Evening star., 1943-06-11
Zero Hour for Europe?

public has been swept by wave of
tense expectation regarding an Allied
| invasion of the European continent.
A fortnight ago, London newspapers
were predicting that such an invasion
was only hours away" while Prime
Minister Churchill's address to the
House of Commons evoked further
press prophecies that an assault on
Hitler's fortress" could be expected
"at any moment"
1t is interesting to note that this
popular optimism seems to be self
engendered rather than the product
of Russian proddings as was the case
with the second front" appeals of
last year. The British people have
been tasting the strong wine of vic
tory from their initial success at Ell
Alamein last December to the cul-
minating triumph in Tunisia this
spring. The question arises whether
this heady beverage may not have
caused many Englishmen to lose a
trlf1e OF their usual cautious realism.
That, at any rate, is the thesis Of
a recent dispatch from Raymond
Daniel, London correspondent of the
New York Times. This able and we'll
informed observer of the British
scene believes that current expecta-
tions Of an immediate invasion of the
continent are decidedly premature.
MIR. Daniel makes a clear distinc-
ton between genuine assault on the
continent itself and attacks on such
islands as Lampedusa, Pantelleria
and even Sicily" They cannot be
counted as anything more than cur
tain ralsers to an invasion" which
may be months away. He believes
that Mr.. Churchill's statement that
"amphibious operations of a peculiar
complexity and hazard on a large
scale are approaching" should be in
terpreted as referring to preliminary
attacks on Europe's island outposts
rather than to major operations
against the continent. Indeed, he
goes on to warn that there is danger
that, in attempting to read a mean
ing into the speech that is not i'm
pllclt in the words, the public may
be encouraged to let the aspirations
Tor speedy, decisive victory run
away with reality to the extent that
the natural delays of war may be
taken as a setback and allowed to
undermine confidence and morale"
This, says Mr.. Daniel, is the opin-
ion OF many military men. who stress
the enormous difficulty and elabo-
rate. time consuming preparations
needed for launching an all-out as
sault on the Axis Fortress Europe"
which, to be successful, would require
minimum of 100000 Allied troops.
Furthermore, military experts incline
to the belief that such an invasion
should be synchronized with a Rus
sian offensive and the climax of the
current air campaign against the
Reich, which 1t is hoped will be
reached late this summer"
Such is Mr.. Daniels ANALYSIS of
European invasion prospects, which,
Interestingly enough, tallies rather
closely with survey of the same
subject made by a German military
expert and reported to this country
IN recent dispatch from Stockholm,
OF course, the conclusions differ, Mr..
Daniel estimating that properly
timed invasion can succeed whereas
the German commentator deems the
difficulties insuperable Nevertheless,
the data themselves on manpower
equipment, shipping and other fac
tors tend to coincide
All this is a useful corrective to
degrees of optimism prevalent here
IN America as we'll as in Britain.
Nothing is gained by wishful thinking
regarding the imminence of victory
Indeed, much may be lost by indulg-
ing IN an emotional attitude which
may relax our war effort and lead to
dlslllusionment. Much safer is it To
heed authoritative spokesmen who
contend that the enemy is as vet far
from beaten and that the war must
be won the hard way"
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