THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 20, 1940..
CHINA MAIL
WINDSOR HOUSE
THE FACE OF FRANCE
A current quip has it that there is something Vichy about those "trea- son trials" in France. So sad is the plight of France and so smelly are these performances that the
pun holds more truth than humour.
If the Petain regime were holding military courts- martial to mete justice to traitors and saboteurs, the world would not need to hold its nose. It is un- derstandable that the peo-| ple should desire to pun- ish those high and low who betrayed France. But what have we? Political "trials" to make scape- goats of men who may have made mistakes in judgment! One-sided or- deals in which the clique which now rules France, can pay off old scores! For instance, Former Premier Daladier appears to stand in danger because he led France into the war, nci, because he broke France's solemn obligations to Cze- choslovakia at Munich.
If these "investigations” brought out the lesson that France fell because many Frenchmen put narrow economic or class interests ahead of national unity, they might be useful. As it is they prolong the war among Frenchmen. Berlin must be well satisfied to have "democratic corrup-| tion" exposed and demo- cratic energies devoted to recrimination and bitter- ness. Indeed, there is strong evidence that part of the push for these ex-| hibitions comes from the Nazis..
"There you go! There you go! Can't keep your
MUNITION WORKS ,QUIET PLEASE
'ands orf anything!"
A War Of Truth
Against
People who read the com- muniques of both sides in the war must often be puzzled to know what to believe. The accounts of the same events given by the Germans and by the British are frequently in absolute conflict.
Here is an analysis of both sorts of report..
In recording an air attack upon
the Germans, lost ten machines,
Lies
Germany's Achilles Heel
Hitler's
How much oll does {Europe need? Germany. herself, |including Austria, Czechoslovakia and occupied Poland, normally re- quires about eight million tons per annum. France's requirements amount, to about seven million tons, while Italy needs some 31⁄2 million tons annually. Among the smaller, countries - Rumania nor- mally-consumes 1.9 million tons, Holland 10 millions, Sweden 1.2 millions, Denmark 0.9 million and |Belgium 0.7 million.
Allawing for the needs of the cost of Europe. (excluding Spain, Portugal and Turkey), the total quantity of all needed by Hitler's Europe adds; up" to no less than [2741⁄2 milllon "tons” per annum.
Consumption can, of course ba |reduced without any harmful': ef-' fect on production and trade by the limitation of private motoring [and by rigorous economy in other uses. Further, in view of the ire- duction in shipping. movements due to the British blockade, the quantity of oil needed for bunker- ing purposes will be below normal. It is very unlikely, however, that Europe's consumption can be cut below about 18 million tons per annum without crippling trade and inland transport.
How for can Hitler meet these needs from Continental European sources? On the most favourable assumptions Greater Germany. may be able to produce about 3 million tons per annum; this figure includes crude oil as well as oll produced from coal and by other methods. In the present year, how- ever, the German output may not reach this figure. *
France, Albania, Hungary and Estonia can add somewhat more than one million tons annually.
Q
✡
Much the most important source of supply, however, is Rumania. That country is now producing at the rate of rather more than 6 million tons per annum.
But even if none of the Rü- manian oil were allowed to leave Europe and even if all of it could be transported to Central, Western
and Northern Europe, the Nazis could not secure more than about 12 million tons per annum in the most favourable circumstances, leaving a deficiency of 6 million
tons.
Indeed, unless Germany can obtain access to additional sources of supply, Europe as a whole will be desperately short of oil, and its industries and transport will be crippled. The stocks secured in France and the Low Countries can at best postpone the difficulties for Ja few months,
Where-is-Germany-likely to look for additional supplies? Rus- sia now produces at the rate -éf about 30 million tons per annuin, and a large proportion of her oil- folds are located in Southern [Russia, with pipelines leading into the Black Sea. But Russia has jvirtually nothing to spare.
Iraq can supply about four mil- [lion tons per annum by way of the pipelines leading to the Medi- terranean through Syria and
there is no case in which a Brit- claim to have sunk that, if these Palestino.
ish communique has been falsified, claims were sound, there would Iran, which is even less acces- But there are many instances in be very little of the British Navy sible, can produce more than ten which the German communiques left. The claims are obviously million tons annually, have been proved by the event to pure invention." be absolutely untrue.
An Example From ..
History
By Ramsay Muir, Litt. D.
Another Test
A
But although the French Gov- ernment of Syrin haa now-appar- ently fallen in with the Petain re- In the second place, the critical gime, the British Navy should be reader might reasonably ask which able to prevent shipments from side is the more frank in record that source to Europe. a British convoy, the German ac- Take the case of the Graf Speo, Ing its own losses. That is the How will Hitler attempt to solve this problem? If access to the Near We do not see here the count will say, (to take an imag-all the facts of which were very best test of truthfulness.
inary example) that a British soon known to the whole world;} The Germans have never ad-East across the Dardanelles is bar
communique people of France. We see cruiser and two destroyers were Every British
re-mitted the loss of a single sub-red by the danger of a conflict sunk, that a number of merchant ferring to this action as it pro-marine, Every loss of a British with Turkey and Russia, and it he instead a puppet regime vessels were bombed, and that cooded was proved in the event to submarine has been announced by is provented from reaching his ob- jumping as the strings are British aeroplanes, trying to resist have been a sobor and accurate the Admiralty, though frequently jective by sea by the British Navy, the Germans have not known of the only other but by no means pulled. The performance while the Germans lost three.
the loss.
unguarded-route open to him is can benefit only one small The British account of the same
When a German submarine on-along the coast of North Africa, group of discredited poli-action will probably say that all
tored Scapa Flow and sunk the across the Suez Canal.
WALTER HILL the German bombs fell into the
Royal Oak, the news was at once. ticians and the Nazi con-seu, or that one merchant ship
announced by the Admiralty, bo- wish
German querors who
tol was struck, that four
fore the Germans had heard what bombers and six German Bghters account of the facts as they wore had happened.
the Somme in the last war. Much divert attention while were brought down, and that two known..
Regularly, the British have later, after a great deal of herce they loot France and use British machines failed to return. The Germans, on the other stated the number and tonnage of fighting in which they sacrificed her ports and resources tration of the sort of conflicting muniques which were absolutely whether by submarine or mine a statement of their total losses That is not an exaggerated lus-hand, sent out, successive com ships lost through enemy action their men lavishly, they published for further aggression accounts which the two sides pub-contradictory and all remote from The Germans never announce the which was only a small fraction,
of the losses on the Sommerr which if successful could both accounts before him, natural-hour by hour, they sent forth the
reader, with the truth. Day by day, and almost loss of their vessels
Many transports carrying troop. It appears, therefore,. that the only weaken France's concludes that both sides are kind of statements which they from Germany and Norway were British statements are much more ying, and that the truth cannot wanted the world to believe. Un-sunk, as was testified by ncutre statements. The reason is that trustworthy than the German hope of regaining freedom be discovered.
fortunately for Dr. Goebbels, as evidence, Are there any means by which the episode took place in neutral None of these sinkings we different principles in framing and dignity. Much as one the comparative truthfulness of waters, the truth could not be ever reported by Germanu.
the two countries follow.quito sympathises with the real the German and the British com-concealed.
· Britain has several times re their communiques. ported the loss of transports, and France, she can expect lit-uniques can be determined?
* Take, again, the case of the Ark the number of lives lost.
topal, which the Germans went on asserting that they had sunk. This sunken vessel, before long,
tle help from outside until
there are assurances that}
lish The neutral
There Are
Figures Tell
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The British principle is that a communique must give the facts, so far as they can be given with. but affording useful knowledge to The enemy.
it will not be used to her In the first place, the reader turned up at the Cape, and later The Gormans have constantly- - German communiques, on the ultimate harm by those may reasonably ask himself whe-toole an active part in the action concenied the amount of the other hand, like German broad-
ther there are any instances in at Oran. *
losses on land. Thus, at an early casts, are not, designed to tell, the who are putting on this which either sido can be definite- Again, the German communi- stage in the fighting in France. truth; buite, produce a certain
ly proved to have lad.
ques have given the names of so they stated that their lossus werfect upon the minds of their own puppet show.
On examination: be will and many British, warships, which they not holvier
cople
are noisr acontra
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