1941-05-01 — Page 22

THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 1, 1941′

CHINA MAIL 024

WINDSOR HOUSE

ITALIAN HOPES

From an extreme de- jection over Fascist de- feats the Italian public has suddenly swung, with the news of what German arms have accomplished in Libya and the Balkans, to a zenith of optimism. So high are the hopes in- duced by the Nazi war communiques that Mus- solini's kept

press has

found it necessary to put in a word of caution. The Rome "Messaggero," for instance, warns its read- ers that wars have their ups and downs, and hence! it is "inopportune, impru- dent and harmful to abandon one's self to-day to fantastic forecasts on the duration of the war.'

New

This advice is excellent on its face and is worth our own heeding. But in- ' telligent Italians will pro-' bably discover in it also a! cryptic suggestion that their enthusiasm for Ger- man victories is misplac- ed; that Hitler's rescue of the country from disaster,| if it eventuates, will not be the blessing they fore- see. And when one comes to think of it, what sup- port is there for Italian joy, whatever the war's outcome? Italy has be- come and, should Hitler is important for Americans tur win, will remain a Nazi understand this, for in these fields province. Her empire, re-

we are the pemeipal fargets of he AMS guns Reduced to funda- gardless of any nominal mentals, the man Axis objective arrangement, will be in overwhelm Great Britain be- Tore Americam help reaches such Nazi hands. Her vision of proportions that Britan cannot be Gverwhelmed Whatever tends to empire is doomed, in any event, but, should Hitler be defeated, she would at

This War,

at the moment, is quite as much a war of nerves, or,

war of combat,

if you like, of morale and will

power, is at is

or mopede American aid to Britain, even for a day, is a de- tegn to Hitler and his assu-

riates.

We

#1

Loffensive

are

against 18. 11 the downswing of period of psychological

SHINING THROUGH

Defeatism

By

Major George Eliot Fielding

hopes dashed, we have had barl news, and we are very likely to get made to order for a major Cer- man propaganda effort, just as it is made to order for our own ap-

more bad news. It is a situation

least regain her national At the moment he has a favour-peasers and defeatists. autonomy. Are we wrong, able opportunity for murale in supposing that such thoughts were uppermost in the mind of the author depression. First, we had a period

of good news-the defiance of the caution quoted? Yugoslavia, the fall

Addis of Ababa, the battle of the Ionian Sea, the Russo-Yugoslav pact - and we then had the swift rever-

THE SEA WAR

For the first time this year London has given us figures on the destruction of German submarines.

desert, to which that of Cyrenaica is a children's playground, while the mafty Wavell gathers his strength for a counter-blow and the British fleet ranges the Eas- tern sca But suppose it were far Alexandria were worse; suppose taken, and Caire, and the Canal itself would the war be lost? Thus would be a far worse blow than the temporary loss of Greece but again the attswer is, most definitely not.

The gate to the Indian Ocean would remain locked at Aden, the

Load to which the Germans would And dimeu.t and dangerous and long. The British fleet would still be far superior to anything the We shall certainly see a resur-Axis could hope to send into the gènce of defeatism, which the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean, In- Axis will reinforce by every deed, many ships might be re- means in its power. We shall be leared for service either in the told again and again of the invin-Far East or the Atlantic. British cibility of German arms, we shall prestige throughout the Moslem be deafened with the cries of those world would have been dealt a who insist that only a holocaust deadly blow, and the Axis might of American youth can ever stop gain possession of the oil fields of Hitler, we shall be sneered at lortraq, though not at brought about by the German our promises of aid to Yugoslavia pipelines in serviceable condition, necessarily of advances in the Balkans and in North Africa, the Russo-Japanese and Greece, and cajoled by visions But the navies of Britain would i pact and reports of increased Bri-of peaceful adjustments with the still command the oceans of the

"new order" in Europe and East world, the supplies of tish shipping losses.

We have, in a word, had Asia, while we shall likewise be and South Africa, of Canada and, covertly or perhaps openly threat-above all, of the United States, ened with a Pacific war and the would still flow toward the main sinking of our ships in the Red British centre of resistance, the

They reveal that seventy-{ miralty ventures the

high

hope even

Sea or the Indian Ocean.

In all this those of evil purpose will be aided and abetted by those

of faint heart.

Before the tumult and the

shouting, therefore, let us for a moment examine quietly the terrors from which we are bidder

Nazis Gains Not Decisive

island of Great Britain.

Australia

While that island holds fast, and can be supplied, Germany cannot win this war.

is

four of these craft have that it is, becoming been destroyed since the more vigorous. war started. At the begin- But it is far from 'deci-

As for the Russo-Japanese pact, ning of hostilities Ger- sive. The last published.

it may give Japan a greater sense of freedom of action in the Far many had only seventy- weekly ship loss figure, to cower or to flec.

practical East, but what of the basis for this? It is most unlikely one. No one outside Ger-77,575 tons, emphasises

that very many troops can be re- many knows the rate of the mounting danger, for

leased from Manchukuo; nor any appreciable change made in building; but replacement it is beyond

any present

The Germans have gained suc- the naval situation, which is of a whole under-water hope of replacement. Even cess in Greece and Yugoslavia. | fundamental to any Japanese navy, both with boats and more alarming was the Germany is the master of all the thrust to the southward. It is just Balkan peninsular up to the fron- as easy to interpret this pact as crews, must have been'Admiralty revision for the tier of Turkey. Suppose she went dictated by a Russia anxious to difficult. Moreover, the week of March 16, which beyond, went into Turkey. Would have freedom of action in Europe. the war be lost? Most definitely It says nothing, nothing at all, British figure of German reached the staggering not. Germany has gained new of the cessation of Russian aid to loss is certainly not the sum of 146,098 tons. These strategic positions, at the cost of China, and it seems to be in direct greatly impairing the value of her contradiction to the famous tri- true total. Doubtless many meticulous revisions, re- Balkan sources of supply as partite alliance.

a policy and leased

of peaceful depth bombs, shells

Under the tripartite pact, if. as more ships against

trade, and she has added to her Germany becomes involved in war missiles from the air have known to have been at sea growing burdens, that of policing with a power not now belliger- || found their mark and left fall to report, show clearly a sullen, warlike and recalcitrant ent. Japan must ald her,

population of twenty-oda millions But under the Russo-Japanese no trace of the victims. that we have no disposi-in-country which historically has pact, in a Russo-German war Ja-

From destroyed or caption to conceal losses, been difficult if not impossible pan must remain neutral.

completely to conquer or control. Let us think somewhat of these

tured U-boats Britain has They show also that the The Germans have also gained matters when the cries are going taken 400 prisoners, in-submarine is still the certain successes In North Africa up, as soon they will, that Japan They have advanced to the is now free to "threaten our in- cluding Commander Kret gravest menace to Britain, marches of Egypt. They have terests" and "drag us into war sohmer, the leading Nazi--and to the whole policy partially surrounded the British the Pacifle Ocean,

garrison in Tobruk. They have ad As a matter of fact we arò thể.... ace,

The hunt for a steal-of-aid-to-Britain to which vanced positions for air attacks only one of the three great powers thy foe has not been un- America stands commit against Buez. But between them not now actually belligerent which and the Valley of the Nile lies the does in fact retain a considerable successful, and the Ad- ed.

terrible exparise of the Libyan measure of freedom of action.