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February 22, 1940.
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Air Power
Strange goings-on, your Majesty! A lot of passenger liners and
sargo vesels-havo sunk in the last seals or two,
Ah! Germany must be at war again.
Sidelights on the PEOPLE at war..
IN GERMANY..
**
IN BRITAIN..
Hushed and Your voice
W
"What I have seen since IUNIE began," says the old engineer in Kipling's ballad, "leaves me no doubt of the machine. But what about the man?"
The range of the Wellington bomber is far greater, with 'full war load, than a thousand miles cach way. We have already a smaller type which has done more than 7,000 miles without n stop. R.A.F. machines now passing from the factories to units are far superior to those of a year ago, and the output hus been more than doubled. But however good the aircraft, long range fights over Germany would not be possible without great during and enterprise and the highest level of skill in piloting and navigation.
Both men and machines of the R.A.F. will hold something more than their own against those which Hitlerism can send up.
In these first months of the war the Air Force has had a testing time, with the results of which we may well be satisfied.
It has inflicted a heavy pro- portion of losses on the enemy aircraft which have tried to break through our defences. Ita bombers have made effective attacks on German naval and scaplane basca.
In
baming the campaign against merchant shipping it has given valuable help, su valuable
that we may now consider the theory of the rise of air power: wenkening SCA power to proved fallacious.
he
A country of superior naval strength, it is clear, may increase its command of the sea by the 'uso of the air arm.
Decisive air action has yet to come, and it is, of course, im- possible to predict in what man- ner the Air Force may be used in major operations.
We have to expect that a more stronuous struggle may soon be fought whether only one or all the three elements are the aceno of desperate effort.
But every day We have AA better prospect of establishing our ascendancy in the air, Be yond the plans of production and training at home now coming to full development lies the forma tion of Imperial air power of overwhelming strength.
anxious
"ITH the war not yet three months old how goes it with the enemy? What are the German people think- Ing and feeling? How is their morale? How does the Fuchrer stand with his own people?
by W. N.
EWER
Important questions: and not too easy to answer. For really rellable evidence is hard to come by. And the other kind -- rumours; propaganda, sen- sational stories— is too plentiful.
But reliable evi- dence is to be had. Tho provalling mood in Germany to-day-at any rate in the towns seems to be one of growing disillusion and depression, People are anxious," uncertalia and worried about the pos
(Diplomatie Correspondent)
albilities of the future.
T is a sharp swing back from the confidence of the past few years. Before the war even anti-Nazis had come to have an almost super- alitious belief in Hitler's genius-or good luck. Success followed glittering success; and always it was victory with-
out war.
aret The coming of war was tho shock. But not an over-severe ane. For Nazla and anti-Nazis alike had been persuaded that war would bring awift and shattering victories for the irresistible might of Germany. They had believed the boasts of their leaders. It is not the coming of war, but the absence of any spectacular fent of arms that is undermining confidence. For the first time the Nazi lenders seem unable to perform what they so loudly
promised.
Faith in them weakens. But so far one can put it no higher. The masa of the people still put their trust in Herr Hitler, stil beileve that he will some- how pull them through.
They cling indeed to that faith. For they see no alternative; or only alter natives which they dread. Where else shail they look for leadership?
E
VERYBODY dreada defeat, the possibility of economia collapse, the possibility of political dis integration; and the party propaganda plays adroitly on these fears.
The country then rallies to tho Puchrer because it must rally; and be cause there is nobody and nothing elso to rally round. It has become sceptical
about victory; but it believes that he
may be able to win peace without do- feat, and that nobody else can.
man people is still loyal to the régime. Therefore the great bulk of the Ger
There is no sigu and no likelihood as yet of any serious "crack,"
But except among the blindly faith- ful of the Party-the loyally is with
out enthusiasm. The Nazi leaders' ex- pectation that the Munich outrage
would evoke demonstrations of pas stanate devotion to the Leader has been completely disappointed. There is no enthusiasm..
With the war as it is the mood is one
of nervous uncertainty, of growing apprehension, of resentment at increna- ing hardships; but of acceptance of it all because no one can see what to do except look to Herr Hitler to get the
country out of the situation into which
ho has led 12.
In that mood the anti-British pro- paganda campaign has had great ecct. The human mind-perhaps
the German mind especially-needs to
throw blame on somebody for its mis forties
The German people 'in' ionth to
blame the Puchrer: for it still needs to trust him. Moreover, blaming the Fuehrer is a dangerous occupation. Bo it grasps eagerly at the Buggts- tion that everything is due to the wickedness of Chamberlain and Churchill
Food stocks are sufficient. But there
is a lack of fate and of other things needed for a properly balanced diet. The result-as doctorn were beginning to, noto even before the war-15 a tessening of physical omelaney, A
growth of nervousness and irritablity, In recent weeks neutral observers have noted how much pooplo talk about food. That is an eloquent sign,
.
ERMANY then is a long way from anything like starvation, probably a long way from any- thing like an economia breakdown through shortage of raw material,
But the shortages which exist, coupled with the ever-increasing pressure of longer hours and speedlog up, begin to tell on the nation's nerves.
Outward expressions of discontent are few. The Gestapo sces to that.
There have been some signs of un- rest in a few cities. But these are rare: and too much, should not be made of them. Germany in the third month of war is neither "on the verge of revolt " nor "seething with discontent," nor anything like it.
But it is depressed and anxious, dia- Illusioned and uncertain of itself. The war of nervca is beginning to have effect; and it in the German nerves which are beginning to be frayed by j. the strain.
counts
(more than ever before)
T
|HROUGHOUT the last faw weeks there has been revealed a clue to calculations Hitler, Goering and one of the greatest mis-
Goebbels have ever made.
Not so long ago it was the fashion in this country to poke fun at Parliament as a dithering and time-wasting institution cluttered up and hampered by red-tape.
Parliament suddanly showed its new- found might on that amazing, Batur- day evening. aktting of the House of Commons on Bep- tember 2 when Arthur Greenwood, rising from the Labour front bench, was greeted with a cry of "Speak for England On the Sunday morning war came and the first siren sounded its note over London. There is a great story still to be told about that Saturday night and that Sunday morning.
by H. R. S. PHILLPOTT
(Parliamentary Correspondent)
But it is supremely important to point out that during those few drama- ilo hours Parliament, realising that it represented, perhaps në nover before. the people's will, took charge.
No one who looked on that historie sceno could bellevo that henceforward a democratie Parliament would fail to act properly.
Bo Hitlerism has strengthened that
GRIN AND BEAR IT
By Lichty
SNATCHEM
COLLECTIq) AGENCY
“I'vo gor a new angla on the Trufflo fellow's account-his
wife gote money out of him by crying!"
which it wished to destroy. Parila. ment is to be prorogued to-day. It will meet again next Tuesday an institution more powerful than it has been for many generations.
During these works of war ita pro- ceedings have been sometimes drama- j tie, soinetimes kumdrum.
But always there has been effective-j
nera
There was nothing to equni ft.in the Great War. Then, nine times out of ten, the Government influenced Parila- ment. The difference is that Parlin- ment now influences the. Government. Day by day there has been an obvious! and unconcealed anxiety of Ministers to meet the wishes of the House.
Constructive speeches or searching questions from the Opposition mem bers are cheered from the Government back-benches,
That is not to say that Party Issues and Party principles have gone by the board. On the contrary. Bineo that first siren sounded they have been në clear-cut as ever on certain issues, and na keenly fought. But nobody can now, qucation the supremacy of Pärliament.
The power of this new-found Parlia mentary control has been expressed in many ways. Farilanscot forced the Government to review and improve the allowances for dependents of mon in the fighting Serviers, to set up an in- quiry into a remodelling of the old-ago pensions.
It secured a Belect Committee to keep a watch on wat expenditure.
I insisted on measures to deal with Government profiteering, made the climb down on the regulations under the Emergency Powers Act which would have brought back curfew, im- prisonment without trial, and punish- ment for the dissemination of news and the propaganda of opinion.
Recorded facta show how great a part Labour has played. It is in- disputable that but for the Labour Opposition and its constructiro work much of what has been done either would not have been done or would
•have been tragically delayed.
Within a few days of its insistence on evacuation."the greatest exodus since Moses," to quoto Mr. Waltor milot, was successfully carried out.
Industrial Labour has gone in "on the ground floor" in the organisation of war material output. The Ministry, of Information has been re-formed because of Labour'a insistence, and, byị the same presstra, the Ministry of 'Bhipping has been set up.
Hardly a phase of national war line. life has been left uninfluenced by the pressure of free Parliamentary opinion.] Early in the war Mr. Greenwood do fined the functions of Parliament am being twofold:
Pint, to hear statements by the Prime Minister and the Governmensi and if necessary to debato and quae, tion them
Becond, for those MP3 "closɑ to the heart of the people" to bring home to the Clovernment questions troubling! the people's minda,
*I bellova,” he said, "that in this: way Parliament a hated, symbol tai Hitlerwill grow in power during this. war and' will not became an atrophied) organ of an eflete body."
Parliament has grown in pawar. ́VE has grown more in thres monthis than In thirty years. "Nobody "cam; more) about among the 'people' and fall du know thak