"TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 36, 12 February 1943, Page 2

"TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY"

MR. CHURCHILL has spoken to the House of Commons in times of disaster, in times when hope has been dawning, in times when hope has been disappointed, when it has seemed that nothing would go right. Now, at last, he has spoken at a time when hopes and promises have materialised concrete performances, the nature and magnitude of which have changed the face of the war. We, who live in a country materially unscathed by the conflict, are far from appreciating the depth of the emotion which these momentous changes has stirred in Britain. We have learned of the spirit in which the people of'all classes faced their ordeals and made their sacrifices, but we have not experienced the ordeals or made the sacrifices, nor have we, in the darkest days, known the thought that the sacrifices might be in vain. It is because the people of Britain have known all and experienced all that they above all others are entitled to rejoice to-day, when the prospect, although not cloudless, is fairer than many of them dared to hope. They have worked and suffered for the day when Britain and her Allies would be able to take the offensive. Now they have seen the beginning of that offensive. They have seen the legend of the invincibility of German arms shattered, both in Russia and in the Middle East. They have regained full confidence, alike in the capacity of the Russian nature to withstand the German onslaught and to hurl back the invaders, and in British military leadership. . , . To such an audience Mr. Churchill, whose pre-eminent part in bringing about the change no man will deny, spoke yesterday through the House of Commons He spoke of the United Nations' achievements and of their plans? He spoke, too, of UK*' dangers, of their greatest danger which is the onslaught of the German submarines. Because of the policy of secrecy concerning both merchant shipping losses and the destruction of Submarines the public has been unable to reach any firm conclusions about the state of the sea war. Mr. Churchill said there was no need to exaggerate the danger, but the losses were very heavy and weie prolonging the war. Nevertheless, the shipbuilding rate greatly exceeded the rate of destruction of merchant ships, and the rate of destruction of submarines had steadily improved. The first statement will dispose of many unofficial estimates that the United Nations, in new building have been doing little more than hold their own. The significance of the second statement, about the destruction of submarines is probably less than appears. More submarines are being destroyed, but theie aie more to be destroyed. The rate at which Germany has been able to build submarines, and, especially, to man them, constitutes perhaps the major problem of the sea war, and the recent heavy attacks by the p> p on submarine bases and factories indicate that increased attention is being given to the possibility of solving it at its source. The submarines' activities are a hampering factor, but the problem they present should be seen in proportion. As Mr. Churchill pointed out, the losses of troops in transport ha been negligibly small. Moreover the submarines were unable to prevent, delay or seriously damage the great undertaking of the North Africa landing. The plentiful equipment which General Montgomery had at his disposal for the recent victorious campaign had all to be transported by sea. At the same time the convoys to Russia, and to Malta, although heavily attacked by both plane and submarine, reached their destinations. These facts furnish ground for confidence that what Mr. Churchill described as the ■'dominating aim" of the Casablanca conference—"to engage the enemy ... on the largest possible scale at the earliest possible moment" —can be impeded, but cannot be frustrated, by the submarine. But the gaining of complete control of the Mediterranean by conquering the Axis force in Tunisia is clearly a necessity ever , more urgent. It is there, first of all, that the fulfilment of the determination to engage the enemy will be looked for. . '