Evening star., 1942-03-20
Pacific and European Drives
On Axis Held Vital to Victory
British Isles Logical Offense Base
Against Hitler, Rouschning Says

lluPcy dAlN SiAaCA WAVAi eAAS eASooNcS
retreat from threatening disaster in
probably the ghastliest war winter
that any army since Napoleon's had
had to endure. In Libya Gen. Wa
veil foreStalled the Italian and Ger
man offensive, and annihilated the
italian Army in brilliant victory.
Egypt and Suez were not taken,
though Libya had to be given up
again. Greece did not give in to the
bluff. She defended herself in an
outstandingly valiant winter cam
paign. The coups d'etat in Asia
Minor proved abortive. In Yugo-
slavia armed resistance, though be-
lated, held up the whole German
campaign. Greece had to be con-
quered. In Crete the English suf-
fered a bloody retreat; but it was
Pyrrhic victory for the conquerors.
Time had grown short. German
shock troops should have been ready
in Iran by June for action against
Russia.
Frontal Attack the Choice.
Should the operations against
Asia Minor be continued, or would
it not be better to launch the attack
on Russia from the west alone, but
still with the important advantage
of surprise, rather than to advance
painfully, getting no further than
Mosul and the Persian Gulf in 1941?
The German general staff de-
cided on an attack without support
from Asia Minor. 1t counted on
the collapse of the Russian front
in the first shock Of surprise.
The first successes seemed to JUS
tify the expectation. Later de-
velopments gave a completely dif-
ferent picture of the Russians
organizing ability. The Russian
Armies held together The COM
mand did not fritter away its stra-
tegic reserves. 1t launched two
counterdrives. the first prematurely,
the second at a moment when all
seemed lost. It's success was unex-
ampled. This was more than the
battle OF the Marne in the last
World War. The new battle Of the
Marine became a battle of the
Somme. For months a counter
offensive went on, making mastery
use of inflltration tactics, Of the
climate and topography, to inflict
tremendous losses on the enemy and
shatter him almost to the point Of
a rout
The Russian commanders did not
merely succeed, as skeptical OBJ
servers assumed, in stopping the
German assault momentarily. The
events of the last few weeks show
plainly that they are forcing the
German command increasingly to
consume in tactical resistance to
the Russian offensive the strategic
reserves that had been made ready
for the new attack. This must
have weakened the concentration of
resources for the spring Offensive.
The German losses, taken all to-
gether, may have been so heavy
that the Axis powers in Europe can
only concentrate on prosecuting
the Russian war, abandoning any
extensive strategic operations di-
rected at Asia Minor. Quite apart
from the course of the Russo-Ger-
man war in 1912, this would mean
that Germany could not end the
war this year. Thus she would
enter into a phase of total Allied
superiority in armaments. The
best that Germany could then ac-
compish would be long war of
attrition, during which some hope
of reaching compromise peace by
political maneuvers might still exist.
Axis Seen on Defensive.
Even now the view seems justifi-
able that, although the Axis still
has the military offensive, with re-
gard to the total character Of the
war it is already on the defensive.
II Germany cannot carry out at
least the program for 1941 this
year-under the handicap Of a con-
slant threat in the rear from a
notable stronger England-there will
be no further doubt of Axis defeat.
The Axis will then be everywhere
on the defensive. even in a mill
tary sense, no later than the be-
ginning of next year. This is the
reward of the admirable tenacity,
armament, and superior leadership
OF the Russians. But with full rec
ognition of their great accomplish
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