Evening star., 1942-06-22
Libyan Crisis Viewed
As Killing Hopes for
1912 European Front
British Eighth Army Seen
Facing Decisive Bottle
Within so Doys
By DREW MIDDLETON,


LONDON, June GA military
disaster in Libya of such magni-
tude that it may have blighted
the Allies hopes for a second
front in Europe this year and
prolonged the whole war was
acknowledged by the British to-
day with deep and undisguised
anxiety.
All sources agreed that the Allies
were faced with a crisis. The next
few weeks, they said, will decide
whether Germany can be beaten in
1912 or 1943 or will be able to fight
for years using the oils of the Near
East and the tin and rubber of the
Far East.
1t was expected that Prime Min
lister Churchill will face an aroused
House of Commons when he re-
turns from the United States and
some political observers said many
members OF Parliament were an
gered by what they called the
rosy picture" painted by the Prime
Minister after the first clashes in
the current campaign.
A military commentator in Lon
don, however, said Axis claims to
at least $4,000 prisoners taken at
Tobruk were exaggerated" 1t was
believed little shipping was caught
in the harbor.
The general view was that the
British 9th Army faced a decisive
battle within 60 days with.Nazi Mar
shal Erwin Rommel having his
greatest advantage in his pre-
ponderance of armored formations.
Line Of Slight Use.
The British line along the from
tier is of slight use. some commen-
tators believed. so long as the Axis
has tanks to flank it through the
oases of silva and Giarabub, and the
reinforcement of Marshal Rommel
by a division or even so much as
a brigade might tip the scales heavi-
ly in his favor
One of Britain's leading military
experts said dive -bombers not only
decided the issue at Bir Hacheim
but was ito a great extent RESPONSE
BILE for the fate of Tobruk"
An Raj commentator said Raj
fighter patrols could not be over
Tobruk all the time. An Air Ministry
statement yesterday mentioned that
on Saturday. when the assault on
Tobruk was taking place. the Raj
was engaged in withdrawing from
its advanced fields in Libya
Even more than the fall of To-
bruk itself. alarm was felt because
Marshal Rommel's thunderbolt as
sault on the fortress, once so
Staunchly held against eight months
of siege. showed that the Axis pos
sessed a terrific striking power
which appeared to have been woe
fully underestimate.
Called Humiliating Defeat.
The whole British press called the
grave setback in Libya humiliat-
ing defeat which would require a
titanic effort to offset. The news
papers noted that the reversal de-
veloped suddenly after over-confi-
dent reports on the wild desert fight
ing and asked accusingly whether
there had been blunder.
On the basis of information avail
able here now, the best qualified OBJ
servers said Marshal Rommel ap-
parently had caught the British fiat
footed at Tobruk, massing such an
overwhelming weight of armor and
using it with such terrific drive
that it could not be resisted.
The Mirror, frequent govern
ment critic, declared that the sooner
Mr.. Churchill could get back from
the United States "and make a
frank and full statement the better"
The Times suggested that the
British Army on the North African
desert needed radical innovations
in tactical methods and mechanical
design" and some observers predict
ed a shake-up in Britain's top COM
mand.
Wavell May Get Job.
There is magic for the British in
the name of Gen. Sir Archibald p.
Wavell, the master of desert war
fare, who is regarded by the Ger
mans as "Britain's one good gen.
eral, and there was possibility
that Gen. Wavell, who invaded
Libya successfully before with so 900
men. may be called back from his
present command in India to handle
a situation which hourly grows
graver.
The sources this correspondent
consulted included ranking United
States diplomats, Allied staff officers
and cabinet members of the Allied
governments in London.
All shared the opinion that the
situation in North Africa is the most
important and potentially the most
dangerous Of any facing the United
Nations.
Military observers expected that
an Egyptian thrust by Marshal
Rommel would be accompanied by
drive at Russias Caucasian ap-
proaches to Iraq and the landing
of air-borne infantry and para
chutists in Syria in an effort to pin
Britain's armies there and prevent
them from reinforcing the tired
Imperials in Egypt
Hopes for Oil Exports.
The main German campaign OF
1912 is to win the Middle Eastern
land bridge with its enormous pc
troleum resources and to cut the
Allied supply lines to Russia through
the Indian Ocean," one source said.
Once this is done, the Axis hopes
to exchange German ornaments
for japanese tin and rubber and to
export oil in huge quantities to Ger