1940-10-09 — Page 3

THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 9, 1940.

Cheerful

Confidence The

Keynote Of Premier's Speech

8,000 Killed In

TURKISH

TALKS WITH

Month Of Air Raids SOVIET

CHEERFULNESS AND CONFIDENCE WAS THE KEYNOTE

OF MR. CHUrchill's LATEST STATEMENT ON THE WAR SITUATION, DURING WHICH HE DISCLOSED THE DECISION TO RE-OPEN THE BURMA ROAD.

A month has passed, said the Prime

"Do not let us be lured into sup-

Minister, in opening, since Hitler turned his posing that the danger is past.

rage and malace on the civil population and Britain's great cities.

our oir at

"On the contrary, uriweary- ing vigilance, and the swift and steady strengthening of 'forces by land, ‘sca and 'which is in progress 'must

all costs be maintained. "The enemy has certainly goi

He had declared he would raze our cities to the ground and since then he has been try plans to throw half a million men ing to carry out his full purpose.

Naturally, the first question we should ask is to what extent the full strength of the German bomb- ing force has been employed. The best opinion I have been able to form, on what is necessarily to some extent a matter of speculation, is that after severe mauling on August 15, the German short- range dive-bombers, of which there are several hun- dred, have been kept carefully out of the fight.

This may be because they are being held in reserve to play their part in the general plan of invasion or to reappear in other theatres of war.

a

That was to say that it took a ton of bombs to kill three-quar- ters of a person. Therefore the

in a single night on to the salt waters or into it." (Laughter).

Haydar Atkay; the Turkish Ambassador to the US.S.R. left Istanbul for Moscow yesterday to resume his post.

Mr. Atkay returned to Ankara at the be- ginning of September to report to the Tur- kish Government.

Meantime, the Ger- man Ambassador, von Papan, has returned to Ankara after three weeks' vacation in Istanbul-Reuter.

Mr. Churchill 'declared that the main reason why an invasion had not been attempted up to the pre- sent was the succession of brilliant victories gained by British fight-0000000 er aircraft.

The three great days of Au- gust 15, September 15 and Sep tember 27 had proved to all the world that over our own island we had mastery of the air.

Tremendous Fact

This was a tremendous fact. deadliness of attack in this war These victories of the Air Force appeared to be only one-thir-enabled the Navy, which was now receiving very great reintorce- teenth of that of 1914-18. Mr. Churchill gave Britain'sments, apart altogether from the American destroyers now coming rapidly into service, to assert its sure and well tried power,

ten years

Sterile Controversy

In the air, both in fighters and bombers, we were at this moment, after all these months of battle, stronger, actually substantially and relatively, than we were in May.

The pilot situation was rapidly improving.

No-one, Mr. Churchill went on, had ever pretended that we could overtake Germany's Im merise lead in the first year.org

We have, therefore, to deal with the long-range heavy Ger- man bombers ulone. It would shelter system as an explanation.

Mr. Churchill declared that it seam that taking day and night together, 400 of these machines would take ten years at the pre- have visited us every 24 hours. sent rate for half of the houses of demolished but No doubt concentrated efforts London to be could increase the figure for a quite a lot of things were going few days at a time, but this to happen to Hitler und the Nazi

affect the regime before even would not sensibly morithly average.

were over (cheers), Certainly, sulid Mr. Churchill, there has been considerable tailing in the last ten days and during the month that has pass- Asking his hearers not to go. ed--since-heavy bombing began into a sterile controversy on the we have had a steady decline in subject of what were or were not casualtics and in damago to reprisals, Mr. Churchill declared

"We have a long lapse to make that no-one must look forward to property.

ourselves a Speaking of the Dakar Inci-any relief from bombing merely up. We must give

Perhaps it will be. pos- deht, Mr. Churchill said that by from winter weather but he add-chance.

sible to make a more satisfactory a beries of accidents-and-some red;

statement on this subject at this "It may be that some new errors, which had been made the subject of disciplinary, ac-method will be devised to make time next year."

or are now subject to the wholesale bombing of the formal enquiries, neither the civilian population by night or in First Sea Lord nor the Inner fogs more exciting to the enemy Cabinet were informed of the that it is at present." approach of French warships to the Straits of Gibraltar until it was too late to stop them pass- ing through.

tion

Raid Casualties

Mr. Churchill also said that since the mass attacks on Britain

60 of war.

No Prophecies

“AIL wil tay is that

we

Referring to the reinforcement Declaring that he would not of the British armies in the Mid- and elsewhere, Mr. foreshadow any of these mea- dle East

he would gures Mr. Churchill said, amid Churchill said that laughter and chocts: "I would make no prophecies about what be much better for us to allow would happen when the British, our visitors to find them out Australian, New Zealand, Indian troops cam 2 10 for themselves in due course and Egyptian

close grips with the invader who by practical "expérience." Declaring that they must have was now making his way across commenced, nearly 400 long-la shelter with sleeping bunks the desert towards them. rahge heavy bombers have on an for every person in areas liable average visited our shores every to constant attack, in the shortest 24-hours.

possible time, Mr. Churchill:an-

that large this į nouneed

schemes It was doubtful whether rate of sustained attack could be were already on foot for -pro- for

Referring to the Dakar episode,, viding food and hot drinks greatly exceeded.

and Mr. Churchill said this operation Up to last Saturday, air raid those who sleep in shelters

through was primarily: French and though

they were ready to give it casualties were about 8,500 kill-also for entertainment

the winter evenings. 'ed and 13,000 wounded.

measure of support which might, in certain circumstances, have been decisive they were no more anxious than General de Gaulle sanguinary conflict with Vichy French.

Bince: heavy, raiding began on

September 7, the figures of kill- ed and seriously wounded “had

Compulsory Insurance

Widespread organisations

·for

being

are doing our best and there, as: here, we · feel; a "good deal better than we did some time ago."

a

the

teadily declined from over 6,000 relief of those whose homes were to get involved in a long and In the first week to Just about emitten were already in 6,000 in the second; about 4,000, and were being expanded.. in the third, and 3;000 last week, The Chancellor of the Exche-. Mr. Churchill said that Musso-quer had virtually completed pre- Uni had some experiences ahead paration of a bill for nationwide of him which he did not foresee compulsory

against insurance

.

0000000

Of the four French vessels con- cerned, two succeeded in regain- ing Dakar while the other two were overtaken by British crui-: sers and were induced and per- suaded to return to Casablanca without any actual violence..

The fight which ensued between British ships and shore batteries nt Dakar, reinforced with the 16- inch guns of the damaged Riche- Heu, was pretty stiff.

Two Vichy submarines which attacked the fleet were sunk. The crew of one were happily saved.

Two French destroyers were set on fire, one of the cruisers badly hit and the Richelieu her- self suffered further damage..

and

On our part, a battleship and a large 'crulzer suffered damage. which, though it had not pre- vented them steaming fighting, would require siderable attention when con- venient.

Spain's Needs

con.

Mr. Churchill concluded with a reference to Spain.

There was, he said, no country in Europe which had more need of peace, of food and trade than .Spain.

a

All Britain sought was that

become Spain should not channel of supply to our_mor- tal foc.

towards the Vichy French war. ships was not to interfere with Britain looked forward to see them unless they appeared to be Spain take her rightful place as a proceeding to an enemy controlled Mediterranean power and a lead- port. By a series of accidents ing and famous member of the and some errors which 'had been family of Europe. and Christen- made the subject of disciplinary dom. uction neither, the First Sea Lord nor the Inner Cabinet were in-

formed of the approach of these ships to the Straits of Gibraltar until it was too late to stop them.

Reuter.

MORE DESTROYERS TAKEN OVER

Orders were given to stop them. at Casablanca. These At an east coast port in Canada efforts failed but the Vigly yesterday, without ceremony, the cruisers were prevented from Royal Navy took over two more carrying out their further pur groups of over-age destroyers poses of attacking: Duala,

from the United States-Reuter.

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Larger Cause After paying a tribute to the the judgment of General de Gaulle, at the time when he thought damage to property from

Government sife and profitable to enemy's fire. (Cheers). EveryMr. Churchill said stab the stricken and prostrate one could be covered and covered had no intention whatever French Republie in the back. with retrospective effect from the abandoning General de 'Gaulle's cause until it was merged, as Referring to reprisals, Mr. beginning of the war. Churchill said that our · object {'- Government also proposed to merged it would be, in the larger. must be to infllet, the maximum provide Insurance against risk cause of France,

The whole situation at Dakor harm upon the war-making 'ca- -of-war: damage for all forma pacity of Germany and that was. of moveable property, Including was transformed in a most un- favourable manner by the arrival the only object we shall pursue,...

-household; 'affecte.

"Thus," said Mr. Churchill, there of, three French cruisers German Bombing "we shall be able to prove to and three destroyers which car- all that Hitler's det of mass tar-ried with them a number of ror agdinst the British nation Vichy partisans evidently of a

midst bitter type.

Mr. Churchill said that the 'Ger". mans claimed to have discharge:i 22,000 tons of explosives upon Britain since 'the beginning of "tha war. They claimed that on last Thursday week, 251 tons were thrown upon London in a single glit. On that particular night, 180 persons were killed,'

has failed. as conspicuously Da These partisans were sent to

hla magnetlo mine and other at tempts to strangle our seaborne

trade."

Invasion Danger

: Referring to the promised inva-.

overave the population and to guard the defences.

«Efforts Failed

The policy which His Majesty's

sion the Prime Minister. declared: "Government: had been pursuing-

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