contemptible that the authorities there shnaW make it harder for Britain to set France at liberty .

War Rev iewed The It may depend upon how sweeping Japanese control of the colony loss of two or three ships, the haz- promises to be whether the AngloBy W. R. PLIEWMAN may have justified Saxon powers will make any ardous venture (Thursday. Jnly 24, 1941) itself. counter-move of a military nature important sea and sir battle An The British report a sea and air have been fought in battle near Pantellaria, in which an or freeze Japanese credits or ban appears to the central Mediterranean area yes- Italian convoy was attacked, three all exports of war material or foodterday between the British and supply ships sunk and a destroyer stuffs to China . They could sever diplomatic relations and stop al1l' Axis forces. The British govern- damaged . trade with Japan . The cutting off ment, having urgent plans of prime Japaa Moves t3outhward But . . . impo ^~ in northern Africa and Japanese warships and troopships of all war material might drive the ' ;ast, and hoping that appeared at Camranh Bay in French Japan into an attack on the Dutch aaly .~, :'demoralized, ventured to Indo-China as Japan prepared to East Indies . The cutting off of all _ send ,z `large convoy of war ma- take over new sea and air bases in trade relations probably would give terial through the inland sea in decolony . Vichy and rise to war - between Japan and 2iance of enemy bombing planes, that French Britain and the U.S. Tokyo profess to believe that the submarines and destroyers. Most An understanding was reached war supplies 2or the eastern Medi- British and Free French forces, between the U.S., Britain and the go around with the aid possibly of Chinese Dutch East Indies 2or common terranean from Britain the Cape of Good Hope on a 10- troops were about to take posses- action in the event of certain deweek route . The British could not sion of French Indo-China. Vichy velopments . Exactly what those hope to send a convoy secretly suggests that she is allowing Japan developments were has not been the Mediterranean, as to take French Indo-China into disclosed . through Probably they were enemy agents in Spain and Morocco protective custody because of what direct attacks on the territory or keep tab on every British move- the British did in Syria . The Brit- shipping of one another. The occument through the Straits of Gibral- ish moved to forestall the Germans pation of French Indo-China by Japanese forces may not have been included although such a move would be an indirect threat if not a direct threat to all three. Japan can say that she is improving her military position in that quarter so as to cuY off- war supplies for China and force Chiang Kai-shek to make peace . The Anglo-Saxon powers are backing China against Japanese aggression and have reason to negative such a move. There should be no more appeasement in the Far East . China and her friends are in a good position to deal with any fresh acts o1 Japanese aggres5ion . Russians Baffle Germans The military situation on the Russian front 'appears to be better than it was a week or ten days ago, For the time being the Russians appear to have smothered the German efforts to widen the Smolensk wedge and break the Russian armies into two separated and isolated groups which could be destroyed at leisure . Berlin semi-officially claims today that they have had a considerable success on the north side of the wedge, that they captured some 13,000 Russians at that point . There may be little occasion for concern on that score . On the south side of the wedge the Russians were so menacing that the German forces had to give up their attempts to tar. Axis air forces, consisting in Syria and tq~i`ht _i1~Y~ had ~aatsse eaatwtd and to contetrt mainly of torpedo planes, attacked equally good reason to forestall the themselves with digging in and trythe convoy . Rome, as usual, gives Japanese in French Indo-China . ing to hold the ground at the point The writer believes that Japan is of the wedge. the first report of the battle to the world, which probably is as far preparing to make much more imGerman checks east o2 Smolensk from the truth as its reports of portant moves than the obtaining appear to have been costly. In the previous engagements have been . of bases in French Indo-China. Her Orsha sector, far to the west and It clams that two large British ves- move there may be largely of a slightly south of Smolensk, German sels carrying supplies, one of them defensive character so as to be in forces were surrounded and many an ammunition ship, were sunk, as readiness to make a grab for Siberia prisoners taken. At Rudnya, west of well as a destroyer, and that seven should the Russian armies in Smolensk the Russians improved British planes were shot down and Europe collapse or the Germans their position. Russian bombers harassed German troop4 in this region, On the Baltic front the Germans were held, thanks to heavy Russian artillery, Germane were forced to retreat near Pskov, Figures on the long L-column map signify (1) Germans and Finns advance close to Petrozavodsk, threatening to isolate Murtnansk and Archangel . (2) Russians drive Germans back in the Baltic sector. (3) Germane in the wedge at Smolensk in difficulties. (4) and (5) Little change in the southern sectors . Thlnga Lootin; Better The outcome of the battle on the eastern front depends upon the extent to which the opposing armies have throws in their available reserves. Nearly one-half of the German reserves have been drawn vETaoZeroof~r into the conflict because one-third of the divisions with which the Germans began the battle have been so badly mauled they had to be withdrawn for repairs and recuperation . Probably 40 German divisions have been forced to retire I,ENINGQAC G)` for reorganization . An even larger number of Russian divisions may have been reduced until they had tittle fighting value. Berlin claims that the remnants o1 18 Russian divisions fought on together ineffectively. This it gives as evidence r that the last Russian reserves have r/ e 4ERMA~Y been thrown into the fray . ~ r~ Russia is a country of vast .~ ._ . .~ .^ ~ MOSCOW r ~ .YlK fMA,IE distances with many millions of .~?DA, trained men . General mobilization .E' _' ARSaW--.~ ms ordinarily takes several weeks . At -~.. .~oaR~is~ least seven crack divisions are QBravT _ ..,. R ~wattle-front . The ~ checking of the Germans and Finns to nearly every important sector is attributed by the Germans to the fa d arrival of large Russian reinforce~Ml.Q I ments . An Italian newspaper says the German advance has been ~fTl-pfOGd41 fits' ,Y// " slowed down by stiff Russian re'!JT! sistance . A neutral military expert who has lust reached Sweden from E.r- trE~~orur . ,Russia says that 10 days ago the Russians had only 100 divisions at the front and that 200 other divisions had not been engaged . If that is true the German armies will be defeated . Fifty Russian divisions are reported to remain in Siberia, and should be a match for any Japanese force that could be assembled without dropping active warfare against the Chinese . A Chinese offensive may develop within a month . Although the reports about Russian reserves may give too favorable a picture. it does seem to be true that the Russians USA have put scores of thousands of A S ( SCALE INS fresh troops into the area between fN o ,, rj K E Y ~ aa0 Moscow and Smolensk and that the j, . possibility of holding the enemy on every vital front is increasing. Germany used 100 planes in a British battleship, three cruisers, reach Moscow. Undoubtedly Japan the third night onlq raid on Moscow. a destroyer and several other cargo hopes her southern move will preThree Times In a S,ow ships damaged. The Italian capital vent the Anglo-Saxon powers from For the third night in a row boasts that the Italians lost only concentrating their efforts against three planes, that all of their war- Germany. It is expected to be of the British air force have bombed ships returned to port safely with high nuisance value to the Axis . Frankfurt and Mannheim. Ostend 4light damage, and that only one The vvw.~ that Japan is deliberately and 7x Havre were attacked . Early other Italian ship was sunk . chall . : : vtg $ritain and the US . to today the Boulogne and Calais areas As the convoy had to sail at least battle is questionable but its conse- were raided . German air forces 1,000 miles after the battle before It quences may be more serious to appeared in greater . strength yesreached its destination, the British Japan than she expected them to terday and the British lost IS planes had reason for not hurrying to dis- be . to the enemy's 16. Berlin claims close details of the battle and the that four times as many British Vichy has consented, in principle, planes were destroyed . Widely state of their supply ships and esscatto the Japanese occupation of addi- tered raids, not very corting warships. Later today, or heavy, were tomorrow, the British account of tional bases in southern Indo- made on British centres last night. the battle may be to hand. It will China but the agreement has not An Italian rumor suggests U.S . subbe surprising it it does not reveal been worked out in detail . Even marines are moving in the Mediterheavier Italian losses. If the bulk those who wish to be fair to Vichy ranean. Anthony Eden ha : warned of the convoy got through with the . will have to admit that it seems Spain to be more friendly.

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