NOTES ON THE WAR,

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 57, 4 September 1943, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR,

FOUR SEPTEMBERS

DARK DAYS AND BRIGHT

The fifth year of the war has opened most auspiciously for the . United Nations with the just-reported Allied landing in Italy—the first on the European Continent proper—the continued rapid advance of the Red Army in Russia, and blows struck at Japan in the Pacific. The four Septembers past were not so bright.

It is too soon at the moment of writing to discuss the landing of the Eighth Army in the "toe" of Italy, across the narrow \vaters from Messina in Sicily. It seems obvious, however, from the omission of any mention of American forces, that more than one landing may be expected. Things are moving again now and the world may not have long to wait for news. Meanwhile, it is opportune to cast an eye on the four Septembers since the outbreak of war. 1939. ; • September," 1939, the first month of the war, saw the defeat of i the Polish armies and the conquest" of Poland, the only eastern ally of; France and Britain, who were unable to do anything to prevent it. The Poles fought with Jthe utmost gallantry, in a strategi- - cally impossible position, attacked oa three sides —north, west, and southby vastly superior forces, superior both in numbers and equipment. The Poles, after mobilisation had been, delayed two days at the request of Britain and " France, had to face 48 infantry divisions, 15 armoured divisions, and four air fleets, with about 5000 aircraft. The Poles had thirty infantry divisions, four special infantry brigades, eleven cavalry brigades, few tanks, and few > aircraft. . To complete their misfortunes the. Russians- invaded Poland from the remaining side—the east—on September 17. The last big battle was fought from October 2 to October 5 near Kock. On that date it was stated that 75 German divisions were operating in Poland, with a number of Russian divisions on the eastern marches. In the same month Britain and France suffered minor naval losses, but there was little land fighting. • • 1940. September, 1940, marked the lowest ebb in the Allied fortunes, but, perhaps, the turning point in. the. tide. All Western Europe—Norway, Denmark, the. Low Countries, and France —had, fallen to the Germans, who had been joined by the Italians, and Britain stood alone. In September the' Battle of Britain was fought in the air and Britain was saved from "invasion, but not from six months of almost continuous -air bombardment. The Italians also advanced from Libya into Egyptian territory, reaching Sidi Barrani, 75 miles within the frontier. From Abyssinia units of their large army there had crossed the frontier into the Sudan and Kenya. The Mediterranean was blocked for 'Allied ship-? ping, and there was only; a haifdful of troops in the Middle East. Things looked black for Britain, but Churchill was now in power and had taken a grip of things and the long uphill struggle was about to commence. The Free French movement under General de Gaulle had come into being, but its first operation, against Dakar late in September, had failed. . 1941. September, 1941, was another gloomy month. Much had happened since the last anniversary. Britain and the Empire had won and lost Cyrenaica, -Greece had been overrun by the Germans arid Italians, and a British Imperial force, including the N.Z.E.F., forced to beat a fighting retreat and withdraw, with losses, from Greek soil, including the island of Crete. The Axis had become powerful in the Mediterranean, "Tobruk alone holding out, apart from the much-bat-tered, trusty sentinel island of Malta. But the British Imperial Force in the Middle East had occupied Syria after a "sharp campaign / and assumed control in Irak. The major event of the year was Hitler's invasion of Russia on June 22. By, September the Germans had brought Leningrad under fire of their guns and established an elastic. front running south to Smolensk, and then following the course of the Dnieper to its .outlet in the Black Sea. By the end of September the invader had captured Kiev arid the; gateway to the Crimea at Perekop. An assault on Moscow was being prepared, and the fate of Russia seemed then to hang in the balance. 1942. , , : By September, 1942, America had' been in the war nine months, but had not yet got into her .giant stride of preparation and . equipment of vast forces. The gallant U.S. Marines were still holding on to a toehold1 in Guadalcanal, the first active offensive against Japan. Britain, having suffered defeats in the Far East, losing Burma* Malaya, and Singapore, and in the Middle East, losing Cyrenaica again, and having to face Rommel at the Alamein gateway to the Nile Delta, seemed superficially to have fought the year through in vain. Russia ** was fighting for her very life, backs to ihe: Volga at Stalingrad. The submarine menace in the Atlantic was working up to a dangerous peak. But this was the darkest hour before the dawn. In October was fought the turn-ing-point battle of Alamein. In November the Western Allies landed in North Africa, and at the end of that month the Red Army launched its . most powerful winter offensive which by the spring had regained almost all that had been lost.! Since then, as most people know, the Allies have never looked back, and the fifth September of the war promises to be a month of further victory. . Casualties Compared. "Infantryman" writes:—To show the change in land warfare, the casualties for the Second N.Z.E.F., recently published for the period up to March 31, 1943, may be compared with the casualties for the First N.Z.E.F. in the last war for a similar period, approximately 3 years 7 months:— Ist 2nd N.Z.E.F. N;Z.E.P._ ( Dead and missing be- • ■?• r lieved killed 11,800 3324 Wounded .......... 29,000 9133 Prisoners of war ... 99 7745