The Southland Times WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1942. A Wider Strategy in Africa?

Southland Times, Issue 24880, 21 October 1942, Page 4

The Southland Times WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1942. A Wider Strategy in Africa?

THE presence in London of the South African Prime Minister, General Smuts, has caused far more interest and speculation than usually follow the arrival of a Dominion statesman. This is partly a tribute to the man himself. General Smuts is not merely a national leader and an experienced soldier: he is also a thinker who has left his influence on modern philosophy. Such a man stands close to the European tradition of statesmanship which produced complete personalities like Masaryk of Czechoslovakia. His wartime speeches lack the oratory of Mr Churchill; but they carry an impression of wisdom and insight, and are consistently realistic. The time of his arrival in London has been given an extra significance from recent events. German air attacks on Malta, plainly hinting at convoy activities in the Mediterranean, were among the signs that a new flare-up is expected in the Egyptian campaign. It has been suggested that Rommel’s preparations are mainly defensive in character; but there is every reason to suppose that the Germans will attack as soon as their forces are strong enough for a major effort. Meanwhile the arrival of American forces in Liberia has raised the possibility of a wider strategy in the African theatre. The Allied plans in West Africa may be primarily concerned with the protection of sea and air routes which are at present endangered by German operations from Dakar. But General Smuts’s declaration that he will “continue to emphasize . . . the importance of the African theatres of war” has been linked in London to the possibility of action on new fronts. It has been pointed out that it is possibly too late for a western offensive this year, and that therefore “the best aid which can be given to Russia will be to engage the Germans in Africa.” The first and imperative need, however, is to drive Rommel’s forces back into Libya. Britain’s task in Egypt is still defensive. While the Bth Army remains perilously close to the Nile Delta it is perhaps a little premature to be looking for spectacular operations elsewhere. The battle for Egypt will have to be resumed, not as the alternative to a European front, but as a stark necessity imposed on the Allies by the victories of Rommel. War On Two Fronts

There is one sense, however, in which Egypt is, and always has been, a second front of great importance. The plans of the United Nations can be directly forwarded by a hard campaign in North Africa. Up to the present thevGerman forces engaged in Libya have been fairly small, especially in comparison with the armies that are stationed in Russia. It. was not until after General Wavell’s successful offensive in 1940 that the German Africa Corps was sent across the Mediterranean. Even during the battle of Libya which ended at El Alamein the Germans used only a few divisions. But the nature of the campaign has changed. If Rommel hopes to break through the narrow front which bars the road to Alexandria he must achieve a marked superiority in fire power. His supply lines have become long and difficult, and there is little scope for rapid manoeuvre in the open desert. Moreover, the situation in West Africa must have some bearing on the position in Egypt. There is no way of knowing if the American troops in Liberia are intended for limited operations, or if they are the advance guard of a force that may reach impressive proportions. But Rommel cannot ignore the potential threat in his rear. It is true that the deserts of French West Africa lie between Liberia and Libya. If Dakar fell, or even if it were neutralized on its southern flank, the Allies would control the western shoulder of Africa. And this would give the Americans a safe supply route to Eritrea and Egypt. It is there, perhaps, that the Germans may find the immediate significance of recent events in Liberia. The Americans are moving into Africa. Their transport planes are making long flights to the supply bases in the east. Maritime convoys are being supplemented by air transport on a growing scale. It is clear that if the Germans wish to hold their positions in Libya they must divert large forces from Europe. The North African campaign will not be allowed to retain the dimensions of a sideshow. Rommel must have more men, more tanks and more planes. His demands may be easier to satisfy when the Germans have stabilized their winter front in Russia. But the Red Army will not be inactive when the snows come. As in the last winter campaign, the Germans will be compelled to keep large forces engaged in the east. At the same time they will have to feed the North African front to an extent which may interfere with their preparations for the next spring offensive. The war on two fronts will therefore become more of a reality than has been possible in the past. There is no need to see every new development as the opening of the much-discussed second front. The United Nations will strike, when they are ready, in the occupied territories of Europe. They are striking now, with considerable effect, in the air offensive. Their policy must be to draw the enemy into costly battles wherever he can be reached, to leave him no opportunity for the “creative pause” which Hitler has so often used to prepare the next stage of aggression. And in this trial of strength the African theatre promises to be the scene of historic events.