Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-03
If British Had
RommeI, II
Might Be-
Events Prove General
q Military Genius
BY PAUL MALLON

w British could use Rommel
or two No wonder is expressed
here that Hitler has made his
LlbNan commander field mar
shall tSccond class He dupcd
the British out Of Bcngazi i'm
mcdIately after getting his pro-
motion
The Nazi sent aafelntlnG force
straight cast from his base south
OF BenCazl as If he were going
on a wide arc, the same strate-
gem he used when he swept
around and isolated Tobruk last
year The British sent a strong
force out To meet him. leaving
Bengal lightly defended. But
Rommel cut his eastward pro-
CCSSion. turned his main force
north toward the city and cap
turCd II.
The launching of his whole
counter drive out Of defeat was
Just as we'll screened Two or
three weeks ago. Hitler started
concentrating planes in Sicily
and Sardinia, simultaneously
opening an air attack on Malta.
Naturally the British expected
certain blow at their tiny
island fortress. sent a good por-
ton of their Libyan planes to
defend IT, The NaziS continued
their daily air menaclng to keep
these British planes occupied
But instead Of attacking Malta.
they slipped 10 trans ports
10000 tons EACH loaded with
troops and supplies across TO
Trlpoli 10 reinforce Rommel for
this drive.
tNOTE-Both the Nazis and
JapS can get away with these
swift moving dcceptionS because
they are attacking from the
center Of a circle while the
United Nations must run around
the outer arc. The shorter ra-
dlus of center lines enables the
aggreSsors 10 shift troops and
planes with great speed The
JapS from Formosa, for in
HNtlii - NNlll ~ Z j
against Macarthur one day.
Malaga the next. This basic de-
feet viii be met when we are
able 10 take the offensive, choose
our place of attack and marshal
superiority of force at that
polntD
4 Ii kinds of stories are going
"A the rounds about Agricul-
turc Secretary Wickard'S change
OF mind against initiating farm
prices 10 tho limit. One told 10
Senators is that Wlckard did not
write the baCk-traCkinC part OF
his Atlanta speech. that il was
worked over by others. that he
did not notice the line that
caused all the trouble
Be that as it may or may not
be, Mr.. Wickard is Mr.. Roose-
velt's personal agent and he
must have noted FDR's hint
that he had better ce good in his
newly lcgalized position as ar
bitter of farm prices.
In short. Mr.. Wickard may
have established himself as ar
bitter for the farmer tmcaning
in this instance the cotton Sena-
tors and some farm organiza-
tionS) but he is working for Mr..
Roosevelt In his dual capacity
he Will henCeforth take the rap
from both sides. AS nc has now
so efficiently started to do.
ONE thing Churchill said IN
~ his speech is not under
standable 10 any one here. Ac-
Cording 10 one radio transcript /
he said:
THE arrival Of wcll-equipped
troops here will enable the
United States to send direct to
Australia and New Zealand.
weapons and munitions now be-
ing made in the United States
Another published version:
The fact that weil-equipped
american divisions can he sent
into these islands 80 easily and
rapidly will enable substantial
supplies of weapons and muni-
III, ,'',,o, ~" - " .an, d'roo,iv
-" 80. -
TO Australia and New Zealand. /
to meet new dangers to the
home defense which are cast
upon them bN the Japanese
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