The Grey River Argus THURSDAY, October 8, 1942. ALLIES COMING BACK.

Grey River Argus, 8 October 1942, Page 4

The Grey River Argus THURSDAY, October 8, 1942. ALLIES COMING BACK.

The course of the war is certainly now less according to Axis plans than ever. The iron heel of the Nazis is being clamped down more heavily in occupied' territory, and it may betoken a fear thiat winter bodes new opposition behind the battle line. The latest news from Russia does not bear out the suggestion that M. Stalin is taking of a second front in*- any spirit .of desperation, but rather' because of an anticipation that the time now has ripened to hit the enemy with everything that can be hurled at him. The Russians evidently expect to give, the lie to Hitler in his prediction that' Stalingrad will fall, and a second front would, perhaps be calculated to turn that probability into more of a certainty, but now the winter is ton near for the enemy to liquidate the Red Army, and the Germans show anxiety at the. prospect of wintering again on the frigid Steppes. It can be taken as >a' sign of confidence that the Allies are debating as soberly as openly the issue of when to strike new blows. On other fronts Allied prospects arc brightening. The U-boats more and more are yielding place in effectiveness to the Allied aircraft. Africa presents hopeful developments. While Egypt is well defended, Axis territory looks to be in danger of attack in the rear with Americans landing all along the western coastline, and near enough to Dakar to make things very interesting ere long.: British strategy in the Middle East, is being definitely vindicated, and the Americans demonstrate every day keener and more effective action in every theatre where they are engaged. However, it now can be

■‘reasonably claimed that nowhere bias there’been a more spectacular, if not even momentous change for the better in the fortunes of the Allies than in the Pacific during the past few weeks. The gallop of the Japanese, previously stopped in such a manner that it could no longer be concealed from the people by their leaders, has now begun to change in a recoil. A month ago nobody bargained for anything but a long struggle in front of Port Moresby, with the enemy backing “up his land

attack with a sea attack. As matters stand to-day, the Japanese must be in gtfavc doubt .of*their ability to advance any further, because they are evidently in . no doubt their original expectations had been unwarranted. . They are in retreat over the Owen Stanley Mountains, and las action on the northern side of the range by Allied aircraft is as much responsible as the resistance of the Australian Army, the enemy, is probably justified in thinking New Guinea no place for his troops when he cannot give them enough air cover. In all of their previous operations the Japanese have made the most of their Air Force, capture of bases facilitating their advance as much. no anything else. In New Guinea and the Solomons the story of the campaign has consistently been one of Allied aii* mastery from the day Kookum aerodrome on Guadalcanal Island came into Allied occupation. General Mac-. Arthui*’s forces, however, have latterly been even more aggressive than those of Admiral Ghormley, and his strategy is deserving of. commendation in the light of. the enemy’s volte face in NewGuinea. On the other hand,, since meeting greater opposition in the South Pacific than any uiet Earlier, Japanese strategy appears comparatively faulty, when losses are counted up in men, material and territory. It is obviously too qarly to draw.the conclusion that the enemy’s eouthward offensive has been finally thwarted, and he may be conceiving a new attack, but its chances, considering the Allied reinforcement, cannot be reckoned as good as those of the two earlier attacks, unless very mucli larger forces are used, and used with better judgement. General MacArthur meantime has at least begun to make good his parting words in the Philippines that he was coming back.