The Evening Star TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1941. ASSISTING THE RUSSIANS.

Evening Star, Issue 23973, 26 August 1941, Page 6

The Evening Star TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1941. ASSISTING THE RUSSIANS.

It -would appear that a section of the London Press is not blessed with all the calmness and poise which have characterised every action of the great body of Londoners throughout the war. The clamour that Britain should do something immediately to assist the Soviet , Union is natural and quite understandable, but it is charged with the kind of hysteria that would prompt the same writers to commit a literary volte face by heaping vituperation on the Government and defence chiefs if they launched the British Army on what, in the circumstances of failure, would be called “ a rash adventure.” The editor of the ‘ Sunday Express,’ Mr John Gordon, says: “We think too much about defence and too little about offence, ' which is the only way to victory.” Has Mr Gordon forgotten already that Britain did the best that could be done at the time in trying to help France, and took the offensive in endeavouring to save Norway and Greece from the Nazi invaders? Does he consider that there was anything defensive about the numerically inferior Army of the Nile’s sweep along the North African coast to Benghazi, the advantages accruing from which wore eventually lost because of the ready response to the call from threatened Greece? Has the mopping-up of the Italians in Abyssinia, again by forces fewer in numbers than those of the enemy, been the result of a static or supine policy ? Can it be said that either at sea or in the air Britain has been strictly on the defensive? The whole history of' the war, indeed', refutes Mr Gordon's criticism.

The wish to help Russia is strong in us-all, or certainly should be. The most popular notion is that a second front in Europe—the dread of the Nazi army chiefs—should be created. In theory it is a war-winning proposition and one which no doubt will bo put into practice when the time is ripe. Meanwhile it must ,be remembered that autumn, running into the eve of winter, is not a suitable period for launching a big land offensive ’on the western European front. Allied troops who fought in France in 1016 after September 15 and in October, 1917, will have unpleasant recollections of the liardships and sacrifices entailed to very little advantage. At that time our armies launched their offensive from secure positions. Now they would have to effect a landing under the eyes of an enemy lurking along a strongly-forti-fied coastline—a coastline bristling with guns seized from the French, including many monsters taken from the Magiuot Line. It can be accepted as the truth that Britain is willing to make sacrifices to help her new allies, but it is likely that she is not prepared to risk “ a glorious failure.” From now on we must be certain of success before another blow by land is struck at the Nazis. In any case, it seems that- the call for increased co-operation with Russia has been answered in the onlypossible way offering at the moment (apart from air support, which has been unstinted) by the joint march into Iran. This is a move that is valuable not only in itself, but also because the contact made by the two allied armies can be developed strategically into something which should soon give the Nazis reason for grave concern. With that thought those eager for action will have to be content for the time being.