The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-10-19

Of the British army, and an au-
thority on Abyssinia. Egypt and
the Sudan, who believe that if
Italy campaigns slowly the first
season, concentrates on annex
ing Harar, Danakil and Ogaden
provinces, it would be possible for
the Italians to join together Fri
trea and Somaliland and form one
unbroken front along the east side
of Ethiopia, from which to carry
on operations the second season.
DUT in this matter of detectives,
ID Italy is on the fence. If she
takes the aforementioned three
provinces, she will have so much
waste land on her hands. If she
undertakes the major venture, how
long can the pocketbookS of the
Italian poole stand the strain?
Under the present restricting
conditions of credit can the Italian
people carry on a major attempt
at empire building?
Much has been written concern
ing the supposed fear of the Brit
ish military authorities over their
interest at Lake Tana, in northern
: Abyssinia. The most common eX-
PLANTATION given is that the Eng
lish fear that if the waters of the
lake fall into Italian control-the
fertile sudan and the British cot
ton interest in the Nile valley to
the north will be harmed.
This fear is overrated, for the
rivers drain down from the noun
tains in a northerly and westerly
direction, irrespective of what hap
pens to the waters in Lake Tana.
The majority of these rivers,
dashing pell-mell, in white boiling
foam, down the mountain sides,
drain into the Blue Nile below the
lake and serve to augment that
flow which does come from the
lake. The Ethiopians can not use
the water from the lake.
And, moreover, even if they
could, they wouldn't have any use
for it. The obvious customer is
Great Britain and the Egyptians.
If Italy ever did gain control of
the lake waters, it isn't likely that
Mussolini would jack up the price
of water to the one and only GUS
toner he can get to use the water,
Thus to sum up:
=
EMPEROR HALLE SELASSIE
- has few modern implements
OF war, and no highly trained
military machine. Nature is his
greatest ally, with all it's terrors
of pestilence, disease and rough
terrain.
Italy has a mighty-but un-
framed, untested-military ma
chine. Economic stress at home.
and the rekindled fire of imperial
conquest in the breast of the
typical beardless Fascist youth,
drive her on, regardless of the
awful cost. Nature is her worst
e1emy--not Selassie.
Italian victory depends upon two
things-how smart are her gen.
erals and commanders and sec
ondly, how smart is Halle Selas-
Sic in his application of fighting
tactics and generalship?
II the black emperor has de-
cided to carry his modernism
into the field of war and attempt
to fight MuSSolini's men with
modern tactics, the modern way.
with munition dumps, trench war
fare and artillery duels, he is
handing his country to II Duce on
a silver platter.
II, however, Selassie is wise and
smart enough to forget his mod
ernism for the moment, let his
trlbesmen fight the best way they
can-the only real way they know
how to fight: running, harry
Ing, guerrilla war-the military
experts OF many major powers
figure that he can stand off Mus
solini for two Or three years, per-
hapS even longer. And in three
years, who knows what may hap
pen to Italian credit and Musso-
lini?
GIVE the tribesmen of Ethiopia
~ good rifles, good standard
ammunition and a plentiful sup
ply OF machine guns. and they
triple the work of the Italian
army
They can raid lines of COM
munication, harry transports, de-
stroy bridges-in a word, carry
on the type of warfare which was
made so famous by that military
genius, Lawrence of Arabia.
Lawrence seldom carried on
warfare against men.
Instead he blew up railroad
tracks, bombed trains, poisoned
water, wrecked transports. His
tactics stultifled the Turkish cam
paign in Mesopotania and freed
the Arabs.
II Selassie is a smart enough
man to take leaf out of the late
Col. Lawrence's book of military
tactics as practiced with tribal
warriors, he might cause Mus
Solini to wish he had never heard
of Abyssinia.
And SO in answer to the ques-
tion-Can Italy Conquer Ethi-
opia?--yes, at cost which might
be so colossal in men, money and
prestige as to become an empty
and hollow victory of no bench.
to the conqueror whatsoever.
MONDAY: Empires and Pawns.)