THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 28, 1940
EXPEDITION INTO GERMANY-NO.
What Gen. Udet Told Me In The Adlon Bar
BOMB LONDON? NO.... YES . . . .
Here is the Third Article by the distinguished neutral observer sent on special Expedition into Germany a month ago. "To-morrow the “China "Mall'
will publish another exclusive article in this series revealing
The Uncensored Truth
Ernst Udet was already sitting on I said. "You know perfectly well a stool up against the bar at the Ad- that if you thought it possible and lon, Berlin's best known hotel, wait- profitable to bomb London you would ing for me when I arrived. He was a
soon find a pretext.” spot plumper than when I last saw him.
"Listen," he replied, "if we wanted to bomb the British and French now we could. We are five times as strong
But, of course, he had every right to be. Like master like man. Ernst, as they are." these days is a general and Goering's key man in the' Air Ministry. He is in charge of supplies for the German air force.
"Blockade not affecting you very much I see," I said, manoeuvring him off his stool into an alcove where we could talk out of earshot of the bar-
man.
"Not as long as I have the Adlon behind me," grinned Udet.
And I must say the Adlon bar was impressive. They even had genuine Scotch whisky at five marks (about 8s. 4d.) a glass, English gìn, French champagne.
} Blitzkrieg idea
still there
༢
I laughed. "And what about all the stuff the British and French are getting from America?" I asked. "They are spending 30,000,000 dollars in a week on American aircraft. Your
And the barman, one Carl, insisted that he, like Goering, had built up a splendid war reserve for himself. He had planned, he said, on a two-year
"Two-year
war, eh?" said Udet when we had got into our alcove. "Well, my chief has done better than that. He has made a five-year plan
war.
for this war."
I looked incredulous,
-By- A NEUTRAL OBSERVER
1
on Russia would become,reorganised sufficiently to help them ignore the blockade.
Hitler, as usual, is preparing for both policies, as I see it.
bankers tell me that's as much as the whole German gold reserve."
What did Udet have to say to this? He said, "It will be too late by the time that material arrives.".
but did not press him for indiscreet-details. And soon he had said something else which showed that he and his bosses have not really made up their minds, but are still flirting with the. _idea_of finishing off this war quickly,
Their views are in conflict
Air mines 'Just
try-out'
THE ADLON, BERLIN
"Udet walted in the
bar for me."
He has ordered his staff to
get everything ready for the knock-out, but at the same time his economic experts are doing what they can to prepare machinery for extracting from the German normal gauge rails from Russia the raw materials which to take the Russian gauge and back Russia is now unable to supply on again. account of her chaotic disorgan- isation,
I heard from many quarters reports of mass manufacture of magnetic mines "the previous minelaying efforts by our air force in the North Sea were just a try- out," said one Nazi I spoke to — of the special push that is being made now in submarine building.
I heard of a friend of mine who was a submarine commander in the last war being conscripted again for active submarine work, and he must be fifty now.
So, you see, there we have the old contradiction again. On the one hand they talk of a five-year war, on the, other of a snappy Joe Louis first round knock-out before Britain and France can get their supplies in.
"Listen! When are you coming to bomb us in London?" I asked. I had been quite frank with him and told him that I should be re- turning to London at the end of my trip.
"Oh, we are not going to start the bombing business, Set yourself at rest on that," said Udet, and rather solemnly for him. "We shall bomb London," he added, "only if the British bomb.us. Only by way of reprisal."
I believe this represents a real conflict of opinion in the minds of Hitler and the German High- Command.
The great chemical plants of the Leuna works were working at full pressure as I passed them in the train I could tell that even near Halle.
embankments and though special screens had been put up to prevent train passengers from peeping.
Thus once the Polish railways have been repaired it should be possible for these trucks to be sent into Russia to fetch the products which Russia at présent can't deliver because she has not enough rolling stock.
Ernst Udet, like other German ̧ departmental chlets, has been in contact with Russian emissaries.
There was a Russian delegation in Berlin right then. I was told they were trying to buy more aeroplanes for the Finnish -war. -
I wish I could describe to you the magnificent piece of clowning with which Udet mimicked a '') mountain ous Polish Jewess, who was attach- ed to the Russian negotiators as secretary-interpreter and GPU. (secret police) spy.
The Russians in the delegation, al- It's the same with the aeroplane though they loathed her every breath, works and the heavy munition and had to insist on her beingˇpresent at⠀⠀ steel industries of the Rhine and every meeting so that the Kremlin Ruhr.
might have her private report and be As for the Russian problem, I heard sure that there had been no phoney that the Hanover machine factory business going on.
די
I think they are still trying to and other railway supply industries I think the Germans are being decide whether they should gamble were hard at it, equipping German extremely skilful in their handling of everything on one great super- truck with offensive against Britain's harbours, carriages capable of being adapted
expansionable under the Kremlin.
(Continued on-Page 12) industries, and shipping with all they have got in the way of bombers, submarines and mines and surface raiders; accompanying this with a land push through Holland and Belgium or Rumania and south-east Europe.
The alternative would be to go on sitting still, trying to outlast the siege In the hope that British and French "Now don't try to put over any of economic stamina would not be equal that propaganda stuff on me; Udet," to the strain, and that as time went
„Bemedalled" General Udet, with, beringed.-Field-Marshal Goering Udat whot down, sixty-two British and French fighters in the lastTM wa Has taken-part-alnce in many sensational fights. Was rescued by British airman Campbell Black In 1931 after forded landing In Central Afrio
It was Udat who did the daring, flying in the flim. "White Hell of Pitz-Palu." He visited England in 1987.
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