Victory Through Air Power Page #4

yet we failed to understand

the lessons of air power.

In the Pacific,

we left the skies unprotected.

With our battle fleet

in PearI Harbor...

as our first line of defense...

we were prepared for

traditionaI navaI warfare...

but again the first blow

came from the air.

In one hour

and twenty minutes...

a mighty battle fleet

was put out of action...

by a mere 150 planes.

True, PearI Harbor

was a sneak attack.

But three days later...

two of the mightiest warships

of the British navy-

"Prince of Wales"

and "Repulse"-

fully alert, dared to venture

within striking range...

of enemy land-based bomber

and torpedo planes.

The tragic sinking

of these two mighty warships...

was finaI proof that navies...

can no longer carry a war

to the enemy whose shores...

are adequately defended

by land-based aviation.

Our naval defense

of the Pacific crumpled...

under the blows of air power.

Japan's lightning drive...

was nothing

but a faithful imitation...

of the German blitzkrieg.

They employed

exactly the same tactics.

Having practically

no air opposition...

Japan's

spearhead of air power...

cleared the path

for its land and sea forces...

and drove us out

of one island after another...

until most of the Pacific

was lost.

Only then did

the earthbound mind grasp...

the main lesson of this war-

that no battle can be won

on the surface of the earth...

without first gaining complete

control of the sky above.

We were so impressed

with the use to which...

the enemy put the weapons

of land, sea, and air...

that we ourselves adopted

the very same tactics.

Aviation was recognized

as a full-fledged member...

of our fighting team.

It was to provide a roof

for our army and navy...

and act as a spearhead

of our offensive.

Now we were confident...

that we could beat the enemy

at his own game.

The reasoning

seemed logical enough-

if we have the same

kind of weapons as the enemy-

only more of them-

how can we lose?

With our abundant resources,

wealth of manpower...

and tremendous

industrial capacity...

why, we can

build the biggest army...

the biggest navy,

and the biggest air force.

And with

this super-colossal team...

we'll smother the enemy

with the sheer weight...

of our men and machines.

The success of this procedure

depends on two things-

first, we must produce

a vast amount of weapons...

of endless variety.

And second, we must deliver

this maze of equipment...

to battlefronts that are spread

all over the face of the earth.

Already nearly 100 million tons

of vital supplies...

are required every month,

month after month...

and if we step up the offensive,

this tonnage will grow.

Now, can we produce

and keep on producing...

and if we can,

can we deliver...

and keep on

delivering all this?

Regardless of the courage

and gallantry of our men...

on the battlefront...

regardless of the sacrifice

and effort on the home front...

as long as we follow

this course...

victory or defeat...

hangs on the fate

of our line of supply.

With this surface

struggle embracing the globe...

the problem of transportation

becomes the deciding issue.

To grasp

what we're up against...

let's spread this problem

before us.

In the west...

the battlefront stretched

over Europe and Africa.

The main theaters of war

are the Russian front...

extending from Murmansk

to the Black Sea...

the near-east,

and Mediterranean fronts.

In the east, from the Arctic

to the South Pacific.

Between these two theaters

of conflict...

thousands of miles away

lies the arsenaI of democracy.

This highly mechanized war...

has placed tremendous demands

on our production capacity...

which is rapidly

approaching its peak.

Ever mounting numbers

of tanks, guns, planes...

roll off production lines.

This vitaI equipment

for the distant fronts...

is rushed

across the continent...

but finally jams up

in the bottleneck of shipping.

This lifeblood of vitaI

war supplies must be pumped...

through the arteries

of our transport lines...

over distances that actually

girdle the globe.

To illustrate...

when a supply ship

from San Francisco...

moves over the trackless

miles of ocean...

and delivers

its cargo at Suez...

it can return

over the same route...

or traveI the rest of the way

around the world.

In either case...

as far as the distance

in wartime is concerned...

it's a tossup,

and the ship is lucky...

if it can deliver

more than two loads a year.

Wartime distances

and peacetime distances...

are entirely different.

For example, from

San Francisco to Melbourne...

in peacetime is 6,700 miles.

But in wartime,

with enemy controI...

jutting out

its sphere of domination...

the distance

is almost doubled...

and the enemy has twice as long

to attack our shipping.

But his supply lines,

being interior lines...

have not

changed from peacetime.

To deliver supplies

to the Russian front...

our navies must convoy ships

over 4,000 perilous miles...

to Murmansk, and from there...

more than 1,000 miles

overland to the battlefront.

By contrast, the Nazis can rush

supplies to the same front...

in a few days

by direct overland transport.

Geographically,

the Axis has a great advantage.

They operate with short

interior lines of supply...

whereas we're compelled to use

long exterior lines...

a 50,000-mile battlefront...

every mile threatened by

the deadliest menace of all...

the submarine.

Against these wolf packs

lurking underwater...

and striking from ambush...

the ship glued to the surface

is a helpIess target.

In order to win

the battles at the front...

Hitler must cut

our lifeline of supply.

The U-boat-his major weapon-

is our greatest problem.

He is building improved U-boats

by the hundreds...

ever growing in size

and striking power...

immune to anything

short of a direct hit.

Every measure

we take to protect...

this slow-moving target

will be offset...

by new scientific devices

in the submarine.

Soon it will be able to lurk

safely below the surface...

and without ever

revealing its presence...

accurately locate

the approaching victim.

Our shipbuilding industry

tries desperately...

to meet the challenge,

but faces a tragic contest...

between

launchings and sinkings.

Every ship that goes down

is a triple casualty...

of wasted materiaI,

labor, and human life.

With millions of tons

of our production...

going to the bottom

instead of to battle...

a tremendous strain

is put on our industriaI heart.

As long as

we cling to a strategy...

based on surface warfare...

the advantage is

on the side of the enemy.

Hitler's strategic position

resembles a wheeI.

The hub-his powerfuI

industriaI center...

which grinds out

the implements of war.

The spokes-his supply lines...

that support

the fighting fronts...

the rim of the wheeI.

Our surface strategy seeks

to crush this structure...

by striking at

the rim from all sides...

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