CHINA MAIL R. A.F. U Wakes Hitler
WINDSOR HOUSE
STAGE DRESSING
The recognition of the Nanking- Government by the Japanese is obviously a piece of stage dress- ing. Its object is to appease not China but the Japanese people who are heartily sick of this China incident.
Apart from the lure of Indo- China and the Netherlands East Indies and the desirability of changing direction of effort, the Japanese feel that this costly ad venture in China ought to be li- quidated.
and
From
Of
A
By
Dream Warren Irvin
Conquest
warplanes excecds: 6,000.
The Air War Over Britain, new-ority, is far from enjoying mastery, the number of first-line German est phase of the European con- in the air. flict, is clearly destined to have an important effect on the out-
come.
They Found No Weak Spot
fairly obvious. There appears to The object of the recent raids is be no question but that they were designed to feel out the strength of the British defences; to find, if
Mr. Irvin, noted American writer and broadcaster, and for thirteen years a staff correspondent on the "New York Times," spent the first eight months of the war in Berlin as an observer.
that I believed the most import- ant result of the recent raids was the effect upon
invasion plans;
and have pointed out that this is morale. bound to influence the German
I know that it is the German custom to minimise their own losses, while exaggerating losses on the other side.
the
paper correspondent have made Years of experience' as a news- me somewhat sceptical of official figures. When I was in Germany, we found that while the communi- ques of the German High Com- mand were fairly truthful, so far. as the land forces were concern- ed, the
Germany's Lost Machines And Men The nation has been well nigh
In this article an accredited
From reliable German sources I reduced to bankruptcy by
the neutral
observer discusses the
plane were destroyed in the know that about 600 German heavy expenditure on the
war facts so far, the prospects,
and which has cost so much in life the implications of this
Polish campaign. Losses in Nor great and wealth to Japan. That, how- struggle,
way probably did not exceed 200 ever, would be tolerable
and may have been considerably if it brought any permanent territor- The amazing success of the
less, In Holland, Belgium" and ial or economic gains. The Ja-Royal Air Force in smashing the
France-including the action at panese army promised as the recent raids on Britain should not
Dunkirk-the Germans may have Germans did their countrymen, abe permitted to engender over-
lóst another 1,500; and I belleve confidence. The war in the air has. short sharp profitable war
their losses, in and around the German Air Force were given to German Navy and the have now had to admit that they intensive raids, are almost sure not yet been won. Other, and more:
British Isles since the start of the gross exaggeration. The reason, we cannot carry out their promises. to follow. Germany's
start of the war, are somewhere in thought, was that the Air Force air losses;
the neighbourhood of 1,300. They are inextricably mixed up though considerable; have not ma
and the Navy did not have the in China, with their vast armies,terially reduced
'So far as as the 'plates are con- same traditions behind them as the strength of
cerned, these losses, while con- the Army, which cannot advance, and are her aviation. She still has vast re-
siderable, are not necessarily seri-Since I have come to Britain, finding it difficult to retreat. They serves; and, when an opportune.
ous. They may have been com- have checked carefully on Royal proclaim that the terms they are moment arrives, can be expected
pensated by new construction. But the pilots offering are extremely generous, to throw them into the balance
are not so easily
Air Force figures, and I have and furnish proof of their disin-with utter disregard for 'planes
re-reached the conclusion that when placed as the 'planes. That is nn-it errs, the R.A.F. generally errs other matter. terested motives in invading and and men alike. That is the Ger-
on the other side. devastating the cities of China. It man method.
Germany is none too well sup- is quite obvious that this military be no doubt as to the importance be made the focal point of attacked for this work, but young Na- But, at the same time, there can possible, a weak spot, which could particular. Young men are need
,plied with pilots-fighter pilots in British Conservatism experience has had a chastening of the RAFs achievement. Here, Had such a spot been detected, zis don't make the best pilots. major, in charge of a control sta- effect upon Japan, since she has as at Dunkirk, British 'planes and mass assaults, with thousands of They have been too regimented; tion, who showed me the figures Not so long ago I met a British not only suffered economically but British pilots. again have demon-planes has had a severe military set back.strated their superiority-a super-would have followed; and would led; they are not accustomed
participating, probably their individuality, has been stif- he had tabulated Nothing can disguise the fact iority which should become more have been accompanied by in- thinking for themselves.
for his group. that she has failed to realise her and more marked as the war pro-vasions from sea and air in the while they may perform brilliant gave only 141 for all the British to l'One one particular day, when of- And Acial Agures. on German losses stated purpose in bringing China gresses,
best "blitz" fashion known to Ger- ly against undefended towns and Isles, the major's figures showed man technique.
helpless civilians, their ardour that his group alone had account- likelihood of such an invasion be- pilots of superior skill and cour Of course it is possible that some
But with each passing, the quickly cools when confronted by ed for 188 German 'planes. comes more and more impro-age. bable.. By Autumn: it may be too
of the pilots in this group may Hrnce, as regards the future, have been stretching things a bit.. possible..
possible that German aircraft production has our British aircraft production is some not only reached its peak; it is rising steadily and it has behind over-modest, like one RAF. pilot of them may have been
able workers are being employed: preciable strides.. Against these, to attack five Nazi raiders, and under forced drought. All avail-it the production of the United of whom I heard recently.
States, which also is making ap- He took off alone from his field True, Germany now has at her Germany cannot. hope to compete. when he returned, reported that disposal the aircraft factories of France. But she hasn't the men tot is only a question of time when he had brought down two. operate them, unless she uses air must pass to the Allied side; them down?" he was asked..... even numerical superiority in the "How do you know you brought French workers, and that can only numerical superiority in pilots, as be done at the risk of sabotage..
"I saw one well as 'planes, because Britain I don't know exactly how many can continue to draw pilots from drop completely out of control, planes the Germans have.. Officials the Dominions in addition to those and I saw another crash into the of the Propaganda Ministry: as- sured me they had 30,000 at the supplied by the United Kingdom. beginning of the way. That, I think The Immediate Position would be around: 20,000, including But these are matters that con-
an exaggeration. My guess commercial craft and training cern the future, and we are living planes. But even then, I doubt if in the present. I have already said
to her knees. What she has done Not only have they rendered is to set up a Quisling, but with-invaluable service in restoring | out having eliminated the real British prestige in the eyes of the world; they have also dealt an- other blow to German ́morate,}
deciding factors in the present level, is likely to be one of the
government,
The treaty of peace with: China
is meant to mark the end of the That morale, already at the 1917 late; by Spring it may be im--the odds are: all in Britain's fav-But then it's also
war.
campaign and to convey the en tirely wrong impression to the Japanese people that the new or... der in China has been established lieve the most important result of It is for this reason that I be- and that all that remains to be the work of the Royal Air Force: done is to clear up a certain in the recent raids on Britain, has amount of debris in the way of been its effect upon German plans querillas and those wito refuse to for the invasion of England. Many recognise the Nanking Govern- people, I know, do not believe that ment. The whole procedure is Hitler intends, or ever intended. dishonest and childish,, since Ja-to invade Great Britain. pan's task is not completed and I do not share this view. Eight months of wartime experience in The real Chinese Government Germany have convinced me that at Chungking has just been assur-when the Nazis boasted they would ad of american cooperation and be in London by August 15th they financial assistance.. The Burma fully expected to be:
Another winter of war is not a Road is open and the Chinese,
pleasing prospect for the German armies more active than ever be-
people. Memories of the last wine, fore,
ter are still too fresh in theft If it were a real treaty of peace. minds;.. memories of -hunger
never will be:
marking the conclusion of hostili- and hardship, of privation ties, then Japan would: ccaso poverty and suffering, fighting and bombing cities and shivering thousands from tile leave the pacification of China to poorer sections of the big Wang Ching-wei. Everyone cities crowding info railways sta- knows what would happen in a tions in an effort to get warm. month if she did so. The Nan- If Germany hopes to win this King government cannot stand on its own feet, it must be support ed and hedged round by Japanese bayonets.
quickly and completely. But how war; she must conquer. Britain, she can attempt to do so; how she can avon envisage an invasion, without mastery; in the air, I do The treaty of peace then is anot see. Nor do I balleve that Hit- sham and a piece of hypocrisy, ||ler does. And the Royal Air Force but it will probably deceive the has proved conclusively that Gér- Japanese people and' will facili-many, despite numerical, superl- tate the withdrawal of some Ja- panese troops from the interior.
ed for her no help, but antagon- All that Japan wants and al-ised a powerful neighbour..
The ways did want is a weak disunit-signing of this pact was of the ed. China. When the Chinese greatest assistance to Britain as it closed their ranks under General galvanised the American. arma- Chiang Kai-shek, Japan stepped ment industry into life. It pro-
in and provided the destructive vided the stimulus that was lack- force, now she seeks to step out, ing and crystallised the world hoping that she will leave China position of the great nations. once more. for an indefinite per- iod in a state of civil war.
Her wishes may be realised but only for a short time, seeing that her recent adventure has streng- thened and consolidated the free people of China and those who seek to be free. That of course comprises the whole nation.
With regard to the future, not many statesmen would look for any kind of support from Italy, the nation which sold. Chinese aeronautical plans to Japan; sce- ing that her position in the Me- diterranean' is now precarious.
Japan has made it plain in-hor so-called treaty with Nanking that her policy is to climinate Russian influence from China. She can hardly hope. therefore to get free from the fear of. Russia on her
It is obvious that in the course of a year or two with the growing power of the nations that oppose her policy that Japan's retreat will be as rapid, as her advance northern border, Germany has has been.
men and material but she is shut Japanese policy has been dein and cannot hope to get con- plorable from the point of view trol of the highways of the ocean. of her own interests in recent 4 Japanese statesman who sur yents.
veys the world situation, at the moment must be extremely dis turbed in mind: Local tempor ary success; he may have here and there, but nemesis is not very.
far off.
She banked on the isolationism of the United States, the preoccu- pation of Britain in Europe, the help of Italy and of Germany, Her adherence to the Axis gain-
t
"Well," he said,
sea,"
",
"And what of the three others?”
know.
his commanding officer wanted to
couldn't see them. They were all "Oh," replied the pilot. "I in little bits and pieces."
Japanese Nearsightedness
APAN
DIDNT NOW HE VAS SO
LITTLE
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