THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Wednesday, July 14, 1943. TECHNIQUE OF INVASION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25277, 14 July 1943, Page 2

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Wednesday, July 14, 1943. TECHNIQUE OF INVASION

The Allied operations in Sicily are providing the world with a ' classic demonstration of the new technique of invasion. It is apparent now that Mr Churchill had Sicily immediately in mind when he told the House of Commons, early last month, that it was evident that “ large-scale amphibious operations of peculiar complexity and hazard ” were approaching. A few days before he had conferred with the Allied service chiefs in North Africa, and while those consultations were in progress the “ softening ” of Italy’s island outposts by air bombing was already under way. This relentless bombing was in itself a reminder, if any were needed after North Africa, that attack from the air was no longer merely an accompaniment of military operations on a scale meant to be decisive, but the indispensable preliminary to them. The Sicilian undertaking, so far as it has developed, has shown what can be achieved by the skilful planning- and timing of offensive movements designed to permit of the maximum co-ordination between the services. It was the task of the bombers to prepare the way for invasion by destroying, as far as possible, the enemy’s airfields, harbour installations, transport systems, and strongpoints. Then both fighter and bomber arms of. the air force had to provide the aerial screen for the actual invasion attempt, in which naval units were required for escort purposes and to cover landing operations. Some impression of the magnitude of the naval task is gained when it is realised that more than 2000 ships of all kinds took part in the landings, and that the casualties in the first dangerous stages were light because “ the attack on the island came as a tactical surprise.” Even when it is admitted that possession of the initiative carries with it the advantage of surprise it is still a cause for wonderment that operations conceived on a scale so vast and complex could be carried out with an almost complete paralysis of the enemy’s power to offer effective resistance. It is obvious that, apart altogether from the deadly efficiency of the preliminary air attack on Sicilian and Italian mainland objectives, the Allies have perfected what may be regarded as a new art of combined operations. Present-day invasion, in brief, is to be interpreted not only in terms of preparatory bombing and the establishment of conveni-ently-located fighter bases, but also in terms of the use that can be made of air-borne divisions and paratroops to wreck communications, seize landing grounds, and, if possible, hold advanced positions pending the arrival of the main forces. It is still too early to anticipate the easy completion of the Sicilian venture. All competent observers are agreed that enemy opposition, in the strength that must be expected, has not yet been encountered, and that much hard fighting lies ahead. But it is undeniable that a secure foothold has been gained and consolidated, that important positions have been occupied, that the Axis has been temporarily overshadowed in the air, and that mass landings of men and equipment are being continued under conditions of comparative immunity from enemy molestation. This makes a sum total of achievement that is wholly remarkable, and gives cause for sanguine hopes of a much wider. Allied success in the near future.