The Wilmington morning star., 1940-11-26
Editorial Comment
THE VICTORY OF KOR1TzA
N. Y. Herald-Tribune

Koritza has fallen. The understood, under
trained, underequipped Greek Army, rather
generally looked down upon by every one in
Europe, has risen in the spirit of its hoplite
ancestors to inflict the first important land
defeat upon the Axis which it has sustained in
the whole course of this war OF mighty states
and great empires.
sible exception of the taking OF Teruel by the
Spanish loyalists at the bitter Christmas time
of 1887, it is the only important aggressive
victory won on land by the anti-totalitarian
forces since Mussolini opened the new cycle OF
Western wars by sending his men into the
wilds of Ethiopia on October, 1885. There nave
been one or two striking defensive successes
Dunkeroue was one of them, and the wrecklng
of the Italian armored columns on the Guada-
laiara road in 1886 was another. But Tor lne
first time offensive action has made an lmpor-
tant strategic gain. Who would have supposed
that it would come in these old mountains
which have echoed to the clash OF so many
ancient battles, or that the Greeks "oulo wear
this first crown OF victory?
The success is not, of course, to be overrated'
but it is certainly real. The mere fact that the
Fascists have been forced to read out the grim
communique themselves (under MussolnIs
new policy of truth, which he only just man.
aged to announce In tine) is in itself a great
deal in this war of nerves and propaganda.
Obviously, it does not mean that Italian re-
~sistance has been broken. If it carries an IN
evitable reminder Of Guadalajara, Caporetto
and Adowa, one must note the real pattern OF
those precedents. Here, as before, the Italian
failure seems mainly due to overconfidence
and bad tactical leadership rather than to any
want of courage on the part of the troops; the
Italians fought we'll in Spain after Guadala-
lara, while their rally after Caporetto was as
remarkable as their initial defeat. The smash
ing reverse in Epirus may yet be repaired.
But it is not going to be easy. Koritza may
be an insignificant town, but it is a vital base.
Its fall now threatens to precipitate the fall
OF Argyrokastron; if both 60, the Italians will
be facing a winter campaign, which has to
begin with the %recapture of the only two bases
first to be reorganized, re-equipped and pre-
pared over a tenuous line Of sea c~omnunica-
tons under constant and heavy attack by the
r.. A. F. and the Royal Navy. While all this is
going on, moreover, the r. A. F will have been
brought within secure but immediate striking
distance of all the most vital centers of italian
economy. Mussolini has promised to "break
the back" Of Greece if it takes him twelve
months. They may yet be a painful twelve
months.
There seems to be but one way in which the
dangerous defeat at Koritza could be quickly
undone. That would be by some great stroke
of Hitler's mailed fist. But how is it to be
delivered? If thr ough Italy, it would mean the
virtual abdication of II Duce. If through Yugo-
slavia it might mean a dangerous and exhaust
ing winter war. And through Bulgaria the
roads do not serve, while the Russian enigma
enigmatic. The spectacle of Hitler
allowing the days and weeks in which he could
act to slip by, while he frantically goes on
summoning puppet statesmen to expand a
paper Axis, at least hints that there may be
less striking power in the mailed fist than had
been supposed, 2