A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 4

A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Increasing Tempo “GLOBAL” NATURE OF BATTLES The tempo of the war has definitely stepped up in the past week. On the outcome of battles now iu progress in widely separated theatres its duration might well depend. A defeat of Rommel’s forces in North Africa would play a big part in shortening the time it will take to bring Nazi militarism to its knees in Europe, and United States success in holding off the determined Japanese attempt to regain hold of the Solomons would shorten the time which must elapse before the United Nations’ gathering power can begin to eat its way back across the ■ South Pacific to bring Japanese militarism to destruction.

The Russian defence of Stalingrad, too, if successfully continued, will shorten the time to German defeat, for German failure to reduce to impotence the striking power of the Russian armies may become the decisive factor of the European theatre of war.

Nothing could be better calculated to bring home the global—to use the favourite American term—natui'e of the struggle than the wide separation of these vital battlefields, each with its major influence on the' United Nations’ struggle. North Africa

As forecast at the outset of the Eighth Army’s attack, the battle in Egypt is one of slow and laboured movement much as those of the Western Front in 1914-1918. Lieut.-General Montgomery’s men. are having to proceed by stages, a few hundred yards at a time, each time consolidating the new ground gained and holding, off determined counter-attacks designed to drive them back. It is good news th:u despite the desperate Axis efforts the new ground is successfully held. The German and Italian communiques speak—subject to correction, probably for the first time iu the war in Europe—of their troops fighting "defensive” battles. This is indeed a remarkable change of tone. Before .we have always been told of United Nations’ attacks being repelled with, severe losses. We have been told the same this time, but the “defensive” qualification seems almost significant in its implications. " t must indeed be a gratification to the men of the Eighth Army to be fighting, for the first time, with really adequate air support in full co-opera-tion, and this must be a serious blow to the morale of the Axis forces. Commentators in widely separated parts of the world are already talking, somewhat prematurely perhaps, of the ultimate aim of the offensive now begun being the seizure of the whole North African seaboard. This is looking very far ahead. The struggle between the present beginning and its final attainment cannot be anything but strenuous and exacting. If it cau be attained, however, the collapse of Italian support for the Axis would be brought very close, and the final disintegration of totalitarian hegemony over Europe would come into view. The influence of su.’h a success on the Balkans would be likely to be very pronounced. Already some have claimed to see signs of Bulgarian uneasiness, and suggestions have been made that King Boris—“foxy son of a foxy father,” as Mr. Wickham Steed aptly described him recently—is seeking to hedge on his Axis associations. The underground opposition of the Balkan peoples to Axis occupation and domination would certainly receive great impetus, possibly to the extent of reaching open revolt. The Solomons News of the Solomons land, sea. and air battles seems to continue fairly good, certainly not bad, but there is a long way to' go before a decision acceptable to either side is likely to be reached. The opposing fleets must both be feeling the loss of services of vital aircraft-carriers, and the side which can still manage to maintain serviceable land bases for aircraft is likely to have the advantage at sea. Stalingrad

While the Russians are maintaining a stubborn defence, which is making every yard gained by the Germans cost them dearly, it is no use blinking the fact that the Germans are very slowly, but none the less steadily, moving toward the reduction of the city’s defences. Whether they will be able to reach this objective before winter rains and snow render full-scale attack impossible cannot yet be estimated. Such a success, however, is likely to he ashes in the mouth for the Nazi leaders. It would be success at disproportionate cost and long delayed results.