Evening star., 1943-06-30
Great Lund Mass Area
Separates Axis Powers
Major Eliot Discusses
Advantage to Allies
From Distance Between Foes
By Mai. George Fielding Eliot.

From Distonce Between Foes
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.
One OF the most important strategical
advantages which the United Nations
possess is the fact that their two enemies,
Germany and Japan, are completely
separated and therefore incapable OF
mutual support Or concentration OF
power.
1t may be remembered that last year
when Rommel was in Egypt. the German
armies deep in the North Caucasian
area and the japanese on the offensive
in Burma and the Bay of Bengal, there
was q great deal of apprehensive talk
about possible junction Of enemy powers
through Southern Asia. The stout de-
tense Of Ceylon and the whiting down
of japanese sea and air power in the
Pacific, on the one hand, and the VIC
tories of Stalingrad and Ell Alamein, on
the other, put an end to whatever danger
there may have been of such junction.
The United Nations now hold firmly
the great land mass of Central and
Southwestern Asia. India, Iran, Iraq,
Syria and Palestine and the Russian
Caucasus, as we'll as Chinese and Rus
sian Turkestan, form this dividing block
1t seems likely not only that we will
continue to hold it and thus keep our
enemies well separated by land, but that
from this area pressures eastward against
Japan and westward against Germany
will develop thrusting the enemy hold
ings ever farther apart.
Thus from India, China may be sup
ported and Burma attacked. From the
Middle East Russia may be supported
and the Axis garrisons in the Aegean
Islands, Greece and the Balkans at
tackled.
We should, however, recognize-and
we do not always stop to think Of this
that the actual war potential Of these
regions as far as industrial production
is concerned Is very small. Our ability
TO bring about these expanding pressures
Is almost entirely due to our Comman
OF the sea. The sources Of British fight
ing strength are in the British Isles. and
to lesser extent, in Canada Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa.
The sources of American fighting
strength are in the continental United
States. When Anglo American fighting
power makes Its appearance on the Indo-
Burmese frontier, 1t has tsave for India's
contribution, been brought there by
means OF ships. When 1t makes its ap-
pearance in the Middle East, 1t has like
wise been brought there by means Of
ships.
The strategic texlbility which COM
mano OF the sea gives to us enables us TO
assemble armies and air forces in areas
which would be otherwise quite bevond
our reach. 1t has, in particular. enabled
US 10 defend this central. dividing land
mass against enemy pressure from both
sioes and now 1t is enabling us TO de-
Velop preSSures of our own from within
that land mass.
1t should likewise be noted that the
separation Of our enemies is not onlv n
matter OF controlling their land commu-
nications. They would have re-
menoous advantage If ships could pass
freely between them, bringing to Ger
many the rubber, TIN and oil Of the Far
East and to Japan the machine tools
precision instruments and aircraft of
German factories. We never think of
such an exchange OF goods as possible
that British and American sea power
stand IN the way. Yet. If that sea power
were not there. 1t is hardly too much TO
say that we should probably never be
able to defeat either of our foes. The
desperate nature OF the needs whose
fuihllment our sea power denies is in
olcated by the desperate measures which
the enemy takes 10 meet even a very
Tiny portion Of those needs
During the past fall and winter no less
Than III blockade-running ships. carving
goods between Germany and japan.
nave oeen intercepted OH the high seas
by Allied WarShips or aircraft. When one
considers the distances to be Travelled
and the risks to be run, it is astonishing
that such attempts are made at all for
the sake of the small percentage of
blockade runners that do manage to
come safely to portland it is verv
small percentage, indeed. Yet they keep
on trying. 1t is, perhaps, significant
that all the blockade runners we have
caught so far are German sh, IS: which
suggests that Germanys needs are more
pressing than Japan's. or perhaps that
Japan has no shipping TO spare for such
risky and distant enterprises.
Copyrisht 1s43. N. Y. Tribune, Inc)