1940-04-15 — Page 6

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The

Hongkong Telegraph.

Monday, April 15, 1940. Wyndham St., Hongkong Telephone: 20615

THE prefix "Special to the Telegraph" Is used by the "Hongkong.Telograph" to

SWEDEN CLOSES THE GAPS

B GEORGE L. STEER

"Telegraph" Special Correspondent who has visited Sweden to study the danger of war in Scandinavia. In article by Mr.' Steer on Sweden's defence problems appeared on Saturday.

IF you drive out of Stockholm on a which has fattened him a little, that

know of

Sunday into the

the it will not take long to turn him Into. countrysile you will see groups of a soldier again. How to train more Swedes in three-quarter length white dfflers rapidly is a different propo- sheepskin conta ski-ing through the sition; but even to-day the Swedish trees. It is particularly impressive nitiser compares very favourably with at night, under the lights of the field- the Russian, spurt patrols, when, perhaps, a group

Modernisation of equipment is be- fram i Swedish artillery regimenting debated to-day in the Riksdag. great Bem-limbed people with gentle, A motion, for example, les before inexpressive faces are leading the the House for the mechanisation of rest down the gliding kilometres. On the artillery, including the coastal the rifle-range there is the dull spurt artillery. Sweden, of course,

hos

of musketry, and the headlines of long made her own guns; to put them Social-Demokraten la the morning

will have told you that the workers on wheels or tracks should not pre- party, which two years ago shivered sent her with grave difficulty,

ut the sound of a gun, is now demand- My own belief in that, with her ing that every worker should handle present war industry and her popu-

tation's

one.

North of Stockholm they are hold Ing manoeuvres-on a modest scale, of course, which should alarm no- body to meet a ghostly landing party with Infantry and with 75 mm. and 40mm. A.A. guna.

guns, to

protect

adaptability to modern machinery, she should be able to re- construct Her army quicker than the Russians after their disasters in Fin- land. She may even feel able, it they fumble much longer, to risk more volunteer life in the defence of Finland than she has done already.

Gen. Thoernell, commander-in- chief

It is simply because of her lack of of Sweden's joint defence

trained reserves that Sweden has de- forces, hus appealed to the Govern- liberately given no officlul counter- indicate nows which is strictly copyright ment to form a Civil Defence Corps, ance, far less an official shove, to the under the provisions of the Telecommun-armed first with rifles and then with Finland volunteer campaign. cations Ordinance, 1030. Buch news as ght machine

Sweden has no reason to feel the Dear the indication Uit received in Sweden's farftung ecmmunications, on

the model of the territorial guard of same anxiety as Britain about the Hongkong on the date of publicatica by the United Press Associations, who reFinland. One notes an occasional safety of her civil population in time Her A.A. guns are admir- serve all rights and forbid republication, warning in the Press that the Swedes of war. either wholly or in part without previous snowbaths (pictures of this Spartan to evacuate only 300,000

should toughen

themselves-with able and numerous. She will have custom are published), and by walk- ing upstairs to their offices Instead and the process will be simple, the of taking the Hift.

Arrangement,

Holland Looks To

Her Moat

field.

Britain did

to

some per cent. of her poun

5

more than that of a Bank mood Holiday rush. She can dig shelters) which will really protect the rest out? of her basic granite., Her A.R.P. Preparations, in abort, are well ad- vanced,

FINLANDI

IN SWEDEN

THEY'RE READY

The Sweder anxiously. watch events. neighbouring Norway. Sweden fears that she may be drapped into the war and is evacuating border towns. If war does como Sweden iz ready, as this navat A.A. gun-team shows,

Munition Routes

To China

What effect has the war in Europe had on the other— almost forgotten-war in China? Wilbur Burton, special cor- respondent of the New York Post, has written this article.

He points out that, despite the fall of Nanning, supplies for the Chinese army still flow in from French Indo-China, from British Burma, and from Rússia. He tells to-day what the Japanese must do in order to close the French route, and why... they probably cannot close the Burma road. Despite the war in Europe and so overtaxed that normal, trado has despite the capture of Nanning by been Interrupted the Japanese, supplies for the Chinese armies of General Chiang

ward into Central China from French Indo-Chinn..

Shipments over the route from the part of Halphóng to Chung- king are still moving freely, and

in

greater quantities than the British shipments through Burma.

Although by taking Nanning, the Japanese have cut the main

road up from Indo-China, there are other, though poorer, roads farther west and traffic in vest quantities has already been diverted to them.

At the prebent moment "WEDEN is preparing. She is fil- Holland, a proclaimed neutral,

ing up the gaps in her defencer

after Munich. But It is the state of her own air force whose foreign policy is resolutely they are not the same gaps. In A.A. that really worries her. The Swedish guns and in the natural power of her air force is compared by Swedes to pacific by conviction as well as capital both to evacuate and to re the Finnish as it was at the outbreak sist air attack, she is proportionately of the northern war. It lacks. both by national interest, finds her better off than Britain at the end of uniformity and size, while certainly Kni-shek are still flowing north-

1938. Her anxiety is about her not lacking skill. self again face to face with the trained man-power and air-power; Sweden's latest defence programme Sweden's peace-time army varies allowed for a Brst-line force of about Imminent threat of armed between 34,000 and 60,000 men,

250 planes by 1941. In detail, this of season: To-day, invasion. Holland has done according

course, it is larger, for certain re- consists to-day of seven groups, four serves have been called up. In war of bombardment, two of military or nothing to provoke this threat.

her military authorities calculate that naval co-operation and recornals- From the conflict of wills and they can put 400,000 men into the sance, and only one of fighters, The of balance here is self-evident, lack particularly since the Swedes began interests which has culminated

Of Sweden's pence-time troops to think of meeting a possible aerial in the present War, she has 19,000 belong to the permanent endre. Invason.

The annual contingent, therefore, stood severely aloof. She has varies between 15,000 and 41,000. A small army, one might say, for a not even expressed sympathy ation of 8,000,000 which has not WEDEN has attempted to construct

only compulsoon.

milltary service but her own aerial types, but these with one side or the other. Such a military

top. The explana- have not been outstandingly success- Aion is Sweden's post-war history. ful. She must still buy her first a well-intentioned intervention She was separated by a strenuous line from abroad, And that is not could hardly excite resentment. If not a fighting race from Russia, easy to-day, when the Great Powers

traditional only

enemy. She are fighting-cach

and It could not reasonably make a nourished hopes until 1938 of per- tories for aerial

potual peace and universal disarma- America seems remote and unwilling breach in that "traditional Ger- ment. Her Government became pro to sell except to the highest bidder. gressively social-democratic and So Sweden's air force is still heteroc man friendship with Holland"therefore pacifist.

Jite..

which Hitler proclaimed in his Reichstag speech after the close of the Polish campaign. Yet to day Holland sees German troops

her

other in the fac-

supremacy

and engines of war again being than 200. Thost arms no more would it not be better to defend the

massed on her frontier, and other indications, too plain to be mis- understood, that at any moment she may be exposed to the fate that recently befell Denmark.

Two Courses Open

To sever the Indo-China supply line completely the Japanese must do one of two things. Either they must extend their military control. more than a hundred miles west- to take in the smaller side roads, or they must once more frighten the French into banning transit of military supplies through Indo-China,

French polity on arms shipments has been very erratic.

At times military shipments have been al- most completely stopped, and at other times the only question has been the malding of proper finan- cial arrangements. Lately the trade has been booming and port facilities at Halphong have been

Perhaps she had planned it diplo- She saved on equipment and money that might have paid for her full matically. Many of her bombers are annual contingent of recruits. For German, but her fighters are English. some id years she did not summon More subtlety might be read into this the whole class to the Colours. Even choice than is justified. Who, one Infantry to-day her period of training for the might ask, would be so silly as to only 140 days in the year, bemb Germany with Junkers? And and for the

with figures compare air of Sweden

Gloucester whose powers are still months. The longer one stays in mildly secret, than with Messerch Swedes have fought, and they have badly with Finland's 12 months-and Gladiators, Scandinavia the more one realises mitts or Heinkels? The clue is pro- no aggressive aim. But there is a that Finland alone of the northern bably more simple, however. The spirit of military pride in them which countries took her defence problem Gladiator's engine behaves incom recalls the days of Gustavus Adol- seriously.

parably well in Aretle conditions; no phus and drubbings delivered by the the others were bought in order to Swedish Infantry, preserve the appearance of impur- ilailty.

There are other

types. But the

wur are

some

In this situation we have a military export, has

OL BRATT, 'Sweden's leading laid his vivid illustration not only of the finger on this cardinal weakness in weakness of Sweden's aviation is not WEDEN'S natural posture for de- Sweden's defence systern. Members 60 much variety as the smallness of fence might be envied by most methods but of the meaning of of the Riksdag have tried, and are the fighter contingent. A motion lles other neutrals. In food she is self- beford a committee of the Riksdag sufficient. All that she need import still trying, to remedy this weakness belo

rub- Hitlerism for all Europe. The of the shortened military service demanding that another fighter group in order to wage a

should be formed. It undoubtedly ber, carburants and

special period,

will be--but the planes must be chemicals and metals, of which she right of nations to live their own

Concurrent with it is a certain an- bought first. Until Sweden has at has already Inld up certain reserves. lives in peace and security is tiquity of Swedish equipment, which least another fighter group and its She has miscalculated a little over can, of course, be more rapidly re- personnel are fully trained she would coke and coal, it is true, and is feel- denied, if not by direct and nedled. The army is not yet fitted be unwise if she risked conclusions ing the pinch to-day, but only in a the way which probably does some good, for

a war against modern motorised with her great neighbour in

for it reduces an overhigh standard violent assault, then by the and mechanised, forces, though its South.

of domestic comfort. direction is qualitatively the superior menace of it--by the creation of of the Russian, and could easily bent With the example of Poland be

She has within har borders, the a state of tension which quickly the Russian if the armies fought with fore her, she will in any case take

no riaks until she is convinced that, nest Iron in the world, and there- If attack threatens, Brilain and tore the most desirable raw material becomes intolerable in suspend-

How Is Sweden improving her France will engage the bulk of the ifer armaments. By the process of Ing or dislocating all the activi-army? The answer is visible in the German forces in the West. That is Northern collaboration she can mix chrome, She alghts round Stockholm every day, the very kernel of her defence pro- It with Norwegian

makes all her own guns and am- ties of the national life' and She is quietly calling up reserves and blem.

munition, even of the most advanced economy, History proclaims how them for the first shock of war. The giving them the training that will t

Yet he would be unwise who did kinds.

much human freedom

rest are being urged by every means not think Sweden strong. After Italy Owes

Her reserves in gold, &c., are more į and Turkey she is the most powerful conceivable--ahort of compulsion,

In than £125,000,000, and her payments to Dutch steadfastness and which still seems to be a long way of the non-belligerent States

position, re- un State loans Ica than the State ahead to learn to use a rifle. Even Europe to-day-by courage; and it is not to be tually the various rifle clubs are sources, tradition and the spirit to itself makes out of public enterprise. doubted that the Dutch people bound to be co-ordinated into a na- defend her rights. She does not want The Swedish population, above all,

(ional system In which every to fight Germany, but the lo deter is both racially homogeneous will face thoir present ordeal able-bodied man will' participale,

mined to do her utmost, which is socially united. It can and will de- more than most people think, to bar fend its interests. The country that with the same high qualities un.

The Swede is physically so sound, the old foe, Russia, on the Finnish attacks Sweden' will find that it has dimmed,

In spite of a long period of prosperity border. It is 123 years since the bliten off more than can be chowed.

equal armaments.

nick

This has all been very profitable to the French, and potentially very dangerous, too,

With the Japanese Holding the nearby island of Hainan, Indo- China is in bad strategic position. It has never been garrisoned for defence against external

assault and there are virtually no border defences. Even in normal times. the French, unlike the British, Inck -a-navy-ɔdequate for the defence of

their Far Eastern Empire, Ga

The Japanese advance from Pak- hai, on the coast, to, Nanning/in- volved only a limited number of troops, not more thau. 40,000, most- ly withdrawn from the area around Canton and Hongkong..

'In view of Japanese inval strength, taking Pakhol was easy enough, but reaching Nanning so quickly over a none too hospitablo terrain was in striking contrast to the failure at Changsha only a few weeks before.

The Chinese evidently were caught unprepared in an area that - should have been well defended,

In any event, French Indo-Chinu is only one of the three Inlets from the world for Chlang Kal-shek.. Another, from the Soviet Union is beyond Japanese military power to sever in the near future, but what may happen diplomatically on this front is another question that right now can't be answered.

The third inlat, through. British 'Burma, is potentially the most im portant of all and there is 'no. Indication that it will be cut off- by either military action or diplo- тасу.

The Japanese diplomatic effort

to reach a better understanding with Britain has been in' progress- ever since the European war start-

For their part, the British have made some gestures, too. Here in ' Hongkong, for instance, the British centors will no longer ́allow. the... Chinese press to refer to Japan as "the enemy," nor to Wang Ching- wel, potential head of a government, as a "puppet or traltor.

Is

ΣΟΥ

A

Nor

on

But the British have put no bar on Chinese billingsgate when it is applied to those Chinese who work under Tokio's orders in the re- gimes at Peking or Nanking. there uny limitation propaganda in behalf of Chlang Kal-shek, who, Incidentally, has returned that favour through the Installation of a branch of the Brillth Ministry of Information. the war propaganda bureau at Chungking.

There is no indication whiûtever- that any British-Japanese under-m standing will curtall the present uninterrupted fow of supplies for Chiang Kai-shek over the Burma road.