Evening star., 1942-11-08

German desert lighters and a horde
fodder. The British forces consisted
dispairing, on their last legs. But bel
sea Rommel no longer could outfiank
them, as he had done with his probably
more mobile armored forces in the past.
During the past five months the two
armies have done little more, osten-
sibly, than call each other names Rom
mel withdrew his Germans, manned
the lines with despised Italians, and
went to Germany for wen-earned rest.
But under the surface there was intense
activity on both sides. The Germans
were building up their somewhat de-
pleted strength by drafts of men and
supplies across the Mediterranean from
Sicily hazardous business while the
Royal Air Force still held beleaguered
Malta. The Axis never could shake loose
that hold.
The British also were building up their
strength with men and supplies conveyed
through the Mediterranean and around
the Cape Of Good Hope. They received
invaluable requirements of American
fiyers mechanics, planes and tanks.
With the coming of the desert winter
the two arnies-one of them in par
ticular-were ready to fight again. "A
month ago when Wendell Wilkie visited
the British front lines members OF his
narty sensed tension in the air fore
hodinp momentous events and were
highly impressed with the cold, haro
scotchman, Gen. Bernard L. Montgomery
Early this week. after aerial prepara-
tion last week, the big British smash
started. English military
R;o Smash men we're pesslmlstlc,
I. e.....I viewing the conflict from
a distance. They did not
zee how Rommel could be hurt seriously
unless he could be outf1anked, and this
was impossible owing to the terrain.
Montgomery has other plans. front
to front smash with every ounce OF his
strength-planes, tanks, infantry, artll-
lery. The result has been-as least it
looks so noW-an almost unimaglnably
complete success, one OF the great VIC
tories OF the war, the most serious defeat
the Germans yet have suffered. The
British tanks, after air and artillery
preparation, have cut Rommeis lines
to bits. The Axis army is in disordered
fight, More than l3,00G of its men have
been captured, to say nothing OF the
killed and wounded. Nearly $50 tanks
have been lost. Only miracle can save
the westward fleeing Germans from
annihiliation. Montgomerys victory may
be the turning point of the whole war.
Rommel's only hope is to get into the
open desert and try to reorganize his
battered army.
The credit is due almost entirely to
the British 9th Army, made up OF
crack British regiments, Australians,
Free French, Poles, Norwegians and
Dutchmen. There have been few Amer
leans in the battle, together with few
American planes and tanks They have
amounted to little In turning the tide
of the North African War, President
Roosevelt wisely reminds his press con-
ference, while describing the event as
one Of the major struggles of the war.
1t was wise of the President to do
this. The Army has been embarrassed
enough by exaggerated claims which, in
some newspaper headlines, made out
Dieppe as an American operation. Ac-
tually, so few Americans took part that
no official mention has been made OF
them. The British are confident that
they have knocked out Rommel for
good. They could have done so year
ago, their experts claim, if they had
taken advantage of their opportunities.
But if the Germans escape the trap IN
which they now find themselves long
see-saw campaign may start again.
If this is really the turning point OF
the war in the Near East perhaps the
major credit must 60 to the British air
men on Malta and to the conveys that
have crawled perilously through the
Mediterranean-and,s something OF which
Americans truly can be proud, to the
airplane carrier Wasp, now at the ocean
bottom far from North Africa.
Meanwhile fighting is delayed, life
made nearly unbearable for both sides,
by gigantic dust
e.nd.&orue storms sweeping the
AI-...e;,, desert. The fine,
black. wind-driven
dust seeps through any sort OF clothing,
fills ewes, noses and throats. There is
an average of one such storm week.
Before the war there were only five
or six a year. The increase is due to
the fact that in the course OF military
operations the sparse desert scrub
bushes have been destroyed. Hitherto
their roots, four or five feet long to
gather as much as possible OF the scant
moisture, held the soil in all but ex-
ceptionally heavy winds. Sandstorms
were not 50 common because, contrary