PANZER FORCES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 69, 22 March 1941, Page 9

PANZER FORCES.

U.S. ARMY EXPANSION.

Huge Drive In Aircraft Production.

j X nitod Press ssociat ion.—r'opyr'muf. (Reed, noon.) AVASHIN'CTON, Mar. 21. 'I li<> House i)l" Represent at i ves' Appropriations Committee to-day approved the tilth supplemental A nny and Navy Appropriation Mill totalling a] (proximately 1,(11 It 1,(11)1),(It It I dollars. It is revealed that the Army High ('oniniatiil recehed ti<• w and mure exact data on the (lerniau Panzer Division operations in France last summer. (icneral .Marshall, Chief of Staff, testifying ln-fore the committe'.', said he planned to huild up the army forces to eight divisions, similar to the Ccrman Panzer divisions. The army now has two divisions and will create two more immediately the funds are voted. The funds in the hill include provisions for expediting aeroplane production, whieli envisage an output of 21.000 pianos yearly, excluding the navy programme. Ihe delivery of nrmv planes will reach its maximum in October, lint will start rolling very well in April and May. General Marshall said aircraft production costs had increased by 20 per cent. The armv plans to spend eventually 188,000,000* dollars on the new Atlantic bases secured from Britain. Mr. William Knudsen, the defence production chief, told the committee: "If we had 200(1 bombers of the largest tvpe now we could tix things up over there." He did not amplify the statement.