Evening star., 1943-06-28

As "ofe' IedQ LllcSc Beu-
tlemen's daily analyses Of what was
going to happen, I thought our
American swivel-chair strategists
were supreme when it came to say
ing nothing In two or three thou
sand words, but the English strate-
gists can spot our very best men
four hollow phrases and three
cliches and beat them to the I'M
ish Of a dull paragraph by 100
yards
At the moment, these Fleet Street
field marshals are enjoying their
greatest hour in the sun. With a
second front either just about to
happen or just NOT about to hap
pen, they are having tremendous
field day. They have the whole
world to pick from as to where the
second front will start and they
have overlooked few places as likely
spots for an an-out offensive. In
one paper you will read that the
Low Countries are the only logical
spot, while in another you will see
where another observer favors the
Himalaya Mountain peaks.
Twilight Lost.
I have read so many OF these
pieces in the past few months that
feel obliged to give my views on
a second front, couched in the
meaningless words of my British
contemporaries. There can be no
gainsaying that when 5000 tons Of
bombs are dropped on a tool shed
in the Ruhr, even the most skeptical
will admit that the tool shed will
at least be temporarily rendered
useless for military purposes. On
the other hand. If the tool shed Is
missed, is daylight bombing WORTH
while?
AS Arthur J. Topknot, In his
fourth volume on modern war, said
so brilliantly, Might bombing can
only be effective at night and day.
light bombing can only be effective
in the daytime. About war must
utilize the twilight. We are wasting
those precious hours in the gloam-
ing and the balance of power may
yet swing to that nation which
first produces twilight bomber"
Subs Are Subs.
There can be no questioning Of
Prof. Topknot's reasoning. How
ever, as I pointed out in nv lee
lures before the Royal Dustmen
Fellows at the Thames College for
Flower Arranging, many Of Eng
lands greatest battles were won
without bombing, so is bombing
necessary at all?
After four years Of war the sub.
marine menace is still the sub.
marine menace. Soldiers must bs
fed and clothed. Food and cloth.
ing must be carried by boats. Boats
will sink when hit by a torpedo.
Clothes and food that sink cannot
be worn or eaten by soldiers. Some
of my colleagues will argue with this
line OF thought but I am sure that
If they will take the trouble and
time to think this problem through.
they will admit the logic Of my
position.
AT the risk Of later being called
false prophet, T fatty say here
that the chances of second front
being opened on a weekday as
against Sunday are six to one.
One Never Knows.
No right thinking man will deny
that 1t would be much better If
Generals De Gaulle and Giraud
would not squabble. Certainly that
is the way the Algerian picture
looks to me and my opinion is
based on an extensive knowledge
OF France gained by three-day
stay there in 1884 and a serious
study of most of the Louvre nudes
as we'll as by long talks with diplo-
mats in Montparnasse and the
American Express Co. office, where
I was waiting for a check from
home.
This Is the war as I see 1t TODAY.
OF course, it may be changed by
tomorrow. But that's the heck of
it IN this world Of flux-you never
know what's going to happen next.
Distributed by McNaught Syndicate, nco