Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-05


opia, the west
Col. Palmer. ernmost part Of
the young Italian Empire so gram
diloquently inaugurated.
His army in Ethiopia took British
Somaliland only to have its burning
Stretch of desert blister his hands
outstretched in imperial ambition.
Material and effort were expended
in that venture without preventing
Britain's control of the Gulf Of Alden
and her eastern entry into the Suez
Canal.
The italian garrisons in North
west Africa are shut of by the Brit
ish blockade from receiving supplies
through the Suez. They are lit
orally in siege by sea power with
out the British firing shot at
them. their attack westward on
Kenya held up Gasoline and other
vital necessities in small quantities,
and any letters or newspapers the
soldiers get from home. are being
sent by plane from Libya over
Egypt.
Interested parties are bootlegging
arms to the FESTIVE Ethiopians, who
are beginning to harass the army
outposts and road building and
making life uncertain for the Ital-
ian peasants drafted and regi-
mented to settle in the tropic land
of promise.
Winter Hurts In Two Ways.
Not only has Mussolini to divert
reinforcements from his army in
Libya to Albania, but singularly
winter is against him in both land
lack of water and in the other too
much snow and mud. In the Libyan
desert the wells begin to dry up at
this season. This year they are
drying up earlier than usual under
the demands upon them. and win
ter seems to be ahead of schedule
in Albania.
If the advance of the Greeks into
Albania is inevitably not so rapid
when they have to bring up their
material and consolidate their posi-
tions, the fact that they continue to
gain ground is regularly confirmed
by the Italian communiques, which
are lame admissions of Italian re-
treats. The Greeks are putting more
and more mountains behind them.
These the Italians have to conquer.
not for the invasion of Greece, but
to recover what they have lost of
Albania.
Neutral correspondents were shown
the Italian naval ships, which were
in the recent naval action of the
west coast of Italy, in proof that the
British had exaggerated the damage
done. This is apparently true. Blu
the Italian ships fed to port from
an attack in which they had gun
fire superior to the British.
No Writers Taken To laramie.
But no correspondents were taken
to laramie to see the results of the
British air raid. Expert profess
sional eyes in studying the air pho
tographs taken by the British after
the raid at least confirm the British
claim in large part.
It is no longer mystery how this
outstanding success of planes
against ships in this war was &C
complished. In preparation for a
sortie the Italians had removed the
nets at the entrance to the harbor
This gave the British planes suf-
f1cient sweep for launching their
torpedoes. which should be about
1000 yards, since the torpedo dives
below the right depth to which it
rises and automatically adjusts it.
self.
In so small a harbor the ships
were so close together that if a
torpedo missed the ship aimed at,
1t might very likely hit another.
And, of course, a torpedo, which can
punch a hole in a ships hull and
sink or ground her, is far more
dangerous than a bomb dropped on
deck.
Britain Controls Mediterranean.
Amazing as it seems in face Of
italian naval superiority on paper,
wishful thinking is automatically
demonstrated reality in Britain's
control of the Mediterranean. She
still holds Malta, close to the Italian
mainland, which was generally con-
sidered untenable at the outset Of
the war. Her naval forces in the
eastern and western Mediterranean
are far from being divided; not only
that, but, it is said, transports are
going through the narrow passage
between Sicily and the African
coast. In spite of the supposedly
strongly fortified island of Pantel-
leria.
By all accounts Britain, too. has
made her new base in Crete secure.
One Australian division (about l5.-
600 mem Is in Greece. The way
seems clear for further reinforce
ments from home or Egypt.
In case Adolf Hitler goes to Mus
solini's aid Britain might be able
to occupy Salonika with SUFFICIENT
force for long and logged defense
OF that vital port. She has not the
shipping to spare, and there are
not enough port facilities or roads
inland. for her to send q huge army
In a land offensive against Ger
many, not now at least. Her trans
ports would have to be guarded from
Hitler on the Atlantic, although it
would be easy to get them by Mus
solini IN the Mediterranean.
Released by the North American