LONG PREPARED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 November 1942, Page 3

LONG PREPARED

OCCUPATION OF NORTH AFRICA DISCLOSURES BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. ATTACK ACROSS CHANNEL POSTPONED. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 10. President Roosevelt has revealed, according to an agency correspondent in Washington, that the introduction of the plan for the present North African operations dated back to the weeks after Pearl Harbour, when he invited Mr Churchill and his staff to visit the United States to discuss plans for an offensive.

Mi’ Roosevelt said that various plans were considered, specially that of a large-scale attack across the English Channel. Military and naval opinion at that time was that such a frontal attack could be feasible ,and a great deal of work was done along those lines. The President added, however, that a thorough study of the physical problems involved made it more and more apparent that an offensive against the coast of Belgium could not be carried out with a chance of reasonable success in 1942.

The same question, he said, came up in June of this year, when Mr Churchill was in the United States. They discussed whether to launch one very largescale offensive round the middle of next year, or to start a smaller-scale offensive in 1942.

By the end of June there was general agreement on the African offensive, and by late July certain fundamentals, such as the number of men necessary and the points of attack, had been determined. The approximate day was fixed by the end of August. Mr Roosevelt warned the people against optimism. He said he did not want to throw cold water on the success of the operation, because it was going very well so far. But he thought it advisable to point out again that the nation should not get unduly pessimistic about one situation or unduly elated about another.

threw in the entire weight of his battle fleet, including dive-bombers, against the Vichy forces. Fierce street fighting is occurring in the centre of Casablanca between Vichy forces and the de Gaullists, backed up by other pro-Allied factions, says the “Daily Express” correspondent in Tangier. He adds that the French naval forces at Casablanca have ceased all resistance.

The Exchange Telegraph’s correspondent at Air Force Headquarters somewhere in Algeria says that Ameri-can-piloted Spitfires have destroyed at least 15 tanks and 25 troop lorries during attempts by French armoured columns to reach an aerodrome which our armoured forces had captured on Monday with 800 prisoners, who offered no resistance.

A strong force of Spitfires landed on the aerodrome a few hours later and immediately began hammering at French columns which were pushing northward from the direction of Sidi bel Abdes, which is the headquarters of the French Foreign Legion. They also attacked and put out of action French batteries and ground forces near a second aerodrome, which is also held by the Americans, but is under attack by French artillery and armoured units. General Eisenhower told the correspondents: “It is not child’s play. I am mighty proud of our boys, but I don’t want to make this appear a great military victory . The French are our friends, and we want to keep them friends. We only fought because we were forced to do so.”