1940-11-23 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 23, 1940.

CHINA MAIL

WINDSOR HOUSE

INDIA'S POLITICS

Limiting Factors In

EVERY Englishman is to-day an amateur strategist in air, warfare.. He is bound to be so.. His daily Announcement by Lord the war which he hears - and routine depends on the course of Linlithgow of withdrawal sometimes sees going on over his of the offer made to In-head.

"

Air

-By- BRITANNICUS

Warfare

dia, which would have Few amateur commentators, permitted increased In- however, take fully into account dian representation in ad-unt of all aspects of air warfare, the skill of the personnel, speed drama on a particular operation is by air raids and nights disturbed Obviously cach limiting factor; ber of minutes during which aero- [other business because they know what is perhaps the most import has also a quality component”. planes can take off from that aero- that working days are shortened ministration and in direc-This is the existence of a chain of and reliability of planes, scienti-restricted tion of the war effort, has sparate limitations on the volume fe quality of fuel and armament, they must cover during darkness,

by the distance that by din and danger. of a belligerent's air attack. the effect of throwing In-

location of aerodromes, weather or by other circumstances. Dividé That is a typical example of the dia's political problems a bombing aeroplane which is dua

Consider a day in the life of These, however, are components time-interval between each take one of the lessons of adaptation normally encountered en route that number by the necessary economical use of time which is "back into the melting-to make a night attack on enemy

off, and you have the number of that British

people in bombed pot.

territory. It is closely overhaul-

aeroplanes that can take part in towns have been rapidly learning. ed by mechanics. It is loaded

the action from that acrodrome, It To reflect upon it is to realise how Obviously the British with bombs and its tanks filed gesture was valueless un- the run-way, and its crew climb

may be 10 or 50-large number, much spare, fat there was upon with petrol. It is taxied out to

but a limiting factor when opera" our peace-tipic habits in England, tions are conceived in terms of fat that we can live upon until less a sufficiently large aboard. It waits its turn to take

several hundreds.

we reach the essential leanness of responsible body of opin-off while other 'planes taking part

soldierly life and behaviour. Be- ion was prepared to ac-night. For hours it flies through enemy cannot directly assail. In essence of the

in the operations sail away into the which it may be assumed that the

This is only an illustration. The are the onslaught of September, matter is that`an most people in Great Britain had cept it at its face value. varying weather conditions; it the short run, they are determin enemy air force may be crippled already given up their leisure,

Nevertheless, it is dif- and returns.

reaches its goal, drops its bombs, cd and unchangeable. They can-by, narrowing any one of the properly so-called, to war duties

On the aerodrome not be turned into bottlenecks bottlenecks, however wide may ficult to believe that the the ground-crew again take over, choking the whole effort of air be the others. Here is one of the in and out of "working hours”. issue can thus be post-

and the cycle begins again. attack.

prime elements in present-day aib But the coming of heavy air-raids warfare. The attacks on German proved that we could still find poned. Every question in Conditions Of Success

Each of the quantitative factors patrol supplies by the British Air chinks and corners, of time that India is now over-sha-

may become a bottleneck. It will Force are an outstanding example could be more economically filled. avall an air force nothing if it of these tactics. By this means, or dowed by the thought of

A simple routine, yet it indicates has an immense number of air by its heavy losses of pilots in the at least 'seven the settlement which

limiting factors craft, all the petrol and bombs it mass air battles over England, the upon the volume of air attack wants, plenty of good advanced German air force may be crippled eventually must come which can be consistently mount-aerodromes, yet is short of train- despite its dying start in numbers by any belligerent power. They cd pilots. The pilots will be im- of planes and its geographical-ad- potcnt if they are not matched by vantage since the invasion of the adequate ground crews.

Low Countries and France.

ore:

Total number aircraft pos-

Supply of petrol fuel

1

Problem Of Aerodromes

Round The Craters

We Are All Learning

Here are some of the ways in which ordinary especially in London, are learning British people, to adjust their lives to the extra- ordinary conditions under which they now live:

the

of the shape of the India which it will bring with it. Congress judges every- sessed thing in the light of its :aim to decide the new

Sleeping at odd times and in Supply of pilots and air crews One bottleneck which may be The German war against civi- strange places, getting off to sleep Constitution at an As-

critically important is little realis-lians has brought out the astound- in a few minutes after some dis- Supply of skilled ground crewsed by the public. This is sembly elected by adult and repairers

the ing adaptability of mankind. turbance. aerodrome factor. It comes to Seemingly trivial but actually suffrage, which means, it

everyone's notice in.extreme cases, typical is the lack of idle curio- Making their way by altér- hopes, a majority for it- munition

Supply of bombs or other am-such as the Norway campaign,sity-scekers gaping at a piece of native routes when public trans- when the Allied forces were over-air-raid damage in London. Where port is disjointed by temporary self. Mr. Gandhi pro-

whelmingly handicapped by hav-are the throngs who in peace-time damage to rouds or railways, tests that on no account

ing no aerodromes whatever; but would gather to stare at two will he

it is constantly operating to limit navvies picking a hole in the road, embarrass thei

Making good meals with action in the air.

let alone a sight so exciting as a least cooking, and having emer- Government in its war ef-

collapsed house or a burst -gas-gency means of light and heat A modern heavy homber needs mam? They are not staring at the handy. fort but, unless his politi-

a long take-off into the wind. One damage but are busy making their cal demands are conced-

Distance to be covered in reach-un-way of a great aerodrome way round it, getting quickly' to ed, he will continue his

ing vital enemy objectives alone may be used. The total num- their work, shopping vor. their modified form of civil dis- obedience, the only effect of which is to deprive the Congress Party of the sage counsels of men like the Pandit Nehru.

aerodromes

Number and size of available

I Went To London

And

Saw This

Moslems, says Mr. Jin- From reports and photographs nah, the president of the those in distant parts of the Em- Moslem League, would pire may tend to visualise Lon- shed the last drop of their don partly in ruins or at least blood and give their last showing terrible signs of dam- penny to help Britain in age. For a building destroyed is showing no trace of the nightly, due importance by the fact that the war. All the same, the news. League refused to accept isn't. Naturally it is pictures of

A building left standing' raids.

what is damaged, not of what is

London is carrying on; as the ca- pital, as the political, the admin- istrative, the industrial and com- mercial, and the intellectual head- quarters' of Britain,

Sleeping through noise.

Going to bed early in order not to be upstairs when the air raid danger is on, and rising early in the morning as soon as the raiders have passed.

Getting through öffee work. quickly, in order to get home be-. føre darkness falls.

Cutting down shopping expedi- †tieng to the ninthum.

11

· Using week-ends for useful war werk, such as "digging for victory” instead of golf or walking or cycling or whatever it might be.

Opening their houses-if they have strong basements as so many London Carries On

London houses have to people the Viceroy's proposals by intact, that are given circulation.

from poorer districts whose homes It would indeed be very wrong

have become uninhabitable, or which it could assist be-

being those people themselves, and werking out new ways of life amid cause it was offered only This week I visited London, to minimise the seriousness or in- unconnected deed, for many families the per- two seats in the Executive which for reasons

Its activities flow forward. Its strange surroundings. Council and it did not with the war I had not seen since seral tragedy of the attack on Ministries assemble. It

London. And when you come mittees execute. Its business is know how this would the heavy raids began. Travelling compare with Hindu (and¡ up by a slow train on a bright across it, the damage may in it-transacted. Its work is done. Its the things good and plenty as Congress) representation

clear morning, I confess I ex- pected to see many traces of the

com-

millions are fed, transported, and protected. Its roads and rail- ways are open, and, except when darkness offers the raiders easy

Major General Charles Gwynn hiding, its skies are its own too. tor of persons, and the Caretaker

:

Are Defeated

commion

Doing without the things that are short, and making the most of

they are that remain available.

if the Hindus (and Con-raiders as one looked over wide

By

"Learning the equality of man in practice; for danger is no respec- gress) should come in. stretches of roofs and down in- Sir For similar reasons it numerable streets.

and the the Cook and the Moreover, damage once done is Colonel's, lady, all share the same would not join the pro-

A rail- shelter which is their not damage for all time. Yet all I saw on the Journey self be terribly dramatic. A posed All-India War Ad- through the suburbs were

way viaduct may be hit in the dormitory. some couple of big Regency houses small hours. By nightfall-trains visory Council. Thus the broken windows and in a typical clipped clean out of a great and may be passing over. it again, Above all, people are learning Moslem League is man-small, poor street two or three beautiful terrace, half a dozen

to help each other. The need for But Daylight Raids

this lesson is not created by posi- oeuvring for power. The houses which had collapsed un-shops knocked to ruins and glass der the blast of a bomb which spilled over a wide circle by one

tive selfishness; and this again is Mahasabha, which is non-

caused largely by the social bar- had fallen some yards from them. bomb, a crater in a famous street Congress but Hindu, also

There is a further fact about riers and conventions, differences large enough to hide a small house these raids on London which is of education and environment, made large demands for In the heart of Clubland not for those who love London fundamental and has not received which prevent men and women representation, partly to even broken windows could be these are not prolly sights.

nearly the attention which its from knowing their neighbour's Importance deserves.

needs, or, even if they know the offset the Moslems and seen in the few streets through

neods deprive them of any means Nor, frankly, Is it any, fun at partly to establish itself which I walked. Except for the

Night raids, other things being of helping that is neither patronis- firmly in the absence of everything was normal. Though at dusk and

familiar precautionary measures, all to "go to ground" in shelters equal, cre clearly very poor sub-ing nor chilly as charity.

to sleep in racket stitutes for day raids, when far- Congress. In short, all the a raid warning bad so

sounded and danger until the light brings gets and damage can both be The common danger pours both think in people were going about parties now

the needs and the opportunities of their security again, Fear is not 4

meeting them into a common melt- terms of a future India in business, and one noticed car pleasurable emotion, and many But, for all practical purposes, ing pot; so that the well-to-do which they will share the parks filled to overflowing. have learned what it is for

there are no day raids on Lon woman, who gives her spare bed- the don. Why? Because day raide clothes to add to the amenities of power and they are skir mishing with that in been done in places, but they Of course, serious damage has

have been tried, and have falled shelter life in some poorer quarter, My may suddenly find herself in just Here the humour, the realism, They have been defeated, in-such a shelter, caught by an air- view. It is one more rea- have to be looked for. By day and of course the Indomitable deed crippled, by the incompar raid, and being immensely helped son for trying again to at least, the Visitor is, in fact, courage of the English-bo they able Royal Air Force. get a settlement quickly. mainly impressed by the normal men or women, young or old, are This is perhaps the outstanding India's needs will not be ity of London and by the ver

very completely meeting the situation. fenture of the war in its present properly cared for until high percentage of its area which

Bel phase, and may well also be the "As for the material damage, lit | decisive development of the whole there is one.

̈stands ...--infact and unaïatted; mulit be irieasured and given tlawdr.

first time.

seen.

by a cup of ten produced by a poor housewife from a tin teapot,

Let us pray that we shall not forget all of these lessons: after school hours, when victory is won and.the..war is over.