Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-02-20 | Page 10 | Air Power is the Key

Air Power Is the Key KeyA KeyA A AIR A IR power air power air power power Everywhere Everywhere in this mod modern rn war that seems to be the key to success or failure Lack of air power was responsible for the British failure to save Norway Lack of air power contributed heavily to the fall of France Sufficient air power helped make possible a successful British evacuation at Dunkerque and the winning of the battle of Britain Lack of air power brought defeat in Greece and Crete Lack of air power cost Britain Singapore and is costing us the Phil Phil- Everywhere right down the line in this war air power has been the answer Men tanks and guns have been important but the crucial weapon in which shortages have been fatal is air power We cant can't hope for success in this war war not not even defensive success until success-until until we have enough air power on the battle lines to meet the enemy on equal terms Air power will be the final answer to the crucial battle for Java in the southwest Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- which is about to begin That island is pretty well defended from the standpoint of ground troops and naval forces It could hold holdout holdout holdout out if allied air power were great enough to fight off the Jap air offensive as the British R RAF A F fought off the German air offensive over Britain Whether it will be great enough is a ques ques- tion There is a bit of hope in recent news dispatches telling of f the arrival o of ofU U. U U. U S. S ai air forces in Java and of successful attacks by American bombers and fighting planes on the Japanese in the last few days But it is a slender hope as yet because reports do not indicate these American forces are of sufficient sufficient sufficient size to swing the balance of air power over Java in favor of the united nations We must have planes and pilots and ground forces by the thousands in the southwest southwest southwest south south- west Pacific to stop the Japs and begin that offensive action which every military expert agrees is the only way to fight a war You cant can't win by eternally making last- last ditch defensive stands and retreating to new battlefronts You car can caI only win by carrying the war to the enemy And you cant can't do that without air power power and and plenty of it