Show r. r r. r w- w J w-r w n. n r I I w I I I A wI I r I nI r w I S E. E British Libyan Campaign I Tests New U. U S. S Tanks T Superior Type o of f Mechanized Units Developed Sea Otter Powered by Auto Engines To Be Used as Cargo Vessels 2 By BAUKHAGE I National Farm and Home Hour Commentator Service 1343 II Street W N-W Washington D. D C. C Is this statement true or false A uA popular military song now beang be be- being ing ang widely sung has in it a line to the triumphs of American soldiers in Africa The answer is true But do not be alarmed the song is the hymn of the United States marines and the theline theline theline line is From the halls of Montezuma Montezuma Monte- Monte zuma to the shores of Trip o It I refers to our fight with the Barbary pirates in 1801 Nevertheless the United States army is now celebrating celebrating ing another American triumph of arms in Africa not Africa not human arms but tanks Whether the British can cant 1 tanks 1 t t a tanks drive O those LU o vie ory u g gone one of Germanys Germany's foremost generals is another matter but the superiority of our little ton 13 iron wagons in inthe inthe the early carly engagements of this British British British Brit Brit- ish offensive is evidence military experts say that the United States still has the mechanical genius that can outmatch any in the world I have just dust talked with a high officer officer officer of of- who has served with Americas America's Americas America's Americas America's Amer Amer- ica's new first armored division He says that America has a mechanized mechanized mechanized mech mech- army in the thc making that will willbe willbe willbe be superior to any Hitler can pro pro- duce This officer credits our success success success suc suc- cess to an old American characteristic characteristic characteristic character character- which some people were afraid had run to seed in this push-button push age ace ae the ability to do things thines with our h hands ds Fine Mechanical Experts The new army said the officer is developing the finest set of mechanical experts I ever saw Americans are natural mechanics and it is coming out as a result of the training of our motorized units When the army laid aside May West the heavy tank the United States built first and concentrated on the smaller and far more mobile ton 13 unit mounted with a 37 gun many pe people wondered if it could stand up against the heavier German tanks with their much higher high high- er caliber weapons In the first weeks week's fighting in the present offensive offensive offensive of of- in Libya the American creation creation creation crea crea- tion proved superior The antitank antitank antitank anti anti- tank guns it carries because of their high muzzle velocity have a greater penetrating quality than the Germans Germans' Germans Germans' Germans Germans' Ger Ger- mans' mans heavier guns But the superior mechanical integrity integrity integrity in in- the greater speed and the theother theother theother other qualities that go into the I American product are only half the battle Just as horses have to be watered and fed so tanks must be cared for Maintenance is a vital factor And this is where the mechanical genius of the individual is important When a tank division rolls out tools spare parts machinery machinery machinery ma ma- chinery must follow after And the American ordnance unit really a rolling machine shop which moves in the wake of the mobile units is isable isable isable able to make any repairs short of those requiring the equipment of an arsenal I I At home American motorized units have been submitted to all practical endurance tests in the field that they would have to meet in battle except being shot at in action Now thanks to the fact that the I British in Africa are using American American American Amer Amer- AmerI I ican tanks they are getting the necessary necessary II essary final test without risking American lives That is one reason why army officers officers officers officers' of of- are celebrating Americas America's bloodless battle of Africa Perhaps somebody will ill write a song about it it S Leek Sea sea ea Otters utters And Lend Lease-Lend Cargoes I Overlooking DuPont Circle where once the children of ambassadors played under the watchful eyes of their nurses and one could hear the chatter of half a dozen foreign languages languages languages lan lan- there is a modest office In that office has been carried out a atypical atypical typical American venture which may shape the final course of the war war war-at at least it will help launch a thousand ships On the second floor there is a gentleman with a straggling gray mustache He is Starling Burgess one of the nations nation's s. s leading marine architects At the back downstairs sits a man with thinning gray hair hairL L and the energy of youth He is a structural engineer the man who vho makes the thc blueprints work J. J B. B Weaver head of Weaver Associates This organization has just lust made madeI madean I an idea work It was conceived by Hamilton Bryan a retired naval commander and Warren Nobel an automotive engineer The idea was to build a small cargo boat to be driven by automobile engines to help get lend-lease lend supplies across the Atlantic I In addition to making the wheels i igo go round these were the problems to be faced in such an undertaking 1 Speed in construction I 2 Method of building and use of material which would avoid use of I taxed over-taxed shipyards and an undersupply undersupply undersupply under- under supply of ot expert shipbuilders 3 3 Material which could be obtained obtained obtained ob ob- from small mills not now busy 4 Low cost As to design the ships had to be beof beof beof of shallow draft and produce able in I large numbers so that the loss of one would mean small losses in material material material ma ma- maI I and manpower er I Otter lOtter Passes Tests I Weaver Associates took the job I and produced the sleek Sea Otter a creature which has now passed all tests a characteristically ally American enterprise because it was conceived and executed on private initiative a result of typical American inventive inventive inventive tive genius There are many remarkable technical technical technical tech tech- qualities of this revolutionary craft which to the layman seems to tobe tobe tobe be a glorified outboard motorboat Aside from technicalities some of the features of the achievement are worth mentioning Instead of making making making mak mak- ing use of the large steel plates for the hull usually used in shipbuilding shipbuilding shipbuilding ship ship- building a smaller plate has been adopted These small plates can be made in small steel mills many of which up to now have been unable to get materials because they are arc not equipped for the work required by bythe bythe bythe the big shipyards In order to do de away with the need of expert hand welders a special device has been created so that the welding can be bedone bedone bedone done automatically B Because cause the ships are only feet long they can be taken through the Great Lakes They require such a shallow draft that inland factories on rivers can be utilized w So simple is their construction that hO rYo rents eed fn n manufacture n 1 ho can In g t P u. u be attained And when it comes to operation instead of a skilled engineer engineer engineer en en- any good auto mechanic who doesn't get seasick can take care of the engines The automobile engine is virtually proof fool-proof and is so cheap that it can be replaced economically with spares which can be carried on board These sleek little otters cost less than third one-third of the ordinary ship of the same size As soon as the practicability of the Sea Otter was established the plans were submitted to the navy de de- de- de Like all revolutionary ideas many obstacles were thrown in the way of its consideration but it appealed to President Roosevelt immediately who with Secretary of the Navy Knox pushed it through i S British Reasons For Hope of Victory I In the last few weeks American officialS official have been telling us here herein in Washington that the British are taking a much more optimistic view of their chances of victory I asked one prominent Briton in a position to know why this was the case Here are the reasons as he outlined them 1 1 It has been dem demonstrated that British American-British collaboration can produce the necessary y sinews of war more rapidly and in greater quantity than Germany can 2 Hitler made a fatal mistake by treating the conquered nations so badly that Germany has no chance of obtaining willing or wholehearted whole heart ed operation co-operation from them no matter matter matter mat mat- ter what their puppet governments I Imay may decree If the Nazis had been I more tactful and less brutal this situation might have been very dif dif- ferent I 3 The feeling is growing that the the German army will crack up when the men in the ranks and the people at home realize that victory is no longer around the corner The last point he ne elaborated Although Although Although Al Al- though the German army was beaten beat beat- en in the last war he pointed out it was not really defeated until the home-front home cracked and the effect effect effect ef ef- of the thc attitude of despair on the part of the civilians broke the fighting spirit of the armies armie in the thc field |