THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 5, 1940
..Page.
CHINA MAIL Britain And The Some
WINDSOR HOUSE -
STANDING UP TO THE ENEMY
Empire Hold Out
For about four months now the
It is some three months since the intensified night British Empire virtually single- bombing of London be-handed, has been standing up to the combined power of two great
has reinforced its strength on its
1
been suffered from air bombard ment.
-Behind the lines of defence pro-
outside striking distance of each other for anything in the nature
attack.
Very
Odd Jobs
Before the offensive stage is reached. Graziani may receive re- inforcements
and of aircraft
Are you tired, of your job? mechanised troops from Germany. Would you like to do something a But it seems to me improbable little more out of the ordinary? It that they would be on a large so, here are a few suggestions for
scale.
44
you?
For the German Air Force is pretty fully engaged in the Battle
Why not bo a professional of Britain and part is presumably corpse? Leo Moore has played the Germany's eastern corpse in over a hundred film pro- ductions and is Hollywood's bast are by no means safe from dis-won success, however, he had to Sea communications with Libya paid small part actor. Before he turbance and unless they can be work hard practising to control made safe it is doubtful if Ger- his muscles and breathing so that many would risk sending many the illusion of death would be valuable troops across the Medi- complete,
vided by the Navy and the air force the army has been re-armed and re-organised. The Home needed, on Guard has sprung into existence frontier. and has been equipped. Ground defences against air attack have also been multiplied. Every sec- tion of the population in Britain and throughout the Empire has thrown itself into the struggle. To the workmen and to their ma- chines special credit is due.
terranean.
On the Abyssinia-Kenya fron- Another; man who earns his tier skirmishing takes place free-living by, pretending to be lifeless ly, but there seems- little prospect is Rudolf Nedvidek, who is a pro- of any important development there.
By Major General of offensive attack and counter- gan. Save on one or two military dictatorships of Europe: Sir Charles Gwynn nights of bad weather it More, indeed, than standing up. has never ceased and it It has continued to wage against them an economic offensive. It has been accompanied by has launched and sustained a great full scale murder attacks air offensive against Nazi Ger ⚫ on some other areas, not-many's power of waging war. It ably Coventry, Birming-second front" in the Middle East. Yet when France collapsed there ham, Southampton, Bris-
were many, not only among our tol and Liverpool (Mer- enemies, but among our friends in 'seyside). The casualties neutral countries, who thought inflicted have been almost that Britain could not be expected to stand alone against the two entirely civilian; the dam- combined dictatorships. age wrought has mainly, That our enemies, exultant in their victories, should have believ- though of course not en-ed this was natural. But there tirely, been to homes and were in fact reasons enough for to premises not engaged anxiety reasons which, became acute when there was a prospect in war work. Unless on the that the French navy would fall totalitarian theory that aj
The Italian occupation of Somaliland, as expected, has pro- country's war strength is
duced no change in the general fessional tailor's dummy. He its entire population, and|
military situation.
stands for hours in. shop windows Fronting the Sudan at Kassala without moving an eyelid, how- every man, woman, and In the United States a pessimis-
the Italians are prepared for an ever much passers-by may stare child is a legitimate tar- tic view
offensive operation, but it is un-at him. get, it is impossible to jus-marked and the early collapse of
likely to mature until it can be Britain. was gloomily forecast in
at- tify the greater part of some quarters.
Britain is intact and has built synchronised with a major what the German bomb-
The new world felt itself threat-up an immensely powerful de- tempt by Graziani in Libya. How
the Italians in fensive line, one which depends far
Abyssinia ers have done. Where they It appeared to many there that for its strength as much on human possess the resources for a serious have aimed, instead of the British Navy could not retain material and spirit as on steel and invasion of the Sudan is doubtful.
control of the Atlantic and Britain concrete. Britain must not how- In any case they would meet stout companies to test and grade sam- bombing at random, some herself with her air force out-ever fall a victim to the Maginot opposition and be exposed to of their choices of
Im aim numbered and her army without complex and became obsessed harassing counter-attacks. have been infamous in equipment seemed to lie open for solely with the problem of defend-portant events are definitely pend- ing her base. Actions are being ing in North Africa but there may particular, the concentra- To-day the confidence of our carried out by the R.A.F. and in be considerable delay before they tion of their attack upon been demonstrated,
It has the Navy healthy signs of the of develop. and this is fensive spirit have been retained. hospitals.
perhaps the outstanding feature of this phase of war, that British bases are safe. The British Isles will not fail.
into German hands.
ened.
of the situation was
an invasion.
friends has been restored.
What has brought about this
astonishing change in the sitzas 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.
rials.
at
By general consent then includ- ing. I assume, that of its enemies the Empire's base is now secure. It may be damaged by air at tacks but at a great cost and the damage will at least be equalled by the damage inflicted on Ger- many.
But the importance of the Em- pire's outposts must not be for- gotten in the determination to
defend the, base..
tance.
the war.
present war.
By Mary Bridges
If your senses are keener than the average you might earn your living as a wine or tea taster, a cheese sampler or a milk drinker, employed by one of the big dairy ples of milk, Even your nose might And you a job. One American gas company employs an elderly negro to go sniffing the air in the streets
week
of the town they supply to detect He is paid for each any, leaks. leakage he discovers.
Perhaps a life-time of potato- So far as the enemy's
peeling does not appeal to you, but plans were directed to
Of the other regions that de- Mt. J. H. Hickman, champion po- Cunard Line, Egypt and the Middle East have mand attention Spain is perhaps tato peeler of the -breaking the spirit of our
become, almost as important a more important. Pressure is abs loves his work and says that it is He has peeled as Britain viously being put on
General highly-skilled. people, they have failed.
theatre of operations Neither in the Metropolis
itself. Imperial security there is of Franco to make a move on Gibral-over 3,000,000 potatoes. vital importance. There also may tar, presumably with Axis assis- A Bolton man found an original nor elsewhere has the
arise an opportunity not only for frustrating the enemy's intentions: Berlin prophesies that Spain round from house to house with a way of making a living. He goes reaction of the victims
In the wildest sense it is to the but for striking back.
will join the three-Power Pact. bottle of gilt paint and offers to re- been towards giving in. cooperation of the three fighting
Italy hints at Spain's entry into gild the numbers on doors when "The whole nation realises services that must be attributed
they are dull and hard to see. An- the Empire's power for continuing
No fact is more certain than now that there is no room the struggle. The navy has con-
that Spain is war-weary. She is other man earned £3 a for it; that we are fight-tinued to control sea communica
extremely impoverished as a re-simply by carrying round a bucket tions and to it is owed not only Looking back on these three sult of her own civil war and the of water at race meetings for the bookmakers to dip their sponges ing against an enemy who Britain's food supply but arma- months the Empire has made an
in it- knows neither mercy nor ments manufacture and raw mate-amazing recovery, both in itself interruption to trade caused by the and in the world's estimation, Is She stands to lose more than fair play and is incapable has maintained
the it surprising that confidence has she can even be promised by the A London girl makes a very of compromise; and that same · time. the
strangle-been restored and neutral opinion Axis. by going to war. Perhaps her good living as a professional shop- the blockade and has been impressed? But Mr. there is nothing for us but hold of
with: the air
made Churchill is wise to insist that attitude, like that of others, is one per, She buys clothes for women
air Battle of: Britain.
has customers not only in the pro-. to fight on regardless of the attempts at invasion prohibi- there is a long and hard road to of waiting on the outcome of the who live far away from town and dangerous except to travel and: that it. extends out of Axis pressure on Balkan, coun- vinces but all over the world. Very losses, until we pull him tively
the present range of vision and the tries has brought Rumania and different are the jobs of some They down, as by patience and fanatics rushing to their doom.
British people must steel them- selves for the journey: There Can Hungary into the position of de- girls in the film studios. steady perseverance in
be no thought of repose or re-pendent states. Obviously, how-are employed as "agers" to-fill the ever uncertain, the attitude of demand for old clothes for screen applying our superior re-
laxation of effort..
The moral and material assist- Russia exercises a restraining in-tramps and down-and-outs. They can make the smartest suit look sources we undoubtedly To the magnificent courage and
It seems certain that the Ger- old and threadbare in. shall. Even if the actual efficiency of the R.A.F. is owedance which the Empire's efforts fluence on other developments..
an equal debt. It has contributed have won from its friends is per mans or Italians will not resort to minutes by rubbing it on a rough devastation of London argely towards making naval haps the most reassuring tribute the use of force in the Balkans if wall or skilfully staining it.
they can achieve their aims by and Southampton were operations and movements of that could be paid to them.
The air war may continue for threats. Apart from the danger of Then there are: the human water shipping possible; in the such as the German pro- where they are exposed to air at-long period with only minor ala collision with Russia, it is ob- "guinea pigs" who allow doctors paganda already pictures tack. It has repulsed air. attacks terations in methods. We are afvious that military operations of and scientists to try out all kinds which might have destroyed Bri-forded an opportunity of review any sort in the Balkans would in- of queer experiments on them. it, we could still have no dish industry and greatly reduced ing the situation in other theatres terfere with the transport of oil. One man earned £10 a month by thought of surrender. For losses that otherwise would have of war and potential theatres and other supplies which the Axis allowing the doctors to give him Libya and Abyssinia are of course giving in would involve
the only, other active theatres but our whole nation in a per-
potential theatres are numerous. In Libya Grazioni is still at- tempting to develop communica-
force.
manent and irretrievable revealed some deficiencies.
: ruin, which the Where the obstacle has tions and an advance base at Sidi
powers require,
a
few
headaches to aid them in their search for a cure for migraine.
Less painful but far more dan- gerous is the window cleaner's job. Not the ordinary window cleaner,.
employed on the of the been red tape, it is being Barran. Subjected to bombard- Diplomatic pressure on Yugo but those. temporary
The bricks and mortar of a cut; where it has consist ment, by naval, guns on one side, slavia, Bulgaria and Greece will skyscrapers of New York..
to harassing atigoks by mobile no doubt be heavy, but Greece window cleaning staff of the Em- city can sustain no sorted in the confusion of land units on the other and to air alone seems in danger. The Bri-pire State Building, which has 102 authorities and the result-attacks, his preparations neces- tish guarantee, which of course storeys, are among the highest of comparison.
sarily proceed slowly. Ho is suf- has a direct bearing on the naval paid unskilled workers in the ing tendency for initiative ring losses in material and com- situation in the Mediterranean, is world, earning £8 a week while The trial is severe. But and responsibility to fall munications, of
bitterly resented by Berlin and every man is insured for 1,000. no one who witnesses it down between a multipli- troops make considerable demands Rome. A Germain attack on Tur dollars and is given regular medi-
on his resources.
*
his, advanced
key, even if the Balkan countries Cal examination, Most of the acquiesced, scoms improbable, not workers are of Polish origin, only owing to Russia's relations with Turkey, but because it would involve very extensive military scure and so for it does not seem Meanwhile Allied forces have operations, which couve
achieve materially to have changed the deployed in strength in and. be- rapid: results.
general military situation.
In the situation' the outstanding
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 for definite at the bottom) has been tasks, and to clothe it with truly magnificent. Never adequate powers. The ap-hind strongly fortified positions How for Germany is convinced levoun had a democratic Govern-pointment of Sir Warren at Morta Matruh. It is an army by the Finnish War that Russia
in which many nations are re- does not constitute a military dan-point to my mind is that Germany, 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. 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 spirit. What was perhaps a criti- low estimates of Russian efficiency able to discover the theatra, 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-dence for while it would be awards.
detriment of Britain. out of the air war should nalising as one of the wis-aan strength in numbers, Powers, designed to place a brake
profound error to under-estimate, The pact of Japan with the Axle P
It may become purely an Army be fully and promptly est steps that the Govern-quality and material the Allied on Anglo-American collaboration, of European Occupation. She must has had it anything the opposito. rely almost solely on her air force dealt with. No one need ment had yet taken in army is now formidable also.
The opposing armies however result, What the effect will be on for offensive power. And in tho be surprised if the crisis this field.
aro and may remain for sometime the attitude of Russia is still obair she has. met her match..