LISTENINGS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 139, 20 February 1942, Page 13

LISTENINGS

Perpetrated and illustrated by

KEN

ALEXANDER

HIS "war has been called "The War of Conquest," "The Oil War" and, a long time ago, "The Bore War." Now it is clearly a War of Communications. The line of communication is the life-line-the life-and-death line-of both sides. The proof is in Russia, Libya, and will be even more so in the Japacific Ocean. The line of communication is elastic but, when over-stretched, flies back to hit its owner in the eye. Hitler knows; he is likely to be catapulted back into Germany by the force with which his line has recoiled and hit him where he lives. Our army in Libya chased Rommel up the desert until we found ourselves too far away from the bread line and the hardware supplies. Now Rommel is pushing us back-until he, too, will find that he is too far from the cookhouse door and the supply dump. Then we will strike him hard in the bread-basket and he will make off to the spot marked X-trication. And so it may go on, so long as each side has sufficient air force to beat up the other side’s transport. But apart from regrettable losses in men, it may serve the

Allies’ purpose to keep Rommel running up and down the desert dirt-track until his boss finally cracks up in the hug of the Soviet bear. The Japanese are looking for trouble in the same way. They have too little jam and too much bread to spread it over. Their chances of replenishing the jam are not very rosy, They are more likely to get the raspberry than the jam in the long run. What they’re after is a short run. The Jap’s lines of communications are "made in Japan" and can only stand the strain until Uncle Sam gets to work on them with his naval cutters,