LONDON OPINION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 27 November 1942, Page 2

LONDON OPINION

TIDE TURNED AT STALINGRAD ODDS AGAINST HITLER (Rec. 12.15 p.m. ) London, Nov. 25 # The tide has turned at Stalingrad. It may sweep the Germans right bat *c t.o Voi’onej and Rostov to the line from which they began their summer campaign. That will mean another failure for Hitler, and coming on top of the North African setbacks it will be a very serious blow for the Nazis. It also anticipated that the Russians will launch an offensive between Moscow and Leningrad. Well-informed circles express the opinion that Hitler's objective in attempting to secui’e Stalingrad wai psychological. It was the heart of the Soviet resistance and if he could get >t in addition to the Donetz and the Ukraine the Russians would have had s hungry winter prospect, perhaps followed by despair and collapse. In hTa effort to secure Stalingrad Hitler subordinated military considerations which, was a major blunder, and to make matters worse he tried to invade the nor—then Caucasus and also drive down the coast to Tuapse, eliminate the Black Sea Fleet, and then continue to Tiffi* and reach the rich Transcaucasus oiL He also attempted to take Grozny. The fact that Stalingrad did not fall mean* the odds are severely against him.P.A. Special Correspondent. NORTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN It is thought the Germans may a% tempt to hold a strip of the African coast between Tunis and Tripoli, also that the fight for Tunis and Bizerta will be very stiff, both being most powerfully defended from sea and land. Thii struggle for North Africa directly affects the Far Eastern war theatre for regained control of the Mediterranean would result in the saving of 70 per cent, of Allied shipping space which would allow a vastly increased quantity of war materials to reach India* thus speeding up the drive for Burma and for the support of China, which would then provide the spearhead against Japan, linking up into a pincer movement with the Australians and Americans in the Solomons theatre. It ! is a long term prospect, proving that the European struggle is intimately linked up with the Far East, and that neither one theatre nor the other can be regarded as a sideline.

Indications are not lacking that the Japanese realise the importance of Allied forces’ European advances, one being that they are warning Turkey to remain neutral. One reason for this is that the Japanese do not trust the Germans and regard Ankara as a more valuable source of information of German activities than Berlin itself. —P.A. Special Correspondent.