1 CANADIAN FIREFIGHTERS LEAVE FOR BRITAIN Announcement of the safe arrival in London of a detachment of Canadian firefighters releases tie above photograph, taken at an inspection parade on the eve of their departure. Major General L. K. UFleche, associate deputy minister of National War Services, is shown inspecting the men, accompanied by Flight Lieut. G. E. Huff, officer commanding the Canadian Corps of Firefighters for Service in Great Britain. F/L Huff appears at Gen. LaFleche's right. These Canadian volunteers, of whom there are now two detachments in England, are well trained in firefightiug. many of them veterans of some years with Canadian fire departments. THE WAR WEEK Commentary on Current Events WHERE WILL RED ARMY MAKE LAST STAND TO STOP NAZIS? Not one step back! The exe- Mrtlon of this task means the preservation of our country, the destruction of the hated enemy and guarantee of victory. With these word*, Joseph Stalin iMt week called on the Red Army tor a desperate stand against the advancing Wehrmacht, says the Mew York Times. He gave notice t hU 190.000,000 countrymen that f)r nation had never faced a Eex moment not even In a past has been acourged by Invad- taf Tatars, Mongols, Swedes, Pole*, French and another gen- eration of Germans. The feeling of crisis had been matched only last fall when Adolf Hitler's guns were kcard In Moscow's suburb* and tbe capital's citizens were sum- moned for "the hour of supreme acriflce." It was a feeling that rfcipled ominously from scared eadows and orchards of the Don valley, from bloody river crossings and machine-littered fields at the frini . of the Caucasus, into the capitals of the Allies abroad. The flight of the Russian colossus waa th plight of the whole antl- CtreMor cause. The Axis sweep to the Don In tte first month of the grand 1942 campaign had overrun eome 30,000 square miles of grain and cattle country. It had breached the Ros- tov entrance to the Caucasus, opened the way for a drive to the lower Volga and the Caspian. If the i;.-r in i>.- could add the farms of the North Caucasus to their White Russia, Ukraine aiid Don BMln conquests, they would pos- perhaps a quarter of the t'B cultivated land. If they eould take the oil fields of the Caocaeui, they would hold the fcnnUlnhead of 80 to 90 per cent f the Soviet's petroleum. At the Volga and the Caspian they would he in position to sever the Allied tiif>i>l> line from Iran. Final Stand? Oerman successes along the Don, according to the Christian Science Monitor, raise the all- knportant question whether and wncre the Nazis can be stopped. Will It be at the Volga or In the Urata? Will they be able to cross Ike Caspian Sea and threaten India from bases In Iran, Turkmen, and Afghanistan ? As long as the Russian armies remain Intact, withdrawing from ne position to the other, Germany cannot even dream of having won victory over Russia. The Rueslan Front li extremely flexible but IU "final stand" will always de- tend upon the army. No natural obstacles except the mighty Volga HJer protect the Russian hinter- land. The Urals are a geographical conception, the traditional divid- ing line between Europe and Aeta, but their hills and forests never Mislead HII: -:.! to a Maginot Line complacency. The Importance of tte Urals Is bused on their natural rit.iPHi . . and the Industries which hare been built around them but ot on strategic considerations. From that point of view, the Cau- casus alone shields tin- two main approaches to the oil of Baku, Russia's Manpower The Russian military strength, therefore!, depends primarily upon IU manpower and the amount of available planes, tanks and guns. It does not matter whether the three latter are produced In fac- tories clofie to the front, or far from the front, or shipped from the United Nations. What matters Is that trained soldiers get them In tune for use. In manpower the Russians have a great advantage over the Axle and their satellites. While the wo- men take over the work of men. millions of soldiers are mobilized. Russia can put Into the field train- ed armies of 10,000,000 and 20,- 000,000 oldlers without affecting Its war Industry or agriculture. Every year 1,600,000 young Rus- sian men come Into the military age. Their number will rise to 2,000,000 by 1946. On the other hand, the German manpower res- ervoir supplied 640,000 men who reached the age of 20 In 1940, while the number of new recruits will decline to 530,000 by 1946. Russia thus produces three times as many young men fit for mili- tary service as Germany. The Russian armies can retreat and reslet over a distance of sev- eral thousand miles. Russia has 3,000,000 square miles of forests chiefly east of the Ural* and there Its army could disappear befor6 the eye* of the invader without the danger of a crushing defeat. As the Germans advance, that proapect becomes Increasingly probable. Nazi Drive For Oil If the Nazi forced are driving for RuMla's great oil re-servos of the Caucasus, their purpose is not only to secure the oil for them- selves, but to deprive Russia of one of Its most vital supports In the war. Germany wants to cut off the oil from the powerful Russian war machine and put out of combat those tanks and airplanes upon which everything depends now and which already have dealt most severe blowe at the enemy. Russia has a completely mechanized agri- culture which deprived of oil could not function. While the huge spaces of Rus- sia will permit its army to with- draw properly, thus evading In- definitely a final German victory, the Germans would attempt to blockade Russia economically and to reduce lie fighting power to Insignificance. The Germans are on their way to the Volga and an occupation of Stalingrad and Astrakhan at the Caspian Bsa would cut off all com- munications between the Central Front and the forces which protect the Caucasus. Besides this mili- tary threat which as such may be i< serious In the case of a trong army defending the Caucasus, the flow of Russian oil toward the in- dustrial centre* of European Rue- sla would come to an end. Russia would suffer tremend- ously under the loss of 85 per cent of its oil output. Great stocks of oil have been accumulated, how- ever, and In addition with the re- maining production Russia's arm- ies would not be crippled. War tactics would have to be changed, transportation would have to be curtailed, agriculture neglected, but there would be suf- ficient oil for the war machine. We must not forget that even the Ger- man war machine Is considered to run on less than 70,000,000 barrels of oil annual consumption under full warfare. The next winter would permit Russia to reduce Its war of movement and thus save much gasoline and permit new stocks to accumulate. Russian agriculture would suffer but power substitutes made from grain and wood, most abundantly available In Siberia, would permit the continuation of the use of trac- tors and vehicles. Finally, more heroes could be raised in a rela- tively short period as the oil stocks would permit the- maintenance of curtailed consumption of oil over a period of several years. Scorched earth policy would de- prive Germany of the conquered oil at le-ast for several months. But It could not be prevented from utilizing the abundant oil resourc- eo of the Caucasus sooner or later, once in possession of this region. From the Caucasus German armies would threaten the oil of Iraq and Iran and make the Un- ited Nations position there most precarioufl. The well-developed Russian river and canal system would permit the distribution of the oil to the Ukraine and over the Polish and Baltic river sys- tems to the consuming centers of Germany. Even if Russia can withdraw all Its 40,000 tank cars and the large number of oil barges, destroy all pipelines and oil wells and save the Black Sea Fleet by the con- cession of free passage through the Bosporus to United Nations ports, the whole strategy of the war would have to be changed. Germany would have gained a most Important base on her way to India, and Its strong air fleet, once supplied with the urgently needed oil, could harass the Un- ited Nations supply line* in the Middle East and keep the Russians at bay behind the Urals with the main Instrument of the air force and a relatively small land army In the east. Thus, the bulk of the Oerman army would be freed to fight eleewhei'p. OH, MEMORIES! Word coiiH-s from Regina that Saskatchewan will need 30,483 men for harvest labor this season. Oh, for the good old days of the Harvest Excursions! Owen Sound Sun-Times VOICE OF THE PRESS A ROUGH IDEA Bombing on a huge scale mutt disorganize the defences and stun the people who are going through it. At Cologne, it is said that one bomb fell on the average every ix seconds. If you are afraid of lightning, think what it would be like to go through a thunder term with a new lightning flash every six seconds. Then remem- ber that probably none of those lightning strokes hit your town, while every bomb scores a hit and blows up something. That will give you a rough idea, at least. Fergus News-Record o SOME FOOL'S VICTIM If a psychiatrist investigated the fears of non-swimmers he would probably find that early in life they had been mischievously or deliberately pushed into the water, or ducked when they did not expect it and got a fright. Children should never be made afraid of the water. St. Thomas Times-Journal o AREN'T WE ALL? Explaining his attempt to eg- cape from a Quebec military hos- pital, a captured German merch- ant seaman said that he was "fed up with the war." We haven't accomplished our purpose until we have made another Nazi, much more highly placed, feel the same way. Windsor Star o 60 YEARS AGO In one day recently seven car- loada of cheese were shipped from Listowel for the British market, and three carloads from Atwood. This made $20,000 worth of cheese shipped in one day from the factories of one district. Stratford Herald, July 24, 1892. o YOU'RE BRITISH, AREN'T YOU? What's this? Are you going around with your head in a sling? Are you losing heart be- cause the war is going a bit thick these days? What's the matter? Keep that chin up! You're British aren't jroul Windsor Star o TRY TO AVOID THIS It is a terrible thing to raise children who are just as thought- lese of you as you were of your parents. Brandon Sun Canada's New Catalina Plane Destined to Play Important Role In War and Peace Canada'* new Catalina PBY-5 amphibian planes, far-ranging sea scouts of a growing air armada, are described officially as possess- ing the- greatest range of any two- engined bomber in the world. The new 14-ton. $250,000 aircraft are destined to play an important role In both war and post-war plans. Built in a huge plant employing nearly 2,600 womon, the aircraft has more than 100,000 parts and takes more than 100,000 man-hours to produce. Its hull Is as long as a Pullman coach and Its wlug span IB so great that 10 automobile could be lined end to end along the length of each. Its wing-floats are as big us canoes. Maximum speed of the Catalina at an altitude of 8,000 foot is about 200 miles per hour and its cruising eoetxl at the same altitude is ap- proximately 176 m.p.h. It has a ceiling of almost five miles and Its maximum cruising range would permit it to fly from Halifax to Vancouver and back to Winnipeg without refueling. The wartime role of these patrol ships Is important. They summon the fighting planes and nhiiw when the cmemy is sighted. And after the war is over, the-se aircraft will still be in great de- mand supplying the peacetime answer to the need for long-range transoceanic flying boats. THE BEST WAY WE'VE Says Mrs. George Morin, Grande- Bau- Quebec: "We have been users of KELUX.C'H ALL-BRAN for a long time . . . and for a good reason. ALL-BRAN, besides being a most delicious cereal, really does keep us regular . . . naturally." Why don't you try ALL-BRAN'S "Better Way" to correct the cause if you're troubled by constipation due to lack of the right kind of "bulk" in your diet ? But remember, ALL-BRAN doesn't work like cathar- tics. It takes time. Eat it regularly and drink plenty of water. Get ALL-BRAN at your grocer's, in two convenient size packages, or ask for the individual serving package at restaurants. Made by Kellogg'a in London, Canada. NDIVIDUAL Itlzeits LW MAURICE A Weekly Column About This and That in Our Canadian Army "Reveille will be at 3.30 a.m." That's how the order read when the unit of the Reserve Army with which I attended Summer Camp prepared to return to its armoury and to disband for a week's rest from evening parades, the citizen- soldiers to their Jobs in offices, factories, stores, ware-houses, rail- way yards and the dozen other classes of Industry from which thy came. Sounds a little tough to the av- erage man who can sleep In until six or seven, doesn't It? But It was not tough by the time we had finished fourteen days of training. We took It IB our stride as we had taken the daily 6 a.m. reveille, the long hours of training and the oc- casional night operations which formed part of the intensive pro- gramme undertaken by units of the reserve army In summer camps throughout the Dominion. Our units were made up of men between the ages of IT and 19, and 86 and 50. And when I *ay men, I mean it as regards both ends of the scale. It is a toss-up whether the youths or the middle- aged were the keener men. There was certainly very little "eoldier- Ing". to use a term that should be banished from our vocabulary. After a heavy route march there was a fair sized "sick-parade" but It was not the "sick-parade" to which old soldiers are accustom- ed. The line-up consisted of men anxious to have their blisters or callouses fixed up so that they would not have to miss drill per- iods the next day not of men determined to wangle a "light duty" permit from the medical officer so they could evade the morrow's responsibilities. There were many things about this year's Reserve Army camps that amazed the old soldiers who attended them and easily the most outstanding was the enthusiasm with which the new recruits ab- sorbed instruction. The only "awk- ward squads", after the second or third day, were the voluntary ones that assembled under good natur- ed non-commissioned officers dur- ing off duty hours. You would find them in the tent lines practising anything from left and right turns by numbers to the "present arms" from the "order." During the morning and afternoon 15 minute rest peroids when the only smokes of parade hours were indulged In, discussion groups formed them- selves around officers and N.C. O.'s to ply them questions as to the "why" of this, the "how" of that, and the practical application of training to warfare. It was, until you thought about it, incred- ible! When you thought about It the answer ' soou became apparent. These men have joined the re- serve army, according to their age classifications, for two reasons. The youngsters in order to save time in their preparation for ser- vice when they are old enough to volunteer; the middle aged to fit themselves as fast as possible for home defence duties when they become necessary. The Reserve Army men ot today are not "Saturday night soldiers", they are patriotic citizens debar- red by age or other limitation from taking their full part in the job of work we have to do. They are preparing for a grim business and they are going more than half way to meet their instrnctors in th use of the death dealing equip- ment made available to them for training. The men in my platoon, by th time they returned from camp, had fired more rounds from Bren guns in two weeks than in the last war I had fired from a rifle by the time I had been in the army ten months. They fired with rifles on sho^t and long ranges. They received instruction In the hand- ling and stripping of the Bren gun. They learned about hand grenades and they put In strenuous hours practising the right way to deliver these presents to an enemy. They had their first lessons in "battle- drill." They practised stalking through the open and through cover. They learned the basic principles of bayonet fighting but they didn't learn to "grouse." This bringe us to the second reason referred to above. There are two things that soldiers grouse about most. One Is the endless round of unimaginative drill, tha other, have you guessed? food. There wa* no room for either of these complaints. Especially the latter, which caused many an old soldier to gasp. Fed under the new scale of rations N.C.O.'s and men enjoyed and that word Is well chosen such meala as these: Breakfaet: grapefruit Juice, wheat or oat meal porridge, scrambled eggs on toast, bacon, marmalade, toast and coffee. Lunch: soup, cold roast beef, two vegetables, apple pie, tea. Supper: heel stew, two vege- tables, bread pudding with choco- late sauce, bread, butter, tea. Sometimes there was cake. One meal was baked Virginia ham. On Friday's, fish and macaroni and cheese marked the two big meals and you didn't mix it all up in the same tin "dixie" that had held your shaving water earl- ier. Do those rations look heavier to you than the amount you consume at home? They are! But soldiers even Reserve Army soldiers at- tending camp for only two weeks need heavy rations. You can't De on your feet from six in the morning till sometimes nine at night, carrying a nine- pound rifle, a bayonet, web equip- ment over rough ground and smooth, inarching or doing phys- ical training, without good food and lota of it! That's why we are rationed That's why eight ounces of sugar, a minimum of tea and coffee must suffice. One of the jobs of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board is to con- serve food for our soldiers, here and overseas and those of ua who are good soldiers will help the Board do that job. Australia normally has a supply of 1,750,000 horses and export* about 4,000 annually. REG'LAR FELLERS Lip Reading By GENE BYRNES f y'OiX^HTA SEE THE 1 MX FATHER WEARS HIS ._ RIGHT ON THE END OF HIS NOSE.' ^ THATS / ( MX (JRAN'PA WEARS V OVER HIS MfWH NEARLY ' HE'S CRAZV TO WEAR. A CLASSES IF THAT'S THE J HE DOES/ _^. J IU, U. hi CMAa. All iMi nn WHAT HE'S TALKIN ABOUT.' .