1940-02-22 — Page 16

Thursday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

February 22, 1940.

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Thongkong Telegraph.

Thursday, February 22, 1940,

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Air Power

"What I have seen since 1 began," says the old engineer in Kipling's ballad, "leaves me no doubt of the machine. But what about the man?"

to

The range of the Wellington bomber is far greater, with full war lond, than a thousand miles cach way. We have alrendy a smaller type which has done more than 7,000 miles without a stop. R.A.F. machines now passing from the factories units are far superior to those .of.a.year ago, and the output has been more than doubled. But however good the aircraft, long

flights range

Germany would not be possible without great daring and enterprise and the highest level of skill in piloting and navigation.

over

Strange goings-on, your Majesty! A lot of passenger liners and

cargo vessels havo sunk in the last week or two.

Ah! Germany must be at war again.

Sidelights on the PEOPLE at war.

IN CERMANY..

IN BRITAIN...

Hushed and Your voice

W

anxious

*ITH the war not yet three months old how goca it with the enemy? What are the German people think- Ing and feeling? How is their morale? How does the Fuehrer stand with his own people?

Important questions; and not For really too easy to answer. rellable evidence is hard to come by. And the other kind rumours. propaganda, sen- sational stories- la too plentiful.

But rellable evi- dence is to be had. The prevalling mood in Germany" to-day-at any rate in the townsam seems to be one of growing disillusion and depression. People are anxious, uncertain and worried about the pos- sibilities of the future.

by W. N.

EWER

(Diplomatie Correspondent)

I'

T. is a sharp swing back from the confidence of the past few years. Before the war even anti-Nazis Jind come to have an almost super- stillous belief in Hitler's genius-or good luck. Buccess followed glittering

out war.

Both men and machines of the R.A.F. will hold something success; and always it was victory with- more than their Own against those which Hitlerism can send up.

·

ปี

In these first months of the war the Air Force has had testing time, with the results of which we may well be satisfied.

It has inflicted a heavy pro- portion of losses on the enemy nircraft which have tried to break through our defences. Its bombers have made effective attacks on German naval and seaplane bases.

In baffling the campaign against merchant shipping it has

The coming of war was the first shock. But not an over-severe one. For Nazis and anti-Nazis, alike had been persuaded that war would bring swift and shattering victories for the Irresistible might of Germany. They had belleved the boasts of their leaders. It is not the coming of war, but the absence of any spectacular feat of arms that is undermining confidence. For the first time the Naal leaders seem

unable to perform what they so loudly promised.

Faith in them weakens. But so far oua can put it no higher. The mass of the people still put their trust in Herr Hitler, still bellevo that he will some- how pull them through.

They cling indeed to that faith. For they neo no alternative; or only alter- natives which they dread. Where else shall they look for leadership?

given valuable help, se valuable E

that we may now consider the theory of the rise of air power wenkening sen power to be proved fallacious.

A country of superior naval strength, it is clear, may increase its command of the sea by the use 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.

Wo have to expect that a more strenuous struggle may soon be fought whether only one or all the three elements are the scene of desperate effort. But every day

have We better prospect of establishing our ascendancy in the air.' 'Be- yond the plans of production and training at home now coming to full development les the forma- tion of Imperial air power of Loverwhelming strength.

VERYBODY dreada delest, the possibility of economis collapse. the possibility of political dia integration; and the party propaganda plays adroitly on these fears.

The country then rallies to the Fuchrer because it must rally; and be cause there is nobody and nothing else to rally round. It has become scoptical

about victory; but it belleves that he

may be able to win peace without do- feat, and that nobody else can.

Therefore the great bulk of the Ger man people is still loyal to the régime. There is no sign and no likelihood as yet of any serious "crack."

But-except among the blindly faith- fut of the Partythe loyalty is with- out enthusiasm. The Nazi leaders' ex- pectation that the Munich outrago

would evoke demonstrations of pas alonato devotion to the Leader has There been completely disappointed. in no enthusİnsan.

With the war as it is the mood in one of nervous uncertainty, of growing apprehension, of resentment at increas 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 qut of the situation into which he has led it.

In that mood the anti-British pro- paganda campaign has had great effect. The human mind—perhaps

the German mind especially needs to throw blame on somebody for its mise fortunes.

The German people oath 10

blame the Fuehrer: for it stil needs to trust him. Moreover, blaming the Fuchrer a dangerous occupation. So it grasps eagerly at the buggLS- tion that everything is due to the

Chamberlain wickedness of

and Churchill.

Food stocks are suficient. But there is a lack of fats and of other things needed for a properly balanced diet. The result-as doctors were beginning to noto even before the war-io lessening of physical offelency, a growth of nervousness and irritability. In recent weeks neutral observers have noted how much people talk

about food. That is an eloquent sign.

G

ERMANY then is a long way from anything like starvation, -probably a long-way from. any. economie breakdown thing like an through shortage of raw material.

But the shortages which exist,

the with

ever-increasing coupled pressure of longer hours and speeding up, begin to tell on the nation's nerves.

Outward expressions of discontent are few. The Gestapo seen to that.

There have been some signs of un- rest in a few elties. But these are ruro; 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," por anything like it.

But it is depressed and anxious, dis- illusioned and uncertain of itself. The war of norves is beginning to have effect; and it is the German nervos which are beginning to be frayed by the strain,

counts

(more than ever before)

“HROUGHOUT the last- few weeks there has been revealed a clue to one of the greatest mis- calculations Hitler, Goering and 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 suddenly showed its new- found might on that amazing Batur- day evening sitting of the Housa of

tember 2 when Arthur Greenwood.

from rising

the Labour front bench. was greeted with a cry of "Speak for England!"

by H. R. S. Commons all. Sep-

PHILLPOTT

(Parliamentary Correspondent)

On the Sunday morning war came and the first siren sounded its note over London. There is a great story still to bo told about that Saturday night and that Bunday morning.

But it is supremely important to point out that during those few drama- tle hours Parliament, realising that it represented, perhaps as never before. the people's will, took charge,

No one who looked on that historic scene could believe that henceforward a democratic Parliament would fail to act properly.

Bo Hitlerism has strengthened that

GRIN AND BEAR IT

BILL

By Lichty

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SWATCHEM COLLECTIQU AGENCY

Lich

“I'vo got a new angle on the Truffle fellow's account-hir wife gets manay out of him by crying!"

which it wished to destroy, Parlle ment is to be prorogued to-day. It wUE meet again next Tuesday an institution moro powerful than it has been for many generations.

During these weeks of war ita pro- ecedings have been sometimes drama- tic, sometimes humdrum.

But always there has been e¤ective.

ness.

There was nothing to equal it in the Great War. Then, nine times out of ten, the Government influenced Parlin- ment. The difference is that Parlla- 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. Since that first air Bounded they have been as clear-cut as ever on certain issues, and ua keenly fought. But nobody can now question the supremacy of Parliament

The power of this new-found Parlin- mentary control has been expressed in many ways Parliament forced the Government to review and improve the allowances for dependents of men in. the fighting Bervices, to set up an in- quiry into a remodelling of the old-ago- peations.

It socured a Select Committee to keep a watch on war expenditure.

It Insisted on measures to deal with pronteering. made the Government 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 facts show how great a It is in- part Labour has played. disputable that but for the Labour Opposition and its constructive work much of what has bem done either would not have been done or would have been tragically delayed.

Within a few days of its insistence- u evacuation. the greatest exodus. Kinoo Moses," to quote Mr. Walter Eliot, 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's insistence, and, by ¡the same pressure, the Ministry of "shipping bag been set up.

Hardly a phase of national war-time- Ho has been left unindigenced by tha pressure of free Parliamentary opinion, Early in the war Mr. Greenwood de- fined the functions of Parliament na being twofold:

First, to hear statements by the, Prime Minister and the Government! and if necessary to debate and ques.... tion them

Second, for those M.P.a “close tor the heart of the people" to bring home to the Government questions troubling! the people's minds;

"I ballave," he said, "that in this: way Parliament-a haled symbol toj Hiter-will grow in power during this war and will not become an atrophied organ of an affata body.”

Parliament has grown in power, 1/ has grown more in three months than In thirty years. · Nobody" CHA MOTS: About among the people aING FALL BU know that