Evening star., 1942-08-27
AuchinIeck Believed
Likely 10 Return in
Vital War Post
FuuIts Laid at His Door
Declared Not lmpugning
Strategic Leadership
Nv PERTINAX.

NEW YORK, Aug. n tNANA) -
Has the last been heard of Gen. Sir
Claude Auchinleck? Or is he tenn
porarily held in the background and
bound to come up once more IN the
limelight with another great war
task on his shoulders?
A whole year has not yet passed
since Winston Churchill dubbed him
a great general in one OF his par
liamentary speeches, and Mr..
Churchill does not easily drop any
man who ever won his trust. Be-
sides, Gen. Auchinleck is a good
fighter of the stern, steady, ur-
imaginative type. The faults which
are being laid at his door, although
they brought in their train serious
consequences, are not supposed to
impugn his capacity for strategical
and tactical leadership. In the
Judgment of competent observers
they ought not to damn him.
Auchinleck's Caution Justified.
To start with, Is months ago Gen.
Auchinleck was right when differ
ence of opinion arose between him
and the Prime Minister. He then
obstinately refused to launch the
long planned offensive against Mar
shall Rommel until he had at hand
all the manpower and material
promised from London. Mr.. Church
i'll pressed him to attack without
further delay on the theory that
the surprise to be sprung on Mar
shal Rommel would more than off
set the troops and arms which the
war cabinet had undertaken to send,
and which were still on the way.
What happened afterward in that
part of the world showed that Gen.
Auchinleck's much-criticized caution
was not unWarranted.
But the main question is whether
he must be held personally ac-
countable for the grave reverse suf-
fered by 1t. Gen. Neil Ritchie's
9th Army on June 18, when
23o tanks were lost, and for the sur
render of Tobruk two weeks later.
Two of the generals placed under
Gen. Auchinleck's command failed
disastrously, but the available evi-
uEIlCc lllOlChVCo GlldU Ill bOIii LdSoCS
the worst developments were the
outcome of decisions arrived at To-
cally and entirely at variance with
all the calculations and forecasts at
general headquarters.
Gen. Ritchie was selected last
winter to succeed Gen. Cunning
ham at the head of the 9Th
Army not because the latter had
been unfortunate in his operation
against Marshal Rommel, but be-
cause. on the spur of his keen dis
appointment, he proposed to retreat
from the Bengasi area as far back
as the Egyptian frontier. Gen.
Auchinleck vetoed that move as
un5ustified in the circumstances, and
the 9th Army was handed over
to Gen. Ritchie, who was serving
on his own staff.
Ritchie Ignored Advice.
Then. when Gen. Ritchie set him
self to break Marshal Rommel's
army. over three months ago, the
advice Gen. Auchinleck gave him
was to sweep southwark around
German mine fields. The COM
mander of the 9th Army took it
on himself to proceed differently
and plunged into straight head
long advance, which cost the Brit
ish the slight superiority in tanks
which for the first time they had
managed to secure.
As regards Tobruk, Gen. Auchin-
leck's responsibility Is to have
placed a Boer general in charge of
that stronghold. Psychologically it
was not wise choice.
South African soldiers are of the
best, but more heed ought to have
been paid to the political con-
troversies within the Union, far
away from the battlefield, at the
other end of Africa. To propitiate
and carry with him the Dutch
speaking population over which
Gen. Hertzog wields influence Gen.
Smuts must give preferment to gen.
erals of Boer stock. 1t means that
he is not always free to promote
the most competent men. More
over. a Boer general unavoidably
feels somewhat fettered by the re-
actions in the home country to heavy
casualties lists.
British Knew Nazi Plans.
It Is fact that the Germans
etormed Tobruk in accordance with
scheme which had fallen into
British hands as early as last No
vember. No unknown element told
against the South African garrison
except Marshal Rommels sudden
determination to concentrate against
1t all the forces at his disposal, not
excepting a column which had first
been instructed to make for the
Egyptian frontier in the shortest
time. The guess can perhaps be
risked that the repercussion or
South African politics OF the sur
render of Tobruk not only prompted
Gen. Smuts to report himself tc
Cairo but induced Mr.. Churchill
to bring about change of COM
mand.
So much to explain why Mr.
Churchill may find it possible al
least to suspend Judgment on tn,
merits and demerits of Gen. Auch.
inleck and not entirely revise tht
phrases Of high appreciation h,
once bestowed on him.