The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-12-10
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ny DEWITT MACKENZIE

~ DEWITT MACKENZIE
WITH THE BRITISH EIGHTH
ARMY IN LIBYA, Dec. 10 -
Over at FL Agheila, where the
Mediterranean cuts deeply into
the coast of Cirenaica to form
the great gulf of Sirte. Field
Marshal Erwin Rommel's Axis
forces are nervously expecting
another attack by the Allied
Army which already has driven
them in flight across 700 miles
of desert.
The Axis troops are dug in on
a strong line which they prepar-
ed many months ago. That line
Is calculated to withstand great
pressure, but nothing is more
certain than that Rommers eyes
are continually searching the
skies anxiously. There lies one
of his greatest worries, for 1t
was the Anglo-American air
forces which played a major
part in smashing his defense at
Ell Alamein and precipitating his
historic debacle.
AIR FORCE AN ASSET
This Allied Air Force with its
superiority of power over the
enemy is one of the British
Eighth Army's greatest assets in
the campaign to drive the Axis
from Northern Africa, and the
share which Uncle Sans airmen
are taking in this decisive battle
of Libya represents one of his
proudest contributions to the
victory which the United Ma
tons are building.
Thus the leadership of the
Briton who commands the Allied
Air forces is, to put it mildly, a
matter of lively concern to all
Americans.
It was, therefore, with keen
interest that I responded to the
CHEEKY greeting of welcome and
shook hands with Air Vice Mar
shall Sir Arthur Cunningham,
Generalissimo of the desert skies
in these parts.
I reported to you yesterday
that Cunningham had told me our
boys were doing magnificent
ly," and / promised to amplify
this statement today. This arti-
Gle is in fulfillment of that
promise.
LIKES DIRECT SUN
The marshal was drinking
coffee at a little table set on the
sand in front of his caravan un-
der the powerful sun which al
ready had done a considerable
part of its forenoon job. He
explained he hadn't had his
breakfast and invited me to join
him in coffee. Thus ones first
impressions were those of an en-
ergetic individual who starts his
days work before bothering
with food and who likes the di-
rect sun that would drive more
cautious folks to cover.
Cunningham is a big fellow,
about six feet two, but he has
the figure of an athlete at the
comfortable age of AZ. His
tanned face and obvious fitness
testify that he is habitually an
outdoor man and his penchant
for sports is we'll known.
He is good looking, too, with
an attractive laugh. Indeed, he
has q pleasing address and is so
entertaining as a conversation
alist that the unwary might ov-
erlook that square jaw OF his.
This would be a grave error IN
Judgment, for there is lot OF
John Bull in Cunningham and his
square jaw marks one OF his
outstanding characteristics. He
Is q fighter and uses both fists.
Sir Arthur was born in Bris-
bane and educated in New Zea-
land. He began his military
career with the New Zealand in
fantry in 1914, but two years
later transferred to the air force
in France and became one Of the
outstanding British arman OF
the First World War Incident
ally, he has a string of decora-
tons as long as your arm. Well,
almost that long anyway. Now,
after more than quarter CEN
fury as an airman, he still is an
enthusiastic aviator and flies his
own bus.
TALKS FREELY
The marshal talked freely
about the military position as
though he were at a staff con-
ference. AS a matter OF fact. l
find invariably that it is the big
men who talk readily to repu.-
able journalists, while it is the
pipsqueaks who cringe under
the mulberry bush of fancied
military secrecy.
The answer, of course, is that
the big chaps know what they
are talking about while the pip
squeaks don't.
Cunningham apparently recog-
nizes that any reliable newspa-
perman will be discreet and do
as / now do-tell my readers
that I cannot repeat many of the