NEWS OF THE WEEK IT is characteristic of the complete
incalculability of this 1. phase of the war that whereas it is still uncertain as these words are written whether the Battle for Britain has really aegun, all doubt on that point may have been dispersed by the time they are read a few hours later. As our contributor " Strategicus " shows on another page, the intensified air-attacks of the past week—and their failure—can be variously inter- preted. They may have been an end in themselves or they may have been a means to an end, the domination of the English Channel in preparation for an attempted invasion. In any case they failed, and the marked slackening of the attack on Wednesday after the German loss of 78 machines on Tues- day may indicate some faltering of purpose. An attempt at Invasion by a country which holds command of neither the sea nor the air would be a doubly suicidal enterprise. On the other hand, Hitler cannot afford to stand still. For that reason the prediction that the next ten days will see the climax of the battle, which means for us the climax of the war, may well be Justified. Meanwhile, the renewal of the air-war on Italy now that the lengthening nights admit of that extended flight is of the best augury. It is obviously the right strategy to strike hard at the weaker partner in the Axis whenever possible. Not much can be done by sea while the Italian fleet remains in harbour, and on land the French defection has left us tempor- arily at a disadvantage. But here, as elsewhere, the R.A.F. may in time, and no long time, prove the decisive factor.
