Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-01

The British 9th Army, supported by
American aviation and tanks, has opened
an offensive in North Africa against the
forces Of German Field Marshal Erwin
Rommel, and every one here hopes that
1t will be more than local offensive and
that the long months Of preparation will
yield the desired success.
Simultaneous with agreeable news from
this front comes other news from the
South Pacific, where the American de-
tenders at the moment are struggling
successfully against an enemy force
which is determined to establish its hold
in that area and thus wage a war Of
attrition against Australia and New
Zealand.
If the question of personal heroism,
skill and efficient command alone were
involved We might look with confidence
to the outcome of the Solomons battle.
But besides these needed qualifications,
in which the japanese themselves are
not deficient, there is the problem of
enough surface ships, planes, manpower
and particularly gasoline and oil sup
plies to enable us to run the machines
which have so largely replaced the fight
Ing ability of the individual soldier.
Rommel Army Mobile.
Egypt may be important; Africa itself
eventually may become the area from
which a second front against Hitler is
started. But, unfortunately, it will re-
quire not weeks and months, but years
before we can settle ourselves for such
an operation in that area
Hundreds of miles of desert land lie
between the present front in Egypt and
the principal Nazi bases at Tobruk and
Bengasi. Marshal Rommel, who now is
commanding the entire Axis force in the
Mediterranean theater, can, with light
sacrifice of war materiel and men, put
q great distance between himself and the
Allied forces should he find the. impetus
of attack too great. He has an extremely
mobile army which can move back and
forth with ease and rapidity as he has
demonstrated in the past. Should his
opponents progress too rapidly he could
withdraw to his old bases and compel
the Allies to extend their lines of COM
munication as he did last year when he
was hard pressed by the British under
command of Gen. Sir Claude Auchinleck.
To'make Gen. Harold AleXander's pres
ent offensive really successful it appears
necessary that an Allied force must land
in West Africa somewhere between Casa
blanca and Dakar and it also appears
necessary that the Allies gain complete
mastery of the air in the Mediterranean
area to check the flow Of supplies to
Marshal Rommel. All of which means an
amphibious operation in West Africa and
intense Mediterranean submarine and
air operations.
Both types of warfare require strong
force and the near future should dis
close whether we have at our command
a force sufficient in size for just such
operations. The African front Is full OF
possibilities, but it also is full Of dangers.
Pacific Area Perilous.
But while we are looking with Ger
tain degree of optimism to Africa, the
situation in the Pacific remains very
dangerous. 1t is perilous for the United
States and equally perilous for our
Allies. Should the japanese succeed
in dislodging us from the islands
which lie between the Solomons and
New Zealand, and establish themselves
with power there, the position of Aus
tralia and New Zealand would become at
once in greater peril because our lines