Evening star., 1941-02-10
Churchill Seeks U.S.. Tools
Wants No Men Now, Nor Any Yeor He
Con Foresee, Prime Minister Declares
Continued From Page A-9)

enemy who had boasted so much
of his virility and his military virtue
it was evident that all the other
Italian forces in Eastern Libya were
in great danger. They could not
easily beat a retreat along the coast
al road without running the risk
of being caught in the open by our
armored divisions and brigades
ranging far out into the desert in
tremendous swoops and scoops
They had to expose themselves to
being attacked piecemeal
Gen. Wavell-nay. all our leaders
and all their live, active, ardent men,
British. Australian. Indian in the
Imperial Army-saw their opportu-
nifty. At that time I ventured to
draw Gen. Wavell'S attention to the
seventh chaper of the Gospel of ST.
Matthew, at the seventh verse,
where, as you all know or ought to
know, 1t is written, ASK and 1t shall
be given; seek and We shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto
YOU" The army of the Nile has
asked and 1t was given, they sought
and they found: they knocked and 1t
has been opened unto them"
Campaign Will Be Studied
As Military Model.
In barely eight weeks, by cam
paign which will long be studied as
q model of the military art, an ad-
vance of over 400 miles has been
made. the whole Italian Army in
the east of Libya, which was reputed
to exceed 100000 men, has been
captured or destroyed; the entire
province of Cirenaica, nearly as big
as England and Wales, has been con-
ouered; the unhappy Arab tribes,
who have for 30 years suffered
through the cruelty OF Italian rule,
carried In some cases to the point
of methodical determination. these
Bedouin survivors had at last seen
their oppressorS in diSorderly flight
or led off in endless droves as pris-
oners of war.
Egypt and the Suez Canal are
safe. And the port, the base and the
air fields of Bengasi constitute a
strategic point of high consequence
10 the whole of the war in the East
ern Mediterranean.
This is the time. think, 10 speak
of the leaders who, At the head of
their brave troops, have rendered
this distinguished service to the King.
The first and foremost-Gen. Wa
veil, commander-in-chief Of all the
armies of the Middle EaSt-has
proved himself a master of war.
sage, painstaking, daring and tire
less. But Gen. Wavell has repeat
edly asked that others share his
fame.
Gen, Wilson. who actually COM
mands the Army of the Nile. was
reputed to be one of our finest tao
ticians. and few will now deny that
quality.
Gen. OConnor, commanding the
18th Corps. with Gen, Mackay, COM
manoing the splendid Australians,
and Gen. Creagh, who trained and
commanded the various armored di-
visions which we're employed-these
three men executed the complicated
and astounding erratic movements
which were made and fought the
actions which occurred.
Telegram From Wavell
Praises Other Leaders.
7 have Just seen telegram from
Gen. Wavell. He wishes to 1dd that
the success at Bengasi was due to
the outstanding leadership and reso-
luton of O'Connor and Creagh, ably
backed by Wilson.
I must not forget here TO point out
the amazing mechanical featS of
the British tanks, whose design and
workmanship have beaten all records
and stood up to all trials and show
us how closely and directly the work
in the factories at home is linked
with the victories abroad Of course.
none of our plans would have sue
ceeded had not our pilots, under Air
Chief Marshal Longmore, wreSted
the control of the air from far
more numerous enemy.
Nor would the campaign Itself
have been possible if the British
Mediterranean fleet under Admiral
Cunningham had not chased the
italian Navy into its harbors and
every forward surge OF
the army with all the flexible re-
of sea power.
How far reaching these resources
are. we can see from what happened
at dawn this morning when our
Western Mediterranean feet, under
Admiral Somerville, entered the Gulf
of Genoa and bombarded in a shat
tering manner the naval base from
which perhaps a Na7t German eX-
pedition might soon have sailed to
attack Gen. Weygand in Algeria or
Tunis.
French MAY Be Cheered
That Active Friends Are Near.
II Is right that the italian people
should be made to feel the sorry
plight into which they have been
dragged by Dictator Mussolini, and
If the cannonade Of Genoa, rolling
along the coast, reverberating in the
mountains. has reached the ears OF
our French comrades in their grief
and misery. it may cheer them with
the feeling that friends, active
friends, are near and that Britannia
rifles the waves
The events in Libya are only part
of the story. They are only a part
Of the story of the decline and fall
of the Italian Empire. That Will
not take future Gibbon so long to
write as the original work.
Fifteen hundred miles away to
the southwark. a strong British and
Indian army. having driven the in
vaders out of the Sudan, is march
Ing steadily forward through the
Italian colony of Eritrea, thus seek
ing to complete the isolation of all
the Italian troops in AbySsinia. And
while British forces are entering
from the west, while the
army gathered in Kenya, in the van
of which we may discern the power
full forces of the Union of South
Africa organized by Gen. SHUTS, are
strikipc nortbuard along the whole