated to be turning out 90 per cent, of-her war requirements and when the expansion: schemes are complete she should! even be able to send surplus munitions overseas. India makes rifles, machine-guns, small-arms ammunition, artillery up to six-inch guns and howitzers, .propellants of all kinds ,saddlery, blankets, and uniforms. She has recently been able to meet overseas orders which include 10,000,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, large quantities of explosives and millions of items of military equipment and clothing. Army boots arc being sent to (Great Britain at the rate of 1500 pairs mont-hlv on an order worth £750,000. —British Official Wireless.