Evening star., 1942-04-19
CHANCES OF INVADING EUROPE WEIGHED
Heavy Against Shipping Appear ThrottIn

lerS strategy is to divert our efforts TO
the Pacific while the Nazs have q field
day against the British and Russians
From what is happening now, however.
it appears that the situation Is being
reversed. 1t is Hitler who is tying up
good portion of Americas and Britains
best fighting ships. The arrival OF the
battleShip T1rpitz with an escort of other
battleShipS, cruisers and destroyers in
Norwegian ports compels the Allied high
command to concentrate large naval
force in those waters Battleships, cruis-
erS, plane carriers and destroyers are
eagerly watching these ships, which they
hope to destroy If they attempt to leave
their hiding places.
These immobilized Allied ships could
have been used in other waters more
successfully. If an imposing Allied force
had been available in the Indian Ocean
it is possible the Japanese would not
have dared to give battle to the British
in the Bay Of Bengal and Britain's posi-
tion in the Indian Ocean and in India
would not now be jeopardized.
While the British Navy has been con-
centrated in the North Atlantic and the
Mediterranean and United States naval
forces have been distributed in small
packages all over the seven seas the
British have suffered severe setbacks.
1t is not the loss of some divisions in
Malaga and at Singapore that mattered
so much. The important thing is that
these British and imperial troops have
been lost to ASiatics who never before
could claim major victory over British
or American forces.
Could Have Challenged Japs.
II these defeats had been inevitable,
as was Frances, there would be nothing
TO say about them. But in many re-
sponsible naval and military quarters the
feeling persists that the United States
Navy, supported by the British, was in a
position to challenge the Japanese, even
after Pearl Harbor.
The same quarters maintain that this
is true, even today. They insist that a
determined offensive by combined British
and American naval power could inter-
rupt the japanese lines of communica-
tion which are now as extended as our
own. The losses at Pearl Harbor have
been compensated by the commissioning
OF two new battleships. which qualita-
lively are far superior TO those we lost.
We have enough plane carriers to pro-
tect an armada and a sufficient number
OF cruisers and other auxiliaries to form
"a drSt rlaSS StrikinO force
The naval strategy of the United States
was determined in 1885 when, by execu--
tive order, the whole feet was gathered
into one powerful unit. The idea was
that this powerful feet would be strik-
ing force with which to attack the enemy
in offensive action. The surprise attack
on Pearl Harbor and our obligations to
other nations played havoc with this e
strategy.
on the defensive, with few spectacular
raids here and there. it is because our
feet has been divided into small parcels.
1t is distributed in little groups whose
main task is to protect conveys, make
nuisance raids and watch the enemy. Z
We must resort to the only strategy
which has won wars, the offensive, even
If 1t involves risk. Since Germany has
no navy with which to battle A mainf1
force and the Italian Navy is practically
non-extstent, the Japanese still offer M
our best target.