The Grey River Argus WEDNESDAY, May 19, 1943. ITALY’S PLIGHT.

Grey River Argus, 19 May 1943, Page 4

The Grey River Argus WEDNESDAY, May 19, 1943. ITALY’S PLIGHT.

The position in which Italy finds herself to-day is certainly not an enviable one. Whatever ; other moves the United Nations | may be planning against Europe ; it is not likely that she will ( escape lightly front the offensives » which are already indicated as the outcome of the Tunisian victory. With her inadequate defences she is, among the Axis or Axis-controlled countries in Europe, one of the least prepared to resist invasion. Her armies, moreover have had little success in the present war to give the nation a feeling of military confidence. Almost through the whole of the campaign in North Africa they were faced with reverses, and the manner in which thp troops allowed themselves to be taken prisoner shows that they had little will for the fight. Now

Italy may find hcrsell' compelled to receive the first, onslaught against the European stronghold of her ally in a war which she did not begin and which she.-has not waged with much enthusiasm. Moreover, even if she accepts the advice offered by the Allies and makes a separate peace she is still not faced with a very happy position. Technically an ally of Germany, Italy is, in many respects , at present, not in a very different position from that of the countries conquered and occupied by Germany. The whole -country, it appeal’s from reports, is well under German military control or could be macle so at a moment’s notice. Hitler’s warm assurance that he will stand by Italy merely means that he will, use .Italy for his own ends. The relations between the two countries can never have been satisfactory. The Italian people have not shown much friendship towards the Germans and the alliance seems to have been formed on Mussolini's assumption that as fascist dictatorships the two countries had a common destiny and that he was backing the right horse in enter-; ing the. war on Germany’s side. | From the time she joined with > Germany, however. Italy’s pres-j tige and' that of Mussolini himself t have dwindled enormously. The | dictator of whom Hitler once seemed to be nothing 'but an upstart imitator, finds himself simply an agent for carrying out German plans. The people of a Catholic country arc linked with a nation which, it has been claimed, has made the Catholic Church second only to th-'. Jews as the object of persecution. It is

ironical that Italy may have to bear the".first brunt of an onslaught of which, the real objective is Germany. The strength, of opinion in Italy in favour .of a separate peace would’ be difficult to estimate in view of the fact that for a long time all expression of opinion there has been allowed only in one quarter. But it seems fairly certain that the people are not stirred by much wish to embark on dubious enterprises for imperial aggrandisement. Furthermore they have been engaged in warfare of one kind or another for a long time without and advantage to themselves yet becoming apparent. The Abyssinian campaign and the fighting in Spain during the civil war had drawn, even if not very greatly, on the manpower of the nation, 'without much return in national glory or economic advantage. To date Italy has not only Iqst her military gains in Abyssinia but all the engineering and technical skill—and it was not small—which she. put into the development of her North African empire. Now she is faced with an invasion of her own country at a time when Germany is in an extremely doubtful position in Russia and is suffering terrific < strain at home through the Allied I air raids. The situation is cer-

tainly very different from that .which existed when she decided to throw in her lot with Germany. How she will deal with it is a matter which must cause her very grave concern, for she is faced by a problem which England had not to face when she was threatened by invasion—a possible disinclination on the part of the people to support the decision of the authorities.