THE ABYSSINIAN WAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22344, 15 February 1936, Page 12

THE ABYSSINIAN WAR

With the exception of the war between Paraguay and Bolivia toward which civilisation maintained an extraordinarily indifferent attitude, there have been no military actions, since modern means of communication were available, about which less has been promptly known as the war in Abyssinia. The reason so far as the correspondence from the Abyssinian side is concerned is the same reason why the Italian forces have made such meagre progress in their invasion of the country. It is the long miles of difficult and often waterless country through .which roads have not been built and in which the flanks of the invader are more and more exposed to attack as his lines extend. It is understood that correspondents are not permitted by Abyssinia to accompany front line troops, but in any case the censorship is kept proof against leakage because the one channel of communication abroad is through Addis Ababa. From the Italian side the war news is just as sparse, this fact indicating that there is little in the achievements of the Italian forces which Mussolini wishes to tell the world. It may be taken for granted that there would be no restraint upon correspondents if there were Italian victories to record. During the week it was stated that Abyssinians had failed when they threw themselves against barbedwire entanglements. If the Abyssinians have made an attack of this kind in force they have departed from the scheme of tactics upon which they have built for ultimate victory. It has long been evident that the Abyssinian command intends not to give battle so long as terrain, climate and distance are the defender's allies. There has been a suggestion that the Abyssinian armies might readily lose their cohesion. Even so, the heaviest Italian task would lie ahead.