NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE fall of Koritza, heavy air attacks on three English cities—Birmingham, Bristol and Southampton—and a sharp drop in the figure of British shipping losses after some disturbingly high totals in the past month, are the most notable events of the week. Apart from home defence, the Greek theatre remains for the moment by far the most important. If Greece's remarkable initial successes can be exploited by her own forces, the British Navy and the Royal Air Force, Italy can be converted into what she has always been potentially, a dis- astrously heavy liability to her Axis partner. The British Government is not likely to be blind to that, and it is satisfac- tory that both Sir Archibald Wavell and Sir Arthur Longmore have been in Greece to confer with General Metaxas and his commanding officers. The Libyan front remains quiet, and no doubt it is wise to await Marshal Graziani's attack rather than launch an offensive against him with inferior numbers, but it is to be hoped that everything possible is being done to encourage revolt in Ethiopia now that the rains are over. Mean- while, continued air-attack on Italian industrial centres and the " invasion ports " in Southern Italy and Albania, together with the maximum support of the Greek armies by the Royal Air Force (the Navy can only seize what opportunities come to it), may between them deal Italy a blow under which the growing alarm, as evidenced by Signor Farinacci's querulous complaints Of an ill-thought-out campaign, may bring the whole regime into jeopardy. No more hopeful situation has arisen since the war began.
