South Africa’s War Effort

Southland Times, Issue 24650, 23 January 1942, Page 7

South Africa’s War Effort

J SOUTH AFRICA FIGHTS. By J. S. M. Simpson. Hodder & Stoughton, London, through W. S. Smart, Sydney. Price 7/6 net. Many books are already being written about the war; but it is doubtful if the earlier part of South Africa’s contribution to the general effort will be better described than in J. S. M. Simpson’s concise narrative. It goes back to the pre-war years, revealing the subtle methods used by the Nazis in their propaganda campaign, and explaining the political background at the beginning of the struggle. |Not many persons in this part of the world realize ■ the extent of South Africa’s unpreparedness, in a psychological as well as a military sense, in 1939. Mr Simpson makes it easier to understand the political and racial divisions which had to be bridged before defence preparations could make any real advance. He passes from preparation' to the eve of the East African campaign, to the little known air fighting over jungle and desert, and to the parts now being played by South Africans in all the theatres of war. Much has happened since the book was written; there will be new and prouder chapters to be added to later volumes. But enough is written here—and written with a notable firmness and clarity of style—to show why the South Africans (“Tanks Among Men” they are called by British officers) are in the vanguard of the freedom armies.