STRATEGY: As of November

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Except for June, when the great French Army was routed in the field, World War II's second November was its most momentous month. For the first time both sides suffered terrible, perhaps decisive losses. The war definitely reached a bloody milestone. From November's disasters, either side might march to victory or ruin.

Britain was on the brink of admitting that, having stopped the Luftwafle by day, it could not cope with it by night. After Britain's industrial towns and ports had been individually, systematically smashed at night during three weeks of a new kind of mass air war, in Washington Ambassador Lord Lothian said he was still confident his country could hold its end up—provided there was enough help "from here."

Meantime, Britain's November merchant-shipping losses to the Germans, 60,000 tons a week, were up 40,000 a week since June. Gravely the question was raised as to whether help in large quantity from anywhere could reach Britain in the face of the ever-stiffening counter-blockade. And this raised the graver question of how tenable were the home islands themselves, not only the seat of empire but the forge of most of its war sinews and the one great base of its all-important sea arm.

If the British were on the brink, the Italians were now definitely on the run. For while it was forming new political alliances (TIME, Dec. 2), the Axis had run into its first big military reverses. These were serious indeed. Its sea power disgraced when half its battleship force was crippled at anchor in Taranto harbor, its armies now definitely stalemated in Egypt, its Greek offensive in reverse, Italy showed herself in her true aspect—Germany's supply-starved, dangerously inept southern flank. Crippled, Italy invited even more vicious blows from the British, and the British could be expected to deliver them full measure.

If the end of November was a time for assay, it was also, in Britain and no doubt France, a time for agonizing hindsight. The war might now be going entirely for the Allies had the French Army facing Italy been equipped with a little Greek blood.