Show Navy pr Probes bes Charge h rge Gunners Gunne s Handicapped I by Over-Age Over Munitions in Clash With Japs W WASHINGTON Feb 23 The lP-The P The navy department said Monday that Rear Admiral W W. H H. P. P Blandy chief of ordnance was investigating a report that ammunition supplied supplied supplied sup sup- plied to an American war warship hip operating in the Pacific was old and ineffective The report came from Martin Agronsky an N B C B-C C commentator commentator commentator com com- broadcasting from Sydney Australia No official official official cial report of such a deficiency has been received the navy said but Blandy began his inquiry on the basis of Agronsky's broadcast Agronsky said he was told by a navy air that U. U S. S the antiaircraft ammunition on a warship escorting tro troops ps was issued in 1930 and 1931 and had failed tofi to Ji fire e e uniformly enough for gunners to work out a fire pattern necessary for effective antiaircraft work u uThe The pilot told me he had come from American America Ameri Ameri- ca can warship which I cannot name Agronsky said id The warship was convoying American troop ships som somewhere in Jav Java W When en the convoy was six hours at sea Continued on Page laJe Fhe Flee Column Six if ci 1 Reported Issue of Old S Shells lIs 1 To Warship Brings Probe Continued from Page rage One the warship picked up a broadcast broad broad- cast from Tokyo actually describing describing describing ing both the make up of the con conn convoy convoy voy and its destination Two hours l later ter 32 Jap bombers bombed the convoy I asked the lieutenant if it they had shot down any Japs He answered answered answered an an- it was so hard to hit the Japs with the ammunition on onboard onboard onboard board which was found to tobe tobe be be only 30 per cent efficient Agronsky mentioned that as he spoke the outcome of the allied defense of B Ball is not yet completely completely completely com com- known but that it would take an incurable optimist to doubt the thc ultimate result The allied defenses defenses de de- de- de there as throughout the Far Eastern theater of war are pitifully weak You must have known he continued that every time an American pilot takes off to meet the Japs he knows before his machine machine machine ma ma- chine leaves the ground that if it he heis heis heis is lucky he e will ll be outnumbered by at least five to one If It he runs Into the usual Jap formation the odds against him will be fifteen to one You must know that when land fighting starts Jn in in Java the odds will be equally great that In the theseas theseas theseas seas throughout this entire a area ea the sailors of the American and allied forces today as in the first days of the war have to face equally overwhelming odds The Japs Saps are not supermen Agronsky declared They can be stopped if the lessons of morale and in fact of the entire Far Eastern Eastern Eastern East East- ern campaigns are not only recognized recognized recognized but put to useIn useIn useIn use In Malaya the British were not only outnumbered but outsmarted outsmart outsmart- ed d and outgeneraled From the first days of the campaign the Japs gained nearly as much from enemy bungling as through their j own executed attacks Time and again in the course of the British British British Brit Brit- ish retreat lack of organization gave the Japs intact air fields i petrol stores and ammunition de de- pots He told of experiences related by members of the R RAF A F F. F A shipload shipload shipload ship ship- load of pilots from England spent the entire voyage organizing organizing organizing or or- as a unit so they would be ready to go into action immediately immediately immediately imme imme- when they landed in Singa Singa- pore When these men arrived in Singapore he said they found no one at the docks who even knew they were expected After much searching they reached an R A F headquarters officer and asked that they be allowed to go into action action action ac ac- ac- ac tion immediately Instead they were informed that as they were apparently not expected in Singapore they could not operate there but would have to go to Java and receive Instructions instructions instructions from the high command |