-
L
THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 12, 1940.
CHINA MAIL
WINDSOR HOUSE
A SILENT YELL
When the history of the war comes to be written," a footnote should be re- served to enshrine the fame of the British soldier who dislocated his jaw by yawning too wide during an air raid. The feat of
this minor, hero will be as- sociated in the historian's mind with that memor- able epigram coined by Mr. Neville Chamberlain: "Boredom is better than bombs." It should be an established fact by the year 1943 that the soldier yawned disastrously be- cause he was bored and not through lack of sleep. In this particular in- stance, boredom and bombs went together. And the unfortunate man's experience disproves Mr. Chamberlain's dictum. Even boredom can have its casualties, no less painful than the effect of splinters from bombs.
We believe it was G. K. Chesterton who defined a yawn as a silent yell. If we accept this definition, we must believe that the yawning soldier was "in
the act of uttering a jaw- breaking howl of protest against that bemedalled old bore Hermann Goer-
"FRANKENSTEIN?"
NAZI
Herblock in The Wilmington. News
Mine-Laying In
The Baltic
From An Aeronautichl
Correspondent
Depression In Berlin
Food shortage in Germany und conquèred France was described to
ime the other day by Mr. Warren. Irvin, an American who broad- cast regularly from Berlin for the National Broadcasting Company of America. for, the first eight months of the war
Mr. Irvin left Germany for Nor- way at the beginning of the in- vasion in April. Afterwards' he'. was refused permission to return to Germany. He reached London after a circuitous journey,
He has been greatly impressed by the superior morale of London-
By L. Marsland Gander
́ers compared with Berliners, "The people here `don't seem to be worried about the war at all," he said,
"The bus drivers have their wisecracks, and there is laughter and talk all found. But in Berlin everybody looks depressed and worried. You can see them in the subway trains scanning the death notices. They do not like the war,
Vegetable Diet
"Although I stayed at the best hotels, the food was not satisfying, and one rose from the table hun- gry. With the ration tickets issued is was only possible to have two and a half portions of meat al week, and there were two meat-i less days. The diet was chiefly: composed .or. such things as macaroni, spaghetti, cabbage and potatoes. Meat served was usually' of poor quality.
can
The German harvest is bound to be indifferent, because the whole northern part of the coun- try was under heavy snow and ice. Later it was flooded, and could estuary, or harbour which the warship, the cruiser Emden, has not be ploughed. The Germans dremy can use with safety. Be-also been seriously damaged, and
there must be many more casual have carried off rood supplies from cause of the success of these
tics of which we hear nothing. It the conquered territories, but I Almost any night, whatever the operations Germany is forced to is, too, a regular occurrence for believe the improvement will be ing and his tediously un-weather, if you happened to be maintain a large flect of observa- the ferry service between Sjelland only temporary. If Britain
tion ships, searchlight platforms. Island and Copenhagen to be sus- | aerodromes exciting Luftwaffe. Those near one of several
balloons, and special anti-aircraft pended for days at a tinfe. Even beat off the impending attack she which make up a Bomber Group (Flak) ships dotted all over het the most strongly defended points is certain of victory." in the East of England you would seas, while a proportion of her have not been immune. So ac-
During two days in France, said hear the roar of powerful engines mine-sweepers, which she can i curate has been the work of our
and presently whole time trying to clear
afford to spare, has to spend its Hampden crews that mines have Mr. Irvin, he was able to obtain the frequently been placed within only two meals, apart from black warming up," would see the dim shapes of long-stas.
stone's throw of the quayside in
bread and coffee. Chronic harbours and in the entrance to busy canals and rivers:
food shortage this winter seems unavoidable.
of us who are happily far from the scene of the blitzkrieg face a much less
+
The German Method There is a great distinction lic-
information
spectacular danger of dis-bodied Hampden bombers dis-
Careful Placing locating yawns. It springs appearing into the 'darkness to-
But as fast as the mines are from encounters with wards the coast. You would prob-
our aircraft replace ably think that they were starting them. Great care is. taken to 'en-
swept up amateur strategists who out to attack some military ob-cure that they are dropped in the tween German and British mine have spotted the movement of keep one awake till mid-jective in Germany, but if you right place. Each mine-carrying laying from the air. The use of ships and valuable
bomber sets out with instructions floating mines is contrary to in- night explaining how the could follow them on some magic to drop its 'caigo in a specific spot. ternational law and the laying of/has been handed on to the Ad- war wil eventually be carpet you would see them steer Everything is done according to a any kind of minefield violates the miralty. won, or** with breezy a steady course over the North carefully worked out plan, and rights of neutrals unless imme-
Determined Men the aircraft often circle around diate notice is given of the exact sportsmen who describe Sea, pick their way carefully for an hour or more to ensure whereabouts of these deadly wea- through to the Baltic, circle lower that they are over the right spot. pons. The enemy, with complete
Generally speaking, however, the intricate calculations and lower and then release 'some. Then the mines, with parachutes disregard, for human life and for this is not one of the more spec- by which they just missed heavy objects which fall into the accurately, are dropped from the North Sea and elsewhere, keep is one long round of hard, gruel- to help them to lard gently and international law, lay mines in tacular jobs. On the contrary, it winning a ten-cent treble. sen with a splash.
Tow height, and so the fields are the information to themselves, and
•
built up, Naval and air exports, wait for some unsuspecting mer-ling work, calling for great con- Whether it is a silent.
Thèse men are carrying nut working in collaboration, declar chant ship to bump into them. centration and equally great de- where the enemy might be ex- We warned the world of what we termination and accuracy. There yell or a sign of drowsi-their normal work, but it spected to divert sea trafic to tvoid had done and would continue to ness, a yawn is a very seri-special-job" all the same; a task town danger bicas, and the fe- do, and thus did not endanger the is rarely the thrill of dropping a
bomb fairly and squarely on ous thing. To put it in a calling for great coolness, courage, pleted felds are constantly Te lives of rion-belligerents.
stocked.
target and seeing it explode and boring way, it is a modi-ind endurance, and, above all,
Night after night, in fair wea- great navigational skill and accur- fication of the ordinary lady. They are Britain's mine-ably to mining, because of the guide them and no wireless assis- have to bush on for hundreds of The Baltic lends itself admir ther or foul, with no lights to spread flres. The mine-layers Movements of respiration, ihylhi 'experts of the 'bir, the 'con- limited depth of iffe Water, and fance from the ground, R.A.F. miles, often encountering icing. since the opening of the Nor crews find their way unerringly conditions, fog, electrical storms, in which the inspiration stant terror of the enemy's ship-wegian campaign our aircraft to the spot where they have been is deeper than usual, ac.[ping. Our mine-laying airerafi have flown a total of 488,755 miles told to drop their mines. No other and torrential rain. There are The target, however attractive for the even: rare occasions.when, after companied by a kind of can penetrate to places which theo Iny hundreds of mines.
results obtained, both in losses bombs which they also carry, is battling for hours with the angry spasmodic contraction of naval mine-layers cannot reach. 'nflicted on the enemy and in the allowed, to divert them from the elements, they have to turn back
Tond for that reason they have an- general disorganization of her major task. But having diapos- the muscles which de-dertaken the task of blocking the shipping, have Topold over and ed of the long, cylindrical-shaped with their cargoes still intact press the lower jaw; and Baltic to Germany's dwindling gen over again the extremely small mines, on the return journey they rather than drop mines indiscrim-
toll which the Germans have bich are free to do a little "freelance" inately, also by a great elevation strength. Since the start of the able to take of our aircraft cix-bombing. The pilots' reports | of the ribs and to some Norwegian campaign they have gaged on this work,
sometines speak of sticcess- Yet the men never, grumble and ful attacks on chemy naval ask for something which shows. degree of the shoulder-mined all the acts from the In but two of the many minecraft, on searchlight or anti-them the results of their labours, blades. It is really quite farthest eastern German Baltic fields laid at least 12 enemy ships aircraft ships, and occasion Week after week they just carry a strenuous bit of Swedish ports to us far north as Norway are known to have been gunk and ally even on land targets. There on with the job, confident in the 'so successfully thibit there is no many others damaged. In a sin- have been trips when German knowledge that they are perform- drill. A man may yawn; ute channel for German shipping, to have been sunk within a
Fele aren five shing were reported fighters, sent up to Intercept, have ing a task of great importance-a period been sent crashing down on land | task Which is hampering the and yawn and be a hero. und no German-occupied fjord, of 30 hours. At least one rerun or sen, and many times our crews enemy at his weakest point.