AUSTRALIAN ARMY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25458, 12 February 1944, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN ARMY

MAINTENANCE OF STRENGTH GOVERNMENT’S POLICY CANBERRA, Feb. 10. More fighting men would come to Australia, and Australia’s resources must be developed so that everything possible could be supplied to these troops, and the uneconomic use of transport avoided, said the Prime Minister, Mr J. Curtin, in the House of Representatives, when discussing the war in the Pacific. Mr Curtin said that the scale of Australia’s military efforts would have an important bearing on the country’s status at the peace table. Therefore, a minimum existed below which the country’s military effort could not be permitted to fall. A new reallocation of man-power was being considered, but the Government was determined that the army should not be treated as a reserve of man-power to be drawn on to maintain civilian services at the expense of the offensive against Japan. War Casualties In the Pacific theatre, added Mr Curtin, the balance of results in submarine warfare was heavily in favour of the Allies. Enemy submarine activity had been relatively ineffective, and Australian waters had been free from submarine attack for some months. Although the general shipping position had improved, amphibious operations made great demands on the available resources, and no substantial increase of shipping in the Pacific could be expected until Germany was defeated. Mr Curtin announced that the latest Australian casualty figures were:— Total casualties from the three services from the outbreak of war until December 31, 1943, 66,930, of whom 16,480 were killed. In the war against Japan the Australian battle casualties were 36,600, of whom 4500 were killed, 7500 wounded. 19,900 prisoners of war, and 4700 missing. The Australian battle casualties in New Guinea were 10,470, of whom 3290 were killed. A.I.F. Never Stronger

“The A.I.F. has never been stronger than at present,” said the Minister of the Army, Mr F. M. Forde. He was replying to criticism of the Commonwealth Government by Sir Earl Page because it had not made'the whole of the Australian Army available to fight beyond the equator. Of the medically fit Australian Army personnel approximately 86 per cent, had volunteered for the A.1.F., said Mr Forde. The remaining 14 per cent., who had not volunteered for transfer from the militia, included a large number of 18 and 19-year-old lads who were ineligible for service outside the Commonwealth. “The total strength of the A.I.F. is far greater than Australia could afford tot send beyond the equator,” declared Mr Forde, “and is far in excess of the number of men sent abroad either in the last war or in this war.” The Minister added that while Sir Earle Page alleged that the Government did not have enough men available to send beyond the equator, some of his Parliamentary colleagues were asking that 20,000 men be left out of the army—principally for the rural Industry.