Evening star., 1942-07-07
BY LELAND STOWE,
War Correspondent Of The Star and
Chicaro Daily News

MOSCOW, July From this
side of the world 1t appears that
Germany's deep thrust into Egypt
with its concurrent menace to Great
Britains position throughout the
entire Near East may have two
consequences, either Of which would
be momentous in the wars develop
ment.
Great Britain's setback In Egypt,
even If restrained to its present
serious dimensions, may compel the
opening up of second front at
the earliest possible moment. On
the other hand, the Nazis' success
toward the Suez, especially If 1t
continues, is quite likely to precip-
itate a major Japanese blow at
India.
In this sense the course ef the
whole war at present flows along or
over the banks of the Nile. The
blow to British prestige from To-
bruk to Ell Alamein, in the view
of the the majority of observers
here, would be more than compen-
sated il it precipitated do or die
Allied invasion in Western Europe
before -September--and IT Is
generally believed that a second
front must come within two months
if Hitler is going to be put on the
SPOT before winter falls.
Pincer Move Possible. \
Z Viewed from the point Of Ger
many's strategic situation Egypt
may well invite equally desperate
and grandiose measures by the AXIS
partners. The natural counterpart
Of, further Nazi advances to the
Suez would be the launching OF a
gigantic Nazi-Jap pincer movement
| through Palestine and Syria tc
Baghdad and the vital Persian Gull
port, of Basra by the Germans;
| through Ceylon's equally strategic
port of Colombo and around, OF
across, India, by the Japanese.
Two such vast synchronized Of
fensives seem a pretty formidable
proposition to undertake, but to the
Axis partners they may offer the
least danger of heavy losses COM
bined with the greatest possibility
of scoring extremely valuable vic
tories, with propaganda as well as
other potentials. This is why Mar
shall Erwin Rommel's advance
| toward the Nile menaces the Allies
outposts in India perhaps as much
as it threatens Britain's hold or
the Mosul oilfields and Anglo
American communications with
Russia through Iran.
Ever since the cleaning up OF
Burma, the Japanese have beer
comparatively quiet in the East
Tokio's high command probably has
been weighing one Of three choices
whether to strike the next major
blow against India, against China
or farther north from Manchukuo
Australia Could Be Next.
II any one OF these were success
full, Australia could be taken On II
due time. Certainly, China, or any
thing north of there, offers serious
complications. Therefore, the tenn
| LaJ1ON 10 UIlC Jdpo W Wy w nAAo>A
out or strangle India must be yer.
great.
From what your correspondent
observed through more than thre
months of the Burma war. he
convinced that the japanese woul'
be lured particularly by an -ndi
campaign even without German
success in Egypt, and Marshal Rom
mel's progress must inevitably max
an attack against India all the NOR
, enticing. If the Japs could seiz
Colombo on the island of Ceylor
their navy would soon bar Allie
: entry to virtually every Indian por
y, with the possible exception
Karachi.
= Jap airplanes now are completed
installed in the Eastern Burmes
7 port of Akyab, only 300-odd mile
bombing distance from Calcutta an
: It's neighboring steel and coal ir
dustrial area where more than 8