UNITED STATES SALE TO TITO OF AIRCRAFT PARTSAND PETROL

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 November 1949, Page 5

UNITED STATES SALE TO TITO OF AIRCRAFT PARTSAND PETROL

LONDON, Nov. 7 (Recd. 6 pm).— The “Daily Telegraph’s” Vienna correspondent says it is thought here that the United States decision to sell aircraft parts and petrol to Yugoslavia may be followed during the winter by releases of other categories of warlike stores to Marshal Tito. The American decision was first a relaxation of a ban prohibiting the sale of any goods which might increase the war potential of iron curtain countries. Yugoslavia’s military weakness is known to be a critical shortage of army and air force equipment of all types. Concern over this is reported to have been conveyed to Western observers when Soviet satellite forces were staging troop demonstrations along Yugoslavia’s northern frontiers in the late summer and autumn. The Yugoslavia army has about 1000 tanks, including Russian and American models. Only about 500 are thought serviceable. They are kept going by spares stripped from the remainder. The Yugoslav air force is similarly placed, with most of its assortment of 500 planes already grounded for lack of spares.