Daily Post - 28.01.1943, Qupperneq 2

M
DAILYPOST
War Produetion In
Britain
Progress During 1942.
The enormous strides made in war production in the
IJnited Kingdom are revealed in the jollowing excerpts jrom
a report recently issued detailing the progress made in 1942. ,
DAILY POST
ia published by
Blaðahringurinn.
Editors: S. Benediktsson.
A. L. Merson.
Office: 12, Austurstræti. Tel.
3715. Reykjavík. Printed by
Alþýðuprentsmiðjan Ltd.
Thursday, Jan. 28th, 1943.
i
Great Events
Coming
President Roosevelt, in his
message to the American troops
in Northern Ireland on the an-
niversary of the first arrival of
United States forces there, said
that the long time of waiting
was now at an end and the
tasks before us now were not
of defence but of attack. The
road to Berlin he said, was long,
but it was sure.
At the same time the news
has been released that im-
portant strategic discussions
have been taking place between
the United Nations. Their object
can only be to prepare an all
out offensive for 1943, in which
the Anglo-American and the
Russian efforts against Hitler
shall be co-ordinated in one
carefully timed plan.
From his defeats last winter,
Hitler was able to recover and
prepare a new, if limited, offen-
sive. From his present defeats
he will not recover so easily,
and signs are increasing that he
will not recover at all. The
hurried measures on the Nor-
wegian coast, big troop move-
ments in the Balkans, evacua-
tion of Marseille and frantic
concentration on U-boat búild-
ing are signs of a shift to the
defensive. German home propa-
ganda is beginning to prepare
the people for a struggle against
odds.
Russia has fought a brilliant
defensive campaign for a year
and a half, always keeping her
main forces intact and much in
reserve for further shocks. The
enormous weight of the Red
Army’s present offensive is a
sign that the Soviet leadership
considers that the need for
holding back has passed.
Hitherto, it has been only po-
tential resources in which the
United Nations have out-
matched Hitler. Now that sup-
eriority is being transferred to
the field of battle. As spring
In July 1942 the Minister of
Production stated that United
Kingdom war production could
only be increased by better
planning of existing resources.
Production had reached a stage
where a higher productivity
must be gained out of the ex-
isting machinery by organisa-
tion, an increase in shift work-
ing, ánd the use of part-time
workers. '
Between June 1941 and June
1942 the production of weapons
of war as a whole was doubled,
and in July 1942 it was ann-
ounced that there was good
reason to believe that British
factories were turning out more
munitions, in proportion to po-
pulation, than those of aný
other nation in the world.
AIRCRAFT AND BOMBS
In April 1942 the production
of aircraít in Britain reached
parity with German aircraft
prcduction.
In June 1942 aircraft produc-
tion was three times as great as
on the eve of the war, and had
doubled since the last quarter
of 1940.
The bombs in general use in
1940 weighing 500 lbs. In
March 1942 4,000 lbs. bombs
v/ere used for the first time, and
in September 1942 bombs
weighing 8,000 lbs. came into
use.
By September 1942 Britain’s
biggest bcmbers were carrying
about four times the weight of
bombs carried by the heaviest
bombers at the beginning of the
war.
Tanks may be made of 8,000
different parts, many of them
uséd more than once. Produc-
tion of these components is di-
\ vided up among 6,000 firms.
í In June 1942 the production
approaches we may be on the
threshold of great events. They
will find us ready.
of tanks, jeeps and otheV mec-
hanical vehicles was at the rate
of 257,000 a year.
By June 1940 all warships
and merchant ships using Brit-
ish coastal waters had been
degaussed * (demagnetised). Be-
tween that date and September
1942 enough electric cable had
been expended on this to reach
more than twice round the
world.
During 1941 there were fitted
in merchant ships 12,988 anti-
aircraft guns of one kind and
another, and 4,843 ships were
fitted with anti-aircraft devices
other than guns.
By September 1942 more
than 23,000 warship repairs and
refits had been needed, and
140,000,000 gross tons of mer-
chant ships, or 35,000 ships, had
been put back into service.
Britain had built and repaired
30 per cent. more shipping than
in the corresponding period of
the last war. In October it was
announced that the output per
man in tons of steel was ap-
proximately twice that in Ame-
rican shipyards.
GUNS; AMMUNITION AND
ÓTHER SUPPLIES
At the beginning of 1942
more than twice as many guns
were being produced as at the
peak of production in the war
of 1914—18.
In August 1942 there were 42
Royal ^Ordnance factories em-
ploying 300,000 people. 24 were
engineering factories, 8 made
explosives and 10 were engaged
in filling. They were producing
412 times as many guns as they
were a year previously.
In August 1942 Sir Walter
Venning. retiring Quarter-
master-General of the British
Army, stated that the activities
of his Department involved an
expenditure of abut £3 million
a day. The Army has to be pro-
vided with about 750,000 kinds
of articles, many of these by
millions at a time.
Continued on page 3.
Nedleal Aid To
Russia
Contributions so far are:
Already Acknowledged .................. 365 krónuc
An U. S. Soldier....................... 28 —
“Black Hand” .......................... 50 —
Collected by “Cardini” (Cpl Vanghan, R.
A. F.) at Toc H. Guest Night, 26th January,
in the “Anderson Shetter” ............. 85 —
Total 528 krónur
Gifts may be handed to any member of the committee
or sent to “Daily Post”, clearly marked “Russia Fund”.
Collecting boxes will be found at the Y.M.C.A., the British
Sailors’ Society and the Sandes home.
There is need of more help. It is hoped that servlces
messes will desire to start collecting boxes and that enter-
tainments can be arranged for th benefit of the fund.
Anyone who wishes to start a box or is willing to help
is asked to communicate with a member of the committee.
Committee: Rev R.P.R. Anderson, British Sailors So-
ciety, Rev W. Betts, R.A.F. Chaplain, Rev C. N. Thomas,
Naval Chaplain, Dr. M. H. Seargill, Y. M. C. A., A. L.
Merson, Daily Post. Captain F. R. Stevenson (treasurer).