Imperial Valley press., 1943-04-14
TWO GENERALS SPEAK
TO THEIR PEOPLE

11dSl week, TWO Oh I0S most OulSldllu-
ing United Nations generals spoke in
spring words to their troops and to the
world.
One was General Douglas Macarthur,
the forgotten man of the South Pacific.
The other was General Bernard Mont
gomery, spectacular, victorious central
figure of the spotlighted Tunisian Brit
ish Eighth Army.
The message of each deserves special
attention.
On the occasion of the first anniver
sary of the fall of his beloved Bataan,
General MacArthur's utterance was a
masterpiece of expression. In its simple
words were mingled the emotions of dis
appointment. sadness, regret, anger,
God-fearing faith, and profound determi-
nation.
In his words are found many meanings.
He expressed regret that he ever left
Manila. He implies condemnation of
the military authority which permitted
the loss of the Philippines, but he care
fully avoids any direct and unsoldierly
complaint against his superiors. He re-
veals a deep love of the islands and the
Philippine people and commits himself
to their eventual liberation from the Jap
scourge.
MacArthurs statement was that of a
bloody but unbeaten giant who will on
another day turn his new-found strength
against his former antagonist.
America supplies MacArthur's
strength. We must not let him down.
Montgomery's speech was made to his
men just after they had crashed through
Il, 7 ion n cot on % ia
of driving the enemy from North Africa
1t was a victorious speech, which. on the
surface, might be interpreted as boast
full
He said: IF we collect prisoners at
the present rate, the enemy soon Will
have no infantry left to hold his posi-
tions."
"The triumphant cry now is: Forward
to Tunis! Drive the enemy into the sea
But like Macarthur, Montgomery
knows the sting of defeat. He led his
troops against the Huns on the continent
early in the war, only to fall back before
the horde of superior numbers and equip
ment. He knew the horrors of Dunkirk.
He saw his men machine-gunned and
bombed on the beach of that French city
and vowed that if ever given chance he
would retaliate in like measure
England stood solidly behind Mont
gOmery and gave him that chance ne so
resolutey desired. From the tattered
divisions of the continental army Mont
gomery drew the nucleus of the strong,
triumphant corps which is now pushing
the beaten Rommel nearer to an African
Dunkirk.
Equipment and men-both Of the high
est calibre-were given the wiry little
leader and he was sent to battle the hated
foe on the desert sands. After the Nazis,
with a little help from their Italian bud
dies, pushed the Eighth Army back to
Ell Alamein. Monty began his march
against the willy Rommel.
Back and back he drove the Nazis, stop
ping now and then to regroup his men
and begin an even fiercer attack.
So, viewed in the light of his accom-
plishments, Montgomery's speech was
not boastful. Instead, it was a reflec-
ton of his deeds and an exhortation to
his campaigners to continue forward as
they had across 1900 miles of barren land.
With equipment, Montgomery has prov
ed that the unconquerable' Hitler leglons
as Herr Goebbels would have them refer
red to- have proved to be not as good as
the men and tactics of a man with veng
eance burning in his heart
That same vengeance is burning III the
heart of General Macarthur