The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1942. THE BLURRED AND THE CLEAR VIEW.

Evening Star, Issue 24331, 21 October 1942, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1942. THE BLURRED AND THE CLEAR VIEW.

With all the changes it has made in warfare time has not yet abolished the fog of war. It never will. There never was a war so much reported as the present one, yet the lament of a correspondent, “ factual news of the lighting remains scanty,” might be repeated every day by millions on both sides of the conflict. That is inevitably so. Wellington could not see 11 the Other side of the hill.” The commander of to-day has to guess what the enemy is doing further off, since the Tniemy will not tell him. And he himself will not tell anybody what the enemy would like to know. The strain on the nerves which is made by the fog of war is augmented by another circumstance. Modern battles ca'n he long protracted. The losses on this side and the other that occur from week to week arc not decisive. Neither side throws in all its resources at once. So, as more forces come into play, the only sort of news that is possible presents frequently a series of alternations that is particularly nerve-wearing in its effect. Stalingrad seems to be gone one day: the next makes a different outlook. Wit.i Guadalcanal it is the same. The public can only steel its mind and be patient. It is not ‘helped in so doing by the cloud of correspondents and commentators who, in the lack of “ factual news ” —even Stalingrad cannot he expected to furnish an" epic every day—ere driven to conjecture, forecast, and criticism of what they can surmise, contradicting or at best duplicating one another. Fears are caused by the absence of. American warships in the Solomons, till it is learned that those are battering enemy positions. Con-, rern is felt that Admiral Nimitz and General MncA rthur arc so far removed from each other—-but they appear to be co-operating very well. All the broadcasts able to be consulted—and, we imagine, all the secret conferences, except when purely New Zealand matters are concerned—will not add much to the “ factual news.” Neither defeats nor victories can be experienced every day. In a far view, however, the aspect is clear enough. The Allies’ strength is increasing. That of the Axis grows less and less. So lar os the Germans arc concerned it was a terrible saying of Goebbcls, reported yesterday. that “ the present year was not only their last, but their greatest chance of victory.” The year has not long to go. The Loudon ‘ Times of September 7 tells the story of Albert Speer, the author of the German plan, which has been named after him, for bringing all of Germany’s industrial resources of iron aiid steel, at whatever cost to the future, into the war effort, sending every possible _ German worker to the front, and making good the industrial man power by such levies on the occupied countries as France‘is rc-istiug to the uttermost. “We must win this war by the end of October—before the Russian winter bewh's—or we shall l’ n ve lost it once for all.” said Sneer. His view won the support of Hitler and the party, by whom the desperate plan was pnt in action.