Evening star., 1942-05-26
Cunningham Predicts
Complete Victory
In Mediterranean
Operations Now Hompered
By Axis Raids on MoItu,
British Admiral Soys
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON, May 26.-Admiral Sir
Andrew Browne Cunningham, until
recently commander in -chief Of
Britain's Mediterranean fleet, prom
ised complete victory" today for
the Allies in the Mediterranean once
Britain and the United States meet
the Axis air and surface fleets on
terms Of equality.
Admiral Cunningham was named
eight days ago to head the British
Admiralty delegation in Washington
and was succeeded in command In
the Mediterranean by Admiral Sir
Henry Harwood.
Although I'VE have lacked the
very essentials of victory" until now,
Cunningham declared. ITALY was
nearly out Of the war" at the end
Of 1910 as a result of British naval
and land victories.
Mutual Destruction.
He called the present phase In
the Mediterranean a campaign Of
mutual destruction Of supply lines"
and said that at one time so per
cert Of Axis supplies to Libya were
being sunk by air and sea attacks
from British forces based on Malta.
Now, however, these attacks are
"severly hampered" by German at
tacks on the fortified British isle,
he said.
"As q result OF these attacks the
Germans have been able to move
considerable quantities Of supplies
to North Africa recently" Admiral
Cunningham said.
When France fell, the French
fleet was about to take part in an
extensive operation" which was to
have included q bombardment Of
Tripon, the Axis chief port In Libya,
he disclosed.
Says French Ferry Supplies.
He said the French naval forces
interned at Alexandria were EN-
tirely pro-Vichy" when he left that
British naval base In Egypt recently
on the first leg Of his journey to
Washington.
Admiral Cunningham said French
merchant ships were ferrying some
supplies to the Axis forces in Iibya
through the French port Of Bizerte,
Tunisia, but that these did not In
clude munitions.
The admiral predicted it would be
every nasty" for the Allies should
the French naval force at Toulon be
turned over to the Axis. but he said
he had every hope" that this would
not occur.
Sir Andrew, who for two and one
half years held the Mediterranean
for Britain against the italian fleet
combined with italian and German
air forces, said sea power plus the
proper proportion of air power, could
not be defeated by air power alone.
Stresses Sea Power.
1--WE must alway have sea power"
Admiral Cunningham declared, but
sea power today Is an 1ndissoluble
adjunct Of air power"
This, he asserted, has been proved
by operations in the Mediterranean
during his command there.
Dive bomber attacks against ships,
he said. are very dangerous"
However. the dive bomber has
obvious disadvantages, among them
q lack Of range" the admiral con-
tinued. In the comparatively mar
row waters of the Mediterranean
there is really no need for aircraft
carriers, which are much more vul-
nerable than q battleship. Land
based aircraft should be able to
cover the entire area.
There are no indications that
naval supremacy will be achieved
without battleship actions"
The importance of Malta as
British base was stressed by the ad-
miral. He pointed out that it takes
one day for British submarine to
reach the Axis supply line from NAL
ia and seven to nine" days" to get
there from Alexandria.