TRUTH ABOUT LENDLEASE FROM EXPERTS

Grey River Argus, 25 November 1944, Page 6

TRUTH ABOUT LENDLEASE FROM EXPERTS

(By Cable from Eric Cook) LONDON. — General G. Le Q. Martel, K.C.8., .Britain’s famous tank expert, has debunked propaganda exaggerating the importance of lendlease supplies to Russia. He declared that the Red Army s remarkable triumphs of supply in maintaining their great offensives were mainly due to their own efforts. “We could not get the necessary shipping to send them lorries and power tools on anything like the scale which we consider normal for the much smaller forces on our ownfronts 1 ,” said General Martel. According to official American figures, Britain has received 70 per cent, of all lend-lease shipments and China one per cent., while the Soviet has not received by any means all the remainder. SOVIET LOSSES The whole .amount received by the Soviet Union from its great Allies since June, 1941, is worth, roughly, one-twentieth of a single year’s war expenditure by the U.S. and onetwelfth of a single year’s war expenditure by the U.S.S.R. From October 31, 1941, up to June, 1944, Britain, Canada, and ’U.S.A, supplied to Russia 9,214 tanks, 12,256 planes, and 5,398 guns. By the same date, officially admitted Soviet losses came to over 49,000 tanks, I over 40,000 planes and 48,000 guns. —“PEOPLE’S VOICE”