Evening star., 1941-02-13
Brituin's Mediterranean Game
Signs Point to Possible German Move in Bolkons
English Won't TO Draw Hitler Into Offensive Eliot Says

reports of troop-carrying planes 60
ing east suggest that the Germans
may be considering establishing
themselves in Rhodes and Leros, the
Italian-held bases at the mouth Of
the Aegean Sea. If the British be-
lieve this possible, they will GER
tainly assault those bases before the
Germans can reach the shores of the
Aegean. This is one point to watch
carefully; British attack on Rhodes
would be highly significant.
We do not yet know whether the
pursuit of GraZiani's broken rem
nants is being continued into Tripo-
litania, and if so by what numbers of
British; we do not know whether the
bulk of the Army of the Nile may
not now be released for operations
elsewhere-for an attack on Sicily,
for the support of Greece, for a
descent on the Italian inland out
posts.
Spain a Possible Theater.
Spain remains always a possible
theater for German thrust
and it Is a likely one from the
strategical viewpoint; for an ad-
vance to Gibraltar might cut the
strait, severing direct communi-
cation between Great Britain and
her Middle East forces, thus pre-
venting the transfer OF strength
from the Middle East to the decisive
theater of war around Great Britain.
Even if Gibraltar held out, the oc-
cupation of the shore line east and
west of the fortress would enable
German aircraft to operate ef-
fectively over the strait.
AS far as neutralizing in the mill
tary sense the British successes in
the Mediterranean, such a move,
perhaps coupled with operations in
Africa based on Spanish Morocco,
still seems more attractive from the
German viewpoint than the Bull
garian possibility. 1t would involve
fewer troops and far fewer aircraft,
since British air operations would
be nothing like as strong as at
the other end of the Mediterranean:
and it would aid the attack on
Britain's sea lanes. which will cer-
tainly be a feature of the main
Showdown" The greatest risk
would be stout opposition by the
Spaniards plus Weygand, and the
Germans will know how to weigh
that possibility II it exists, they
may hesitate to make the attempt
The Germans seem to have suf-
fered what may be described as
"strategical dislocation in the plan
ming sphere" by the unexpected
speed of British attack or perhaps
the unexpected velocity of the
Italian collapse If they could have
gotten their main attack going while
Italy was still making some pretense
at defense, they might have been
able to disregard southerly events
They may do so even yet, but it
becomes more difficult for them to
do so with every blow at Italy's
tottering military and political
structure.
The loss of all Africa-that is, the
complete transfer of the continent
the war-would render German
chances of intervening effectively in
the Mediterranean quite hopeless,
and would provide the British with
resources and positions of the ut
most advantage to them. This is
now the stake. in addition to the
collapse of Italy, which has been
set upon the board by the energetic
fury OF the British offensives. 1t
remains to be seen whether the
British will succeed in diverting the
Germans from their main object,
gaining the precious, irreplaceable
time needed for the American pro-
duction effort to rise to the point
where Germany cannot hope to
overmatch it.
This is the point at issue; beside
1t all else pales into insignlhcance
Copyright, New York Tribune, 1neD