The British victory, they said, brought a number of strategic consequences, Firstly, it threw the Axis back 700 mies from Alexandria and 800 miles from the Suez Ca. al, making impossible an effective bombing campaign from African bases against British naval power in the eastern Mediter-
Secondly, it gave the R.A.F. bases withi> easy bombing range of Sicily, h is less than 45 miles from Benghazi, Thus the R.A.F. will be able to cooperate with the Fleet's air in frustrating Chancellor Hitler's pt to close the central Mediter-an channel by bombing opera-tio from Sicilian bases, Thirdly, it deprives Italy of an important naval base and port and makes it almost impossible to reinforce Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, Commander-in-Chief of Italy's African Forces, as the lanes betwee Italy and the remaining port, Tripoli, are under constant surveillance by British air and naval units, Thus it appears that Tripolita~ia is at the mercy of General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief of Brittish Forces in the Near East, if chooses to continue to advance, Fourthly, Chancellor Hitler's only remaining hope of shahi g the British grip on the eastern Mediterranean appears to lie in a thrust through the Balkans, but even if the Nazi leader sards his forces as far as Istanbul, they still will be more tha> 800 miles from the Suez Canal.—United Press, Prisoners to Build Road Capetown, Feb. 8, Four thousand Italian prisoners will be employed on the construction of a national road from Capetown to Worcester, 109 miles away, and through the Montagu Pass, The remainder of the total of 20.- 000 which the South African Government has agreed to accommodate will be employed in other state departments.—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.