The Evening Star FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1940. CRITICAL HOURS.

Evening Star, Issue 23680, 13 September 1940, Page 6

The Evening Star FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1940. CRITICAL HOURS.

It would appear that the next few days will be critical for the Empire. The suggestion is that the might and weight of Germany will bo launched against England in a concentrated attack. It is not unlikely that the attempt will be made. Time is the governing factor, for with the period approaching when the North Sea and the English Channel are swept by storms suitable conditions for an invasion effort will quickly disappear. The Nazi leaders have, made grave miscalculations. At the beginning of the war they counted on the superiority in numbers and in striking force of their air arm, and they thought that merciless and indiscriminate bombing over London, such as is now proceeding, would break the spirit of the English people. Far from this happening, it is more resolute than ever. The constant attacks of the R.A.F. on objectives across the Channel—docks, harbours, war supplies, and concentrations of shipping—with the enormous damage wrought, must mean a serious check to the Nazi plans. In the face of these things it would not be surprising if Hitler has called on Mussolini to do something. Except for a few timid tip-and-run sallies in the Mediterranean and minor successes on land in Africa as a result of the defection of France the Italians have been singularly passive.

To-day it was reported that three Italian armies are marching on Epypt from different points. This statement, however, is contradicted by a later message, which says that while in the past day or two there have been Italian movements in ! the north of Libya, near Capuzzo, no Italian troops have yet crossed the Egyptian frontier. It is reasonable to expect, however, that an attack on Egypt will be made. Mussolini, in the event of an attempted invasion of England, will have to make a demonstration of German-Italian solidarity, and this is one way in which it could he done. His troops, under Marshal Graziani, are massed on the borders, waiting for the signal to move. Mussolini has long coveted Egypt, and his agents have been very busy there during the past few years. Egypt is the key to Suez, and after the conquest of Abyssinia the control of the Suez Canal became necessary for the development of Mussolini’s Roman empire. The main issue is one of the widest strategic importance, for if Egypt was conquered it would be a severe blow to the Empire’s cause. The position of Egypt, as stated repeatedly by her political leaders, is quite clear. She has not entered the war, but has ''expressed her determination to fight in the event of her territory being invaded. Her foreign policy is based on the closest co-operation with Great Britain. At the outbreak of war the Prime Minister said : “ The Government and every Egyptian are heart and soul with Britain in the great struggle for justice and the preservation of liberty and freedom” The Italian drives from Ethiopia that have taken place are considered but side shows compared with the bigger drive which the British expect Italy to launch from Libya across northern Egypt at Alexandria, Cairo, and the Suez Canal. Air preparation and counter-action for this push, under the British and Italian high commands, have marked recent activities. Italy, in launching such a movement, will face a tremendous ordeal apart from the opposition of the British and Egyptian armies and. the shelling the invaders will he subjected to from the sea. Pointing to the 400 waterless miles between Libya and the Nile, a Cairo newspaper warned Italy: ‘‘ The desert is a terrible enemy.” Even with mechanised forces the difficulties to be faced are immense.