Evening star., 1941-12-11
Churchill Expects
u. ). Losses 10 Cut
Help for Britain
Admits Libyon Reverses,
But Predicts UItimute
Victory Against Axis
h the Associated Press.

ter Churchill spoke graVely today OF
United States and British naval
losses in the Pacific and the Far
East, declared Adolf Hitler commit
ted a colossal blunder in attacking
Soviet Russia, and predicted ulti-
mate British victory in North Africa
despite unexpected reverses.
cit may well be-" he declared in
. sweeping review of the broadened
war, that we shall have to suffer
considerable punishment, but we
shall defend ourselves everywhere
with the utmost vigor and in close
cooperation with the United States
and Netherlands Navy.
mo one can underrate the gravity
of losses inflicted on the United
States nor underrate the length of
time it will take to marshal the great
forces necessary in the Far East for
absolute victory"
Speaking seriously and appearing
tired, Mr.. Churchill nevertheless de-
elared confidently that the naval
might of Britain and the United
States was very greatly superior
and still is largely superior to the
combined forces Of the three Axis
powers"
He said bluntly that because Of
American naval losses Britain must
expect that United States naval aid
in the Atlantic and the volume of
American supplies for Britain to be
reduced, but added;
"1 cannot doubt now that the
130,000,000 people of the United
States have bound themselves to
this war and once they get settled
down to it. that the flow of
munitions and aid Of every kind will
vastly exceed anything that could
have been expected up to the pres
ent."
OF the sinking of Britain's battle
ship Prince of Wales and battle
cruiser Repulse by Japanese air at
tack of Malaga, the Prime Minister
said he understood they were with
out support of their own land-based
fighter planes because of an attack
which had been made on the air.
dromes"
He told the House of Commons
the ships were sunk by Japanese
aerial torpedoes.
Mr.. Churchill described the
British campaign in Libya as the
only place the British could open
field of fighting that would aid
Russia.
"Ths Libyan offensive, he said
did not take the course its authors
expected. although it will reach the
end at which they aimed"
He pictured the Germans as in
retreat on the Russian front after
suffering enormous losses and said
Britain was now bent on annihila-
ton Of retreating German forces in
Libya with good prospects of sue
cess.
Speaking shortly before Mussolini
announced the Axis declaration Of
war he said Italy and Germany
would soon be engaged in open hos
tilities against the United States.
He announced that Gen. Sir Alan
Gordon Cunningham, commander
of the British 9th Army in Libya,
had been succeeded by Maj. Gen.
Neil Methuem Ritchie, a much
younger man.
He said Gen. Cunningham. who is
4, was reported to be suffering from
serious overstrain and was granted
general sick leave
Mai. Gen Ritchie, A. has been an
officer in India, Palestine and Mes
opotamia.
Many Far-Reaching Events.
Mr.. Churchill, reviewing the war
situation, said great many things
of far-reaching importance" have
happened in the last few days"
He declared the early optimism Of
military spokesmen who had pre-
dicted triumphs for the British in
the Libyan campaign was an ex-
preston of "unduly favorable views"
Although the Libyan battle is not
yet finished I have not the slightest
hesitation in saying that for good
or i'll 1t is Gen. Auchinleck battle"
he said, referring to Gen. Sir Claude
Auchinleck, commander in chief OF
British Near Eastern forces.
Asserting that British losses in
tanks ARE a good deal heavier than
we expected in Libya," the spokes-
man said the German Army was
stubborn and lin every way worthy
of the tomb prepared for it."
MY confidence in Auchinleck has
grown continuously. In Auchinleck.
as with Wavell, we have a military
figure of the first order" he added.
He said Britain's successes in Africa
were made possible by air superior
ity. which has been maintained in
spite of extravagant air reinforce
ments' by the Germans, including
planes from the Russian front"
Enemy Stripped of Armor.
''Prolongation of the Libyan bat
tie may not be without its compen-
sation to U.S." he said. Prom the
point of view of drawing weight from
the Russian front, continuance OF
fighting is not to be regarded as an
evil"
Mr.. Churchill added that ''the
enemy, stripped largely of armor, is
now retreating to defensive posi-
tions west of Tobruk" and "substan-
tial reinforcements available to us
are close at hand"
On the 18th of November Gen. Au-
chinleck set out to destroy the en-
tire armed forces of the Germans
and Italians in Cirenaica," he as
serted. Now, on the 18th of De-
cember, I am bound to say it seems
very probable he will do So"
He said that in the battle Of the
Atlantic Britain's net losses Of mer-
camille marine have been reduced
to a good deal less than one-f1fth
of those of the four months ending
In June-a tremendous figure"
THE month of November and the
first 10 days of December fully
maintained the great recovery Of the
previous four months" he con-
tinued.
First Phase Now Over.
In the section of his war review
on the African front he said 1.-The
first phase of the Libyan battle is