CAMPAIGNING IN AFRICA

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 113, 6 February 1941, Page 6

CAMPAIGNING IN AFRICA

Africa is a continent of immense distances. The other day South African troops crossed the southern frontier of Abyssinia, in the neighbourhood of Lake Rudolph, and found themselves neaiei to Addis Ababa, the enemy’s capital, than they were to their own base at Nairobi. They form part of a force operating against the Italians from Kenya, but the units near Lake Rudolph are. separated by seveial hundreds of miles from those engaged in raiding posts in Italian Somaliland. The Kenya army itself is only a part of the force now being directed against the Italians in Abyssinia and Eritrea, the northern arm of the pincers is that advancing from Kassalla, on the Sudan frontier and already deep into enemy territory. Somewhere in between these two areas is the force oi the Emperor of Abyssinia, trained and commanded by Australians and others, and calculated to make itself extremely embarrassing to the nearest Italian units. These three armies arc separated from each other by deserts or dense tropical forests, and they could not be supplied with the many things a modern force must have were it not for the wonderful transport system that has been devised Ihe motor lony nas removed the dangers incurred when an army ventured to cross waterless tracts. It has banished the military problem of mobility. In the Libyan campaign, too. modern transport has recorded wonderful achievements. But there is one thing which neither motor transport nor the provision of wireless communication can remove entirely, and that is the responsibility resting on the commander of the unit on the spot. He mav know the general strategy of the campaign, have no doubt at all as to his immediate objective and what is expected of him, but the purely local problem, the best method by which to co-ordinate the operations of his unit, big or little, with those of the other bodies, are his own responsibilities. And it is the manner m which these local hut none the less important duties have been discharged that has made the campaign in Northern Africa so impressive. This aspect does not figure prominently in the reports, but one competent observer has on this occasion, made the pertinent remark that the local command has been very efficient.” That, in turn, must strengthen confidence at headquarters. With two campaigns to direct. General Waved has been able to transfer units from one area to another, using mobility gained through modern transport. Operations today cover thousands of miles— fiom beyond Derna on the Mediterranean to the farthest corner of Italian Somaliland on the Indian Ocean. And it has been possible to co-ordi-nate movements by using the latest means of communication, just as it has been possible to move troops vast distances by modern, transport. There is an old saying that something new is always coming om of Africa. On this occasion it is a demonstration of the new methods of warfare, with the clockwork co-ordination of all three arms. But to maintain the balance there is something very old.. too.Jn the operations, and that is the capacity of the troops to “stick it. Fhat, fortunately, has not changed, and it is the basic requirement of this or any other campaign.