CHINA MAIL Britain And The Some
WINDSOR HOUSE
STANDING UP TO THE ENEMY
It is some three months
Empire Hold Out
since the intensified night British Empire virtually single-
For about four months now the p bombing of London be-handed has been standing up to
More, indeed, than standing up.: It has continued to wage against them an economic offensive. It has launched and sustained a great
outside striking distance of each other for anything in the
attack.
-
Gwynned Grozient may receive re-
the offensive stage is
inforcements of aircraft and mechanised troops from Germany. But it seems to that they would be on a
me improbable large scale..
For the German Air Force is
Very Odd Jobs
Are you tired of your job? Would you like to do something a little more out of the ordinary? It so, here are a few suggestions for you?
gan. Save on one or two military dictatorships of Europe. Sir Charles
the combined power of went By Major General of offensive attack and counter nights of bad weather it has never ceased and it has been accompanied by full scale murder attacks air offensive against Nazi Ger- been suffered from ali bombard on some other areas, not- has reinforced its strength on its vided by the Navy and the air pretty fully engaged in the Battle Why not be a
many's power of waging war. It ment.
Behind the lines of defence pro- ably Coventry, Birming- "second front" in the Middle East. force the atmy has been re-armed of Britain and part is presumably corpse? Leo Moore has played the professional ham, Southampton, Bris-
Yet when France collapsed there and re-organised. tol and Liverpool (Mer- enemies but among our friends in and has been equipped. Ground
were many, not only among our Guard has sprung into existence frontier.
The Home needed on Germany's eastern corpse in over a hundred film pro- seyside). The casualties neutral countries, who thought defences against air attack have are by no means safe from dis- won success, however, he had to ductions and is Hollywood's best Sea communications with Libya paid small part actor. Before he inflicted have been almost that Britain could not be expected also been multiplied. Every sec- turbance and unless they can be work hard practising to control
to stand alone entirely civilian; the dam-combined dictatorships.
against the two tion of the population in Britain made safe it is doubtful if Ger- als muscles and breathing so that age wrought has mainly,tories, should live believ- the workmen and to their ma-terranean.
That our enemies, exultant in thrown itself into the struggle. To valuable troops across the Medi-complete.
and throughout the Empire has many would risk sending many the illusion of death would be. though of course not en-ed this was natural. But there chines special crédit is due. tirely, been to homes and were in fact reasons enough for By general consent then includ-tier skirmishing takes place free living by pretending to be lifeless On the Abyssinia-Kenya fron- Another man who carns his to premises not engaged
Ing. I assume, that of its enemies 1y, but there seems little prospect is Rudolf Nedvidek, who is a pro- the Empire's base is now secure. of any important development in war work. Unless on the
It may be damaged by air at- totalitarian theory that a
there.. tacks but at a great cost and the
The Italian occupation By Mary Bridges damage will at least be equalled Somaliland, as expected, has pro country's war strength is
by the damage inflicted on Ger- duced no change in the general fessional tailor's dummy, its entire population, and|
many.
He military situation.
stands for hours in shop windows every man, woman, and
Fronting the Sudan at Kassala without moving an eyelid, how- child is a legitimate tar-
the Italians are prepared for an ever much passers-by may stare get, it is impossible to jus-
offensive operation, but it is un-at him. likely to mature until it can be tify the greater part of what the German bomb- ers have done. Where they have aimed, instead of bombing at random, some of their choices of aim have been infamous-in particular, the concentra- tion of their attack upon hospitals.
*
So far
as the enemy's plans were directed to breaking the spirit of our people, they have failed. Neither in the Metropolis nor elsewhere has the reaction of the victims been towards giving in. The whole nation realises
anxiety reasons which became acute when there was a prospect that the French navy would fall into German hands.
was
In the United States a pessimis- tic view of the situation Britain was gloomily forecast in marked and the early collapse of some quarters.
of
Britain is intact and has built synchronised with a major at- If your senses are keener than The new world felt itself threat-up an immensely powerful de- tempt by Graziani in Libya. How the average you might earn your ened.
fensive line, one which depends far the Italians in Abyssinia living as a wine or tea taster, a It appeared to many there that for its strength as much on human possess the resources for a serious cheese sampler or a milk drinker, the British Navy could not retain material and spirit as on steel add invasion of the Sudan is doubtful. employed by one of the big dairy herself with her, air force out ever fall a victim to the Maginot opposition and be exposed to ples of milk, Even your nose might control of the Atlantic and Britain concrete. Britain must not how- In any case they would meet stout companies to test and grade sam- numbered and her army without, complex and become, obsessed harassing counter-attacks. Im-find you a job. One American gas equipment seemed to lie open for solely with the problem of defend-portant events are definitely pend- company employs an elderly negro ing her base. Actions are being ing in North Africa but there may to go sniffing the air in the streets carried out by the R.A.F. and in be considerable delay before they of the town they supply to detect the Navy healthy signs of the of develop.
any, leaks. He is paid for each fensive spirit have been retained.
leakage he discovers.
ari invasion.
To-day the confidence of our been demonstrated, friends has been restored. It has and this is perhaps the outstanding feature of this phase of war, that British bases are safe. The British Isles will not fail.
astonishing change in the situa- tion? In the first instance, no doubt, it is due to the courage of the British race and its leaders all over the world and to their re- fusal to accept defeat.
What has brought about this
tions and to it is owed not only
dangerous
But the importance of the Em- pire's outposts must not be for- gotten in the determination to
defend the base.
become almost
Egypt and the Middle East have theatre of operations portata itself. Imperial security there is of vital importance. There also may arise an opportunity not only for frustrating the enemy's intentions but for striking back,
Perhaps a life-time of potato- peeling does not appeal to you, but Of the other regions that de- Mr. J. H. Hickman, champion po- mand attention Spain is perhaps tato peeler of the Cunard Line, more important. Pressure is ob- loves his work and says that it is viously being put on General highly-skilled. He has peeled Franco to make a move on Gibral-over 3,000,000 potatoes. tar, presumably with Axis assis- tance.
A Bolton man found an original Berlin prophesies that Spain way of making a living. He goes will join the three-Power Pact: round from house to house with a Italy hints at Spain's entry into bottle of gilt paint and offers to re- gild the numbers on doors when they are dull and hard to see. An- other man earned £3 a week simply by carrying round a bucket
the war.
No fact is more certain than that Spain is war-weary. She is Looking back on these three extremely impoverished as a re-
present war.
She stands to lose more than
she can even be promised by the Axis by going to war. Perhaps her attitude, like that of others, is one of waiting on the outcome of the
in it.
In the wildest sense it is to the cooperation of the three fighting services that must be attributed now that there is no room the struggle. The navy has con- the Empire's power for continuing for it; that we are fight-tinued to control sea communica- ing against an enemy who | Britain's food supply but arma-months the Empire has made an Sult of her own civil war and the of water at race meetings for the knows neither mercy nor
and in the world's estimation.. Is fair play and is incapable rials.
It has maintained .at the it surprising that confidence has
A London girl makes a very of compromise; and that same time the strangle- been restored and, neutral opinion of the blockade and has been impressed? But Mr:
good living as a professional shop- there is nothing for us but hold
with the air force made Churchill, is wise to insist that
per. She buys clothes for women to fight on regardless of the attempts at invasion prohibi- there is a long and hard road to
who live far away from town and air Battle of Britain.
has customers not only in the pro- losses, until we pull him tively
except to travel and that it extends out of
Axis pressure on Balkan coun- vinces but all over the world. Very fanatics rushing to their doom. the present range of vision and the trics has brought Rumania and different are the jobs of some down, as by patience and
British people must steel them-
They steady perseverance in
selves for the journey. There can Hungary into the position of de- girls. in the film studios, be no thought of repose or re-pendent states. Obviously, how-are employed as "agers" to fut the
ever uncertain, the attitude applying our superior re-
of demand for old clothes for screen. laxation of effort. sources we undoubtedly To the magnificent courage and
The moral and material assist-Russia exercises a restraining in-tramps and down-and-outs. They
fluence on other developments. can make the smartest sult look shall. Even if the actual efficiency of the R.A.F. is owed ance which the Empire's efforts It seems certain that the Ger- old and threadbare in a few an equal debt. It has contributed have won from its friends is permans or Italians will not resort to minutes by rubbing it on a rough devastation of London largely towards making naval haps the most reassuring tribute the use of force in the Balkans if wall or skilfully staining it.
of that could be paid to them.
Then there are the human long period with only minor al-threats. Apart from the danger of terations in methods: We are af- a collision with Russin, it is ob- "guinea pigg" who allow doctors forded an opportunity of reviewvious that military operations of and scientists, to try out all kinds ing the situation in other theatres any sort in the Balkans would in- of queer experiments on them. terfere with the transport of oilOne mad earned £10 a month by of war and potential theatres and other supplies. which the Axis allowing, the doctors to give him
powers require.
headaches to aid them in their search for a cure for migraine.
and Southampton were operations and movements
shipping possible in the water The air war may continue for a they can achieve their aims by
such as the German pro- where they are exposed to air at- paganda already pictures tack. It has repulsed air attacks which might have destroyed Bri- it, we could still have no ush industry and greatly reduced thought of surrender. For losses that otherwise would have giving in would involve
·Labya and Abyssinia are of course the only other active theatres but potential theatres are numerous. In Libya Graziani is still at- tempting to develop communică-
tions and an advance base at Sidi Barrani. Subjected to bombard- to harassing attacks by mobile ment by naval guns on one side land units on the other and to air attacks, his preparations neces fering losses in material and com- sarlly proceed slowly. He is suf munications. of his advanced troops make considerable demands
our whole nation in a per-revealed some deficiencies. manent and irretrievable ruin, beside which the Where the obstacle has temporary ruin of the been red tape, it is being bricks and mortar of a cut; where it has consist city can sustain no sort ed in the confusion of
authorities and the result of comparison.
ing tendency for initiative The trial is severe. But and responsibility to fall no one who witnesses it down between a multipli- on his resources. will gainsay that the spir- city of stools, the method it of the people from top chosen is to fix a definite to bottom (and not least authority
för definite
*
The
Less painful but far more dan- gerous is the window cleaner's job. Not the ordinary window cleaner, Diplomatic pressure an Yugo- but those employed on the na vio, borne any, uncrete window cleaning staff of the Em- slavia, Bulgaria ant Greece will skyscrapers of New York. alone seems in danger. The Bri-pire State Building, which has 102 tish guarantee, which of course storeys, are among the highest situation in the Mediterranean, is world, earning £8 a week while has a direct bearing on the naval paid unskilled workers in the bitterly resented by Berlin and every man is insured for 1,000 Rome, A. Germain attack on Tur- dollars and is given regular medi- key, even if the Balkan countries cal examination. Most of tho acquiesced, seems improbable, not workers are of Polish origin. only owing to Bussia's relations
with Turkey, but because it would
at the bottom) has been tasks, and to clothe it with deployed in strength in and be rapid results spec
Meanwhile Alliet forces have
involve very extensive military scure and so far it does not seem operations which could not achieve materially to have changed the
general military situationi. How for Germany is convinced
truly magnificent. Never, adequate powers. The ap-hind strongly fortified positions had a democratic Govern- pointment of Sir Warren the situation the ment a stauncher demo- Fisher with wide powers presented, and all its constituents, ger is hard to say. For in the later who up to now has won victories in which many nations are re- does not constitute a military dan-point to my mind is that Germany: cracy at its back. What is to clear up London's de-are imbued with an offensive stages of that war the previously mainly through her army, is un-- now required is that the bris was an example in salt what was perhaps à criti- low catimates of Russian ciclency able to discover the theatre in
cal situation now inspires con- were considerably revised up- which she can use her army to the. immediate needs arising point, and deserved sig sidence for while it would be a wards.
detriment of Britain, out of the air war should nalising as one of the wis profound error to under-estimate The pack of Japan with the Axis Italian strength - in, numbers Powers, designed to place a brake be fully and promptly est steps that the Govern quality and material the Allied on Anglo-American collaboration, dealt with. No one need ment had yet taken in army is now formidable also has had if anything the opposite be surprised if the crisis this field.
The opposing armies, however result. What the effect will be on for offensive power. And in the ore and may remain for sometime” the attitude of Russia is still. ob- air she has met her match.
It may become purely an Army of European Occupation. She must rely almost solely on her air force