BRITAIN WILL CONQUER OR DIE
Mr. Churchill's Review Of War Situation
Triumph In
Libya:
Menace In Balkans: Invasion Warning
"WE STOOD OUR GROUND AND FACED TWO DICTATORS IN AN HOUR OF WHAT SEEMED TO BE THEIR OVERWHELM- ING TRIUMPH AND WE HAVE SHOWN OURSELVES CAPABLE SO FAR OF STANDING UP AGAINST THEM ALONE.”
Mr. Winston Churchill opened his broadcast to the Nation and Empire with these words last night.
"It is more than five months," he said, "since I spoke to the British Nation and the Empire on a broadcast. In war time, there is a lot to be said for the motto 'deeds not words.' All the same, it is a good thing to look round from time to time and take stock, and certain- ly our affairs have prospered in several direc- tions during these last four or five months for better than most of us would have ventured to hope.
After the heavy defeats of the German Air Force by our fighters: In August and September last year, Hitler did not attempt the invasion of this island, although he had need to do so, and had made vast preparations,
"Baffled in this mighty project, he sought to break the spirit of, the
bombing British nation by first London, and afterwards one great cities.
"It has now been proved to the admiration of the world and cur friends in the United States, that this form of black-
90
whose head, Mr. Malcolm Mas Donald, is now going to Canada on other important duties,
called
rolling along the coast and rever~] "The Italian Quisling, berating in the mountains, has Mussolini, and the French Quisl- reached the ears cf pur Frenching, called Laval, are both, in comrades in their grief and mis- different ways, trying to make ery, it may cheer bam} with a their countries into vassals for feeling that friends, active friends, Hitler and his New Order, hoping are near and that Britannia rules to be able to get the Nazis and
the waves.
"The events in Libya are only part of the story. They are only part of the story of the decline and fall of the Italian Empire that will not take the futura Į
Gibbon so long to write as an original work.
In East Africa "Fifteen-hundred miles away to The South, a strong British and driven the Indian army, having invaders eut of the Sudan. are
the Gestapo to enforce their rule upon their fellow-countrymen.
Saying "we shall do our best to the Central Mediter- fight for ranean," Mr. Churchill referred to "the very significant air action over Malta a fortnight ago," and said that the Germans sent dive- bombers to Sicily which injured the aircraft-carrier Illustrious and, as this wounded ship was sheltering in Malta harbour, they concentrated upon it their entire
force so as to beat it to pieces.
"They were attacking one of the
of
the
marching steadily forward through The Italian Colony of Eritrea thus secking a complete isolation of all best defended fortresses Italian troops in Abyssinin. Other world against air attacks, the Fleet British troops are entering Abys- Air-Arm and the R.A.F. and, in were in great danger. They could sania from the West while an army two or three days, they lost out not eas,ly retreat along the coastal is gathered in Kenya in the van of of 150 dive-hombers, upwards of road without running the risk of which we may discern the ninety. 50 of which were destroy- Afric.ed in the air and forty 01 the being caught in the open by our powerful forces of South
by General Smuts, ground. armoured division and brigades, organised
northward along the Tanging far out into the desert in striking
had whole of this Borumus frontier. They
Did Not Come Again tremendous
Lastly. Ethiopian patriots exposed themselves to bring at-
whose independence was stolen
Although lustrious in a dam- tacked prece-moul.
in five years ago, have risen
aged condition was one of the arms and their Emperor, so regreatest prizes of air and naval cently exiled in England, is In their midst to fight for their and would not come any more.
to the Illustrious in Malta All necessary repairs were made har- bour and she steamed safely to Alexandria
SWOOP.
"General Waveil, nay, all our leaders of British. Australians and Indians In the Imperial Army saw their opportunity.
freedom and his throne. "At that time, I ventured to draw "Here, then, we see the begin General Wavell's attention to the ning of the process of reparation gospel of St. Matthew at the se- and the chastening of wrong-do- venth verse where, as you alling which reminds that though know, or ought to know, it is writ-mills of God grind slowly, they ten: Ask and it shall be given, grind exceedingly small." seek and ye shall find, knock und the door shall be opened into you.'
"The Army of the Nile has ask- ed and it was given. They sought and they have found. They knock- theed and it has been opened to them.
"We have broker the back of
daylight winter,
grows, R.A.F. grows and is already cer- tainly master of daylight and the nur.
Sharper, But Shorter
"The attacks may be sharper but they will be shorter.
There will be more opportunities for work and service of all kinds.
So, if our first victory was the mail by murder and terrorism, repulse of the invader, our second weakening the was the frustration of h's acts of far from
terror and Nation.
torture against our spirit of the Brition
it to a has only roused
more people at home.
than "Meanwhile, abroad, in October, Game Intense
before in any a wonderful thing happened. One was
universal seen ever
modern community.
Model Of Military Art
"In barely eight weeks of the campaign, which should be long studied as a model of military art, an advance of over four hun- dred miles has been made. The whole Italian army in the East- an army reputed to exceed
one
hundred and fifty thousand men have been captured or destroy- ed and the entire province of Cyrenaica, nearly as big as Eng- land and Wales, has been quered.
U.S. Aid
war, the Germans accepted defeat
under her own power at 23 knots.
Mr. Churchill said he dwelt on this incident, not because it dis- posed of the danger in the Cen- tral Mediterranean, but in order Referring to the "mighty tide of to show that there, as elsewhere, sympathy and good-will and ef- we intended to give a good ac- fective aid" which has begun
count of ourselves, flow
Atlantic, Mr. But, after all, the fate of this Churchill said to his hear-war may be settled by what hap-
that
it might be that pens on the oceans, in the air and, both Mr. Wendell Willkie and Mr. | above all, in this island. Harry Hopkins would tell the truth about what they had seen over here.
ers
across the
to
More than that is not asked. "The rest we leave with good confidence to the
judgment of President Roosevelt, the United
ican people.” States Congress, and the Amer-
American Aid
It now seemed certain that the Government and people of the United States intended to supply us with everything necessary for victory.
Mr. Churchill recalled that, in the last war, the United States sent Balkan Unity
two million men across the Atlan- tic. But this was not a war of Turning to what he described immense armies con-
Aring immense as the more serious, darker and shells at one another. We don't "The unhappy Arab tribes more dangerous aspects of the need the gallant armies which are of the two Dictators, a cold-blood-which have suffered from brutal vast scene of the war, Mr. forming throughout American "The whole of the British Emed and blackhearted Italian, who Italian rule have been freed. Churchill said, "We may be sure pire has been proud of the Mother had sought to gain an empire at Those Bedouin survivors have at the war is soon going to enter country and they long to be with a cheap price by stabbing fallen least seen their
a phase Oppressors
of greater violence. us over here in even larger num-
France in the back, got into | disorderly flight er led off in end- Hitler's confederate, ' Mussolini, bers. We have been deeply con trouble.
less droves as prisoners of war. has reeled back in Libya, but the scious of the love for us which
Germans, having absorbed Hun-war has flowed from the Dominions of!
gary and driven Rumania into the Crown across the broad
frightful internal convulsions are ocean spaces.
now already on the Black Sea,
a:ms
"That is first of our war to be worthy of that love and preserve it.
Bombing Of England
"All through these dark win- had ter months the enemy has
the power to drop three or four tons of bombs upon us for every ton we could send to Germany in return.
Egypt Safe
Without the slightest provoca - tion, spurred on by the lust of power and brutish greed, Mus. golini attacked and invaded "Egypt and the Suez Canal are Greece only to be hurled back safe and the port, hase and air-
felds
constitute a of Benghazi ignominiously by the heroic
point strategic
of high conse- Greek army who have revived
quence to the whole war in the before our eyes the glories that,
Eastern Mediterraneau," from the classic age, have fill- ed their native land.
Libyan Campaign
Union. We don't need them this year or next year or, as far as I can foresee, in any year. But we do need most urgently, an im- mense and continuous supply of materials and technical ap- paratus of all kinds.
Dill Warning
"A considerable German army and Air Force is being built up
Concluding his broadcast, the forward in Rumania and its
Premier referred to the warning tentacles have already pene-given to him by General Dill that trated Bulgarla with, we must Hitler may be forced to try to in- Mr. Churchill proceeded to pay suppore, the acquiescence of the Vade the British Isles in the near glowing tributes to General Bulgarian Government.
future. Wavell and other military leaders The air-fields are being occu- "We
working are naturally and said he had received a tele-pied by German ground person-night and day, and we are get- thousands so as ting everything ready. We are "While Mussolini was writhing gram from General Wavell say nel, numbering
than ever before and smarting under Greek ing that the success of Benghazi to enable the German Air Force stronger
the
action from Bul stronger than last August "We are arranging so that, lash in Albania, Generals Wavell was due to the outstanding lead to come into
will be rather
September. presently this
and Wilson who were charged with ership and resolution of Generals garia.
"Many O'Connor and Greagh, ably back- but,
have preparations round, the
I have the greatest confidence other way
the defence of Egypt and the ed by General Wilson.
been made for the movement in the Commander-in-Chief at meanwhile, London and our big
of German troops Into or Home, General Brooke, but most cities have had to stand their
through Bulgaria and perhaps of all I put my faith in the sim- pounding.
this forward movement has al-ply resolve to conquer or die ready hegull,
Referring to the part played by the Royal Air Force and the Navy in the battle of Libya, Mr. Churchill declared that none of the British plans could have succeeded had not the pilota wrested the control of the air
a far more
numerous.
Suez Canal in accordance with our Treaty obligations, whose task difficult, "They remind me of the Bri-at one time seemed so
had received very They
powerful re- tish squares at Waterloo.
of men, cannon, are not squares of soldiers, they inforcements
equipment and above all, tanks, do not wear scarlet coats,
"They are just ordinary Eng- which we had sent from our is-
from folk, land in spite of the invasion thrent lish, Scottish and Welsh men, women and children stand- and large numbers of troops from ing steadfastly together but their India, Australia and New Zealand spirit is the same, their glory is had also reached them. the same and in the end their victory will be greater than the famous Waterloo,
Greater Violence
and
and
which is onimating and Inspiring nearly four million Britons with serviceable weapons in their hands.
"Of course," · continued Mr, Churchill. "If all Balkan peoples
to- Words Of Caution stood together and acted
"It is not an easy military oper- gether, aided by Britain Turkey, it would be many months
to Britain' and before the German force could ation to invade
assembled in South-East face what is waiting for the in- "There is one word of caution, Europe and in those months much vader here. might happen.
"Much, will certainly happen, though, which I must give. Hitler as American aid becomes. effec, thought that whers France gave We did tive and as our air power, grows in, we should, give in.. and as we become a well-armed not give in, and he had to think nation and, as our armies in the again.
enemy air force. Nor would the campaign itself have been possible If the British had not of Mediterranean Fleet "There began that series victories in Libya which have chased the Italian Navy into their broken irretrievably Italian mili-harbours and sustained every for be the "All honour is due to .. tary power in the African con- ward surge of the army with all
the. flexible resources of defence services of all tinent. Here then, In Libya, is kinda emergency and rogu-the third considerable event upon power. far, voluntary and professional, which we may feel some satisfac- who have helped our people through this, formidabio ordeal..
civit
the like of which no civilised. community tina ever been ball- ed upon to undergo.
©Back Of Winter
tion."
Hazardous Adventure
Genoa Shelling
sea
Mr. Churchill continued: "How far-reaching these resources are East increase in strength. Nothing "Any invasion now will be: sup- After referring to the early we may now see from what hap more certain then,, if countries in ported by much more carefully
at dawn this stages of the British advance in pened
morning, South-Easter Europa allow them- prepared equipment. of landing Libya as "the most hazardous ad- when our Western Mediterranean selves to be pulled to places, one craft, which he must have plan- "More than two-thirds of the venture, Mr Churchill continued: andar Admiral Somerville by one, they will share the fato ned during the winter. We must and Belall be prepared to meet gas," at- attacks and winter has now gone and so far "The brilliant decisive factor in entered the Gulf of Genoa and of Denmark, Holland
bombarded in a shattering man- of
other plans, which have been we have bad po, serious epidemic, Sidi Barani with its tens
neo the patal haze, trein whichgium, and none can tell how long tacks, parachute
made with practised skill. indeed, there has been no increase thousands of prisoners proved a German Nazi axpedition might it will be before the hour of de-
"The British Empire and the in illness, in spite of the im- that we had a quality in manoevr-sail to attacks General Weygand liverance strikes.
"One of the difficulties is
to whole English-speaking world. provised conditions, in the shel-ing power and weapons superior to in Algeria or Tunisia.
the enemy who had bansted so “It is right that the Italian convince these countries that we will be on Hitler's tracks, bear- "That is mostly due to the local much of his virility and military people should be made to feel are going to win the war, Weing with them the sword of Jus- medical and sanitary, authori-victues.
the sorry plight into which they think it astonishing that they tide. No sudden shock of battle "It was evident that all other
had been led by Mussolinį, don't see it as clearly as our-will shake" us and we will finish - ties, to our devoted - nursing, staff and the Ministry of Hoaith, Italian forces In eastern Libya " the cunnonade of Genon;", selves. J
***ters,