Evening star., 1941-10-02
Churchill Reports

Winston Churchill's latest report
to the House Of Commons is a sort
Of balance sheet, wherein profit and
loss is clearly distinguished, and
which is infused throughout with the
Prime Minister'S unf1inching realism.
The British public has been feeling
its oats bit. Months of virtual free
dom from bombing raids and an cas-
ing of the strain in the battle of the
Atlantic, coupled with the knowledge
Of high German losses in the titanic
struggle against Russia, have COM
bined to give the average Briton
growing feeling of security. This, in
turn, has been increasingly infused
with a sense Of impatienCe that so
little seemingly was being done to
strike the enemy in the west while
he was pre-occupied on the new
eastern front. Russian appeals for a
large-Scale British diversion on the
continent to take some of the pres
sure off their hard-preSSed armies
have not fallen on deaf ears, and
British Communist orators have
gone so far as to inject an "or else"
note into their eXhortationS. In
short, the. British government has
been under mounting popular pres
sure to take the initiative and carry
the war to the Germans across the
Channel.
Mr.. Churchill did not hesitate to
throw cold water on popular impa-
tience. He warned the House and,
by inference, the armchair strate-
giStS outside its walls, that, despite
losses in Russia, the enemy's armed
might was still too great for the rela-
lively small British Army to invade
the continent at this time. Indeed,
he went so far as to say that, should
Hitler decide to go slow in Russia
this winter, the Fuehrer had men and
equipment enough simultaneously to
wage war in the Near East and
North Africa, and even to attempt
a descent upon Britain itself.
Though restrainedly hopeful for the
long pull, his cautious optimism was
best epitomized when he said that
Eve have climbed from the pit of
peril onto a fairly broad plateau"
The Prime Minister made it clear
that, while Russia was precious
asset, the alliance with the Soviet
Union involved grave responsibilities
that would have to be lived up to if
the new ally was not to turn into an
eventual liability. Russia must not
only be kept fighting but also must
be kept in the field las a firSt-claSS
war-making power" To do this, vast
quantities of munitions, equipment
and raw materials originally destined
for Britain and its armies overseas
would have to be diverted to Russian
needs. The implication is that this
will render diversion on the Euro
pean continent still less feasible and
may also curtail British strategy in
the Mediterranean area.
Before the sudden outbreak of
hostilitieS between Germany and
Russia last June there had been in
dications that Britain was planning
to concentrate upon Italy, the
weaker member of the Axis. The
Army of the Nile was being heavily
reinforced for eventualitieS when
autumn made campaigning possible
in North Africa, while rumors hinted
at an offensive against Italy ITSELF
notably on the relatively exposed
islands of Sicily and Sardinia Now,
with German armies lunging through
the Ukraine and threatening WIN
ter push toward the Caucasus Brit
ish strength in the Near East, though
undoubtedly much increased, evil
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