Show I Behind the War News Major Maior Eliot Eli t m I By Major 1 Georgo Fielding Eliot The Canadian British capture of C Caen en is an ari important gain But we should re recognize that the taking of Caen like Uke the capture capture capture cap cap- ture of La Haye du Pulls by hy the American 1st army is a tactical tactiCal tactical cal gain Headlines which tellus tell tellus tellus us how far Caen is from Paris are just examples of sensational wishful thinking at this stage of the game Barring a general German collapse of fighting morale of ot which there is no present Indication Indication Indi Indi- cation or a German decision lon to withdraw fro from the w whole ole area which Is more lik ly y than a collapse col- col lapse but of which there is no present indication either we weare weare are are still sUlI fighting for t tactical and logistical gains in Normandy We do not yet have a cl t l I foothold oo hold In France to be- be begin begIn gin gln the seeking of g gains What We need most of all aU is more room room room-room room to deploy deploy deploy de de- de- de ploy large forces room to establish establish lish depots of supplies room to establish air fields room to carry out systematic relief of tired units unite nits above all aH room to maneuver We are cramped In oUr present shallow bridgehead even with the c comparatively small number of troops we are arc arenow arenow now using And we weare are not secure not by any means We W have succeeded so 80 far beca because of the continuous and nd successful efforts of ot our air force f to isolate the battle field Those efforts have been badly Impeded by the weather but they have been s 's successful In suf suf- sul- sul degree to prevent nt the Germans from cringing bringing gIng to bear against us sufficient lent ground strength to push us back They could not break br ak through the Canadian British dlan d defensive e f fen e n si 51 v e c shield in the Caen sector and they could not prevent the American offensive wing from taking tatting Cherbourg behind the protection of or that shield Now we have our port and we have our bur consolidation on the defens defensive ve flank the one the Germans Ger Ger- mans maCs can get at most easily Our next task Is to deepen our bridgehead We shall not be really secure cure firmly f established and able to prepare to seek seel stra tra strategic objectives until un U we have possession of the whole of what we may call can the Normandy peninsula the peninsula the triangle lying be- be bet t tween we e n Cherbourg Avranches and Caen When our right flank rests on onA A Avranches and the estu estuary ry of the river and our left flank is firmly dug in around Caen and the estuary of the Orne when the Caen Avranches-Caen highway Is behind our front af affording affording af- af fording us good lateral communications when we hold the high ground south of of- that road particularly the heights which lie He astride the road from Av Avranches y- y ranches to Falaise r. r all aU these things are are ain accomplished then we can begin 1 k in terms of more mor distant ac om- om The g ot more room for tor maneuver and supply of a Secure se secure secure se- se cure foothold from which to set ct ourselves for major eff effort rt is our immediate purpose Of course the greater C the damage we can an do to the enemy in the pro process ess th the themore more quickly w we we can get our fighting room and the better use use we can make of It when we get it jt At the the themo moment mo me- ment our holdings arc are too small to justify the taking of risks which our commanders might Ight quite readily assume if they were more securely 4 A man standing on the edge of or a dock with only his toes on the timber and with his heels hanging over the water is not well ell placed to strike hard at an opponent even though he has a friend who keeps grabbing at that opp opponents opponent's nent's arms to prevent th them m from landing a full bl blow w. w The man on the edge of the dock will want to inch forward a little lillie to get his his his' feet feel feet firmly I placed so that he can put some weight into his his' blows without always haying to think about keeping his balance atance His ultimate purpose Is to beat his opponent into submission submission sion slon but before he can do that he must get to a position where where he can ma make e full tUll use of his own strength That Is the present situation of the allies in oril mandy l' l a |