Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1941. A SECOND FRONT OPENED.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 November 1941, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1941. A SECOND FRONT OPENED.

IMPORTANT in itself and at .the most immediate view, the X British offensive which has opened so well and is developing with good promise in Libya is still more to be welcomed m its significant bearing on the general course of the war. At a minimum, it.is a bold and powerful attempt to strike a damaging blow at the enemy—a blow which will cut down his fio-hting strength, material resources and prestige. While the immediate object of the British and Imperial forces m Libya is as Mr Churchill has said, to destroy the enemy armies, and particularly the armoured forces, to which they stand opposed, the splendid massing and co-ordination of British land, sea and air forces which has been achieved gives good grounds for hoping that Britain is now prepared to deal in a positive fashion with any development that may now occur in the Mediterranean region or in some more or less related areas.

Reasons appear, indeed, for believing that the second front which has been advocated so strongly in Britain, and which Russia has declared to be necessary has been opened m a thoroughly effective way and for believing, too, that the scope of the move thus made is very far from being limited, of necessity, to that of the Libyan campaign.

Looking at the war as a whole, Hitler’s overshadowing and imperative need is to gain immediately a decisive success. in Russia, or at least something to which the aspect of a decisive success can be imparted by his propaganda machine. It will be at best the beginning of the end for Hitler and his gang if the German armies in Russia are compelled to settle down for the winter on> their present lines. It would be still moie disastrous from the standpoint of the invaders if they were compelled to retreat from any part of the Russian territory they have occupied. The aim of the Allies of course is to give all possible .aid and relief to Russia, and it seems likely that in this category the offensive in Libya and its possible extensions, may rival or exceed in importance the increasing flow of material supplies and of other assistance that is pouring into Russia, from Britain and the United States, by every available route.

At the moment the Nazi dictatorship is faced by the choice of leaving its armies in. North Africa to their fate or of making determined efforts to reinforce them—-possibly to that end gaining command of Tunisia and other parts of French North Africa through the treachery of the Vichy quislings. It may be hoped that the British and Imperial forces are well prepared to cope with either eventuality. In one way or another continued successful action by these forces against the Axis in North Africa plainly will be advantageous to Russia and will give her definite relief.

If the German and Italian armies in North Africa are annihilated, Britain and the Empire will be well placed to give direct aid to Russia in the defence of the Caucasus or elsewhere. If, on the other hand, Germany contrives to lengthen out the campaign in North Africa —it is fairly clear that Italy has no heart for any attempt of the kind—this must entail a diversion of resources that otherwise would be used against Russia, and perhaps of some that are now being used against her. It has been suggested, for instance, that- if Germany has any thought of challenging British air supremacy in Libya she must transfer to that theatre a substantial part of the Luftwaffe, now largely concentrated on the Eastern front.

It has yet to be seen whether the Germans are capable of accomplishing anything of. moment by the prodigal expenditure of lives and material they are now making in Russia. In spite of the descent of winter, the position admittedly is still critical on the Moscow front and perhaps still more on the southern sector. Even their successes in the Crimea and their progress in the Rostov region haye not given ‘'the Germans an easy approach to the Caucasus, but the danger is in sight that they may be able seriously to weaken Russia by severing her vital communications with that region.

The immediate outlook in Russia is the more serious since Hitler and his accomplices plainly are-in the grip of a deadly fear—the fear of brute force exponents who see their power more than beginning to wane. The existence of that fear no doubt means that the Nazi hordes, will be driven to the limit, with complete indifference to the cost in lives entailed, in their attacks on the Russian front. The prosp'edt thus opened is not to be regarded lightly, but Russia and her Allies are upheld by a faith that will not falter and it counts for much that they now seem to have good prospects of combining and co-ordinat-ing their efforts more and more effectively against the common enemy. In the British offensive in Libya and its implications there is cheering evidence to that'effect.