THE
THE CHINA, MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1958.
ADMIRAL
SWORE FOR
FIVE
MINUTES
BECAUSE OF A NOTE CHURCHILL SENT TO THE CHIEFS OF STAFF
N August 24, 1941, Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Harwood Ostant Chief to the Naval Staff-telephoned from the Admiralty, and swore heartily for five minutes on end about a note Churchill had just sent to the Chiefs- of-Staff, in which he had suggested the despatch of another direct convoy through the Mediterranean, to take more fanks to General Auchinleck, the Commander-in- Chief, Middle East.
flicted on the Germans by the tain the garrisons of these rich, influence upon senti- ihem, but we must be able to Brlish, It will have a far- places. We need not assault meat throughout the world. It hold them in. Let them storve has been an anxious time. We those animals, have been fortunate to have got "Now, there is Tobruk. It
the four months we needed for
as held out successfully for tacked by the Germans. Now four months.
being t- preparation, without
And yet, when there is another fortnight to go. It was decided to stand there, What I have been turning over I was told it was a mistake." Inrwood suld he had rung me premature attack in June, it i
Here I intervened and sald, up to blow off steam, and that, might now have been feasible to in my mind is this: when the
movement goes forward, it will "One thing, GRA one thlut 210 he had done it, he felt take the offensive with success.
not be enough to sweep round only, has saved Tobruk," nuch better,
Auchinleck stood firm and the enemy's rear, There will be
"What?" he The Prime Minister now after a fortnight or so Church it hard and bitter fighting.
asked. began to pul pressure
"Russia," I on appeared to accept the altuation fentry formations will be re-
quired.
Are you satisfied that Auchinlecit to start his offensive with good grace.
Auchinleck is going to use a big replied before November, which Auchin-
enough force? Everything should leck considered to be the earliest
be thrown in." date on which he could move with good hopes of ensuring a far reaching success in Libya,
Disgruntled
Itim
I said there could be 10
At about 6 p.m. on October doubt that the only limit to
On August 25 he delivered a 14, the Princ
terms to
Minister sent
diatribe in the Defenen Com- me a message that he wanted the size of the attacking forces millee referring in scathing to see me.
I found him pacing should be that imposed by the the 600,000 useless up and down in the Cabinet quantity of transport available mouths" in Egypt and to the Hoom, in a zip romper suit of for their supply and main Jack of activity In the desert Air Force
blue, stained with tenance. I felt sure that Auchin- I thought he looked leek must realise this. But, it rather disgruntled.
picce June.
He asked me to sit down at the table, and he took a chair opposite me, and it a cigar,
he wished
THE
At this he got up and walked about the room.
"Why," he said at last, "we
have been sinking 50 per cent of their shipping."
I thought there was no point in pursuing the subject, although my information was that we had sunk only 17 per cent of their shipping, and this in the absence
in Russia of German air forces to be reassured, wo which might otherwise have would ask Auchinlock, or, if he been operating from Greece and preferred it, we could tell him from Sicily to cover the enemy's
lo send a staff oficer to London lines of communication across
the Mediterranean,
He then proceeded to discuss to explain the details of the the coming offensive in the pton, of which I knew the out- desert, to which he had given line only. the code name "Crusader.""
The Chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Sir John Dill, told me that he had said, In reply that it should not be forgollen that we had pressed General Wavell against his own judgment, to attack;
in June,
Sitting down again, Churciu!! and that he now felt that he
"Now let us build went on hinuself
What if we custles in. the air, had been equally to
He then continued: blume for this. He had warned "This battle" he began, "will
"There get to Tripoli Tho aged have the Prime Minister against re-
effect on the will be actions of Tobruk, at Marshal may then give the word 1 great peating the mistake, and had war, If the attack succeeds. Bardia, and at Benghazi. The to Weygand that the Germans added that, but for the possibly it will be the first defeat in- correct method will be to con- bave no forces to spare to over-
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Drawing by WEITEAR
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What?
asked Winston
Russia,
I replied
One thing only has saved Tobruk...
BUSINESS OF WAR
by Major-General SIR JOHN
KENNEDY
Director of Military Opera- tions. 1940-43, ACONT Chief of Imperial Genzial Stalf (Operations and Intelligence) 1943-45
run France. We may get info North Africa, especially If the Germans try to use Bizeria,"
N
I said that that was a posal-
bility we had been considering. that we had also been
wid
studying take advantage of a collapse in Italy.
difeultics." (Well, I thought paper was taken by the Defenso to myself, that is because you Committee on October 16, and ask them to examine impossible was well received. projects.) " I get your plan," he continued, "then I will see how the Navy and the Air Force
entering on a discussion at this can help."
moment.
"Well," continued the Prime Minister, "let us have an out- fine plan for the Defence Com mittee tomorrow night."
moro
I said I would see to this, effect that Auchin, to the the 18th, and the Prime Minister
not
We hoped now that our work
upon could proceed balanced and orderly lines, but Chutehill decreed otherwise.
The Chief of the Air Stuff, There. ensued a difficult and Sir Charles Portol, orrived at irritating phase. Auchinleck's this juncture, and he read out attack had been scheduled to a telegram from Air Marshal start at the beginning of Novem-
the Tedder,
Commander of her; he new postponed it unil! the Air Force in
would was extremely disappointed, and then I added, "I hope you not
He reaction was to turn franti- will not mind my saying this, the
have air superchill cally to all kinds of other possi- coming battle. Prime Minister. Our staffs are signthed his disapproval, but bllites for offensive action very fully occupied in studying Portal quickly read out his reply.. other projects which you have in which he had told Tedder that Whenever an Iden, however erdered to be examined. In my he was wrong and pessimistic, wild, was thrown up, he ordered opinion we should switch them and that he must think again, detailed examinations, or plans, on to these more likely and The Prime Minister sald that or both, to be made at high more important plans of which Portal's reply was excellent. speed. Our stables were so full just been speaking. Then he thanked us, and we look of those unlikely starters that it we fail to take advantage of
at 7.15 pm. our leave, possible developments in the Mediterranean pid in North Africa, we may miss opportuni- ties for offensive petion, and for improving our whole strategie position."
you have
we were hard put to 1 to give the attention the favourites
То соре
with After dinner, I assembled the they deserved.
situation adequately, three Directors of Plans, and set the them to work on outline plans would almost have been worth for exploitation of a successful while to have two stalls; ona offensive by Auchinleek, to in- to deal with the Prime Minister, "I want the General Staff to cludo Turkey and the Caucasus, the other with the war. put up a plan," he said. "Com- Tripoll, Sicily, and Spanish and Africa. This the French North me mitters, always give
COMMENTARY
BY
FRAN. K OW EN
cam-
ondad
In a near-
When Churchill's projecta were finally thrown aside, affor the useless expenditure of much Jabour and energy, he obylously. did not, realise that he had been saved from disasters. On the contrary, he seemed to think he had been thwarted by. men who Incked inluative and courage. At such times as this, we often felt that we would give almost colourful nything for a less
NEXT WEEK
DAY General Kennedy gives the Chiefs of Staff!) had pushed occupant of No, 10.
of the him into in Juno. This a further instance
had how best we might prime Minister Winston Chur- paigh
chill, putting his own high disastrous retreat. powered pregsura ироп сле of:
Auchinlock But now, when His General, Claude Auchin-
Ken- "atood firm," as General "We have had word that feck, then Commander-in-Chief nedy records, it was Churchill. Mussolini is very unpopular," Middle Exat,* to open a new he continued.
The
Italians offanelve in the Western Desert, who gave way. might even ask us for pro- in the autumn of 1941. lection against the Germans, We must think about these things, and have plans ready."
Surely a sign of this staton- man's generous capacity to bear General Auchinlook Was re opppaltion if he considered that luctant to start operations, as he the reasons for "lack of activity" divemed, too soon. He had not had sobte possible, sound mili- had given a note to the forgotten that prematurs attack täry argument in favour Chiefs-of-Staff
predecemar, General Couro (as the writer himself
(and belleves, History will show, ap
7
that
hit morning by upon these very points, but It Wavalt, which seemed to me better not to
Churchill
anticipate the deliberations of Now Field-Marshal the Defence Committee, by Auchinleck.
Bir Claude
the
proving Auchinleck's shrewd discretion),
-London Express Service).
"When things go wrong I am the
one who gets
his neck wrung,"
said Churchill.
sypuja sooout Jonat"
puy 'no'puv uð pun ứơ
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