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Show Washington, D. C. SUPPLIES TO RUSSIA The fates and the weather were good to the Russians last winter. But now another twist of fate and the weather are working against the United States and Russia. It so happens that the polar ice cap this year has come farther south than at any other time in 100 years. This has pushed the shipping ship-ping lanes by which U. S. convoys carry supplies to Murmansk, closer and closer to Norway and the powerful pow-erful Nazi bases there. Result is that only 200 miles of sea separate the polar ice packs and the coast of Norway a very narrow gauntlet for ships to run, facing simultaneous attack from Nazi submarines, airplanes and destroyers. de-stroyers. This is why there have been losses an the route to Russia. It is also why the United States has not been able to deliver all the supplies promised Russia though it has tried desperately and the Russians have tremendously appreciated the effort. To prey on this shipping, the Nazis have developed one of their strongest bases at Trondheim; Norway. Nor-way. There they have not only submarines, but land-based airplanes. air-planes. They also have the advantage advan-tage during the summer of nearly 24 hours of daylight. Therefore, convoys skirting the north tip of Norway have to fight a running battle for three days before be-fore they can reach Murmansk. It is continuous day and night fighting, with scarcely a wink of sleep for the crews. Merchant vessels bristle with armament. Guncrews have been giving a magnificent account of themselves, but the odds are tremendous. tre-mendous. FRANCE GOES ANTI-NAZI It can be no secret to the Nazis that scores of Frenchmen are sneaking sneak-ing out of France to England by small boat or even airplane. Some eventually have found their way to the United States. The story they tell is one of the most encouraging of the war pictures, pic-tures, but it shows our state department depart-ment to be lagging months behind in its policy toward France. The people of France, say these heroes of midnight channel-crossings, are so far ahead of the U. S. state department that it would be humorous if it were not pathetic. U. S. food shipments to French North Africa, they say, won't help win over the French people; if anything, any-thing, will retard the independence movement there. The French have been won over by much greater issues than food, and are insulted at the state department's de-partment's idea that they would sell their souls for a mess of pottage. Here are the major developments which have really influenced France: 1. The behavior of the Germans in France. 2. The fact that Britain was not only able to prevent Nazi invasion, but now is so effectively bombing the continent. 3. The resistance of the Russians. 4. American entry into the war. Of all these, one of the most effective ef-fective incidents was the British bombing of the Renault motor plant (Frenchmen had been tipped off to leave in advance), and the dropping drop-ping of the French flag along the Champs Elysee by a British fighter plane last week. So when the Big Push does come, It will find an enthusiastic French people anxious to co-operate. Note: The French fleet, these Frenchmen say, now will not be turned over to Hitler not because of food shipments, but because the French sailors won't permit it; and the Nazis haven't got the 35,000 naval personnel available to man them. AXIS OILFIELDS Behind the frequent Jap bombing raids on North Australia is a very important fact which has escaped the headlines. As long as General MacArthur's planes are based on North Australia, the Japs can't go ahead with their long-cherished plans to develop the oil ' fields of Java. For long-range U. S. army bombers can carry pay loads to Java and make a shambles of oil tanks and oil wells. That Is why the Japs still want to take North Australia, though since the Coral sea battle they have cooled off on the idea of landing troops in the more populated and richer areas of southeast Australia which, incidentally, in-cidentally, are now strongly defended. This same principle of long distance dis-tance raids by U. S. army bombers is cutting into Hitler's oil supply in Rumania. For Rumanian oil tanks are well above ground and easy targets. To date. Hitler's only source of gasoline, so vital to his tanks and airplanes, are (1) synthetic plants in Germany, and (2) Rumania. That's why he has to take the Russian Rus-sian oil fields or the war can't continue. con-tinue. So the most valuable help army bombers can give Russia is to blow up Rumanian oil wells. |