PANTELLERIA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 265, 8 November 1937, Page 11

PANTELLERIA

A FACTOR IN HISTORY ROLE IN MEDITERRANEAN ITALIAN STRONGHOLD The contemplated fortification by Italy of the island of Pantelleria, near Malta, in the Mediterranean, gives much food for thought, writes the Geneva correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor. For, in the opinion of many naval experts. Pantelleria is capable of commanding, to a considerable extent, the great sea route which the British regard as vital. It is well, therefore, to understand precisely what is Pantelleria, a relatively unknown rock which has suddenly assumed such importance. The facts concerning it are simple enough. It is, as any encyclopaedia will inform us, situated 62 miles south by west of the south-western extremity of Sicily, and 44 east of the north African coast. Its population is usually reckoned under 10,000. It is of volcanic origin, 45 square miles in area. It rises 2743 feet above sea level. A point to note, in present circumstances, is that though it is fertile it is lacking in fresh water. Another point is that the only harbour is fit for small steamers. One may learn further that here was a neolithic village, with a ramcart of the obsidian era. The early population was presumably African, not Sicilian, of Iberian or Ibero-Ligu-rian stock. Then after an uninhabited period, the Carthagenians took possession, since the island furnished an important station on the way to Sicily, about the seventh century B.C. The Romans 500 years later occupied it. It has in turn been taken by the Arabs, by the Sicilians, by the Spanish, and by the Turks. At present, after a long and very varied history, it belongs to the Sicilian province of Trapani, and it looks as though it may again be the centre of historic events. Ms Potential Power Why? Those who recollect the submarine campaign in the Mediterranean during the World War will not need any reminder of Pantelleria’s potential significance. Near this island lit was that the German boats waited for their prey. A glance at the map will show that the Mediterranean is virtually cut in two—the eastern and the western basins—by a series of dispositions which reduce the available passage between, the Tunisian coast and Sicily to a width of, roughly, 100 ! sea miles.

How is this possible in a sea which appears so broad? In the first place lhe island of Sicily stretches across the sea which is already relatively narrow here; and on the African side the Cape Bon protrudes itself. Between Sicily and Italy there is the Messina passage, but it can easily be barred to all but Italian traffic, since it is of little more importance than a canal.

But this is not all. The 100 sea miles between Cape Granitola, in Sicily, and Cape Bon, in Tunista, are considerably reduced by the existence of banks—rightly known as the Banks ot Adventure—off the Sicilian coast. Ir wartime it would be easy to close these shallow waters, strewn with rocks, to ships of any size. Thus the channel is again restricted. The real route, therefore, lies between these banks and Tunisia, and not far from the narrowest part of the passage is the island of Pantelleria. It is obvious that Pantelleria, expertly employed, would prove to be a formidable obstacle on the route to the East.

From the vantage point of the extinct crater, rising high above the sea, a lookout can be kept on all that arm of the Mediterranean. And it is certain that the island can be strongly fortified, and that shipping in the middle of the channel can be placed under the fire of land batteries. A “Second Gibraltar” Hence the suggestion, freely made in the Continental newspapers, that Pantelleria may become a “second Gibraltar.” That sounds like an exaggeration, and it probably is. But there can be no doubt that the island is, from a strategic viewpoint, remarkably well situated, and it cannot be neglected. Authorities, however, deprecate the possibility of converting Pantelleria into a naval base. As such it cannot compare with Bizerta, much less Gibraltar, nor even with Malta. Bizerta, the French port, lies to the west in Tunisia, while Malta is situated below the other extremity of Sicily, at a distance of 120 miles. Pantelleria’s natural disadvantage is that it cannot provide adequate harbourage. There is a bay to the north-west, but it is not deep and is obstructed by rocks;

and although it can be improved, it will always be, at best, a precarioui port for large vessels. When this discount is made it remains (hat Pantelleria is capable of becoming an exceedingly useful station, easily defended, an offensive advance post; and particularly is it designed to be an aeroplane base in the narrow waters which separate the west and the east basins of the Mediterranean. Minelayers and submarines can likewise find shelter here. In short, it would be foolish to underestimate the potential peril to Mediterranean shipping in time of war that Pantelleria could become. Britain and Italy Whether it will or not must depend on Anglo-Italian relations. Until a short time ago, Italy was on the friendliest terms with England. They were traditionally partners in the Mediterranean. It seemed hardly possible that they would one day be rivals. But the antagonism aroused by the Italo-Ethiopian war has not subsided. A "gentleman’s agreement" has indeed been signed, and there is little doubt that the British Foreign Office would like to "liquidate" the quarrel. Other forces, however, are stirring up popular opinion on both sides; and the Spanish civil war has not ameliorated relations. Is Italy aiming at supremacy in the [Mediterranean? If so, then it appears [inevitable that Italy will come into collision with England. Does England nurse a grudge against Italy? If so. there will be a tense situation in which Italy will increasingly prepare to avail itself of whatever advantages it possesses. Political wisdom would bring the dispute, whatever may be its causes, wherever lies the balance of right and wrong, to an end. It is foolish to persist in hostility, however sound may be the moral basis of indignation, for the result may be disastrous. In the meantime, Pantelleria, a poor, lonely, volcanic island in the Mediterranean, of which few people had thought, is now prominent in diplomacy, and may become a factor in history.