PROBLEMS OF ATTACK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 June 1943, Page 4

PROBLEMS OF ATTACK

ON CONTINENT OF EUROPE DISCUSSED BY BRITISH WRITERS. ENEMY BEING KEPT GUESSING. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 12,20 p.m.) LONDON, June. 29. Attributing delay in a cross-sea invasion to the need for thorough preparation, the “Daily Mail’s” military correspondent, Captain Liddell Hart has given several warnings which must be borne in mind in appreciating the present situation. The extent to which thorough preparation is essential is partly due to an increased ■ realisation of the strength of the enemy’s defences under present conditions, says Captain Hart. That has "been impressed upon our executive soldiers by lessons in North Africa which makes it less easy for them to be deceived by superficial appearances. To the contrary, they know, how much we owed to our preponderant strategic advantages and superiority in numbers, besides such factors as the absence, in the final phase, of the minefields which so often thwarted our earlier manoeuvres. They also realise that they cannbi count on the enemy's shortage of such methods when we invade the Continent, which lends itself better than. the desert to obstruction by demolitions and fortifications. Captain Hart recalls that at El Alamcin and in Tunisia the path for the Allied offensive was largely cleared by successfully provoking the enemy into successive and costly counter-attacks, which might have held up the Allies, while the latter's most successful strokes were those which followed their opponents’ false moves. The same development occurred in Russia, where most of the victories since lhe autumn of 1941 have been counter-offensives.

SUPPOSED AXIS AIM. Captain Hart believes that the enemy is pinning his faith to his prospects of making our plan for unconditional surrender so hard that its fulfilment will be impossible because of exhaustion. The enemy hopes to secure modified terms or to gain a fresh opportunity for turning the tables. Nevertheless we may be able .to profit from the extent to which the enemy is stretched, and once his guard has been pierced the very extent of his early conquests may prove to have been a false move. In addition, an attacker who changes over to the defensive is apt to suffer many disadvantages, especially in morale, at an early stage. On the other hand, given time or encouragement, he may' recover his balance. Accordingly, cur first step in Europe must be sure and quick. Delay is dangerous to our prospects, but so is a stumble. KNOCKING OUT ITALY. The “Daily Express” military correspondent, Mr Morley Richards, says the sustained day and night Allied bombing of Mediterranean targets, from Sardinia to Athens, has a deeper purpose than that of hitting military objectives. The bombing is designed to keep the enemy guessing. Blows arc aimed, with varying degrees of ferocity, at all areas potentially threatened with amphibious operations on the mainland and islands. For the enemy to try to estimate from the bombing where an invasion will be made is practically impossible. The number of German troops at present in potential battle areas is not large. Most of them scorn to be stationed in 'positions from which they can be rushed to invasion points. It seems likely that the Allies visualise knocking Italy out of the war With a few concentrated blows. While lhe German High Command may fear Italy's withdrawal from the war, it is essential for them that this should not happen for many months. This would explain the limited but strong aid at present being sent to Italy. The Allied leaders must now decide whether they can afford to wait much longer before attacking Italy.