NEWS OF THE WEEK
WITH the war going favourably in every theatre, and the flowing tide turning into a torrent in Russia, where Stalin- grad has been definitely relieved with a loss to the Germans of 50,000 prisoners, and quite half that number of dead and wounded, and other offensives beginning at Rzhev and elsewhere, there is danger of a little unreasonable impatience at the failure of events to move everywhere at the pace to which we suddenly became accustomed three weeks ago. In New Guinea, Libya and Tunisia that is not happening. The capture of Gona has not been followed by the capture of Buna quite as soon as was expected, but with American and Australian forces within three or four miles of the town its reduction will no doubt be reported at any moment. The position in the Solomons, thanks to the American naval victories and the steady advance from Guadalcanal, goes on improving. In Libya the Eighth Army's advance is slowed down by bad weather and lengthening communications, but Rommel is almost back at El Agheila and the question whether he proposes to stand there will soon be decided. That, no doubt, depends in part on the Axis policy in Tunisia. It is clear that desperate efforts are being made to strengthen the bridgehead round Tunis and Bizerta and hold it indefinitely, and we have to recognise that so long as it is held the Mediterranean is closed to Allied shipping as tightly as ever. There may possibly be an endeavour to get the remainder of Rommel's forces into the bridgehead to reinforce the troops constantly arriving there by air. The effect of that would be to enable General Mont- gomery to join General Anderson in the assault ; the accession of the air-force attached to the Eighth Army would be of par- ticular value, for with the Luftwaffe concentrated in Sardinia and Sicily we are rather seriously short in Tunisia of that air-supremacy which has proved the decisive factor in so many theatres of war.
