GALLIPOLI AND NORWAY

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21100, 30 April 1940, Page 6

GALLIPOLI AND NORWAY

An appeal to the British people to profit in the Norwegian campaign by the lessons learned at Gallipoli has been made by Admiral Sir Roger Keyes on an Anzac Day occasion. Whatever might have been the failures in strategy at Gallipoli—expert opinion still cannot agree on the point—there certainly was a miscalculation, a hesitancy or a bungling of tactics which led to the withdrawal from the peninsula just when, as some authorities aver, success was within the grasp of the Allied forces. This is a new war and an entirely new set of circumstances obtains in Norway, but Sir Roger Keyes has reminded the world that the Norwegian does in some respects bear a remarkable resemblance to that at Gallipoli. “We were not defeated by the enemy at Gallipoli but by a pusillanimous Government, torn by conflicting advice and fearful of responsibility, which failed to make the brave decisions which would most surely have led to victory,” the admiral said. He added that it was torture to watch the sufferings of the soldiers when he knew that a bold naval stroke would end them, and perhaps win the war. As far as can be judged in the present campaign there has been no conflict of advice and no hesitation in the “bold stroke of the Navy.” Perhaps this has been due to the lessons of Gallipoli, or perhaps there was simply no two thoughts in the minds of the British authorities. Already a great part of the German Navy and a considerable tonnage of German transports have been sent to the bottom of the sea. The British Government has been at pains to warn the public that it should not expect immediate spectacular results from the campaign on land in Norway. Germany gained the advantage of being first in the field, and particularly in seizing all but one of the useful aerodromes and all the best harbours. But the landing forces have not had to face the terrible task that confronted those who made the first heroic landings on Gallipoli. Nevertheless their work has been extremely arduous, and in all the circumstances the Allies appear to be satisfied with the progress already made. The most uncertain quantity seems to be the effectiveness of Germany’s means of communication across the sea. Possibly this is what Sir Roger Keyes means in his reference to a “bold naval stroke.”