Zurich Herald, 1943-06-03, Page 2THE WAR • WEEK '-- Commentary on Current Events
Assault Upon errma.u-Occupied
Countries is Allies' Chief Problem
• The broad lines of Allied global
strategy, says :the New York
Times, were Xaircl down within the
month that followed Petlri Ilarbor.
Germany, counted the Most pow-
erful 'foe of the United Nations,
''n'as marked for defeat first. A
harassing war upon Japan was
planned until the full weight of
Allied .might could be brought to
bear following the defeat of Ger-
many. L a s t week, seventeen
mouths after these decisions had
been made, they were being ques-
tioned is America. There were de-
mands for a change that would
make Japan the enemy to be de-
feated first.
Victory on Attu
While this discussion was under
way Prime Minister "Winston
Churchill and President Franklin
D. Roo,evelt and their military
advisers were surveying future
Allied plans. Hiuts of their decis-
ions were seen in the action on
the fighting fronts in both the
Eastern and Western theatres of
War. In the East American troops
wrested control et strategic Attu
Island, in the Northern Pacific,
from the Japauese. This tiny fog-
bound island could become a base
for Allied air blows against the
Japanese on near -by Kiska Island.
In addition, Americans had gained
ou Attu a Japanese -built bomber
runway from which Flying Fort-
resses and Liberators may strike
ata naval base ou Paramushiru,
northernmost island of the Japan-
ese homeland. 630 miles to the
southwest. With the development
of Ilew longer -range bombers even
Tokyo, 2,000 miles from Attu,
might be within round-trip range.
Blockade Weapon
Some observers saw other, even
more important, advantages in the
recapture of Attu and the expan-
sion of American bases throughout
the Aleutians. These point out
that the teeming northern sea
-commanded by the islands is one
of the world's richest fishing
areas. From these waters and the
adjacent sea of Okhotsk Japan has
been drawing a large portion of
its food supply. Thus American
operations against the big Japan-
ese fishing fleet might in the long
run prove a blockade weapon ot
decisive value. In addition, Ameri-
can possession of the entire Aleu-
tians chain, stretching 1,200 miles
front Alaska to within 500 miles
of liamehatka, would provide a
series of stepping stones for the
eventual attach on Jtupau proper.
In theevent anneeie. naecertiei •
in* '
volved ixt' the Asiatic ' Sean, this'
route could be of inestimable value
in joint operations.
In the West the Allied air foecee
.pressed an ever -mounting assault
upou Adolf Hitler's Fortress Eur-
opa, an offensive driven home with
rparticular fury against the Italian
islands in the Mediterranean.
There the drive seemed a prelude
to, invasion.
Strategy Reaffirmed
In these operations observers
saw a reaffirmation of the original
plan. The .assault upon the Ger-
man-occupied Continent would re-
nain the Mies' chief concern. It
would increase in fury in the air.
It would, at the proper time, be
extended to include ground action.
The Pacific would remain second-
ary. But in this theatre there were
signs that the action would be
stepped up and heavy blows would
be aimed at Japan even as Ger-
many was being beaten to its
knees.
The debate on the wisdom of
this course was started in the
Senate last Monday by Senator
Albert Benjamin Chandler of Ken-
eucky, who contended that America
should concentrate against Japan
first, Germany second. He offered
two arguments to support his con-
tention. The first was that the
Japanese were digging into tbeir
newly eon -tittered lands and unless
ousted row would prove tough op-
ponents later. The second was a
charge that after the war in the
West was won Great Britain and
Russia would withdraw, leaving
America In win back the East
alone,
Mr, Churchill's Reply
The Senates wigs answered in
dramatic fashion. The Prime Min-
ister of Great Britain appeared
before a joint session of the Am.
erican Congress, where he defend-
ed Allied grand strategy in much
the same way that he appears
from time to time before the Bri-
tish Parliatilent to defend the poli-
•cies of him government. i1r. Churc-
hill went directly to the issues
Mr. Chandler had raised.
First conte a pledge, aimed at
allaying the suspicions that :Bri-
tain woitl;l not take her full sham
in the war in the Pacific. He said:
"And I am here to tell you that
we will wage that war (against
Japan) side by side with you in
accordance with the best strategic
employment; of our forces, while
there is breath in our bodies and
while blood flows through our
veins."
Role le The East
Next the Prince Minister spoke
of the role the British t'ort'es can
play in the East. I-T.e ,sa•id:
"A notable part in the vrar
a
t
gainst. Japan must, of course, be •
played by the large 'armies and by
he air and naval forces ttotil Mar-
shaled by Great Britain on the
eastern frontiers of i'ndia. In this
quarter there lies one ot the means
of bringing aid to hard-pressed
China."
Then he turned to the funda-
mental Allied strategy and tenter-
ated it. He said:.
°' r * * it was evident (in 1941)
that while the defeat of Japan
would not mean the defeat of (ler-
many, the defeat of Germany
would infallibly mean the ruin of
Japan. Tire realization -ot: this
simple truth acnes not mean that
both sides should not proceed to-
gether, and indeed the major part
of the United States force is now
deployed on the Pacific front."
Japan Must Be Held
In point of fact, the whole agi-
tation for switching the war ef-
fort to tate Far East is based on
that sante fatal underestimation
of Japan which led to tho inulol
disasters for both Great Britain
and the United States. For with
all due respect to statements at-
tributed to military commanders
in the Far East, it is worse than
wisbful thinking to assume that
either Greet Britain or the United
States could ,deflect enough forces
and shipping epees to the Far
East to deal a knockout blow
against Japan without courting
complete nlisaster in Europe. And
to do anything less would be worse
than futile: it would merely di-
vide the Allied forces and invite
defeat, or at best produce a stale-
mate in both theatres of war. Ja-
pan must be held at all cost, and
in so far as Allied resources per-
mit, bases must be created and
roads blasted open In preparation
for the day when both. America
and the British Empire can cou-
eentrate all their forces against
it. For to defeat Japan will take
all that we can give.
Allies To Occupy
Reich And limy
German Militarism To Be
Crushed. Once and For All
The Allies are determined to
avoid oue of the major mistakes
of the 1918 armistice and intend
to occupy Germany and Italy with
their military forces lock, stock
and baurel when. tlee..tinal ,collapse
coxnes, It was asserted in informed
quarters.
Furthermore, it was understood
that during the period of nulitarY
occupation. the Allied leadership
has decided to deal only with mili-
tary authorities and only on an
unconditional -surrender basis.
There will be no trafficking
with puppet governments brought
out of the limbo to save the face
of discredited regimes.
And if the military authorities
in the occupied countries cannot
re-establish order, the Allies will
do the job themselves in the trate
sitiolt period until the people have
the opportunity to choose their
own free governments, it was said.
"This time there won't be any
armistice," one well-placed in-
formant declared. "German mili-
tarism is going to be rrttshed once
and for all.
"As proclaimed at Casablanca
tb.ere must be unconditional sur-
render. This done, there won't be
any future Hitler to rise up and
say it was the home front that
collapsed, instead of the nrmy-
"The failure to occupy Germany
after the last war was responsible
in large measure for this war.
That mistake will not be repeat-
ed."
it was said that the 1!niterl Na-
tions' decision to treat only with
the military authorities in the
post-war interlude was bayed upon
a desire to prevent auy appearance
of supporting political factions.
-----
Australia's Method
Soldiers in Australia between
18 and 19 years of age who have
completed their military training
will be used in rural mobile labor
pools until mature enough to be
sent to operational stations.
THREE LITTLE PRINCESSES
Although their country is an island of neutrality in a continent
of war, these three little Swedish princesses have gay smiles for the
-camera at their home near Stockholm. They are Princesses Birgitta,
6; Margaretha, 9, and Desiree, 5, daughtrs of Prince Gustaf Adolf
and great-granddaughters of King Gustaf V.
I0TTAiNA REPORTS
That Canada's 1943 Food c�o�
duction Drive Will Be Greaten
in Our History.
That Pro-
duction Drive Will Be Greatest
in Our
That Farmers Have Been Given
Special Consideration in Meat
Rationing Plan
No single wartime regulation
by the Canadian Government
more closely concerns the day in
and day out lives of all Canadians
than ' the neat rationing order.
There were lots of folk consplgtely
unaffected by one Iiiother of the
restrictions passed upon the. con-
sumption
ornsumption of liquors, or tea, or
coffee, •ar even gasoline, but no-
body, from infancy to old age,
except a very few vegetariaiu,
is unaffected by meat rationing.
Weeks and weeks of intensive
study and careful consideration
were devoted by experts tte the
planning of this unprecedented
change in.the Canadian way of
accustomed living. The experts
,_approached the problem, lean,lie
iull::.realiz,atoll that- rural. Qe
presented a completely different
stt of circumstances from. those
prevailing in the cities. Full con-
sideration of the way of life of
the farmer's fancily in respect
to meat supply has eon given in
the neat rationing plan.
'There are some 65u,000 fartn-
ors in Canadc, and very many of
these secure a part of the pleat
they and their families consume
.from the slaughter of their own
animals. Many secure a portion
of their meat from the farrier
next door or the one on the next
concession. The fact is, the farmer
gets much of his meat supply
from his hone -killed stock, and
there is a good deal of exchange
of meat between farmer and
farmer.
On the other hand, very many
Term households purchase a por-
tion of their meat from the neat
shop. A farmer kills a hog for his
own family's use, probably sells
half of it to another farmer down
the road. But linen(' his family do
not want to live on pork until the
whole half hog has been eaten.
He wants to be in a position to
buy a roast of beef or a cut of
lamb occasionally.
The meat rationing plan 'has
been designed to take these facts
into account, Farmers who slough,
ter meat for their own use are
allowed to retain at all times 50
per cent. of their heat ration
coupons with which to purchase
meat from a retailer.
Farm households are urged by
the Wartime Prices and Trade
Board to live at all times within
the spirit of the rationing order,
If they have been eating More
than two pounds (gross weight) •
per person a week, they are asked.
to -cut their consumption by 10,
15 or 20 per cent,, as the need
may be, to bring then within the
ration regulations.
They will want to think itt therms
of the overall supply and they
will remember that our total con-
sumption crust be reduced by
approximately 20 per cent. if our
responsibilities to Great Britain,
to our armed forces, -to the Red
Cross, etc., in fact, all those who
are keeping the war from our
shores, are to be met.
Fat:mers' who kill their own
stock and consume it themselves
or buy meat from or sell meat to
other farmers, are asked, however,
to keep areful track of the cou-
pons involved. Special stamped
and addressed envelopes will be
provided them by local ration
boards so that they will be able
each month to mail the coupons
from their own households and
those they have collected from
other farmers to whom they have
sold meet. Farmers who have
been accustomed to mailing cou-
pons for farm butter, will be
familiar -with the procedure.
If True, Where
Do They I -Ude?
A writer in The Christian Cen-
tury, Chicago, doesn't like the
"harsh mechanical phrase — Un-
conditional Surrender." He thinks
a "negotiated peace with Ger-
many, without Hitler," would
prove "the key to a just and last-
ing peace."
He declares that there are
"millions of Germans who have
steadfastly opposed I-litlerism ever
since it raised its ugly head, and
other millions of Germans who
have now come to oppose the
Nazis through the experiences of
these last few bitter years."
What, one might ask, have all
these millions, and additional mil-
lions, of Hitler -hating Germans
been doing during the past four
years? Have they allowed a com-
paratively few .Nazi gangsters to
browbeat and bulldoze them all?
Spare -'Time Workers
In British Plants
The office staff of a firm in
the Midlands decided that they
waisted to help in actual produc-
tion, in additoin to their ordinary
work. Shifts were therefore ar-
ranged to fill in all the times
when the machines would other-
wise be idle, in between day and
night sihifts, and at certain times
on Saturdays and Sundays. Volun-
teers were asked for, and about
two thirds of the staff joined in
the scheme. They one now mak-
ing nuts for aricraft, the women '
being engaged on machining and
viewing and the Hien having been
trained in setting.
Lake Freighters
To Caz'ry Guns
rakers In Combat Zones To
Be Manned by Navy
Keen -eyed veterans of the
Royal , Canadian Navy, sone. of
whom have heard their shots
rattle off the steel sides of enemy
subnrarines on the Atlantic, will
this year become crewmen of lake
freighters for the first time itt
history,.,
Bach of the lakexs .that finds
its way through ware"s designat-
ed by the navy as a combat zone
will carry stern guns for pro-
tection against lurking U-boats
and blue middied gunners, who
know how to handle them, will
be on ditty 24 hours a day.
Night and day shipyard work-
men are putting the finishing
touches on guns and equipment
Which skippers hope will bring
death and destruction to li-boats
and their crews who lurk in waters
off Canada's eastern shores.
Special deckhouses are being
built to house the gunners, only
a few feet away from the guns,
and lookouts. will scan the water
night and day for the tell-tale
feather of enemy periscope. -
Last year, according bo the
lake skippers, they could do little
more than shake their fists a{t-
Uaboats that surfaced near their •
boats and took pot shots at other
ships in their conv.'oys. But this
year, they say, things are going
to be different.
One skipper said that last year
they could have finished off more
than one submarine that surfaced
near them, but hadn't as mu,eh
-"as a pea -shooter to hit back
with."•
The need far more ships •em
deep-sea routes, shipping author -
hies said, has made it almost a
necessity to send the takers on
runs through combat zones.
What Determines
Color Of The Sea
Canadian troops stationed as
observers in 'Tunisia have com-
mented frequently on the blue
water of the Mediterranean.
Pure ocean water has a clear
blue color because salt water does
'not absorb the blue rays of sun-
light as it does the red rays. The
proverbial blue of the Mediter-
ranean is due to the fact that
there are few large streams
carrying the impurities into it,
and there i$ a constant stream
of salt water pouring into it from
the Atlantic.
The blueness of sea water de-
pends largely upon its saltiness.
The Arctic and Antarctic Oceans,
which are cold and not very salty,
are vivid green in color. The Yel-
low Sea is golden because of the
sediment brought to it by- large
streams arising in the desert of
Western China, and the dull red
tint of, the Red Sea arises from
millions of microscopic plants
called algae. The Gulf. Stream
is marked by a clear blue ribbon
of warm water in the Atlantic,
VOICE
OF 'IHE
P111`a ESS
FARM IMPLEMENTS UP.
Bxalui)les are given-af the prices
received at • recent' fai'rie auc':liou
sales. A six-year-old:. itorsndeaeva
' mower which. Cot $90; went for
$75. A hayloader in use for twen-
ty-four years, which cost .$85,
brought $95—ten dollars more
than its ;first owner paid for it.
A mechanical potato -digger, which
cost $150 ten years ago, trronght
$162.
—Hamilton Spoctaton
---o-
CONSUMERS OF GASOLINE
Every single day ailinen is
training in this country fly 2,000,-
000 miles, which constitutes an-
other very goad reason Why gas-
oline ration allowances for non-
essential travel are considerably
reduced this year.
---Brockville Recorder anti -Tithes,
—0—
STARVING
It was meatless Tuesday and it
was . just heartbreaking tb see
those poor fellows in the restaur-
ants trying to keep body and soul
together by- eating baked trout,
pea soup, scrambled eggs, chicken
pot -pie and the like.
—Fort William Times -Journal,
—a—
AT LEAST _IT ACHES
The Nazis are shocked by' Chum -
hill's vulgar phrase, "the under-
belly of Europe," and' suggest the
more refined' word "abdomen:"
Whatever thing is, it aches.
—The New Yorker,
— o—
NEEDS A BIG HOLE
Goering orders slit trenches be
dug for the protection of German
civilians. Meanwhile, Hefty Her-
man is no doubt trying to ,scare
up a steam shovel for Itis own use.
—Kitchener Record,
— o—
TO FIT THE CRiME
Japan announces that it has pun-
ished British and American service)
men in the Philippines for posing
as civilians. Maybe we should
punish the Japs for posing as hu-
man beings. •
—Stratford Beacon -Herald.
—o—
JOKE ON HIM
A report from Indiana says that
a youth who stole an auto "for
a joke" was found in a ditch. The
joke was on him.
Brantford Expositor.
- o—
UNFAiR TO WOLVES
A. headline mentions "Jap Wolf
Pack." An insult to the wolf which.
is, by comparison, a gentleman,
—Ottawa Journal.
Petticoat Rule
Petticoats— literally — are rul-
ing the range country. Rancher
Floyd W. Lee tried hiring 80
Navajo Indian women as sheep
herders, and said men herders were
never like this. Each squaw wears
at least a dozen flaring, gypsy
skirts, he explained—doffing them
as needed to wrap up chilled,
newly -born lambs:
FUNNY BUSINESS
"Scud it as a oils -word teleg]'am—my brottlez's a nu-
merologist!"
u-
merolo ist!"
RECLAR, FELLERS—Strictly Fresh
rj NOW, BEAT .IT!
WHEN We'RE
PLAYiN1TABLE
TENNIS WE WANNA
BE ALONE!
ti
M1 EXISTENCE
WOULDN' >3E HAVE
SO COMPLICATED
IF IT WASN'T FOR
PINHEAD
DID YOU
see AAN'
EGG
-;HAT WAS
IN THIS
SAUCER?
By GENE BYRNES
M1linneen
JIFF
Lej
xuarcetlMWM
ISM
116 11. X. Pal AMM. All ,Ilhin
enr
41iao