THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 19, 1941
DEBATE ON LESSONS OF WAR
Lord Addison Criticises War Office Inaction
DEFENCE LINE ROUND AMERICA
(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")
State Department quar- ters in Washington dis- closed yesterday that the U.S. is actively establish- ing a defence line around Latin-America,
#
Diplomatic discussions are un- der way with practically all the 21 American Republics with view
to extending aid to those countries under the Lease and Lend Act, to strengthen coastal
LION AT BALL
A caged lion roared greetings to arriving guests at a Rule Bri- tannia ball at Palm Beach, Florida, in aid of Bundles for Britain and the British War Relief Society. Women wore red, white and blue frocks. ---Reuter.
on the sea up
naval patrol 'planes maintaining a constant vigil proaches.
The planes would be manned
Latin-American
would be at
the
defence
virtual by and provide a
personnel ring of steel around South but the bases America, consisting of A.A. and disposal of the United States im- long-range guns and a ring of mediately war broke out. Inter
bases, with American-built national News Service.
air
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Lord Samuel Paints Brighter Picture
THE HOUSE OF LORDS yesterday debat- ed the Battle of Crete. The debate was initiated by Lord Addison, who dwelt parti- cularly upon the defence of the aerodromes, in which, he declared, there was a diversion of responsibility.
SMALL RAID ON ALEXANDRIA
Only B few bombs were dropped during an air raid on Alexandria early yesterday morning, according to an Egyp- tian Ministry of Interior munique.
com-
The alert lasted about an hour and the A.A. defences were in action. Only one casualty oc- curred and damage done was
very slight-Reuter.
ADVERTISEMENT BY NOISE
Summoned for causing an ob- struction by amplifying gramo- phone records to attract pedes- trians outside his shop at No. 400, Shanghai Street. Lui Wai fined $15 by Mr. H. C. Macnan.ara at Kowloon this morning.
If higher direction on that matter was responsible for the defeat in Crete, we should not run similar risks in our home defence. Lord Addison said he was himself responsible in March and April this year for bringing to the notice of the War Office and Air Minis-Suez try a very serious memo on the subject "but nothing happened.'
"
Lord Addison argued that the have survived large-scale bomb- reason why this vital matter was ing attacks which the Germans not apprehended adequately. was i could bring against them. because not enough play had been given at the top to brains.
Viscount Samuel (Liberal) found much cause tion.
to
Whether it was possible ever accumulate enough equip- ment adequately to defend the aerodromeB for gratifica-
Alluding to the number of im- portant occurrences in which Hit- ler had failed, Lord Samuel quot- ed a phrase by Carlyle: "You may paint with a very big brush and yet not be a great painter."
Spain And Russia
In Greece
Canal
Was
·
The Italians had been cleared
South Africans and others in the Red Sea operations had been enabled to reinforce the main position in the Mediterranean and counteract the treachey in
out of threatening positions, the
Iraq and of Vichy in Syria,
Meanwhile, from Britain, the United States, India and Africa, armaments and growing volumes of
flowing in Crete, was a point which only and transport were
Loss of those with full knowledge could and far exceeded the
material.
In the Syrian operations the Australians were already flying
answer,
The facilities at the disposal of the Germans for bringing up planes and supplies were incom-American 'planes. parably superior to the British.
Reserve Problem
Tank Battle
If we had given a free passage He referred to Iraq and to the Lord Trenchard said: "One of to the Germans by not resisting fact that contrary to expectations the reasons for the evacuation of in Greece and Crete, the situa- a year ago, Hitler had not yet Crete was that we could not gettion of the Suez Canal defences shaken Spain's neutrality and a reserve of troops into the battle would have been far more, anxi- marched on Gibraltar.
The affection and mutual confidence between the Soviet and Germany. continued Lord Samuel,
apparently shown by the massing of arm- ed miillons from the Baltic to the Black Sea,
was now
The Soviet
alliance with Japan had not frightened the United States from taking overt action to assist the Allies. American action, he said, must be greatly influenced by the at- titude of their sister Republics in Central and South America which
Germany had been making in- tense efforts to influence but fail-
ed.
The whole of the 21 American Republics and the Pan-American Union remained solid.
Battle Of Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was far from being won but it was certainly not won for Hitler.
Lord Trenchard, distinguished former Chief of the R.A.F., said there was much misunderstand- ing regarding recent air opera- tions.
It more aerodromes had been built in Crete they would never
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zone. You cannot keep your re- serve troops in the battle zone.
"For this purpose of having a reserve in depth, an Air Force
greater reserve of far
than 100 per cent. is needed. "There will always be a large Inumber
for the Middle East locked up in transit along lines of communication.“
of
reserves
LORD TRENCHARD DECLAR- ED THE DEFENCE OF
ous than it was to-day. We had used the time to good purpose,
have
The prospects of the present vicious tank battle would been very different if the Ger.
in mans could have got
all..
If the tanks they wanted and Wo had not had four months in which to reinforce our sources.
re-
sufferings
Aus-
and The sacrifices AERO-undergone by the British, DROMES WAS THE RESPON- !tralian and New Zealand forces ឌ serious had not only caused SIBILITY OF THE ARMY.
setback in Hitler's Eastern plans but
their might bring
final wrecking. Reuter.
Information Wanted
Field-Marshal Lord Milne made
Germany's Start
the
a strong plea that the War Office should accelerate the supply of information concerning the where- Lord Moyne referred to abouts, if alive, of the men from cooperation of R.A.F. squadrons Greece and Crete, as in many with the Army.
cases relatives did not know what Army Cooperation Squadrons, had happened to their sons and he said, had for a long time been working in intimate relation with husbands.
involved which LORD CROFT INTERVENED ground troops TO GIVE AN ASSURANCE THAT the working out of extremely THIS MATTER WAS BEING, difficult "combined training.
SPEEDED UP.
Lord Moyne, replying to the debate for the Government, refuted the "Nazi fle" that the whole force of the German at- tack in Crete was borne by Anzac troops.
:
British troops in operation this year had been equal in number and slightly more than equal in casualties.
The Germans at the start of the war...were in possession of wireless cooperation of very great efficiency. He was assured our armoured formations were now building up the same kind of system. of close cooperation ... and asso¤lation with particular aircraft whose function it will be to support them in battle.. Already in technical skill, and-- The number of German dead ability the R.A.F., was fully equal In Grote was Your times 18 to this very important function- many as the British and ex- and would not be found in any ceeded the total of British losses way inferior to the German_ex- in killed, wounded and missample when these new arrange ing.
ments were fully developed.
While the lesson of Crete had not been neglected, sald Lord We lost relatively little material "Moyne much more had been whereas we destroyed at least done, than, was obvious to the 430 of the costliest German types public, and defence of an aero- of 'planes and blunted the teeth drome was not plain for all to of the Luftwaffe.
ܐ܂
Blunted Teeth.
see.
Cooperation with the Army would not be inferior to that of Wringing Of Hands" the Germans when our system of air support was complete,
During the debate Viscount” ·
"In this country aerodromea Cecil of Chelwood said there had are defended.” In depth.' we been too much of this wringing have an air defence force and of our hands." local. defanos” serving "particus. The position, broadly speaking," larly parodromos. They will was not unsatisfactory, If they be supplemented and backed looked back, every month, al- up by the Army,
mbst showed a decided improve- Lord Moyne declared the han-dent, in our position compared dicap of distance" to the eastern with that of our enemies. Mediterranean was being steadily counteracted w
Suez Position
The resistance in Greece Crete had given us months strengthen the position in
There had been, of course, in stances of serious "setbacks ; but, taking a wider view of the general course of the war it would be absurd not to recognise and that compared with six months to ago, we had immense superiori the now-British" Wireless.