Evening star., 1942-09-20
BY WARD MOREHOUSE.
War Correspondent of The Star a
North Annerican Neusnaner Alliance

North American Newspaper Alliance,
WITH THE AEF IN IRELAND,
Sept. 19.-The second front, in so
far as it can be taken to mean
troop invasion of the continent, is
now merely a headline. It's wish,
goal, a purpose and plan, but
it can't be an actuality for months
to come. Possibly next spring, and
in the grand manner. But
certainty not this fall and not dur
ing the winter.
I make these observations on the
basis of comments and opinion Of
military authorities, expressed to
me during the last four weeks In
many parts of the British Isles
England, Scotland and Ireland.
Consider these opinions singly and
take them as whole and you reach
the conclusion that mass continen-
tai attack by troops is at least six
months away.
Most military spokesmen deplore
the second-front agitation both in
England and America 1t is their
feeling that those who have been
loudest in their cries for invasion
are grossly uninformed as to the
hazards that such an enterprise pre-
sents, as to the men and equip
ment needed, and as to shipping
required.
General Lists Difficulties.
$50 they want a second front
right now-neXt week end" said
major general who was vetera1
of the last war Now before yots
editorial writer's back home and
England's street-meeting speakers
do any more yelling, let them con-
slider a few things. America is
doing hell of a job in getting men
! to the war zone. We are now work.
ing beautifully with the British. I
don't need to tell you, or the Ger
mans, that there are one he'll of a
lot of men under arms on British
soil. And there's going to be plenty
more But now think it over for
minute.
Here we are on an island. We've
got to cross "a miles of water and
invade a coast around which the
Germans have put ring of steel
Sooner or later it's a job that will
have to be done. but to undertake
such a thing at this moment would
be massacre, butchery Does Eng
land want it's boys butchered? Does
American"
Here in North Ireland I went tc
Maj. Gen Russell P. Hartle, Amer
icas top soldier in Ulster, for further
second front comment. A calm
thoughtful and quiet-spoken COM
manding general is Scrappy Hartle
as they know him in the Army.
Puts Invasion Price High.
Second front?" he said. "One
hell of a lot of people don't know
what they're talking about. But
there is another way of looking al
the entire problem. That way woulc
be to go ahead right now as we are
Right now, say in October, we might
storm the continent and lose {
couple of corps in doing it, but W,
would be there and we would push
ahead. 1t might be good idea t.
lose thousands and thousands, t,
martyr a per cent of our forces il
order to chop a couple of years of
the war The casualties would b.
large, but they would have to b
suffered.
, Now that's one way of doing il
of having that second front witt
troops this fall and having it wher
we've eventually got to have til
| the west the martyr idea, an
the reduction of the war by tw
years. might be good plan-bu
remember / said it might"
I talked with Gen. Hartle, com
manding general of the America,
forces in North Ireland at his offic
in the castle-like structure in whic
he makes his headquarters. TIL
first man of the AEF to set foot O
Irish soil, Scrappy Hartle, aged
and Maryland-born, has now bee
here for nine months.
How" asked, have the men {
the AEF taken to Ireland and
= WARP"
= Americans Eager for Action.
They're restless as hell, an
r that's a good sign. There couldn
= be better one. All mail is Ger
= sored, of course, and you get til
t. general sentiment of the men /
IS what they write back home. They'l
r happy here. as they would be an,
where, but did you ever know a so