Evening star., 1940-12-14
By DEWITT MACKENZIE.

The wobble of the Fascist end of
the Berlin Rome axis is increasing
dangerously
A fortnight ago, when the British
signaled major offensive against
Mussolini, many military experts
said it was difficult to see how Italy
could escape disaster unless Ger
many was able to save her. What
was true in the midst of the Albanian
debacle is doubly true now in vice
Of the italian rout in Western Egypt.
Fascist Marshal Graziani's army
of invasion is definitely smashed,
with huge loss in prisoners and ma
terials. His main forces still remain
intact in Libya, but their heritage
is a doubtful one.
The Italian Humpty Dumpty OF
Egyptian conquest has had his fall,
and it will take more than the
kings horses and men to put him
together again.
Greatest Military Crisis.
Unconflrmed rumors that Hitler
and Mussolini are about to meet are
not surprising. This is the greatest
military crisis the axis has encoun-
tered thus far.
The British. after their initial
success in the desert battle, said the
question of whether they could capi-
talize on their smashing victory by
an immediate invasion OF Libya
would depend on air supremacy-a
very sound observation. 1t begins
to look, however, as If the Anglo
Allied forces might be drawn in
some distance on the swirling wake
of the fast retreating Fascists.
A slowing down of the advance
in the immediate future, though.
would be the normal procedure. The
temptation to chase fleeing enemy
right into his own dugout is almost
irresistible, but it is fraught with
grave danger for the pursuer. He
may find that he has drawn his
communications out too thin and
is cut off from supplies and REIN
forcements
Threat Greater in Desert.
This threat is the greater In the
blazing desert wastes where every
drop of water has to be transported.
Terrible death turks in an empty
| canteen.
We may assume, I think, that the
desert wise British won't allow
themselves to outrun their COM
munications. Considerable will de-
pend, of course, on the degree OF
enemy generalization.
AS a matter of historic fact, the
British Navy by curious circum-
stance has been enabled to do a
mighty good job of assisting the
Royal Air Force and also may be
able to help provide those all-im-
portant new bases for the advancing
infantry. The story is fascinating.
The military highway along which
the Fascists are retreating runs close
to the sea in both Egypt and Libya.
| That's the only motor road there
is and the armies are largely de-
pendent on motor transport.
British warships are nosing in
close to this highway and are blast
ing the unhappy Italians and their
supply trains as neatly as any war;
plane could do. They also are
bombarding Italian coastal bases
and there would seem to be no
reason why they shouldn't be able
to assist the quick transport Of es-
sential supplies to keep up with the
progress of the British vanguard.
Daring Efficiency Of Navy.
The daring efficiency of the Brit
ish Navy in an emergency is being
we'll demonstrated in the Egyptian
show. Larry Allen, Associated Press
correspondent aboard a destroyer in
this action. gave this graphic report:
THE destroyer on which this Is
being written and other units of the
British Navy swept over mine fields
to winthin half a mile of the hastily
prepared FascisO shore batteries
and threw heavy fire at the italians" {"
TtHfc NJ ~f Oh