Spring Maneuvers

Flavius Vegetius Renatus, 4th Century Rome's George Fielding Eliot, propounded one of history's catchiest slogans "Si vis pacem, para bellum" (If you want peace, arm for war). During the days of fitful peace that followed World War II, mankind still clung tightly (but with imperfect confidence) to this maxim. All over the world, March brought martial demonstrations of preparedness:

P: In Manchuria, Red Army units were about to hold vast sham battles.

P: To Turkey and the Middle East, crucial southern flank of Russia's Drang nach Westen, the U.S. sent its showiest battleship, the 45,000-ton Missouri.

P: At Gibraltar, Britain's proud Home Fleet, led by H.M.S. Nelson, was about to hold full-scale battle exercises.

P: Helgoland, Germany's rocky North Sea fortress, would be battered soon by "Tall Boy" and "Grand Slam," Britain's bigger & better (12,000 lbs. and 22,000 lbs.) R.A.F. bombs.

P: In the Atlantic, the U.S. Navy was ready for full-scale maneuvers; in the Pacific the U.S. Army Air Forces would follow suit.

P: In the icy wastelands of northwestern Canada, U.S. officers had joined "Operation Musk-Ox," designed to push air bases as far north as possible.

P: Even long-neutral Sweden was affected by the season's warlike stirrings, but announced last week that it would have to postpone its scheduled spring maneuvers; Sweden's army was temporarily incapacitated by influenza.

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