1941-01-13 — Page 25

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THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 13, 1941:

WAR IN HARDY'S NAZI HAD

COUNTRY

(By A Special Correspondent)

A TOUR OF THE AREA of the Southern Com- mand embraces Thomas Hardy's country there can be no secret about that. How the poet of “The| Dynasts" would have been stirred by the sights that are to-day to be seen in his Wessex!

The swarming of uniformed men, the multi- plication of defensive works, the nightly whirr of sinister aircraft, the huge diagrams that the search

all these would have lights draw across the sky

been matter for the author of the great drama of another time, when

England stood forth to the sword

of Napoleon

Nakedly not an ally in support

of her.

Hardy would have found a sub- ject for ironical treatment in the disproportion that there aften n between the tremendous apparat - tus of the German randers, the meatness of their destructive- ness. A bombing aeroplane, theị latest word in human science and 1 ingenuity, comes fiercely in tram the sea with a mussion to strike

blow at the heart of England What it accomplishes may mete- ly be the random wrecking of HI ancient, punitive moorland cot- tage miles from anywhere A sub- jeet for Hardly's verse! And then there 15 ness of the militarised holiday

the strange

beaches. These are not altogether

deserted by their old frequenters But for every pair of white fan- nelled trousers to be seen those of khaki mumber laundreds

Gaps For Bathers

Bathers go down to the sea through occasional gaps

the เก wire. Bandstand and teashop find grin new neighbours along- side them on the promenade, neighbours that have sprung up overnight like mushrooms. but mushrooms of concrete.

What, above all, needs Hardy to do justice to it is the spirit of the BiH now guard ng the Wessex consts. In one region the anti-aircraft batteries are man- ned by Cornish territorials. They spent tedious months with few or no targets. Now the war hay come to them; and a brigadier himself a Cornishman, told that when leave is due. they are reluctant to go, so keen are they not to be out of a scrap.

RAIDER

SHAKES

HIS FIST

During a daylight Alert in London, people in a street gunned by a lone raider saw one of the crew!

HIS WORRY

Difficulties of flying over London through. snow, with ice forining on the described 'plane, were

over the German radio by a Nazi pilot.

"Ice began to form on our 'plane coast, and we flew into a heavy snow- storm over London.

when we were across the

"The guns and everything else

in the cockpit were covered with snow, and we through the windows."

could see nothing

Then, he caid, he "unloaded his bombs" but he did not specify any target and marle for home through heavy A.A. fire.

found that we

"Suddenly we

were unable to take wireless bear- ings owing to strong atmospheric discharges.

machine

"The leing-up of the had become serious, making the machine lazy and piloting difficult Suddenly GET Starbord engine failed and shortly afterwards the port engine.”

He described lev be came lower, got his cut panes HOUR DE IN and reached bus l44.

PROPAGANDA AGAINST EIRE

Tropaganda against Eire is 10 by lean out and shake his be the subject of a masteni

Mr. J Metiovein (ULP. Shettle- fist at them from a height| sten) to the Minister of Informa- of 50ft.

This plane. 21 fighter-bomber with a crew of three, was one of several which swept low out of cloud and mist to machine-gun districts in London and East An- glia.

It dived to within 80ft of the ground before opening fire with machine-guns and a cannon.

30ft. fire

Then, banking. it came lower. The crew did not again, but the man behind the pilot shook his fist.

A dive-ralder narrowly miss. ed housetops in another London arca. People in the streets and in a park ran for shelter. was hurt,

Bomb in Room

None

Several bombs were dropped. People retuning from church were in the streets of these two districts. casualties,

Houses

There were

several

were demolished by for bombs and there were casualties.

some fatal.

Every day adds to their ex- perience and technique. The gun- ner considers himself a privileg- ed fellow. His job calls quick wits and initiative. He knows that the humblest mem- ber of the battery can make his individual contribution,

Ordeal in France

have

Some of these batteries been through the ordeal of the French campaign. I know one,

A.A. guns fired and the bom- her was seen with black smoke pouring from its tail.

A plane, flying a few feet above roof tops. machine-gunned the several streets in a working-class district of an East Anglian town. Bullets and broken glass flew

am Ulster unit, which in May into scores of rooms where fami-

lies were having their tea, but Nor-

no one was seriously injured. de- the i

and June fought its way from the Belgian frontier back to mandy. A: Charboury it fended the embarkation of Highland and Mechanised Divi- sions, and was in action down to 10 o'clock at night on June 18.

At 10 minutes past 10 that even- ing orders come to pack up. Half

an hour inter the guns were at the harbour, and by 11 o'clock were on board and the ship was pulling out. One gun only. the last, was lost through the collapse of a crane.

Mr. H. W. Smith, seventy- one-year-old pensioner, and his housekeeper, Mrs. E. Simpson, also aged seventy-one, escaped when a bomb exploded in their living room.

over

A raider appearing low the East Anglian coast machine. gunned a passenger bus and a private car.

+

lose

one

The bullets spluttered into the hedgerow by the side of the These Ulstermen, a first-rate | vehicles.

position After A.A. lot of fellows now in

and machine-gun the raider began to somewhere in the Southern Aire, Command, are re-equipped

to height rapidly.

The Air Ministry said their great satisfaction.

enemy bomber was destroyed dur- Many times in recent weeks I ing the day. One R.A.F. fighter have watched air fighting, only to

was lost. be baffled by the poor view that ordinary field-glasses give of the details of battles high. In the blue. The public should know that the anti-aircraft equipment gives the gunners a close-up of events happening miles up · in the sky..

Defending The Beaches

The beaches in the area of the Southern Command are very numerous : and call for different Some are measures" of defence.

During an evening Alert bombs fell in a residential area of Lon- dou.

sibility and usefulness of inland penetration by the enemy. spent one morning at a spot which may seem tempting to German strategy. The colonel of the battalion -posted there was justifiably proud of the provision. made to welcome un- invited tourista from bversan.

exposed to the full force of the. As well as all the customary Atlantic. And while, in the devices, he has one of two little golden holiday weather of recent surprises up his sleeve. One of days, they looked casily enough these in particular promises such accessible, autumn brings its for midable rollers.

a ploturesque effect that the bat- talion will be heartily disappoint-

The defences of the beach ed if circumstances prevent it vary also according to the poa. | from being brought into: play.

tion

Mr McGuvern will ark if the interests of both countries, the Minister will take st. pe to put a end to the propaganda now eit culating in this comitry arant Eire, particularly that relating to the refuelling submarines or the west eemal et Teeland Fromm Free State sources.

The