Evening star., 1942-10-09
Says Allies Task
Now Is to Hold

Military Commentator Thinks
United Nations Are Laying
Foundations Of Victory
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.
This is year in which the task of the
United Nations Is in general terms to
hold fast while America prepares. 1t is
year in which strategy has been DOM
mated very largely by the attack and
defense of lines Of communications.
To hold fast means to keep both our
major enemies, Germany and Japan, en-
circled by sea and by land, to prevent
them from joining hands or gaining ac-
cess to fresh resources and new bases Of
operations, and to inflict on them in the
process as heavy losses as possible on the
theory that we can replace our losses
while they cannot.
To keep them encircled by sea means
holding our two great island bases,
Britain and Australia, and developing
from them, as our resources permit, local
offensive operations by land and by sea.
To keep our enemies encircled by land,
the two great continental Allies, Russia
and China, have held their lines, con-
tanned the enemy's striking power and
offered present threats of return
to the offensive.
To prevent the junction Of expansion
of our enemies has meant holding fast
to our great central position in the
Middle East and India.
So far all these major tasks have been
successfully carried through. Both our
enemies have made gains, but these
gains have been far from decisive. Ger
many has made no gain at all Of any
consequence for the last two months,
except the capture of Novorossiisk, while
Japan has made no important gain for
an even longer period. Both our enemies
have been slowed down, almost stopped.
Neither has been defeated, but 1t Is to
be remembered that the purpose of both
is aggressive, and that to reduce either
to a completely defensive attitude is
tantamount to his defeat; defeat which
then becomes certain, even though dis
tant in time and costly in lives and
treasure.
All of which Is to say, that this year of
preparation is not only defensive year
for the United Nations. but probably
their last defensive year: 1t is year both
of defense and of preparation for offense.
For both purposes, the development
and protection OF overseas lines Of COM
munication have been, from the long
range point of view, the most important
military accomplishment Of the months
Just past, so far as the efforts Of the
United States and Great Britain are con-
cerned. These two sea powers have had
to maintain communications between
each other, to supply their outlying bases
and their central position in the Middle
East and India and to supply their con-
tinental Allies. At the same time they
have been compelled to exert extraordi-
nary efforts to defend their merchant
shipping, the life blood Of their whole
strategic fabric, against enemy attack.
In the Atlantic they have firmly con-
solidated their main line Of communica-
tions from North America to the British
Isles by way OF Newfoundland. Green
land and Iceland. The branch of this
line to the Arctic ports Of Russia Is far
more dangerous because Of the presence
Of German forces on its flank In Norway,
forces which the Arctic Ice pack makes
1t impossible to avoid. Consequently,
there has been almost continuous fight
ing In these waters, and in them have
occurred some of the heaviest Allied ma
val shipping losses.
The line around the Cape Of Good
Hope from American and British ports to
the Middle East and India has become
better protected by the expansion Of the
United Nations base system in West
Africa, by the entry Of Brazil into the
war and by the British occupation of
Madagascar. The uncertain situation in
French West Africa is still q source Of
danger to this sea lane. At It's farther
end, the branch through the Red Sea to
Egypt Is secure as long as Egypt itself is
held. The land communications of the
branch into the Persian Gulf have been
immensely expanded and improved up to
the very gates of the Caucasus and the
shores of the Caspian. The branch to
India is better protected by the expan-
sion of the naval and air bases on Ceylon.
One of the greatest achievements OF
| the United Nations has been the con-
| solidation of the great trans-Pacific
route from the West Coast ports Of the
United States and Panama to Australia
The operations in the Solomons and New
/ Guinea are directly connected with the
protection Of this far-nung artery Of
power.
| A major air route also has been de-
veloped across Africa to the Middle East
line into China is at the moment that
countrys major dependence for outside
supplies.
The defense of shipping on our vast
system of sea lanes has absorbed enor-
nous resources. 1t is necessary not only
70 have well defended terminal and in.
'termediate bases, but also to be able tc
protect shipping in transit between them
from enemy attacks by aircraft, subma.
rines and surface raiders. Vast guam
titles Of men, material, ships and planes
are now devoted to this single task.
The building up of this worldwide
system of protected communications has
been an essential preliminary to the of.
fensive operations which this system will
make possible, and which will decide the
| outcome of the war. This year We are