Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-10
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT

LL1o1s
The hard logic of events is bring
ing home to us certain truths re-
garding the waging of modern war
We are beginning to understand
that a short war may be won by
superior land-air power, regardless
of the pressure Of sea power or Of
lack of self -suff1ciency, providing
the latter has been temporarily off,
set by the prior accumulation of re-
serves.
But If land-air power fails to win
decisively within the time limit i'm
posed by the sufficiency Of the re-
serves, then the slow. steady stran-
gulation of sea blockade begins to
have it's effect, which is proper
tionate to the dependence OF the
blockaded nation on overseas sup
plies and overseas markets.
This is the present situation of
Germany. Victorious everywhere on
the Continent, she has failed to
overwhelm Great Britain; that is,
her land-air power has not been
able to capture, destroy or neutral
ize the bases of the British sea
power or to drive the British from
their advantageous position blocking
North European access to the sea.
Forced to New Expedients.
Germany is, therefore, compelled
to turn to other expedients. Her
land-air power may now seek to drive
to the Near East, to obtain &C
cess to raw materials especially
OLD and markets and to break the
British grip on the sea lanes to the
Indian Ocean. This attempt by it
self might have little chance OF
success; but it is supported by
two other moves on the vast strate-
gic chessboard of the world.
The first is the adherence of ia
pan to the new triple axis, which
endangers British possessions and
interests in the Far East. and by so
doing endangers the chief bases and
supports for the British defenders
of the Suez Canal and Egypt. This
move might be countered, and per-
haps will be, by joint American
British measures to restrain Japan
from taking advantage of the situa-
ton thus created
The second German move, per-
haps more Immediately dangerous to
Britain, is the historic recourse Of
the inferior naval power-the So
called "guerre de course" against
the merchant shipping of Britain.
In this type Of warfare. the war
ships of the inferior power seek to
attack only the merchant ships of
the superior. their attitude toward
/ hostile men-of-~ar heinc in general
not combative, bnt evasive. In the
suhne rine. the Germans have the
weonon of evasion psr excellence:
as they proved in the last war, and
nav be about to prove again.
German surface ships appear to
be constructed with much the same
ideas in view. Armored ships have
in general high speed and wide
cruising radius. with inferior protec-
ton. Aircraft carriers sacrifice air.
craft cepacity to gun power-ob-
viouslv for isolated missions rather
than work with the fleet.
Plane Third Factor.
If, in their current production Of
new models of aircraft. it be discov-
cred that thes Germans have added
large numbers Of planes suitable for
distance raiding and patroIling
over water thev will have the third
factor of their combined and co-or-
dinated effort to blockade the island
of Great Britain from their newly
won positions from NORWAY to
France. The Germans have shown
their genius for combined efforts of
this sort on land and in the air; but
despite promising beginning, they
have shown no great genius for sea
warfare. Nevertheless, taken into
consideration as only one of series
of worldwide efforts, this "guerre
de course" in the Atlantic may we'll
prove dangerous indeed to the Brit
tsh cause.
Since it is now an accepted Amer
lean policy that we cannot afford to
allow Great Britain to be defeated,
and the control of the Atlantic to
pass into the hands of the master Of
Europe by land, it remains to be
seen how best we can support the
sea power of Britain in meeting this
new danger, In the Far East our
diplomatic and economic pressure
against Japan requires the support
OF the immediate presence OF our
main fleet. This does not, however,
mean, that we have no naval
strength to spare for the Atlantic.
Our new patrol force, besides three
old battleships, has several heavy
cruisers and strong destroyer force,
besides submarines and patrol YES
sells and two aircraft carriers.
Squadrons of patrol bombers are
available.
We have already proclaimed a So
called neutrality zone, running 800
miles off shore of the coast lines of
the various American republics
which participated in establishing
1t. There need be no very great