Evening Post THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1943. THE SICILIAN MARCH CONTINUES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 13, 15 July 1943, Page 4

Evening Post THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1943. THE SICILIAN MARCH CONTINUES

Every day brings news of remarkable progress in Sicily; and every day of postponement of a great Axis counteroffensive brings nearer the hope that when it comes (if it comes) it will be ! ineffective. On both counts—our progress, and the enemy's apparent lack of progress—an excellent prima facie case is" made out by the "New York [Times" correspondent on the Sicilian [front, who declares that the Axis forces, "unless, they strike within the next few days, will have finally lost their chance of taking the offensive." On the seas round the island, and in the air above it; the Allies rule, and their interior position , may presently j become impregnable, as the junction of the Americans with the Eighth Army gives the Allies a solid hold on "the entire south-east corner of Sicily, with the unscathed port of Syracuse, j a complete road system, and the easily defensible highlands, thus greatly' reducing the enemy's chance in a counter-attack." The correspondent could now add to the above gains the naval port of Augusta (Agosta) and some stretches of railway. The capture of Augusta, important naval base, makes the east coast gains more and more wonderful; the next big objective here l". the great cityport of Catania, with its famous plain. Still further northward, are the Straits of Messina, where Sicily approaches Italy. Both tactically and strategically the Sicilian campaign so far has gone very well. Better than any looker-on could have presumed to expect. To be supremely confident of military success is not a very interesting point in a commentator —it may be partly a matter of temperament—but it becomes an outstanding factor in a commander. Supreme confidence has been made by General Montgomery a feature of his successful career, and he provided l a good example of his winning way in a message to .the British and Canadians and other forces' under his command, sent prior to the invasion. This message has for its objective not only Sicily but Italy: "I want all of you, my soldiers, to know that I have complete confidence in the successful outcome of this operation. Therefore, with faith in God and with enthusiasm for our cause and for the day of battle, let us enter this contest with stout- hearts and determination to conquer. The eyes of our families and, in fact, the whole of the Empire will be on us once the battle starts. We will see they get good news, and plenty of it. To each one of you, whatever be your rank and employment, I would say: 'Good luck, and good hunting in the home country of Italy.'" Montgomery's appeal breathes the confidence not merely of a tipster who is. watching a race run by somebody else/ but of a. great soldier who feels a great war machine moving under his own hand and direction, and who knows Ijoth intuitively and by calculation how far his effort can carry. From such leaders and such armies *come fighting reports well in tune with the preliminary inspiring message—reports of those remarkable gains detailed in the daily news. The politicians have already talked to the Italians, but Montgomery talks of them as a soldier: "Together, we [the Eighth Army] will set abou^ the Italians in their own country in no uncertain way. They came into this war to suit themselves; and they must take .the consequences. They asked for it, and now they will get it. The task in front of us is not easy, but it is not so difficult as many we have had in the past and have overcome successfully." Have not the results to date justified this estimate of the military .task as forecast by the Eighth Army's commander? His tribute to naval and air co-operation is both generous and just; and once more both soldier and prophet have been vindicated in the following estimate of their joint effort: "In all our operations we have always had the close support of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, and because of that support we have always succeeded. In this operation the combined effort of the three fighting Services is being applied in tremendous strength, and nothing will be, able to stand against it." Quite as remarkable as the progress made in Sicily is the manner of it. "At Augusta," says one report, "we found the harbour undamaged, just as we did at Syracuse." Could this .have happened, at two ports of prime importance, if Sicily were occupied by troops and population united to resist invasion? Does not the neglect of demolition suggest that there must be a large number of people in Sicily who are not unfavourable to the invading Allies? Various other reports indicate half-heartedness not only in demolition forces but in the fighting ranks. The question must therefore be asked whether the Allies' invasion is receiving great help, indirectly or directly, from Sicilians; and this question becomes doubly important when one considers that if the population of an Italian province can be helpful, the population of an enemyoccupied country may be equally or more helpful, in the case of an invasion of France, Belgium, Holland, Norway, or Greece. 'Mussolini, it is known, had many enemies in Sicily a few years ago. His efforts to win them, over may have worn thin. What is the use of his talking about old Roman greatness, to •the Sicilians or to anybody else, when a naval base commanding* the approach to Messina Straits, and bearing the great name of Augustus, first Roman Emperor, falls so cheaply to th-a invader? To hold together permanently the old Roman Empire was beyond the powers of Augustus and of Romans who were really great. That a man like Mussolini should try to rebuild their ruined edifice was, and is, merely ridiculous.