HEALTHY ANGER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24951, 25 June 1942, Page 5

HEALTHY ANGER

THE LIBYAN DEFEAT FEELING IN BRITAIN LEADERSHIP QUESTIONED - (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent.) (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 23. Not at any time throughout the war have the British people been more angry than they are at present over the Libyan defeat. After Dunkirk the people were coldbloodedly resolute, realising that the British Army had not had much chance in face of an army which had been preparing for years. The Greece and Crete reverses were judged in something of the same light, while the fall of Hongkong, although felt seyerely, was also accompanied by certain extenuating circumstances. Nevertheless, there was a growing restiveness under those defeats. Sharp Anti-climax ' Now comes the third reverse in Libya after rosy statements saying that Marshal Rommel's offensive plans had gone completely awry and that we had no reason to be dissatisfied with the position or the armaments. Thus the public were led to believe that the Eighth Army would, if not victorious, certainly not be defeated. Then came the sharp anti-climax with Tobruk falling in far less time than the British required to take it from the despised Italians. Sir John Wardlaw-Milne summed up in the House of Commons the views felt by the public when he said: "We want to know where the blame lies. While having the highest admiration for the work and endurance of the troops we have no longer any confidence in the military direction of the war." The rumbling approval with which this statement was greeted In the House of Commons echoes throughout the country. Some members pressed for an immediate debate, but the insistence of the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr C. R. Attlee, that fuller facts must be available first, met with general approval, while it was realised that a debate without Mr Churchill would be inconclusive. Military Leaders The public uneasiness is confirmed by reports from war correspondents who have had very wide experience of these Libyan campaigns. The correspondent of the Daily Mail, Mr Alexander Clifford, frankly thinks the British Army was not handled to the best advantage, and indicates that the system of communications was not much better than it was in France. The correspondent of the Manchester Guardian pertinently raises the question whether the right men are in the right place, and adds significantly: " To appoint a general as the head of an armoured division merely because he has been successful in other fields and is top of the seniority list, is not good enough. Tank fighting is a highly specialised job." The Daily Express correspondent, Mr Alan Moorehead, also significantly says: "Because the Germans have plenty of technicians they would never have placed infantry commanders in charge of armoured divisions or vice versa. We have a real lack of trained officers of the rank of colonel and brigadier, and that lack is beginning to tell more and more in the desert." The Libyan defeat, coming at the present time, greatly adds to the complexity of the Allies' strategy. It means the re-equipment and strengthening of the Eighth Army at a time when everything is needed to help Russia and open up a second front, and when the shipping position is undergoing a most severe strain. Ominous Movements Just what all the consequences will be it is difficult to foresee, but it is certainly obvious that Egypt is next on Marshal Rommel's list. It is expected that air-borne troops will assist him. the same as they did at Tobruk. The fact that the Middle East Bomber Command has been bombing Crete and the Dodecanese Islands for the past few weeks is an indication that the Germans are storing up trouble there, and that at any time may be ready to launch a concerted parachute and airborne infantry attack from these bases. This would synchronise with Marshal Rommel's attack. • It would tie down British reserves and divert the attention' of the R.A.F.

A realisation of the potential seriousness of these movements increases the public's anger, which should not be confused with mere carping and niggling criticism. It is strong, healthy anger.