Daily Post - 02.02.1943, Síða 2

s
DAILY POST
is publlshed by
Blaðahringurinn.
Editors: S. Benediktsson.
A. L. Merson.
Offiee: 12, Austurstræti. Tel.
3715. Reykjavík. Printed by
Alþýðuprentsmiðjan Ltd.
Tuesday, Febr., 2nd, 1943
Australia.
The grave warning that has
reached the ears of the world
from Australia must be taken
with the utmost seriousness.
Let us look at the picture for a
moment from Japan’s point of
view. She has conquered a vast
rich Empire with a speed and
precision of movement une-
qualled in world history. But
the groundwork is being laid by
the Allies for an unbreakable
ring of steel around that Em-
pire, which will eventually be
strong enough to crush it, and
with it Japan proper. However,
in 1943, with the greater part
of their combined strength and
energy concentrated on the
coming European offensive, the
United Nations are in no posi-
tion to do more than use de-
laying and holding tactics in
the Far East taking the offen-
sive on a limited local scale by
land when the oportunity pre-
sents itself, and ön a larger, but
still defensive scale by air.
What moment, then, could be
more propitious for Japan than
the present one, if she is to fore-
stall the inevitable Allied offen-
sive in the Pacific and render
her conquests secure? With
Australia firmly in her hands,
she believes — and perhaps
rightly — that the United Na-
tions could never hope to defeat
her.
Japan’s strength, especially
on sea and in the air, has suf-
fered a serious reduction in the
past eight months. But let us
not deceive ourselves. We must
remember that the United
States, too, has suffered heavy
losses in fighting ships, and is
not free to concentrate as large
a relative proportion of her
Navy in the South-West Pacific
as can the enemy.
A fateful hour is about to
strike in the Far East—the
battle that follows will make
those that have preceded it pale
in comparison. But this time we
will not be unprepared. We
have taken the measure of the
DAILY P O S T
An jtmcrican View:
Hitler Is Eneireled
by Raymond Clapper.
Washington, Jan. 30th.
Informed opinion here regards the progress of the war from
now on to he largely a matter of the progress in transportation.
Facilities have been com-
pleted to place allied production
far beyond any production the
axis can possibly hope to attain.
Fresh American manpower is
pouring in every month in
terms of hundreds of thousands
to add to the vast allied forces
already in the.field.
A year ago the axis was de-
riding President Roosevelt’s call
for eight million tons of new
shipping during 1942, saying
that we would be several years
jn building this amount. We
built somewhat over eight mil-
lion tons during this one year;
and during 1943 we intend to
double that figure.
U-BOAT DANGER
That, of course, is the bright-
er side of the whole picture of
transportation. The darker side
is that a considerable number of
ships built last year will go to
the bottom of the ocean this
year unless we are more suc-
cessful in coping with German
submarines than we have been.
American officials regard
submarines as the only serious
unsolved problem of the war.
Even the submarine, devastat-
ing as it can be, will not be able
to stop the allies; but can only
siow down the offensive which
will be taking shape in the com-
ing months.
END OF MIDDLE EAST
CAMPAIGN
Following the capture of Tri-
poli, the war enters a new
phase. To all practical intents
the battle for the control of
Africa is over. The axis has
been defeated in its attempt to
construct a land bridge across
Africa to the Middle East.
The powerful Russian armies
enemy. The proved superiority
of Ameirca’s ships and planes
over Japan’s best will help to
balance our inevitable quanti-
tative inferiority, and the stout
hearts of free men will be a
match even for the vicious fana-
ticism animating our evil and
dangerous foe.
and thé tenacious British Eighth i
army undertook the task of i
breaking the German prongs in :
the Middle East: the Russians
driving back the German pin-
cers in the north while the
British concentrated on smash-
ing the other prong of the pin-
cers in North Africa.
GERMANS ON DEFENSIVE
The battle for the Tunisia
triangle is actually a new phase
of the war. It involves not so
much the battle for Africa as a
struggle for nearby-Europe. It
is the Germans’ first major de-
fensive campaign in the west.
Already the Russians have put
the Germans into a defensive ■
retreat in the east, and now ■
Germany begins her real rear-
guard fight in the west.
ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
There is complete confidence
in the High Command here that
the allied western offensive will
in time knock the Germans out
of Tunisia. This confidence is
qualified only on the question
of the amount of time the op-
eration will take—a question
that again revolves on the pro-
blem of the transportation thát
is necessary to get our troops
and supplies to the front in suf-
ficient quantities.
Amerlca Looks At
Her Horne Front.
Those who predicted that our
j entry into the war would ex-
pose us to some dreadful -ism
wex-e absolutely right. We are
becoming a hotbed of pedestri—
anism.
When all the old rubber and
metal has been sent off to the
Government, the garage will
make a nice place to keep a car.
* # *
The data called for on ration
: cards may seem more personal
; than necessary. Evidently a
j lady cannot buy a pound of
j sugar until the grocery clerk
j has gazed into her eyes.
* # *
On the night of the midtown
j blackout, 50,000 people went to
i Times Square to see what New
York looked like in the dark.
; They enjoyed themselves in a
nice way, and did not pick
fights or pockets.
But Iiitler will never be able
to break through the iron ring.
j In three summer campaigns
j Hitler has struck his terrific
i blows: the first summer in
i
' western Europe, and the last
two summers jn the east. With
the mighty forces at his com-
mand he inflicted severe pun-
ishment on the allies, but not a
punishment that was mortal.
Hitler begins the second de-
cade of his murderous rule sur-
rounded but not caught and, in
fact, still dangerous to ap-
proach. But his escape is im-
possible.
Medieal Aid To
ussia
Contributions so far are:
Already Acknowledged ......... ............ 1041 krónur.
(This figure was given in last Sunday Post, by a mis-
print, as 991. — Ed.).
Gifts may be handed to any member of the committee
or sent to “Daily Post”, clearly marked “Russia Fund”.
Collecting boxes will be found at the Y.M.C.A., the British
Sailors’ Society and the Sandes home.
Committee: Rev R.P.R. Anderson, British Sailors So-
ciety, Rev W. Betts, R.A.F. Chaplain, Rev C. N. Thomas,
Naval Chaplain, Dr. M. H. Scargill, Y. M. C. A., A. L.
Merson, Daily Post, Captain F. R. Stevenson (treasurer).