U.S. PLAN FOR OFFENSIVE

Southland Times, Issue 24863, 1 October 1942, Page 5

U.S. PLAN FOR OFFENSIVE

EQUIPMENT NOT YET ADEQUATE (Rec. 7 p.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 29. The United States now has a detailed long-range plan for an offensive strategy against the Axis, but inadequate equipment for the armed services is compelling a postponement of action, says the Washington correspondent of the North American Newspaper' Alliance. President Roosevelt accepts the decision of the military leaders and makes no military proposals of his own. Furthermore, military men have taken over complete control of United States war operations and planning since Rear-Admiral William D. Leahy became Mr Roosevelt’s personal chief of staff. Although an Allied supreme command does not yet exist, many loose ends previously weakening British and American co-operation have been caught up as a result of Rear-Admiral Leahy’s appointment. Mr Churchill himself has been overruled by two military groups in Washington led by Rear-Admiral Leahy. These are the wholly American Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the British-American controlled Combined

Chiefs of Staff Committee. The latter has become the authoritative strategy board of the war so far as London and Washington are concerned and none of its recommendations has been turned down by the White House and Downing Street. Nevertheless, fundamental British and American differences exist regarding the road to victory. The English are primarily concerned with the integrity of their island, while American interest is concentrated more and more on beating the Japanese first. RearAdmiral Leahy, it is reported, considers the Solomons push as a sort of second front. American hopes of dealing quickly with Japan are disturbed by large commitments to fight in Europe and help for America’s European Allies. Some American military men wonder whether it would not be a wiser course if equipment going to other countries were used for the American Army and Navy. “The Japanese must be destroyed” is the motto of American military men, but lack of equipment forces the current inaction. IMPORTANCE OF CARRIERS PART IN VICTORIES IN PACIFIC (Rec. 9.35 p.m.) WASHINGTON, September 29. “Give us a couple of dozen aircraftcarriers, a properly balanced task force and sufficient Marines to make landings and we can cut a patch across the Pacific to Japan itself and make it stick,” said Lieutenant-Commander John Thach, who commanded a carrier based fighter squadron in the Pacific and has seen action in every major battle. Lieutenant-Commander Thach said the United States had so few plane carriers at the beginning of the war that their possibilities were not fully recognized. Every major victory won in tire Pacific either by the Japanese or the Americans had been won by carriers. So far carrier-based planes had out-performed land-based planes in the Pacific. FUTURE OPERATIONS Statements Not Advisable (8.0.W.) RUGBY, September 29. Answering a question in the House of Commons, Mr Churchill emphasized the inadvisability of public statements about the time and place of future Allied offensive operations. The questioner asked whether, in view of the fact that the period of the United Nations’ offensive was approaching, Mr Churchill would impress upon all persons with access to inside information the need to exercise greater restraint in any public statements or any article published about second front possibilities. Mr Churchill said that he welcomed the opportunity of again emphaiszing this, despite the fact that such comments and speculation were made without reference to inside | information. A high British Army officer, broadcasting today, reviewed the invasion warning to the French people. “Today more than ever must be foreseen the possibilities of an Allied landing on French soil,” he said. “You must reckon with the intervention of our Navy in French waters and also with Royal Air Force attacks against military objectives in Occupied France. An offensive by the United Nations is m the making.” u.s. warlproduction Lag Behind Forecasts (Rec. 7 p.m.) WASHINGTON, September 29. War production lagged in August by 14 per cent, behind the forecasts made on August 1. The chairman, Mr Donald Nelson, reported that the munitions output in August was 8 per cent, higher than in July. “That showing is not one we can brag about,” he said. Aircraft production was up 6 per cent, over the July total, naval ships were up 7 per cent, and other munitions increased by 14 per cent. The total value of all munitions, plus war construction, was 4,700,000,000 dollars (about £1,175,000,000) in August and the munition production index rose by 27 points from 330 in July to 357 in August.