NEWS OF THE WEEK
ONLY one complaint figured at all conspicuously in the debate on the Army Estimates on Tuesday—apart from Mr. Stokes's hardy annual on the subject of tanks—that regarding the inadequate publicity given to the achievements of the Army at all stages of the war. Late publicity is inadequate amends for failure in the issue of ,hot news, but Sir James Grigg's review of a period of "practi- cally unbroken success on land" did something to set British achievements in a juster perspective. The review bore testimony to the part taken by the British in preparations before D-Day, and the part taken by the British Army in the critical Caen-Falaise area. It revealed that Field-Marshal Montgomery's exposition of the plan given before the invasion showed in advance the disposition of the Allied forces just as they were, in fact, when lined up vic- toriously on the Seine on D-Day+80. We are left in no doubt about the success of Montgomery's brilliant leadership of the combined forces up to the moment of the achievement of the greatest victory. Sir James Grigg's statement also sets in its right perspective the nature of the critical task performed by the Canadian Army (two thirds of which consists of United Kingdom troops) in clearing the country between the Maas and the Rhine, and drawing away German forces which had been in the line further south. He was able to describe something of the arduous and brilliant achieve- ments of our troops in Burma, who have won ascendancy over the biggest .Japanese army which has yet been in action. Nor must Italy be forgotten. Field-Marshal Alexander has twice been deprived of troops, American or French, which were needed for the invasion of France, but has none the less, after a succession of victories, held on his front one-third of the German forces in Europe other than those engaged against the Russians. The record leaves no doubt that we have been well served by splendidly trained troops, and by brilliant generals, and that for the most part the equipment they have used has been prepared with prolonged and adequate fore- thought, and in workshops which have performed their indispensable part. The campaigns have gone well. Deserved credit should be given to the planners.
