Evening star., 1942-10-25
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.

The blow has fallen in Egypt,
and after all the weeks and months
OF suspense 1t Is the British who
have struck first.
The controlling factor in this
desert campaign is of course that
of supply. The British line of sup
ply is very much longer than the
German, but it is not exposed to
attack except the intermittent and
distant attack of enemy submarines.
The German supply line, on the
other hand, has been constantly
hammered by United Nations air
craft, submarines and surface YES
sells, striking at shipping, port in
Stallations, and truck columns.
Under these circumstances, it has
been difficult for Field Marshal
Rommel to build up a sufficient
force in men and material to take
the offensive. On the other hard,
the advantages of his doing so, if
he had anything like a chance at
success, were obvious.
The British commander, Gen. Sir
Harold Alexander, had to weigh the
situation very carefully. It was of
vital Importance that he make an
accurate estimate of the enemy's
strength. in order to select exactly
the right moment for attack, which
ideally, would be that when he was
at the peak Of his strength and
the enemy was in difficulties.
U. S. Flyers Effective.
However, the ideal situation rarely
occurs in war and it is quite pos
Sible that Gen. Alexander has struck
now to forestall an attempted REIN
forcement of Marshal Rommel-a
reinforcement which has been her
aided by the resumption Of the Axis
air attacks on Malta.
How much, if any, of the men
and material whose passage these
attacks were intended to cover, has
actually reached Marshal Rommel
is uncertain but the heavy British
air raids on North Italy suggest
that some at least of Marshal ROM
mels anticipated aid may still be
IN transit, and these raids NAV
have been intended to interrupt it's
movement. Probably of greater sig
nlficance and importance have been
the constant short-range operations
In the Mediterranean, in which
American airmen have borne a
great part and which appear to
have been highly effective.
To what extent American ground
forces are participating in the new
attack Is not yet clear. No one
need be surprised, however, if this
participation is a considerable one,
since there has been time for the
transport of large units to this
front.
Use Of Our Troops Discussed.
A more intriguing and colorful
suggestion as to the employment of
american forces is that contained
IN the rather questionable rumors
about an American and Free French
concentration in the vicinity of
Lake Chad, which might be in
tended to strike northward from
the frontier of French Equatorial
Africa toward Tripoli or perhaps
Benghazi and thus take the Ger
mans in the rear. @
However the distances are verv
great and the scale of preparation
Tor such move would have to he
an enormous one. Any operations
against the Axis supply line coming
from French Equatorial Africa are
lar more likely tosbe OF the char
acter OF raids conducted by small,
highly mobile, specially trained de-
tachments.
AS the battle joins on the Ell
Alameln front the stakes are very
great. II Marshal Rommel can be
driven back to positions on the
Lloyan frontier we shall have at
least blunted the third prong of