Lord Louis in to Bat

For the biggest present vacancy in United Nations Commands--the much-talked-about Southeast Asia Command--Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt last week picked much-publicized Lord Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas ("Dickie") Mountbatten.

Lord Louis, 43-year-old, 6-ft.-4-in. second cousin to King George VI, is best known as the Chief of Britain's savage, knife-wielding Commandomen. His title, heretofore: Chief of Combined Operations. As such he directed numberless hit-&-run raids against the coast of Hitler's Europe.

Fun Behind. Lord Louis was a lowly sublieutenant when World War I ended. Between wars he advanced to the rank of captain, also earned the reputation of a blooded, moneyed playmate of the Prince of Wales. For various high jinks, he was blackballed from the haughty Royal Yacht Squadron. But behind the gaiety was a lot of earnest attention to naval matters. At World War II's beginning Lord Louis had command of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla. Twice his flagship, the Kelly, was badly crippled. In May 1941 he took her into the hell of Crete. That time the Kelly was finished off and the King's handsome second cousin was lucky to escape on a life raft. Noel Coward made a movie based on the Kelly's exploit: In Which We Serve.

Two years ago Lord Louis was plumped into the Commando job, made a Vice Admiral and given honorary titles in the Army and the R.A.F. Combined Operations was then a stepchild, frowned on by Colonel Blimps, struggling along in hand-me-downs. Smooth Lord Louis made drastic changes, used his influence to get materiel and facilities, lifted Combined Operations to glamor and renown.

Fight Ahead. As Commander of Southeast Asia Lord Louis acquired another stepchild. He will be based in India, where the British have an army, mostly Indians, totaling an estimated 1,000,000 men.

Mounting stock piles of U.S. materiel, and the recent appointment of Major General George E. Stratemeyer to the command of U.S. air forces in Burma, India and China (TIME, Aug. 30), meant that Lord Louis would have active U.S. aid there. His deputy commander would probably be a U.S. Army man.

The monsoon rains still poured over Burma, making an offensive in that area impossible for several weeks. Britain's No. 1 amphibious commander would not be able to create his striking force overnight.

Furthermore, the No. 1 amphibious U.S. commander in the South Pacific was somewhere last week on an undisclosed assignment. When Rear Admiral Theodore Wilkinson took over amphibious operations in the Solomons, he relieved Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner. "Terrible" Turner, who carried out the landings on Guadalcanal, the Russells and New Georgia, would be expected to pop up again suddenly and violently, probably somewhere along the flank of the Jap's easternmost defenses.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.