Evening star., 1941-06-23
Opportunity for Nozi Foes
With Luftwoffe Concentrating on Russia,
u S. Can Help British Strike Telling Blows

the specific damage to military OBJ
jects that can possibly be accom-
plished.
All this would not, primarily, be
intended as aid to Russia, but would
be the fulfillment of a military
principle well known to British his
tory. 1t was one frequently ex-
pressed by Lord Nelson, as, for ex-
ample, when anxiety was being ex-
pressed as to the possibility that
Admiral Calder, cruising in the
Atlantic with 18 sail-of-t line,
might be defeated by the elusive
French Admiral Villeneuve with t8
sail, who was trying to get into
the Channel to cover the crossing
of Napoleon's army of invasion into
England. Let Calder meet him
fairly said Nelson, "and though
the fight may go against us, Vile
neuVe will be no more trouble to
us this year when Calder is beaten"
America Has Role.
The great problem at the moment
is to gain time for American rear
mament to catch up with Germany'S
long lead, in the air and in other
fields. Germany has been COM
PEELED to turn east to get some
resources; but that will not profit
Hitler if in the meantime his in
dustrial plant and other facilities
in Germany are so smashed that
he cannot undertake another major
effort before next spring no matter
what he does in Russia. If that
can be done, Germany has lost the
war; the rest is but a matter of
time. Let Hitler turn east, attack
Russia; by the time he is finished,
let his fighting strength be so re-
duced that he will be no more
trouble this year. That is the prin-
ciple underlying the opportunity now
afforded Hitler's enemies in the
West. BY next year his star will
be setting.
America has part to play-for
Britain cannot do all these things
unless the flow of planes, munitions,
bombs, oil is stepped up promptly.
Probably we cannot greatly increase
our scale of production in time to
be OF use; but We can increase cur
scale of deliveries by the use of our
armed forces to protect deliveries.
If we are ever going to do it, we
ought to do it now. The chance will
not be there forever.
Russia Muffed Her Chance.
1t is unfortunate. as historians OF
the future will doubtless remark,
that we are not now at the stage of
actual war with the Nazis: For now
would be the moment for us TO
throw into the fight every bombing
squadron of our own, few though
they may be, to add to the destruc-
tion TO be visited upon the exposed
German vital centers. AS it is we
can probably do enough if we can
step up the flow of our deliveries
to Britain-if we can enable the
British to make full use of the
chance now within their grasp be-
fore that chance is gone.
In this connection we might well
take a lesson from the recent his
tory of Russia. The Soviet govern
ment has preferred to appease the
Germans, to hold off hostile action,
to wait and hope. Last April, when |
Germany attacked Yugoslavia and |
when there we're not only several |
German armies invading that coun-
try, but some 25O,0O0 German troops |
south of the Danube in Bulgaria,
the Russians had their heaven-sent |
opportunity. Had they flung for
ward two army groups-one across
the Carpathian passes into the plain |
of Hungary, the other across the
Pruth into the Wallachian plain
no power on earth could have saved
the German forces south of the
Danube, or a good part of those in
Yugoslavia. The Russians might
have been beaten in the end, but
they would have begun the war with
a smashing victory in a cause ira
Russian-defense of the =!