Evening star., 1943-09-03
Invasion of ItoIy

1t is peculiarly appropriate that
the invasion of Italy, coming exactly
four years after Britain's entry into
the war, should have been intrusted
to the battle-tested troops of the
Eighth Army and their Canadian
allies.
For the Canadians this is a chance
to wipe out the bitter memories of
Dieppe. And for the Eighth Army it
is the elimination of the magnificent
offensive that was begun at Ell Ala
mein nearly a year ago, and which
has been pushed across the length
OF North Africa, over the Mediter-
ranean and up through Sicily to
Messina, the jumping-off place for
the continental landing. 1t was this
drive that marked the real turning
point for Britain, the switch from
heart-breaking defensive warfare to
an offensive which has put British
troops ashore on the continent of
Europe in force for the first time
since Dunkirk.
1t does not follow, however, that
the landing on the toe of the Italian
boot is to represent the major Allied
effort against Europe this year. The
Italian toe is far removed from any
Important center of Axis war power,
and If 1t is General EiSenhoWer's
intention to drive up the peninsula
1t will be long time before the
invaders come to grips with the de-
Tending German forces that have
been massed north of Rome. Even
II it be assumed that this is the plan,
and If the Allied offensive carries
above the Italian capital, it does net
appear that this would work any
fatal injury to Germany
Another factor suggesting that this
invasion may be essentially diver
-sionary in character is the fact that
the considerable American forces in
the Mediterranean theater appar-
emily are not participating in the
attack. Nor, for that matter, is
there any indication that the whole
of the Eighth Army has been COM
n1itted If these forces are not 60
Ing into italy across the Strait of
Messina, the natural inference is
that they will be used to strike else
where. Hence, until the picture of
what is happening has been more
clearly developed, it would be we'll
not to jump to the conclusion that
the real second front, as the layman
understands that term, has been
opened.
In this connection it is worth call
Ing attention to Axis broadcasts
yesterday which referred appre-
hensively to two Allied invasion
forces said to be in process of assem-
bling. One of these was placed at
Gibraltar, and was described as in
cludihg two battleships, four aircraft
carriers, twenty cruisers, forty-eight
destroyers and forty-five merchant
men. There is nothing in the official
announcement of the attack across
the narrow Strait of Messina to in
dlcate that any such force is being
used there. And, according to the
Axis, a second great amphibious force
Is assembling in Britain for a pre-
sumed thrust across the Channel.
This led Paris broadcaster to say:
The moment is approaching when
an Anglo-American invasion armada
will cross the Channel and disembark
its armies on the French coast" All
OF this, to be sure, comes from Axis
sources, as did the announcement
that the Germans were pulling back
troops from the Russian front, and
should therefore be received with
caution. But it does not necessarily
follow that there is no truth in the
reports. On the contrary, it is rea-
sonable to believe that they have
considerable basis in fact, and, if so,
the landing on the toe of Italy is but
one phase, and possibly a minor
phase, of the assault ON Europe.