Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1942. EFFICIENCY IN WAR LEADERSHIP.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 August 1942, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1942. EFFICIENCY IN WAR LEADERSHIP.

AS long as he remained at the head of the Government, the Federal Prime Minister (Mr J. Curtin) declared when speaking in Melbourne a day or two ago, he would not allow military leaders to be made the scapegoats for national deficiencies. To this Mr Curtin added in a later passage of his speech :—

In military operations, I believe the best counsel iesides in those who have the professional training to give it. The Government accepts full political responsibility for the decisions of the High Command. After making its plans, the High Command confers with the Government upon them, and then they act together.

As a rejoinder to, and refusal to be influenced by, impatient public demands for military action of a kind and on a scale which instructed professional opinion declares to be impracticable and inadvisable (and it is very possibly from that standpoint that Mr Curtin was speaking) this may very well be accepted unreservedly. At the same time, the duty obviously rests on. a democratic government of satisfying itself that it is employing the best and most competent military advice and leadership that are available.

This is not an academic question, but one which is brought into the forefront, and there demands practical consideration, because it appears to be established that as a nation we have suffered some defeats which must be ascribed to shortcomings in military organisation and leadership. On.this subject the military correspondent of the “Sydney Morning Herald” wrote recently:—

The British Army has faced a series of defeats redeemed only by gallantry, and due sometimes to partly non-military factors, but always to some measure of military inefficiency. The Libyan reverse of the last month (June), for example, was primarily due to military reasons, because Mr Churchill’s review leaves no doubt that the British started with a definite numerical advantage. Since the conduct of the British soldier is admittedly beyond criticism, the fault must lie in defective organisation and leadership.

The review by Mr Churchill to which the Australian writer referred was that in which the British Prime Minister stated that the armies drawn up in the desert in the middle of May were about 100,000 a side.

We had 100,000 men (he added), and the enemy 90,000, of whom more than 50,000 were Germans. We had a superiority in numbers of tanks of perhaps seven to five. We had a superiority in artillery of nearly eight to five.

While he spoke of the decided advantage the enemy had in his anti-tank weapon—an advantage which only became apparent as the battle proceeded—Mr Churchill denied that our troops had to face the 50-pounder gun of the enemy with 25-pounders. The 25-pounder, he said, was one of the finest guns in Europe and a perfectly new weapon, but included in our artillery were several regiments with.the latest form of gun, a howitzer which throws a 551 b. projectile 20,000 yards. “There were other artillery weapons available,” he added, “of which I cannot, speak.”

Tn the same speech, the British Prime Minister said lie liked, commanders on land, sea and in the air to feel that the Government stood like a strong bulkhead between them and all forms of public criticism.

They ought to have a fair chance and more than one chance (he went on to observe). You will not get generals to run risks unless they feel that they have a strong Government behind them, and unless they are able to concentrate their gaze on the enemy.

With this, no doubt, it is impossible to do anything else than agree,- but in view of what has happened in several campaigns there is room also for an assurance that the British Government and other Empire Governments are not only determined to give all proper support to the commanders they appoint, but are anxiously intent on taking every means that offers of raising standards of military organisation and leadership to the highest attainable level.