Evening star., 1940-07-11
Italy, Bottled Tight
In Mediterranean,
Faces Hard Fight
Fleet Must Soon Breok
British Blockade
To Get Supplies
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.

tlc CIcIlCn llcct WAS put OUT Oh
action, at least as far as its capital
units are concerned. That leaves
the Italians and the British face to
face. The Italians are bottled up in
the Mediterranean, between the
home fleet at Gibraltar and the
Mediterranean fleet at Alexandria.
They are 50 dependent on sea-borne
supplies that they must break out,
one way or the other, or in a long
war they cannot continue active
operations.
There is more than that. In the
Near East the British have a very
heavy stake-there is Egypt. the
cultural center of the Moslem world:
there is the oil supply of Iraq. and
Iran; there is Turkey. their last
wavering ally; there is the Suez-
Alden gateway to the Indian Ocean,
aptly called the center of the
empire.
Menaced by Italians.
This gateway is menaced by the
Italians in Ethiopia. These in turn
are cut off from home by the British
fleet. They will continue to be so
while the British hold Egypt and
the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. There
is no direct connection between the
Italians in Libya and in italian
East Africa.
The Italian advance TO Kassala
and Gallabat places them, at the
the former town, astride one of the
few railways of the Sudan. North,
this line runs to Port Sudan on the
Red Sea; south, 1t goes to Seminar.
where 1t divides, one branch to
Khartum, capital of the Sudan: one
branch to Ell Obeid. If the Italians
can advance to Sennar, Khartum
is seriously imperiled. But even
if the Italians get all the Sudan
they will still not have made con-
nections with Libya. for between
there lies hundreds of miles of des-
ert country, across which no prac-
ticable line of military communi-
cations could be maintained. The
key to the communications between
Italy and Italian East Africa is
Egypt, not the Sudan. And the KEY
to Egypt is command of the Medit-
erranean.
Convoy Sent to Libya.
1t is evident, from today's news,
that the Italians are planning
something in Libya. They have sent
a convoy there which was so i'm
portant as to require the escort
of two battleships and s-eat part
of the rest of the italian fleet.
This fact, plus the dispatch to the
Libyan command of Marshal Graz
iani, Italy's most experienced and
able desert soldier, leaves little doubt
that something is in the wind in
North Africa. This may prove to
be an attempt to annex Tunis, long
a goal of italian ambition, though
the terms of the French arnistice
would seem to preclude this. 1t may
be an aattempt to open a desert
route through the Sudan to Ethio-
pia, but the difficulties seem in
surmountable, save perhaps for
small units seeking only pres
tige" accomplishment.
Much more likely, on the face of
things, is an attack upon Egypt,
which would solve everything if sue
cessful-it would deprive the British
feet of its base at Alexandria, close
the Suez Canal to British and open
it to Italian traffic and bring the
axis naval power out into the Indian
Ocean.
Supplies Are Required.
But there must be considered the
communications of the Libyan Army.
The 100000 British and Indian
troops, plus those of Egypt, which
1t. Gen. Sir Archibald Wavell COM
mands in the Suez area, are not to
be overcome by any small force. A
steady flow of munitions and sup
plies from Italy must be assured
This flow can only be by sea, under
the protection of the italian Navy.
If the Italian Navy cannot protect
the sea routes from Italy to Libya,
Marshal Graziani cannot hope to do
great things in Africa.
Apparently the Italians succeeded
in getting one convoy over, under
heavy escort. The British got wind
of it, and they closed in from east
and west; the Mediterranean fleet
hoping to bring the Italians to ac-
ton or at all events to cut them off
from the mainland and drive them
south to Sicily into the arms OF the
home fleet. 1t would appear, from
present incomplete accounts, that
the Italians were successful in escap-
ing with comparatively minor loss
from superior British forces, which
they tried to draw within reach of
their shore-based aircraft and sub
marines. The British air attacks
were not in great strength, indicat-
ing that the British had only car
rier-based aircraft to work with
their feet. The British feet air
arm in the Mediterranean cannot
be very strong, as of six British car
riers available at the beginning of
the war, two have been lost and the
home defense requirements will be
making heavy drain on planes and
pilots.
May Attack Gibraltar.
If the Italians discover that they
cannot undertake conveys to Libya
without being brought to action by
the British, they will be compelled
to one of two choices: Give up any