ALLIES’ ONWARD MARCH

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 308, 23 September 1943, Page 7

ALLIES’ ONWARD MARCH

Commons Survey CO-ORDINATION OF POLICY Strategy Unfolding LONDON, September 21. Important moves for the closer coordination of the massive war effort of the United Nations were disclosed in Mr. Churchill’s war survey today in the House of Commons. He said that there was confident hope of a meeting this year between President Roosevelt, Marshal Stalin, and himself. Meanwhile, an inter-AUled commission would be set up in the Mediterranean to (leal with such problems as the working of the Italian armistice. Arrangements had also been made for a conference at an early date between tlie Foreign Ministers of the three countries and no questions would be barred.

In Europe, he said, we must concentrate everything on the destruction of Nazi tyranny and Prussian militarism. In the Pacific the offensive against the Japanese, already promising, would unfold stage by stage. Mr. Churchill made it clear that he regarded the restoration of France to the status of one of the great Powers ns among the most positive of our objectives and in the light of a sacred duty. He warned that the bloodiest part of the war lay ahead for the Empire and the United Stales, but said that for our part we would grudge no sacrifice in the common cause. The decision for going beyond the occupation of North Africa was taken IS months ago. but almost immediately came the Tobruk disaster and the German advance iu Russia, Mr. Oh archill said. Following Alamein, almost a year ago. we and our allies had had almost unbroken successes on land and sea and in the air. “Last May, President Roosevelt and myself set ourselves the principal objective of 'knocking Italy completely out of the war this year. Nobody could have expected that Wat task would' lhe so rapidly achieved.” Double Invasion. The front'which had developed from Africa to Italy was the third front. The second front existed potentially. On the day we and our American allies held timely, the mass invasion of the Continent from the west would begin in combination with the invasion from the south. The considerations would be entirely military. The increase in aircraft available now exceeded the corresponding. German supply iby more than four to oue. 11ns opened the possibility of saturating the German defences, ground and air, and complete strategic air domination ot Germany by the British and Americans was not necessarily 'beyond our reach even in 1944. The Russian Air Force was already at many points superior to the strength the Germans had been able to assemble. “We must not let this favourable tendency lead us to suppose that tlie war is coming to an end,” he said. “On the ■contrary, we must expect that the terrible foe we are smiting so heavily will make frenzied efforts to retaliate. After reporting that our new shipbuilding exceeded our losses since the outbreak of war by more than 6,01)0,000 tons, the Premier added: “Should this continue we will soon replace all the losses suffered by the United. Nations since the outbreak of war. We can be defeated by the U-boats only if we are guilty of gross neglect iu the shipyards and on the seas, and if the technical ability on both sides in the Atlantic inexcusably falls off. Even at the worst times we have never trenched upon the substantial margin between us and what is called the danger level. “At the Quebec conference,” he continued, “much attention was given to the prosecution of the war against Japan. The main weight at present is in the Solomons and New Guinea, where General MacArthur, an officer of outstanding personality, is directing a large-scale offensive. These operations will unfold stage by stage as the months pass. Japan’s shipping and plane losses certainly exceed their capacity for replacement.

Admiral Lord Louis Mountbattejj will shortly reach India with combined staffs, which will conform to the model established by General Eisenhower. His headquarters will be at New Delhi.” No Mediterranean Delay. After Mussolini fell the Badoglio Government intended to make peace according to the will of the nation, but they were influenced mid overlorded by. the Germans, and had the greatest difficulty in maintaining themselves, Mr. Churchill said. Desiring to bring about the surrender of Italy in the shortest time and at the least possible cost in lives, the Allies had to wait till the position became definite. They were sympathetic with Italy’s difficulties, but insisted that surrender must be unconditional. In the negotiations the Allies could not reveal their plans for invasion, and the . real difficulty was that the Italians were pow- ' erless till the Allies landed in strength. The Soviet after studying the terms of tie armistice, authorized General Eisenhower to sign their name to it. The suggestion 'that 40 days of precious time was lost in negotiating was as ill-founded as it was wounding tn those who were bereaved. The whole operation was planned as a result of. decisions taken on the fall of Mussolini, and would have taken place, whatever had .happened in Italy, at the earliest possible moment. . The surrender of Italy was a windfall, but had nothing to do with the date tor harvesting the orchard. The Italians had already suffered terribly and now they were 'to be pillaged and terrorized in 'Hitler's fury of revenge. In due course they would be rescued from servitude and degradation and enabled to regain their rightful place among the free democracies of the modern world. If he was asked whether he would apply this argument to the Germans, said Mr Churchill, he would say that the case ’was different. We did not war with races as such, but against tyranny and to pre ; serve ourselves from destruction. Nazi tyranny and Prussian militarism must be rooted out if the world was to be spared still more frightful conflie... liH this was done there was no sacrifice we would not make and no lengths in violence io which we would not go. “Having at the end of my life acquired some influence upon affairs, I wish to make it clear that I wou.n not prolong the war needlessly for a single day” said Mr. Churchill, “and it is my hope, if and when the British people are called by victory to share in the august responsibility of shaping the future, we shall show the same poise and temper as we did in the hour of mortal peril.