Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-06-26 | Page 3 | Observers See United Command for Allied Forces in Europe

Observers ef See United Command For Allied Forces in Europe 1 By NOLAND D NORGAARD I LONDON June 26 Quick creation of a unified command to weld American British and Canadian Canadian Cana Cana- dian forces into a coordinated fighting team for a blow against the European ean con continent nent w was s predicted predicted pre pre- Friday by qualified quarters To these observers the arrival of Major General Dwight D. D Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisen Eisen- hower as commander in the European European Euro Euro- theater of operations for American forces meant one thing The stage of preliminary planning planning planning plan plan- ning has passed to a phase of active preparation for using the powerful armies assembled in Brit Brit- ain Some said the new commanders commander's name was a significant symbol for Eisenhower in German means iron beater Wants ants Preparation He is s a believer In the theory that actual operations of a battle begin weeks and months before armies meet on the field and that the army which wins the preparation tion stage is most likely to win the fight Speculation on the possible makeup of a unified command for the armies in Britain was notably absent partly because Eisenhower has just arrived and partly because because because be be- cause the reverse in North Africa has brought a clamor for tor careful reexamination of the qualifications of British generals This clamor shows no signs of abating Writing in the Daily Herald General Sir Hubert Gough commander commander commander com com- mander of the Fifth British army in France in 1918 said a large proportion of the generals serving in the war office and at home have hardly seen een a shot fired in this war with the possible exception of some 10 days before Dunkerque He accused senior of officers of firing firing faring fir far ing junior generals who showed promise because of minor errors Mme b cyst N y yS S o oSo 5 S 'S a So 5 GENERAL EISENHOWER Name means Iron beater or because of standing up boldly for their considered opinions Two generals of great promise Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham and Robert H H. Haining are now walking walking walking walk walk- ing the streets of London for one or the other of these faults Sir Hubert wrote Relieved of Command Cunningham was relieved of command in North Africa after the British Libyan offensive failed to togo togo togo go as well as expected Haining has been general in the middle east Critics concede that formation of ofa ofa ofa a single fighting force of the United United United Unit Unit- ed States British and Canadian units presents substantial difficulties difficulties difficulties ties which can be solved only by a unified command One of the most obvious difficulties difficulties difficulties ties is the relation of air operations and ground fighting Eisenhower commands both air and land forces and the American command is convinced on the basis of recent fighting in the middle east that the dive-bomber dive is here hereto hereto hereto to stay for a while at least Military critics have been suggesting suggesting suggesting sug sug- gesting that experiences in Africa and elsewhere demonstrate that the separate British army andR and andR R RAF A F commands fail to give adequate adequate adequate ade ade- quate coordination The demand by British critics for dive-bombers dive has been growing in volume since those weapons weapon have proved so effective at Bir Sevastopol andin and andin andin in the Pacific