FLOOD TIDE OF HELP

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 119, 20 April 1942, Page 5

FLOOD TIDE OF HELP

AMERICA TO THE EMPIRE

TROOPS FOR BRITAIN. (Roc. 9.5 a.m.) RUGBY, April 18. A steady flow of American troops into the United Kingdom, with American air units operating from all over England, was forecast by the United States Chief of Staff (Gen oral Marshall) in a talk to war cones pondents to-day after reviewing the American troops in Northern Ireland He said ho expected that American troops would take part in commando raids which would be carried out iron! the United Kingdom. "We have » whole army corps trained for amphibious warfare," he said. "We don't call them commandos but 'task troops.'

General Marshall, who was accom panied by the American lease-lend director, Mr Harry Hopkins, the President's personal representative, Mr Avcril Harriinan, and the commander-in-chief of the British troops in Northern Ireland, General Franklin, expressed his satisfaction at the results of his visit to England. "All our talks," he said, "have been highly successful. I have had several conferences with the chiefs ol staff both night and day, and verj important results and agreements have been reached. There will be a stead; flow of troops into the United Kingdom."

Mr Hopkins, addressing American officers, said: "We can only win by lighting like the devil, but it is going to be a tough business. I have a deepseated belief that in the final analysis it is combat only that is going te count." _ He added: "We are going to build a tremendous number of ships." The keen desire of the British foice* to get to grips with the enemy was emphasised by Mr Arthur Henderson, joint Under-Secretary for War, in a speech to-day. Mr Henderson eehoee the recent words of other members oi the Government in saying that the time was coming wtien Britain would turn more and more to the offensive But he added the warning: "We must choose the right time for the A lied offensive and strike the hardest blows where they will be felt most."—Official Wireless. A Press Association cable from Washington says 'that the Under-Sec-retary for War (Mr Patterson) reported that American tank production now exceeds the Axb output. The Administration is confident that the war industry will produce the 60.000 planes President Roosevelt requested for this year. However, 'Mr Patterson warned that many ships arc being sunk, their cargoes sinking with them. There was a pressing need tor tne building of jnore ships in shorter time President Roosevelt has appointed a commission of nine under the chairmanship of Mr Paul McNutt. one tune Hi'di Commissioner in the Philippines, to ""bring about the most olbchve mobilisation and the maximum use o. the nation's manpower lor the prosecution of the war." . . Admiral Land, Skipping Administrator, announced that the Government has requisitioned all vessels in the American merchant marine still held in private ownership. At Moffet Field, California, RearAdmiral Greensladc declared that the Navy's use of blimps for convoy protection and submarine patrol was so effective on both the United States coast that no convoy had yet been successfully attacked while under blimp control.