Evening star., 1941-04-07

amenable. That explains why the
work of the Italian general staff is
criminally incompetent. The gen.
eral staff on the eve Of Italy's
entry into the war was packed with
officers who would not oppose Mus
solinis axis policy on military con-
siderations and who had no other
qualifications for the task.
Let me illustrate the results in
inefhciency. Two steamships in
Trieste were requisitioned by the
general stan and ordered to proceed
urgently to Naples. where they were
to pick up troops for Libya. At
Naples there were no troops ready
for transport. The local military
commander queried the War
Ministry, which replied that it had
no record or knowledge Of the two
steamships. To my own knowledge
those two ships lay in Naples harbor
for SIX weeks while troops in Genoa
waited vainly for transports. This
illustration Is typical rather than
exceptional.
What Fascism has done TO the
italian navy is even more tragic and
the gallant corps of professional
navy officers hang their heads today
in shame. For years the navy has
been run on political considerations
and the personal whims of Mussolini
rather than upon the recommended
tions of professional officers. In
order to bargain automatically
MuSsolini constructed l22 subma-
rines when officers cried for more
money for submarine personnel.
In the fleet review for Hitler
which I watched several years ago
90-Odd submarines we're on parade
but submarine commander told
me later that 18 Of them were under
the command OF yeomen and that
the Admiralty had held its breath
for fear that these petty officers
with no training in navigation
might wreck them all. An Italian
admiral once said to me, We can
get new battleship out of Musso-
lini, but we can't get the paint to
keep the old ones in condition"
Thus, half the gun crews of the
Italian Navy never have fired the
guns themselves. British target
practice requires the refining of the
gun tubes about once a year. italian
battleships and cruisers have gone
six years without the necessity of
refining the tubes while Italian
naval officers have burned their
hearts out in anticipation of the
failure of their gun crews once
actual battle was joined. BY way
OF recognizing the gallantry and
loyalty of these helpless officers,
Mussolini sent orders early in the
war that commanders must 20 down
with lost ships-an unheard-o of
thing. A half-dozen officers who
never can be replaced consequently
have blown their brains out on the
bridges OF Italian cruisers and de-
stroyers after actions the gallantry
OF which the British themselves
have recognized.
Naval ofncers who gladly die for
their countr yhave never been given
chance. I talked In the second
month of the war with one who
later died on the bridge of his de-
stroyer after he had torpedoed a
British cruiser against which 1t was
suicide to go.
Duce Wanted Fleet Intact.
In the first weeks we had a
| chance to smash the British Navy a
crippling blow" he said. The navy
itself wanted to move the subma-
rine and destroyer force into the
harbor of Alexandria. We would
have taken heavy losses. of course
but We could have sunk British
capital ships and cruisers. We
could have moved toward parity in
the sea since we would soon have
been able to put six capital ships OF
our own out in the Mediterranean
Mussolini fatty refused. He was
confident of quick victory. He want
ed the feet intact for bargaining
with Hitler at the peace. The navy
| protested in vain. Now it is too late
for that type of action. Now we are
short of fuel oil. Now we have
orders not to give fight to the British
fleet because of the fuel shortage
and the political repercussions OF
the British shelling of Our coast
| lines if we should lose our capital
| ships"
The tragedy of this statement lies
| in the fact that since then, at Tar
anto on the night Of November H.
Il and in the Ionian Sea in the
early evening OF March %. the
British have sunk or crippled four
OF Italy's six battleShips. Taranto
one of the most impressive, if least
important, naval defeats in history
is less reflection on the Italian
Navy than an indictment of Fascism
| The Italian ships were trapped in
harbor. Short of fuel, they did
not have steam up because of the
direct orders of Mussolni. They
were caught f1at-footed My Godl
said a naval officer to me. Why
won't they at least let us 60 out
and lose our ships fighting?"
In the more recent debacle in
the Ionian Sea. Italy paid the pen
atty for M1ussolini's refusal to build
aircraft carriers. Caught unawares
off Cape Matapan. the Fascist Navy
saw three of its cruisers and two
of its destroyers sunk and a battle
ship of the Littorio class crippled
by the British Mediterranean feet
which itself suffered no losses and
was formidably supported by planes
from the powerful aircraft carriers
Illustrious and Eagle.
tcopvrtfht 1e41, Chicaso Daily News, Inc }