Half-Year Mark

Last week long-dreaded World War II was six months old (Sept. 3 to March 3).

As the first half-year drew to a close, and a solemn, long-nosed reporter for President Franklin Roosevelt went the rounds of Europe to learn if total war was truly inevitable, spokesmen for both sides restated their war aims more grimly and finally than ever. For the Allies, British Prime Minister Chamberlain said again: Hitler and his crushing "ism" must be wiped out of Europe. For himself and his oligarchy, Adolf Hitler said: he must dominate 125,000,000 Europeans and the world's trade arteries must be freed from Great Britain's "pirate" grip.

As spring breathed sweetly on Europe, as the first crocuses peeped up in French mountain slopes, as the first storks returned to Belfort and other birds started taking mates, the wings of war rustled more and more ominously. Scouting planes from both sides of the Maginot-Siegfried stalemate soared over the enemy's interior now in massed squadrons instead of singly. Over the North Sea, Nazi bombers dived with increasing fury and frequency on Allied merchant convoys and British trawlermen. The crew of a Dornier bomber flying inside the Belgian line on the Luxembourg border felt so springlike when three Belgian patrol planes came up to chase them away that they opened fire, sent the Belgian squadron leader crashing to death, forced another down with holes in his gas tank, wounded the third plane's pilot.

Somewhere on the Rhine, the Germans were reported massing pontoon bridges. The German people, remembering Hitler's mystical faith in March,* stirred excitedly, confidently expecting a vast Nazi offensive to begin soon. Some even named the day: March 15.

The casualties from what fighting had already taken place in the war's first half year--leaving out Germany v. Poland and Russia v. Finland--stood about as follows:

Allies Germany

Soldiers 1,000 1,400

Airmen 1,000 850

Sailors 3,500 2,500

Compared to World War I figures, the above are infinitesimal. And the reason was that this is indeed a total war, a war of embattled economies as well as armed forces. Significantly, and strongly reminiscent of the last total war (1914-18), the debates and edicts loudly audible on both sides in the last week of War II's sixth month were almost exclusively concerned with FOOD.

"A Mean Get-out." In England, white-maned David Lloyd George, 73, the little Welsh lion who galvanized and led the British in 1916-18, has appointed himself a scourge to the Chamberlain Government on the subject of Food. His model farm at Churt, Surrey is but part of his credentials as Food expert: he revealed last week that he faced (and averted) a moment in 1917 "when we were within three weeks of having no bread in the country." Last week, speaking at a luncheon in London's swank Dorchester Hotel, he cried: "I have one message. It is essential that the nation's food be guaranteed for a long war. If you want a short war, you must be prepared for a long one. Better a long war than a mean get-out."

Mr. Lloyd George's contention is that the Government farm subsidy, passed last June, awarding -L-2 per acre to farmers who would plow up their old pastureland, is not stimulus enough. He railed: "There are 2,500,000 acres less tillage in this country than in 1914. ... You must not be like the German delegates [in 1919] and come to the peace table with empty barns.

"The Germans learned the lesson. . . . Now they depend for 5% of their food from overseas, while we are dependent for 60%. . . .

"Every man and woman, and every acre of the soil of England, must play a part for victory. You can save millions of tons of shipping by a great food production campaign!"

Prime Minister Chamberlain replied that his eloquent predecessor, whom he lumped among "venerable prophets of agriculture," was unduly alarmed. The Government's program besides bringing 2,000,000 acres back into cultivation, includes urging people to grow their own vegetables, encouraging subsistence farming. A laying hen in every tool shed is an objective.

Perhaps Lion Lloyd George was indeed too loud-roaring, for even without Eire, which provides her with 2,400,000 tons of potatoes, Great Britain's food-producing capacity is actually above 1914 in some respects. Farthest off are oats and barley. Wheat is up 3%. Number of cattle and pigs is up by more than 4,000,000 head. Britain now has sugar beets in 345,000 acres, against 4,000 in 1914.

But Britain now has some 4,000,000 more mouths to feed (omitting all Irish) than in 1914. Her food imports of -L-295,000,000 in 1914 rose to -L-431,000,000 in 1939 while total home food production rose only from -L-180,000,000 to -L-224,600,000.

To save grains, whiskey production last week was decreased two-thirds, despite Britain's need for salable exports. To save mutton, macon-making has been stopped.* (One shilling ten pence a week may be spent on pork, beef or mutton per adult, fish and fowl excepted.) Not until 1918 was that necessary last time.

Rations in France. Assuming that, as real allies, they will share & share alike on foodstuffs, what the French Government announced last week certainly sounded like an Allied food scare. On three days each week, pastry stores will be closed; on three days (including Saturday) each week, no spirits may be sold by liquor stores (wines & beer, unrestricted). Restaurants may henceforth serve only two-course meals, only one meat course. Butter is restricted. This week a census begins, to be the basis for gasoline ration cards in April.

At feeding herself, France, too, has fallen off since 1914. While her population went from 39,600,000 to 42,000,000, her cereal production went from 31,000,000 acres to 22,500,000, for example. Last week France's 5,500,000 farmers and farm laborers were ordered to stay on the land, keep out of cities, work for the war.

More Cuts Coming. France's belt-tightening was perhaps staged in some part to make the soldiers at the front feel that people at home were doing their bit. Doubtless the British measures contained a modicum of morale, too. But Robert Spear Hudson, Britain's Secretary of Overseas Trade, was not leading cheers when he told a Glasgow audience last week:

"Frankly, there will have to be further restrictions. In many cases, they are bound to be drastic."

In Time? As was evidenced once more by last week's speeches and statistics, the economic front is Front No. 1. The economic resources of the Allies are immeasurably superior to Germany's. Problem is, how to organize them, turn their immense weight on the enemy.

In the organization of its economic front Germany so far has a big advantage. She was on a war basis two years ago, partially rationed, regimented, ruled literally from soup to nuts by Four-Year Planner Goering. The Allies' organization has rolled along, too--shadow factories, contraband control, women's industrial mobilization--but not without the grinding of many a gear. With 1,200,000 men in the army, with armament factories booming, Britain still has unemployment. Thus the major question of War II at the half-year mark remained not so much which economy could take it longest, but could the Allies organize effectively for total war? In his speech last week, Mr. Lloyd George loosely said that Great Britain had 6,000,000 less tons of ships than in War I and that Germany was sinking them twice as fast as in the first six months of War I. His tonnage figures were away off, for the total tonnages available to the Allies then and now look like this:

1914 1939

Great Britain 19,200,000 17,900,000

France 2,300,000 2,900,000

British Dominions & Colonies 1,800,000 3,200,000

23,300,000 24,000,000

A 9% decline in the number of ships available is offset by a 20% increase in speed.

Also available to the Allies, by charter or purchase, are 6,300,000 more tons than in 1914, owned by handy neutrals (The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Greece). The United States Lines last fortnight transferred to Belgian registry eight ships totaling 65,900 tons, now available for British service. Together with Norway and The Netherlands (20%), Great Britain and France in 1939 owned half the world's tanker tonnage.

As to merchant shipping lost by both sides since Sept. 3, figures were:

Allies Germany

Freighters 114 22

Tankers 19 1

Passenger 9 5

This did not include the 178 neutral merchant vessels of 497,000 tons sunk by Germany.

This week a Nazi bomber swooped down on the British India passenger steamer Domala, packed with Lascar refugees who had been interned in Germany, dropped three bombs squarely on her decks. With the bomber circling overhead and (so said the survivors) spitting machine gun bullets, passengers and sailors who had not been killed by the bombs began dropping into the water, many to drown. Dutch and British freighters rescued 189 of the 295 aboard the Domala, which was later towed to port. The 106 who died made up the war's second largest noncombatant casualty list (Athenia, 112, Simon Bolivar, 100).

The Navies of both sides are the agencies for fighting out this war of convoy and blockade, not only of food supplies but of oil, war materials and metals. (Last week in London and Paris search parties were already on the prowl for junk and scrap.) Reviewing this war's first six months, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill was able to say last week: "Where do we stand on balance? . . . We lost 63,000 tons of warship or about half the losses in the first six months of the last war." Same time Mr. Churchill admitted, since the well-kept secret had at last leaked out in Germany, that in December the battleship Nelson, once flagship of the Home Fleet, was damaged by a mine, is being repaired. Also he revealed that the battleship torpedoed (but not sunk) after convoying the first Canadians in January was the Barham.

That did not change the six-month Naval casualty figures:

Allies Germany

Battleships 1 0

Aircraft Carriers 1 0

Light Cruisers 0 1

Heavy Cruisers 0 1

Destroyers 6 0

Submarines 2 50

Others 16 9

Blockade. Up for cross-examining by the House of Commons last week was 44-year-old Ronald Hibbert Cross, Minister of Economic Warfare on how this most important job was being handled. Geoffrey Mander, a Liberal colleague of Lion Lloyd George, wanted to know whether any approach had been made to the U. S. to persuade that great nation against selling to other countries (notably Russia) materials which might be passed on to Germany.

"The United States," replied careful Mr. Cross, "is a neutral country and is well aware of the circumstances, and I do not think it would be the best course to make any direct approach."

Mr. Mander's question sprang from the fact that U. S. exports to Russia, after rising rapidly all through the last six months of 1939, in January reached the highest figure for any month since January 1931 (TIME, Feb. 19). Germany has been boasting about Russia not only as an inexhaustible source of materials, but also a conveyor of supplies from elsewhere, over the Trans-Siberian Railroad, even over the Old Silk Road and other caravan trails.

Minister Cross assured Parliament that no such "leak" in his blockades of Germany need be feared: the distance and cost of such routes would be too great for bulky shipments. Nevertheless, he said, "The possibilities of checking such shipments are being considered." He let members think about, but by no means promised, a British blockade of Vladivostok, contraband inspection ports at Singapore and Hong Kong.

Lubricating oils are something the Allies particularly hate to see leak into Germany. Last week from Mr. Cross's Ministry to leading U. S. oil companies went a series of extremely polite, individual (not form) letters begging that no more lubricants be sold, for the time being, to Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark, who have bought all the lubricants Great Britain thinks they need just now. To the U. S. sailed two Cross emissaries--Professor Charles Rist, formerly of the Bank of France, and Frank Ashton-Gwatkin of the British Foreign Office--to try to explain to irritated U. S. businessmen the finer points and necessities of Economic Warfare.

Another item on Minister Cross's pad last week concerned 16 Italian colliers which lay at Rotterdam.

Turkey called into home ports all its merchant ships last week, evidently to keep them away from some sort of trouble. Observers watched to see if this foreshadowed extension of the Cross blockades to Russian tankers carrying oil for Germany from the refineries at Batum. Such a move--a logical next extension of the Economic War--might well mean fighting in the Black Sea.

"Germany is blockaded on one front but her back and side doors are open." That was another of David Lloyd George's cracks last week. No one knows better than Minister Cross how true this is: indeed he humbly asked for suggestions on how to shut off Swedish iron ore moving down through the Baltic. The German High Command celebrated the war's half-year mark last week by laughing aloud--for publication--at the Allied blockades, boasting of their Russian and Scandinavian and Balkan resources, pointing at the 700,000 Polish prisoners.

No one knows how vast are the reserve supplies laid by Economic Dictator Goering before war started. That they are enough to carry Germany at least through 1940, at full-out war speed, may be the reason why such gloomy wiseacres as U. S. Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph P. Kennedy were unsettling Washington last month with estimates that Germany has a 55-45 chance of whipping the Allies. Just how bad such a whipping would be, just what would constitute winning World War II, is something no wiseacre had yet attempted to say, in the first six months.

Meantime, as always happens at dark moments in history, an omen was found last week to shed light amid the gloom. In the French Province of Lorraine there is a "miraculous" spring which started flowing exactly three months before the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. It flowed again on August 10, 1918. Last week the Paris press was permitted to say that on Feb. 19, 1940, that spring began to flow once more.

* March is the month in which Hitler took back the Rhineland (1936), annexed Austria (1938), subjected Bohemia-Moravia (1939). The Fuehrer's faith in March is said to be bolstered by five personal astrologers. But last week he unaccountably outlawed astrology in the Reich.

* Macon, substitute for Bacon, is cured mutton. Last week as macon died, so did its inventor, Frederick Alexander MacQuisten, M.P., ingenious apostle of "man's sacred right to make his own refreshment." He championed roads against railways, independent buses against combines. Of pasteurized milk he once cried (inaccurately) in the House of Commons: "If you give it to cows, they die. If you give it to rats, they fail to reproduce their species. It's a form of birth control!"

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.