Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS by edward G C wayne U S plan for hemisphere def defense ense Is charted by presidents message proclaiming full national emergency loss of big ships highlights sea battle EDITORS NOTE when opinions are ar expressed irk in these columns column they hey are re those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper released by western newspaper union PLEDGE from the war course of the united states was more firmly charted by president Roosevel ts fireside chat yet the reactions abroad were considered as more important than that at home enthusiastic though it was for the president went all out on the diplomatic limb for a victory for britain and china pledging a continuance of united states aid to the embattled democracies and promising wider action when and if needed the speech was believed to have settled the convoy question the strike issue the use of the navy in furtherance of a british victory many other questions which had kept the people of this country in a nightmarish condition of not knowing what was coming next virtually all of the american editorial comment was favorable though many of the editorial writers took the stand that succeeding events would show how much of the presidents talk was words how much would be backed by action night following mr Roosevel ts speech sen burton K wheeler of montana took the radio to inform tai the e nation regarding the stand of the OP position opposition to the presidents policies he asked the president tor for a new pledge of peace rome newspapers cut the gordian knot and stated that the U S was virtually in the war german press took a more literal view of the presidents speech referred only to his freedom of the seas dictum ca called aled the united states a nation attempting to be dictator of the seas german government sources said our ships have been ordered to continue the blockade of britain to sink all ships coming within the combat zones and these orders have not been rescinded and will not be lease lend ships had been sunk and there was no question about it M V ic SENATOR WHEELER asked for a new peace pledge whether they had been patrolled or convoyed by U S naval shi ships p s or not but so far no american america n flag ships had been sent to the ottom bottom b for they had been keeping out of combat zones but that they would be sunk in the future no one seemed to doubt and america interestedly rather than anxiously looked for that day to see what action would be taken the first shots to be exchanged between american flag naval vessels and german planes surface raiders or su submarine was still to be fired but most observers expected that following the presidents talk that this firing was just a matter of time and that it might not be long the british reaction to the presidential address was prompt and jubilant they accepted the pledge of american aid of a more complete and vigorous type than heretofore with enthusiasm though the british man in the street not conversant with americas problems and political batt lings was rather befuddled by it all report following a year of functioning in 9 knudsen gave the country at about the time of the presidents epochal address information which was more encouraging than anything that had come before mass production said kudsen Kii was really now beginning to roll with planes in april 1300 in may 1600 and similar increases some of them more spectacular all along the line VICHY active again that vichy was implementing her german aid was seen in british dispatches which told of the sinking of two french flag vessels in the mediterranean one of them a ton tanker loaded with oil and headed for tripoli at the sarrie time the british reported the sinking of an ton axis liner presumably italian carrying german troops to the same destination these dispatches pointed disquietingly quie tingly enough to proof of one of two things possibly of both either there was being planned a strong increase in the battle of north africa or the germans were moving in force to dakar to create a strong base there either of these was disquieting enough particularly the latter from ambassador WINANT his recall was just part of it the american point of view but the main thial was vas that it showed definitely that vichy was becoming active again this time plainly on the german side it was brought to the fore again questions about the mystery of where he was what he was doing what manner of man he might be defections of french troops to the british standard in the near east and crossings of the syrian boundary by various groups to the free french forces of de were in the reports lending color to the british claim that the dailani government was about to fall the italians idallan were getting nowhere in their general retreat in ethiopia and division after division was surrendering but in spite of all this news it was evident that the petain govern government men t possibly bly now dominated by laval lovaland La valand and darlan or one of them was getting more and more involved in the whole african and near east campaign this might have far reaching effects not only on the present situation but on the future disposition of national power after the war should be ended particularly would it affect the diplomatic interchanges going on between vichy and the united states the sudden recall of ambassador winant to washington for a conference with the president and the cabinet was just part of it vichy was in in the midst of all that was moving on the continent like a volcano emitting smoke after a long quiescent period SHIP for ship down to the bottom of the atlantic ocean went H M S hood tons with about 1300 men aboard victim of an unlucky hit from the 15 inch guns of the great battleship bismarck three days later down to the bottom of the same atlantic went the bismarck victim of a lucky hit on her propellers from a british torpedo plane but the whole bismarck story observers generally felt might change t if it had not already changed the whole story oil off naval warfare it brought the airplane into new prominence and showed that this arm of present day navies had not been given the notice it deserved indeed the plane battleship controversy tro versy got a sharper shar iier answer during the past few weeks from the hood bismarck battle and the cretan encounter of the mediterranean british fleet with the than it had thus far in the war CRETE takes turn the tur turn of events in the battle of crete was against the british greek defenders and while the news was not decisive british reports showed that the defenders expected to lose the battle and the germans were definite in claiming victory the reich however claimed that all would be over long before it was and seemed inclined to min minimize imide the cost of the fight the british attitude while deploring still another disaster to her arms was that the fight was gallant and the troops stood u up p under constant bombing longer than anyone had expected thus again the airplane was the turn of the battle for in the fight for crete the british had the best of it on the sea sending a reported germans to the bottom and preventing the landing of seaborne sea borne troops while still landing some quantities of reinforcements themselves on land also the british at the outset had the superior force and all forces opposed to them had come in by plane this from the german standpoint was the highly favorable result 0 of f the campaign that an army with no land approach could still be landed and take an island away from occupying forces who had some time to prepare their positions the formula simply to gain first mastery of the air second to be willing to land men with modern weapons even light tanks and light fieldpieces field pieces in such ever flowing quantities regardless of losses so that the enemy will finally be outnumbered third to keep a relentless bombing of the enemy from the skies during the battle and an en endless d supply of ammunition also from the skies for the airborne air borne army data that hillers Hit lers men were able to accumulate included the fact that artillery alone cannot make an airfield unusable despite the hundreds of shell craters created evidently these can be repaired even under fire and the field still used germans wondered and british did too whether this formula for the battle of crete might not be transferred to britain and r result in the capture of the british isles but the british felt that while the technique had worked in crete might it not fail over england where air mastery could hardly be won by an enemy willing only to come over at night where instead of a fei few a thousands of airborne air borne soldiers close to a million would have to be sent the general british feeling was let them try it we are ready and indeed the enormous british army of defense might well be straining for action with the tommies commies in north africa crete and the balkans ge getting eting it all arid and africa the reich apparently fearful that american aid to britain might change the situation particularly in the near east and in north africa was speeding up all effort spear headed by the battle of crete to gain control of the mediterranean before the aid began flowing full force it might have been for this reason that the british felt fairly good over the battle of greece and the battle of f crete no matter what the outcome for they pointed put out that greece and crete had taken the germans longer than the entire campaign against norway france and the low countries |