MAMMOTH PLAN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1943, Page 3

MAMMOTH PLAN

FOR DEFEAT OF GERMANY PRESENTATION AT CAIRO CONFERENCE. BY EISENHOWER AND TEDDER. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.45 a.m.) LONDON, December 29. The'final mammoth plan .for the invasion of Europe from the West was presented at the recent Cairo talks by Geenral Eisenhower and Air Chier Marshal Tedder, it has now been disclosed, says Reuter's Cairo correspondent. That scheme was approved within a few days, and vast armies, with mountains of equipment, began to prepare for the zero hour. The conferences were at their height and the assembled statesmen, diplomats and chiefs of staff were at grips with the greatest military problem the world has ever known, when General Eisenhower and Air Marshal Tedder made their secret flight to Cairo from North Africa. The two Mediterranean leaders talked for hours, and then laid before the distinguished gathering a plan whereby the manifold air, land and sea experience of the Allies in North Africa and the Mediterranean could be dovetailed into one colossal assault. All available commanders involved were immediately called in, particularly General Sir H. Maitland Wilson and Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas. So important were the discussions, and so pressing the need to finish the German war as soon as possible, that when Mr Churchill and President Roosevelt, with their advisers and chiefs of staff, left for Teheran, General Eisenhower and Air Chief Marshal Tedder stayed behind to work out the details of the invasion. Marshal Stalin, M. Molotov and Marshal Voroshilov were told who the second front chiefs would be, and it is known in the Middle East that the Russians were deeply gratified at the choice of the commanders, who were “new boys” when the war began, and learned from experience rather than from text books. The Russians were particularly impressed by General Eisenhower’s handling of the Tunisian, Sicilian and Italian campaigns. They also had a special admiration- for Air Chief Marshal Tedder, whom they regard as indisputably the supreme Allied exponent of the use of air power and as world tactician No. 1 in welding all forces into one fighting whole. The choice of the second front commanders and the determination of the British and Americans to finish the war against Germany as soon as possible were paramount factors in helping the Big Three to reach agreement at Teheran in the record time of four days.