Evening star., 1942-09-13

| are being sent to Egypt, the Near and
| Middle East and India. These men are
| drawn from a relatively small army. Our
| fundamental strategy is, of course, to de-
| feat the Axis, but it appears that the
choice of the front where we shall begin
| our victories does not depend on the
| opinions of military men, but on the
| civilians who control the armed forces.
Unquestionably there are strong and
| valid reasons why we are sending Amer
ican troops to Great Britain, in spite of
the shortage of warships and merchant
men, We have been told repeatedly that
Britain has an army of at least $500 900
men, with at least 1,2500O0 fully trained
and hardened troops. The balance is
half trained and forms either reserves or
home guards.
we are told in daily communicates
about the colossal losses the Nazis have
suffered in the Russian campaign If
we were to accept the Russian figures
the Axis forces already have been deci-
mated According to the various Mos
COW communiques, more than 10000 900
have been put out of action-killed.
manned or taken prisoner-since June
2l, 1941.
Invasion of Britain Impossible.
Even if we accept half of the Russian
figure as accurate, the Germans must
be so weakened that large in
vasion of the British Isles would be i'm
possible. The force undertaking such
an invasion would have superiority of
three to one One million Brittons should
be more than sufficient to repel an at
tack by 100000 Nazis, and where could
Hitler muster such force If he has lost
as many men and as much war material
on the Eastern Front as is reported?
Hence, the question arises as to the neces-
sity for stationing large American force
in England
There is no harm, of course, in having
our men continue their training there,
but they have to be supplied with every
thing from bandages and cigarettes to
ammunition and planes from the United
States, and that requires transports and
conveys, whcih are our principal de-
ficiency in this war
According to official reports, American
soldiers are fighting now in Egypt and
the Near East. There are also American
soldiers in India. When Senators ask,
for their own information, why these
American forces are so dispersed, the
answer from official quarters is com
mitments," an enigmatic word which an
swers nothing.
A dispatch from Moscow a couple Of
weeks ago said the Soviet government
had declined with thanks the offer of
American troops on the southern front
The whole matter was treated lightly, of
course, since no person in his right senses
believes that w. Averell Hartman
who represented Mr.. Roosevelt at the
Churchill-Stalin meeting, could have
| suggested that we send troops to Russia
| 1t would be sending Goals to Newcastle
| The Russians may lack war material,
clothing and food, but they certainly do
not lack manpower. Yet the dispatch
from Moscow was revealing in the light
Of that mysterious word commitments 3"
Too Many Strategists.'
| To say that the United Nations lack a
| strategy is not quite correct, for the
truth is that there are plenty of strate-
gists, too many strategists, each with his
own strategy for winning the war AS is
| natural, each member of the United
Nations is convinced that its own terri
tory is of vital Importance in defeating
the enemy.
Until a few weeks ago the Russians
believed Hitler would meet his Waterloo
in the Soviet Union The British and
European members of the United Ma
tions-with the possible\exception of the
Dutch-believe that invasion of Western
Europe would provide the answer to the
question of how to defeat Hitler soon
Finally, the Yugoslavs and Greeks be-
lieve that the Egyptian battle field il
where the defeat of the Axis is bound tc
begin.
Except for experienced naval and army
officers. whose opinion is purely consul.
tative, no one in Washington, London OIL
Moscow thinks that the Pacific area i.
the place to concentrate our principa
effort