Evening star., 1941-11-26
3ritish Misjudged
Nazi African Force,
)uranty Suggests
Libyon Attoek'Moy Have
Met 4 Ponzer Divisions
Instead Of Z Expected
By WALTER DURANTY.

0y WAL EN- DOnhN 4.
Special Dispatch to The Star and North
American Newspaper Alliance.
LOS ANGELES. Nov. 26.-The
british drive against Libya began
4 terrific style, but I am not en-
irely sure that 1t is going as well as
it started. They may have miscal-
culated the number Of German
troops which they reckoned at two
oanzer divisions and some infantry
say $4,000 in ell II the Germans
'lave double that number. as may
,erhaps be the case, 1t won't be such
easy sailing.
On the other hand. there seems
title doubt that the Germans have
,ad to reinforce their air strength,
perhaps even with squadrons di-
verted from the Russian front.
I still hold my original opinion
that this Libyan offensive is the
biggest show the British have yet
staged, with ultimate objectives OF
vital importance to the course OF
the whole war should the British
be successful. They are using the
best troops they've got. Anzacs,
South Africans and motorized Hus-
sars from England, but it does seem
a pity they could not have one or
two Canadian divisions. Canada
so far hts pulled two or three times
it's weight In this war, but its soldiers
have seen no action.
Generals Neglect Navy.
think the British general stan
has an exaggerated idea Of the Ger
man invasion threat. They are
holding six good Canadian divisions
and a great army of crack British
troops on English soil gecause in
vasion might come. British soldiers
throughout history have underesti-
mated the senior service" 1 mean
the navy. and they don't seem to
understand that the navy is Eng
lands shield.
Added interest to the Libyan
battle is given by Vichy's decision to
jettison Gen. Maxine Weygand who
didn't like the British or De Gaul-
lists but would not play ball with
the Germans. I still don't despair
of the French and take with big
grain of salt this story about a
Petain-Goering meeting and
French seu-out to the Nazis with
their feet and African bases.
Now. If ever, is the psychological
moment from the strategic stand
point to land American marines at
Dakar or Casablanca. I don't sup
pose 1t will be done and the way the
French move probably will be de-
cided by the issue of the Libyan
conflict
Japan May Eat Crow.
It looks AS though the japanese
will have to eat crow if Washington
stands Its ground. The most sig
nificant item in recent news from
the Far East Is the statement by
Maj. Gen. Kenryo Sato. director of
the Japanese War ONCE military
affairs bureau, that incendiary
bombs could play havoc with jap
anese cities.
This bears close resemblance to
the phony song and dance raised in
England when Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain caved in at
Munich and spoke about gas masks
and every British citizen. every
baby and even every puppy dog was
ordered to buy gas masks and this
scared the British public plenty.
That was prelude to surrender and
I saw with my own eyes how crowds
stood there in the raid to welcome
Door old Chamberlain who they
thought had saved them from the
imaginary horrors of gas warfare"
The japanese won't fight unless
Washington weakens. gather that
they already agreed to withdraw
their troops from South China but
still insist on control of Peiping,
Tientsin and the northern provinces.
On this point there are two schools
OF thought. Some say, Let them
have control until Hitler is beaten
bacause war in the Pacific would
mean diversion Of the British and
American effort. When Hitler Is
beaten world control can be rede-
fined" Others say, mo, we got the
Japanese on the run, let's put our
demands at the maximum and Of
course they must quit the Axis"
Peace on Our Terms.
I would say myself that this Was
the minimum; that the least we can
ask from Japan is retreat from
Southern China, including Shang-
hal, that is important, and peace
with Chungking on our terms. OF
course. they must give up the Axis
and abandon any plans they may
have about attacking Thailand or
Siberia.
When Special Envoy Saburo Ku-
rusu reached Washington I would
have said that the odds against
Japan accepting terms like these
were prohibitive. but now I'm not
so sure. I think that If We stand
they will weaken, because for the
first time last week there was a
meeting at the State Department OF
the A. B. c. D. representatives,
Americans, British, Chinese and
Dutch, which must have shown
Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo
Nomura and Kurusu beyond the
possibility of doubt that A. B. c. D.
solidarity was real at long last. not
to mention the Soviet Union, which
still fights like q bulldog, battered
out not letting 60.
OIL Flows Up River.
The loss Of Rostov Is a serious
blow but oil can still flow from
Baku to Astrakhan up the Volga
River and the position Of Turkey
will change as the British win the
Libyan battle. The Turks won't join
the war against Britain, no matter
how hard German Ambassador
Franz von papen, that shrewd and
shifty phenagler. tries to involve
them.
I know this Count Won Papen. q
smooth and elegant rogue who sold
his country to Hitler and will end
as Judas ended. I don't think he