ALLIES’ WEAPONS OF WAR

Waikato Times, Volume 130, Issue 21654, 14 February 1942, Page 6

ALLIES’ WEAPONS OF WAR

Lord Beaverbrook’s announcement that Britain is producing a new and heavier tank and anti-tank gun will be warmly welcomed. The development can probably be traced to the lessons learned in Libya, where it is understood British tank formations frequently suffered heavily simply because their guns were outmatched by Rommel’s heavy tanks with heavier and longer-range guns. Had the Allies’ tanks been equipped with the new weapons the result of the battles in Libya might have been different. The German armament apparently came as a surprise to the Allies, unless it was that the Allies believed that the greater manoeuvrability of their lighter tanks would more than counter-balance the weight of the German guns. Details of Britain’s armament production figures given by Lord Beaverbrook were generally satisfactory as an industrial achievement, but the war situation in many theatres indicates that much greater production is still necessary to meet the almost limitless demands. In spite of all her difficulties, Britain has succeeded in fulfilling every promise of supplies made to Russia, “ with the exception of one tank, and that was a misfortune.” The aeroplanes sent overseas from Britain, divided between Russia and the Dominions, show that British workmen are performing a gigantic task. They have been struggling to outbuild all the factories of Europe and Japan, and now the great flow of machines from the United States is coming to their aid. Lord Beaverbrook indicates that for some time Britain will export more armaments than she will receive from the United States, but eventually the positions will be reversed, because naturally the United States must become the main centre of production. Distance from the havoc of war, much larger population and the availability of raw materials place the United States in a position to out-produce any other nation or probable combination of nations. But speed is the great need. That the speed of American production will be accelerated is suggested by signs of a rude awakening among many of the nation’s public men. Heavy blows suffered by the United States, particularly in the Pacific, have acted as a spur to the country’s production, and it is hoped that soon Russia’s requirements will be completely met and that the Dominions and Britain will receive the “ tools they need to do the job.”