The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-09-05

exhausted, and the problem of wid- ening the breach would be even more serious than the original at tack.
 The stream of death notices to parents, sweethearts and friends would damage morale, perhaps wreck it, if the invasion should fail in the end.
 From the point of view of the British government, the first duty of a Prime Minister and his mili- tary advisers is to defend the home land. That means the British must conserve men and materials fer full scale defense, especially since the target for the Germans Is concentrated, and therefore inva- sion is somewhat simpler from their point of view and from their springboard.
 What, then, can the British do9
 They can continue to blockade the Germans by air and sea, and blast continental industries from the air, now that their naval force is buttressed by command of the air over western Germany and France. These are slow, urspec- tacular methods of attack The public cannot see victory when it's coming at a snail's pace. But the ultimate results might be the same, especially if the British keep up the drumfire of bombs, hold tight the steel chains Of blockade.
 Germans may be doing Withoat butter and beefsteak, but in the end, the effect of denial is the same as the drip-drip of water on the brow of a prisoner. After sev- eral thousand slow drops have hit him in the forehead, each addi- tional drop feels like sladge- hammer blow. The Germans know this. They're trying to achieve the same results with counterblockade British forces can continue also to fight for the strategic outposts of empire, restrict Germany to land victories in Europe. They can constantly demonstrate their con- trol of the worlds sea highways, especially for the benefit of Axis partner Japan.
 They can make minor raids against the German-held coast, too, especially around Murmansk, where they have a fighting chance to keep open the supply road to Russia.
 Finally. there's Russia.
 If the Germans should close ofe Murmansk, the best feasible route of British attack against Germany would be up from the Middle East, where supplies and man. power could move the year round. If the Russians could hold the Germans somewhat short of the Volga this fan there would be a chance for Britain, with Ameri- can help, to use the Caspian door. British empire men and Ameri- can material could pour in from the south by sea and land, ard actually join a continental ally still fighting Germany. The effort probably would first take shape as guerrilla warfare-annoying raids on Germanys stretched communi- cation lines. But losses should he negligible.
 At the right moment,' huge armies could be rallied to take the offensive. Meanwhile, Germ n would be required to squander men and materials in Russia to meet the constant threat of attack. This would lessen their remaining forces for invasion of the British Isles.
 Therefore, the eyes of military men are on the Caspian Sea. And they ask: Are the. Russians will ing to make the further hage sac- rifices required to hold off the Germans? The Germans obviously see the open door in the south, too. They've thrown their major weight against the Ukraine at last, in an obvious maneuver to close the Caspian door before winter comes.