NO PRODDING NEEDED TO OPEN SECOND FRONT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 230, 29 September 1942, Page 3

NO PRODDING NEEDED TO OPEN SECOND FRONT

PLANS FOR OFFENSIVE

Willkie Taken To Task By New York Press

1 nitc"! Press Assoc iat ion—Copyright Kec. 11 a.m. OTTAWA, Sept. 28. nrnHHi e ncr A t lilC(s ieaders don't need itr p°o ope , n a seconfl front," Minister -if tlee ' dc Putv-Prime thm!i k * unnecessary to prod certain th 3^ Se yOU Can tako jt for ai -° 3,1 working on plans for an offensive. 'Second front' nhr, rf C "ru° i om ething of a eatchthil™ at , tlo of thc Atlantic, the large air raids on Germanv, fighti? ln Middle East arid elsetho6l? f f hav uto be considered. All the A S n,« ng - 1S being done bv front tv, S (Pi' 1 - of the second . "♦ tbc fi ghting on all fronts thL t r, it- Most people are agreed that nothing could be said in Mr 3 Atfle ° Ut a second front," said

~^i ci^ inf V Mr " We ndell Willkie's ?HK er " en 1 perhaps some rnilitary leaders need public prodding Vnr£ P u" m v. 00 , 0 "' 1 fr ° nt ' the NOW < c rk 1 elegram in an editorial oub l If an > r Public figure uu»L,i ♦ outbreak of war has uttered a statement so ill-advised or advocated a course so weighted with danger and possible disaster. Not every military commander but Mr. Churchill and Mr. Roosevelt have made crystal clear their eagerness and determination to open a second front at the earliest hour compatible with the possibility of military success.

To move sooner would be to condemn hundreds of thousands of British and American soldiers to purposeless slaughter. Such an illtimed move might even mean the loss of the war. We do not question Mr. VViiikie s good intentions, but the depth or clarity of his thinking HIS several expressions on military subjects on his tour bordered on the sophomoric. Applause and flashbulbs apparently caused Mr. Willkie to talk out of his turn. This is no time for innocents abroad."

Comment from Moscow

A Moscow radio commentator, replying to those who think it would be too dangerous to open a second front in Europe now. stated that some say the lesson of the Dieppe raid was that landing operations were very costly. Some would not mind cancelling the war because it was so dangerous and difficult, but the seamen who brought munitions to the Red Army were not frightened away because Fascist fire was awaiting them. They did not wait until next spring.

"It is impossible to beat Germany by bombing alone," said the commentator. "A real second front is needed in Europe and the important thing is to open it now. Russia's defeat would mean the defeat of Britain and America."

Mr. Wendell Willkie's second front plea from Moscow has stirred the American capital emotionally, says the Washington correspondent of the Herald-Tribune. The prevailing opinion, however, is that the question should not be decided on sentimental grounds.

Military observers doubt whether the British and Americans are in a position to undertake a full-scale invasion of Europe in the near future. Their estimate is that 500,000 men would be needed to effect a serious diversion.

There was also the question, the correspondent adds, if Britain and America have sufficient shipping available to transport and supply such a huge force. The Nazis, after the conquest of France, were unable to invade England. Experts believe that the factors militating against the Nazis' crossing of the Channel at that time would operate in their favour if the United Nations attempted it now.