Evening star., 1941-02-25
British Think War Can Be Won in Africa
With Smooth Coordination and Precision They Push Reenessy
Axis Powers Lost Big Chance for Conquest Lost July

be compelled to weaken very greatly
his air forces now in action against
the British Isles if he were to. try
to save Tripoli for Mussolini. 1t
looks more and more as though
Hitler had his hands full elsewhere.
AS for Eriterea, Ethiopia and
Somaliland. the Italian troops in
these colonies are completely iso-
lated. Their supplies of munitions
and gasoline must be running low
Their morale must be sinking to the
zero point, and they are being at
tackled from Kenya, from the Sudan
and from every side by strong
British forces who are riding vic
tory tide and riding it hard. For
these marooned Fascist divisions
there is virtually no hope whatso-
ever, and they have never shown
any stomach for fighting for losing
cause. 1t would not be surprising
if they were pretty we'll finished
before May, and that is equally
true of Marshal Rodolfo Graziani's
desperately depleted army in and
around Tripoli.
Taking all factors in conSidera-
ton, it can be said with restraint
that the British are very far on the
way toward establishing a long and
solid front from Somaliland across
Northern Africa to TuniSia. But
without counting chickens before
they are hatched, these things have
already been accomplished: Egypt
and the Suez Canal have been rem
dered absolutely secure for a long
time to come; the British Mediter-
ranean feet can now use the splen-
did harbor of Bengasi for sorties on
Tripoli, Sicily and Southern Italian
ports; British air Squadrons are
now able to use Bengasi and the
highly strategic island of Crete, as
we'll as airfields on the Greek main
land.
Nazis' Balkan Security Threatened.
These developments mean that
the springboard of Africa has sud-
denly begun to assume the impor-
tance which Ludendorff had in
mind. Without naval control of the
Mediterranean it does not appear
that Hitler can hope to challenge
present time, or in any discernible
future. But Greek victories in AL
bania and British victories in Libya
have combined to knock Italian
FasciSm into coma and to
threaten Nazi security throughout
the Balkans If there should be no
attempted German invasion of Brit
ain within the next two months,
these will be two of the chief rea-
sons for the adjournment.
1t should not escape attention
that Britain's African armies are
being hardened in action and per-
fected in motorized warfare while
Germany's troops have been mark
ing time or acting as watchdogs in
occupied countries. For the British
the African zones have become in
valuable training schools in the war
of movement. simultaneously, clos
est cooperation between their army
navy and air force is being prac-
ticed day after day.
This kind of training and this
coordination may have far-reach-
ing effects on the future course OF
the war. Meanwhile, Hitler's sur
plus war strength is being drawn
down into Southeastern Europe, just
about the last place where he
wanted to use it. If he does use it
there, the transportation of vast
supplies of raw materials and food
stuffs from Rumania. Bulgaria and
Yugoslavia into Germany will be
dislocated inevitably, and perhaps