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Zurich Herald, 1942-12-31, Page 7ARABIAN KNIGF iTS Sayid Idris (left) leader of the Senussi Arabs, is greeted by his troops in traditional manner. Formerly under Italians, they joined Allies recently in Libya. THE WAR • WEEK — Commentary on Current Events Superiority Of Allied Air Power Insures Success In North Africa Four main factors may be said to account for the great Allied air successes in North Africa. They are important because they have never been present before all to- gether. They are important also because when those four qualities can. be combined they make pas- sible decisive results. The four factors were—and are: 1. -Superiority in technical quality of aircraft. 2.—Superiority in numbers. 3 --Adequate ground organiza- tion for servicing, maintenance and repair. 4.—Masterly handling of the available squadrons in a balanced offensive. Added to those essential quali- ties is the fact that a chain of air bases were available for occupa- tionas the advance went forward westward from Egypt and east- ward tram Algeria. And further- more the axis use of their own air farces was distinguished by neither imagination nor initiative. Not for the first time the Luft- waffe was so rigidly bound to its ground forces that it could ex- ploit none of the versatility which 'characterizes air -power and is so essential for its success. Let us examine more closely those four i'actors in success. In the first place the Allied forces had a marked technical superiority in the aircraft employ- ed. The basis of all air -power is the afngle-seat fighter and both in Egypt and in French North Africa the Supermarine Spitfire, flown by British, American. and Imperial pilots showed that itis the fighter "par -excellence." Th. e Spitfires. were able to establish real air supremacy—not merely superior- ity—and so drive the enemy out of the sky. Improved Spitfire Incidentally, a still further im- proved version of the Spitfire is now in service powered with the new Rolls Royce Merlin Sixty - One motor of greatly increased performance. The result is a high- ' flying fighter which is not only delightful to fly but .supreme in apeed and• fire-pbwer. This Spit- fire pitfire is a world beater—and for- tunately ,..there ere' going to- be plenty of them. Of the other .types of aircraft which !rave done so well in North Africa the .Hurricane and Bitty • hawk fighter bombers, the Am- erican . Boston, ,Baltimn'e ;and, Mit, ehen medium bombers, and the Halifax and Liberator heavy bomb-. en's sli .ve been• oiftstan•ding. To single,,put but one—the Douglas-' Boston III of the British Air • Forces, similar to the American A -20C, has performed magnificent- ly end has lent itself to new and • brilliant tactics ,desc'i1ed by Air Chief Marshal Sirs Aria. ur Tedder as "Boston tea parties." In these "parties" conce»tr;ated attacks' are' made. by Bostons in ,close forma- tion against • enemy fighter air- dromee.' ''Phe bindbs orb 'dropped at 15 yard intervals over the whole target which is thus cone- `pletely blanketed. Overlaps are 'liable to be"reprimanded, Quite "early in the attacks the .Allied forceshad built up superior Ity of .numbers over the Luftwaffe in '1 gyixi estimated at some G00 German and 400 Italian first-line aircraft. The niagnificent.ly org ul. ized workshops behind the lines made possible the maintenance of the Allied aircraft in action at a constant level. In that respect the enemy failed and, as he retreated, abandoned Muth of his equipment. Malta In New Role The use of parachute troops in French North Africa is another example of the exploitation of the right weapons in the right places. The 1,500 mile flight by the Am- erican and British troops under Lt. Col. Edson D. Raff in their Douglas transports from England to Africa must rank as one of the great feats of its kind in this war and of immense significance for the future. In every way the Twelfth Air Force of the U. S. Army, now in Africa, must be congratulated on a fine piece of work which will lead to great things. How great these things are to be in the near future will depend very much on the air -strength of the United Nations. The axis is likely to try and set up the strong- est possible air cover in a triangle over Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and (Southern Italy—all well-equipped with airfields. The Sicilian Chan- nel between Tunis and Marsala in Sicily is about 90 miles wide which means that strong Allied fighter sweeps would be possible from Tunis in support of concen- trated bombing. Furthermore, Mal- ta—which now turns from grim and gallant defence to swift and shattering attack—is only 60 miles from the Sicilian share. Now at last Malta comes into her own. The first task is thus to clear the axis neck and crop out of Africa. The next is: to establish air superiority from African air bases out over the Mediterranean. The third is to destroy as much as possible .of the Luftwaffe on its advanced bases to create the conditions in which successful combined operations can be ad- vanced a step further. Tho Luft- waffe must be made to fight—tire more it fights the better for the Allied 'cause. Aircraft production in America and Great Britain now outstrips that of the axis by a wide margin. The higher the rate of wastage which can be forced on the axis the quicker will come the absolute air mastery which Is the key to victory. - 01 the 21,500,000'women between the ages of 14 and 65 in the United States, more than 13,500,000 are employed. THE BOOK SHELF 01* HEARTS WERE YOUNG AND GAY By Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbroug.h Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily IiiMbrough went abroad. together. This was in the early twenties, and they were not quite in theirs. "Emily," Cornelia said, "at- tracts trouble the way blue serge: attracts lint." But it was, alter all, Cornelia who came down with. the measles and a great many complications. Emily did nearly drown a man, but her intention was only to be helpful; and when she hit an English nobleman in the face, it was unpremeditated and in sport. Certainly the ship- wreck was not the fault of either. of then, though Cornelia has al- ways averred that the mere fact of Emily's being there helped to bring it about. They were young and foolish and their hearts were gay. They laughed at nearly everything but they cried, too, at England, and the sight of France, the Eiffel Tower and Joan of Arc. They had been brought up to know about such places, and sure enough they were true, and Cor-, nelia and Emily were there to see them. They were every young Ameri- can girl on her first trip abroad. They discovered and they owned Europe, or such part of it as they awkwardly cantered over, and they adored almost everything they encountered. Such things as they did not adore they hated. They would not have known enough nor how to be bored. They longed to be considered worldly but they were not of the world; they were on top of it. Our Hearts Were Young and Gay ... By Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily. Kimbrough . .. Dodd, Mad & Company ... ?rice $3.00. ✓ OICE OF THE P RESS SAVE THE YOUNG PIGS Lowering the mortality rate in young pigs is the greatest single step toward meeting the bacon production objective of 675,000,- 000 pounds set in the new British agreement. In fact, this may be the only assured means of achieve ing the goal. Too many young pigs are lost each year — almost invariably through ignorance rather than carelessness. Lack of iron, result- ing in anaemia, worms and disease germs are common causes' of seri- ous losses in young pigs. —Winnipeg Tribune. —o-- LO01C IT UP, HITLER "Granting that Herr Hitler feels all the admiration for the music of Richard Wagner he pro- fesses, its still a einch bet one of the composer's works is never played or mentioned in his pres- ence. That's his 'Rule Britannia' March which he wrote and sent to the London Philharmonic Orch- estra for performance in 1840." —Detroit Free Press. —o— WE DON'T BELIEVE IT One o' our readers claims to of overheard the followin' dia- logue: Buyer—"Haw about a little butter?" Dealer—"We ain't got none." Buyer—"Oh, go down in the eellar and have a look aronud." Dealer—"I can't." Buyer—"Why not?" Dealer—"Cellar steps are block- ed with cases." Buyer—"Cases of what?" Dealer—"Butter." Starbeanrs. —0— COLD-BLOODED Japanese airmen have deliber- ately bombed Red Cross hospitals in the South Pacific. That's just• another double-cross by the Japs. —Windsor Star. —0— THEY GO UNDER Lloyd's of London is now housed in offices 60 feet under- ground. Yes, they're the under- writers. —Hamilton Spectator. MATTER OF OPINION Dad gets more pleasure out of a made -over dress than mother. Kitchener Record. Air Depots Built In African Jungle Emergency Landing Places& In Wildest Part of Africa A great Arany planes have been flown from the British Isles to the Middle Nast, but thousands have been shipped from the United States to parts in West Africa, re- assembled, and then flown to their bases. ('resident Roosevelt stated a long time ago that the Allies had a huge assembly base somewhere down the coast of the Iced Sea from which planes, guns and sup- plies were sent to the Egyptian front, .1 4. An officer of the Royal Air Farce who has arrived in New York re- vealed that there is an assembly depot in a jungle in Western Africa from which thousands of planes, shipped from the United States, have been flown to the North Africa fronts. It became necessary to establish African depots after the fall of France which made the Mediterranean route dangerous, and this, the larg- est of the plants, is 6,000 miles from the theatre of war. The place selected was only a tribal hamlet an the fringe of a forest along the coast, but it had a good harbor. Tthoueands of natives were round- ed up, and with the aid of army engineers, they built, deep in the hinterland, what is one of the best equipped air depots in the world. There is a journey of about 4,000 miles through some of the wildest parts of Africa before reaching the edge of the Sudan desert, and en- gineers had to hack their way through in order to establish emer- gency landing places where planes could refuel and be serviced. There were not even patha through the forests. In order to win the co-operation of the natives the word was spread that if they found any airmen who are forced down, rewards would be paid in gold foe conducting them to the nearest emergency field. *, * * The R.A.F. officer, who has flown the route himself, says it is one o2 the most interesting, and per- haps most terrifying territories in the world" The land below teems with lions and other wild animals, and if airmen came down in certain places a bag of gold would not be much use to them. When the planes reach iihartouxn the worst of the trip is over, but a 2,040 -mile etretch of sand remains, and the monoony is only broken by seeing an occasional Arab tent, or a camel caravan. SCOUTING O Y The Chief Scout for Canada, His Excellency the Governor-Gen- eral, has announced the week of February 21-27 as Boy Scout Week in Canada. The opening feature of the observance will be memorial services for Lord Baden- Powell on February 21, the day prior to the birthday of the Founder of the Boy Scout Move- ment. A few Boy Scouts of Liverpool, England, opened a Service Bureau to give information in the much bombed city. It proved so suc- cessful that the police, when con- fronted with a problem adopted the habit of telling people "Go to the Scouts about it." The e rvice has been extended and three Scout help centres are now in operation. * * * A group of British Boy Scouts, anxious to do their bit in pur- chasing war bonds, organized a mole hunting expedition. They skinned the moles, sold the skins and invested the proceeds in bonds, * * * Twenty Scottish Wolf Cubs were waiting outside a theatre to see the movie version of Rudyaed Kipling's "Jungle Book." Nearby was a crippled. sidewalk artist. The Cubs went into a huddle, reached a unanimous decision, turned the movie money over to the cripple and went leome.wtthout seeing the picture. Their good turn for the day was done. :r. * * * A Jewish contingent of the United States Army has made a donation of five pounds to a British • Boy Snout Troop which extended the facilities of its THE UNCONQUERAIMES By E. K. In The Christian :Science Monitor They were twelve young, very who were sentenced to die, were young Frenebmen, mostly from the Norman and Breton coast. When the war started, they all heard from their Cell: volunteered for the French flying Mourir pour la patrie, forces and became student -pilots pest 1e sort le plus bean, In one of France's air schcals, Le plus digne d'envie , .! They were eager to fight against It was Pierre who sang with lcuGl the hereditary enemy of their voice. A prison guard brought * country, but Prance broke down letter to the others who sat tat and the students were dismissed. gloomy silence watching the f•1Cat Yet the twelve would not return gleam of daylight breaking throu fi' to their tomes. They decided to the small cell window. They rose, continue the struggle against the oguized Jean's handwritingi Nazis on their own. Dear Friends and BZotiieee: To- morrow at dawn, about 5 o'clock, we will be told that our petit:Sea for clemency was refused, and an hour later we will have left Ole life. Before we fall beneatri the German, bullets, we will ;stand hand in hand and cry, "Vivo la France!" You, like us, have com- mitted the crime of loving our country. We pay without regret the pa'ice of our patriotism „ And you, dear comrades, in time od hope and ill fortune, remember us and be worthy at us, Pray for our dear France and for we too, and tell the truth everywhere Adieu Jean M. * * * Both were shot at dawn, They died as they had lived, courage eously. The ten others were sent to Gelman concentration cane s in France. They are still there, living under Nazi iron rule, abus- ed by ruthless Nazi hangmen. Vet neither they nor their murdered comrades have been forgotten. French underground papers have published their story, and their names have become a symbol of French resistance against. Nazi oppression. Thousands and thous- ands of French youth are willing to follow their example. separated from their comrade, Wizen, evening fell, a song wafiP * * * General de Gaulle's appeal to the French had reached them, and in their secret meetings the young men resolved to join the Free French army. They borrowed money from their parents and Mende and bought a small nine - ton sailing vessel, the "Buhara." They installed an outboard mo- tor, purchased some food, and on a cold, foggy winter day set out to sea, hoping to reach England. Soon the motor broke down, and the small coat went adrift. When dawn rose, the craft was over- taken by a German patrol -boat and the young men were arrested. * r o When they returned to port, and were led to prison surrounded by German soldiers, the town peaple watched from their thresholds, grim and sad. The trial before the German military court was summary. The German judges of- fered mercy to any of the young men who were willing to denounce the instigators of their flight. All refused! The Nazis sentenced the oldest of them to be executed, and the others to hard labor for life- time. None of them flinched. When they were brought back to prisou, Jean M. and Pierre D. Scout Hall to the unit for religi- ous services. * * A former Patrol Leader of pl Northampton Boy Scout Troop, • now in the R.A.P., has formed a, Boy Scout Troop in Iran. The troop is operating smoothly de- apite language difficulties. All orders have to be passed on to the boys through an interpreter. * * * Eight months ago the Medical Officer at Lansdowne Barracks, Ottawa, asked Boy Scouts to pro- vide the centre with used medi- cine bottles. Since that time Ot- tawa Scouts have provided thou•• sands every month. The military centre has not had to purchase one bottle, and an official reports a cash saving of $205, the amount spent in medicine bottles during the sane period the year before. The. "Rock" A rock and not much more, a chunk of limestone two and a half miles long and 1,550 yards wide, Gibraltar controls the Medi- terranean for 500 miles. War Shortens Men's Shirttails The United States War Produc- tion Board has shortened the na- tion's shirttails to insure an ade- quate supply of the visible parts of these garments and ordered, for similar reasons, sweeping re- forms in pyjama styles. }'ants - cuff fans and zoot-suit addict: were deprived of further oppor- tunity to indulge their fancies along those lines. The board ordered from two to three inches taken off men's and boys' shirts made after Dec. 15 and estimated that this will result in an annual saving of several million yards of cotton and other fabrics. More than 10,000,000. additional shirts will be manufac- tured from the material saved, it said. At the same time, the order un- posed a general simplification pro- gram on men's and boys' pyjamas, effective Dec. 16, which will save enough material to make 2,200,- 000 additional pairs of pyjamas. LIFE'S LIKE THAT By Fred Neher t)'Do 1 look like a person who stops every time a strange reap witht.li s 41,at me?!!" 1 POP—Talking Turkey VYHAT MAKES YOU 'THINS' I'VE;' BEEN i''R OINJe THE j I CE ,BOX 'A ` LITTLE BIRD • TOLD MEe S,3 sII 1 (Roltnp0 by Tht Oen Syndicale, Incl By J. I1.ILLAR wAT