The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Sun. SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1942. "COMING OPERATIONS"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 174, 25 July 1942, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Sun. SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1942. "COMING OPERATIONS"

the third mooting in Washington of Mr. Churchill and President Ftoosovelt they authorised a statement, in the course of which they affirmed that there was no doul>t in their minds "that the over-all picture is more favourable to victory than it wa3 either in August or December last year." On the date of this statement, June 27, the Eighth Army in Libya had been heavily defeated, Tobruk had fallen, and Rommel's forces were driving deep into Egypt. In Russia, Sebastopol, though it was not to fall for several days, was admitted to be in grave peril. Tin,' superficial grounds for the optimistic note in the leaders' statement were therefore difficult then to discover, but many people took comfort from the assurance in the same statement that although their plan could not be disclosed "the coming operations, which were discussed in detail between ourselves and our respective military advisers will divert (>r i nan strength from the attack on Russia." The Germans''great offensive in Russia had not then been launched, and some days later Nr. Churchill, defending himself and his Government in the House of Commons against a no-confidence motion, pointed this out. Although half the summer had passed, he said, no major offensive had been undertaken by Hitler against Russia, "unless he called the attacks at Kharkov and Kerch an offensive." The Russians, he declared, had surprised Hitler and would surprise him again.

>e i a , ro wo to ma ' iC now °f these statements? Since they were published the grave situation then existing in the Western Desert has been relieved by the valorous tenacity of our forces, but the issue remains undecided. In Russia the situation has deteriorated in a shocking degree. Mr. Churchill's words in the Commons were open to the interpretation that he doubted Hitler's ability to launch a major offensive, and was fully confident of the Russians' ability to smash it i k. launch it, but events of the last three weeks have shown that doubt on one score and confidence on the other were misplaced Moref!vfr.\„ i r ?J s no s , ig , l ? of tho " coinin g operations, .. . discussed in t'i r a 'L„ W , S ar u divert German strength from the attack on Russia." i he need of such operations has obviously become so much greater since the leaders issued their statement that it is no wonder that expressions of impatient anxiety are reported from Russia itself, from Britain and from the United States. If operations which were discussed in detail in Washington are n process of organisation, are they not steadilv advance in'RSaS * beCaUSG ° f the swiflnt ' ss of the German?

nn ,Tn , rpp 'j to . a Protesting inquiry this week Sir Stafford Cripps said as he could only say, that the Government was unable to reveal its intentions. The British people, and the Americans, despite their anxietv will be content to await the disclosure of those intentions through the actual event, provided it occurs. However, it does appear doubtful particularly in the light of the shipping situation, whether operations on a scale large enough to divert German strength from Russia can be r"S k £ n ' ? nd if they can be undertaken the™ value wi? be because ° /'t e flefect > already apparent, in their timing The thnf fh^ r^fn are " »? e l ten — th ere is considerable ground for confidence that they will never be beaten—but they are apparently in grave danger of being beaten sufficiently for German purpJses thTs year If ?°m averted, political and military possibilities of portentous magnitude will appear. It may be that the Allies' "operations" are not undertaken because they cannot be undertaken. If so no one should JaL m Ki nt °vf leaders who refuse to send men to their deaths without a reasonable chance of the sacrifice achieving its purpose.