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IN the early days of the last war when British, French and German armies were deeply- engaged In Flanders and France, a sudden voice of distraction came from the city of Beersheba. It was a braggart Turkish commander giving marching orders to his troops. you is the craven enemy," cried
"Before
August 10, 1940.
MUSSOLINI
ALWAYS
EYE
HIS
RICH
Tonia
HAD
ON
BUT the Italian Dictator, It seems, is no more overawed than was Jemal Pasha 25 years ago. By great expense and. exertion he has sought to trans- form the area round Dorna and Tobruch into an arsenal of war.., In great measure he has suc ceeded.
In May 1939 General von Brauchitsch, now commander- in-chief of the German armies,
EGYPT
to be comfortable without being Jemal Pasha, "behind him the wards to the African coastline Cinderella of the North Africa came to review his handiwork. the Mediterranean colonies, as the years 1935 and He took a quick glance at the defences on the western frontier crowded but small enough to rich lands of Egypt. If you bordering
falter death will overtake you, Sea. Egypt was under effective 1937 proved.
British control, permit extreme economical ope-but, beyond, paradise lies."
On each occasion when trouble and then drove along the great new road to watch the more Wedged between the stirred in the Mediterranean interesting spectacle staged for ration at all speeds. Takes any
The army stood facing the French. hill in Hongkong on top gear. desert of Sinal, which divided two were the uninviting sands Italian forces massed in Libyn his benefit in the east. Try one to-day. No obligation them from their goal, the Suez of Libya.
HONGKONG HOTEL GARAGE
Stubbs Rd.
The
Tel, 27778/9,
WAS
Canal, and perhaps the prospect Italian soldiers and sailors nlready dried their tongues. No wrested this territory from the Moses travelled with them, able nominal tutelage of the Turks, to amite water from the rocks. but they went in search of They marched, towards their strategic, not material, gains. prize, dragging with them
"We knew it was no Eden," hundreds of pontoon boats filled
said an Italian Minister of the with water.
time, "but we went there so as They fought and were driven to be able to breathe in our own back, still dragging with them sca." the precious diminished cargoes
Thongkong Telegraph. thirst had worked as the nilies. Dictator locks from the place
Saturday, August 10, 1940. Wyndham St., Hongkong Telephone: 26015
some un-
Cause were able to casiness in Egypt and Tunis. He watched the exercises of Mussolini himself stepped ashore troops and tanks and motorised at Tripoli and declared himself units such as the Italians had The used in speedy successful the protector of Islam. huge investment of real wealth manoeuvre against Abyssinia. paid diplomatic dividends, and He visited five first-class military when Britain made a treaty with air-fields. He reviewed a gar Italy the strength of tife gar- rison which was already twice rison in Libya provided one of the size of that needed to defend
the colony, the main items of negotiation.
*
*
He saw a system of military aviation which, at that time,at
of water. Desert, und and To-day, inevitably, the Italian NOW look at the map. Along least, was better than anything the western borders of the French in Tunis and the of the British armies and had that is no Eden to the paradise Libys on the Tunis frontier a British in Egypt could muster He has been looking deep system of defences has together. He watched the con- helped to keep Suez in English beyond.
that way for many years. He been built. Italy, it seems, has struction of enormous military hands.
has always hoped for great little intention of making a depots packed with stores and artillery. He met Marshal direct assault on Tunis despite Balbo, Governor of the Province, To-day another voice of dis- things from Libya.
all the shoutings of the students the man whose eyes were said comes from Rome. is used by the Hongkong Telegraph to traction
Desert,
in Rome. indlesle news which is strictly copyright under the provisions of the Telecommun-The goal is the sume. rations Ordinance, 1936. Such neWE bears the Indication Ug is received in Itongkong on
THE preßx "Special to the Telegraph
gand and thirst and a great
* * *
Far different is the situation to glisten at the mention of Suez. was a on the eastern frontier,
No doubt he also realised that
At
date of publication by Allied army still stand athwart FROM the start it
strange and mysterious Derna troops are stationed in sandy deserts were not the best
the valled Press Associations, who za- serve all rights and forbid republication, either wholly or in part without previous arrangement,
Britain In China
The announcement that the Briush garrisons in Shanghal, Tientsin and Peiping ure to be withdrawn is not altogether unexpected. It confirms once again the wisdom of the Home
✩
*
Government in ordering the evacun- TWENTY-EIGHT years ago other Italians with Im- tion of women and children from Hongkong. Like the evacuation, the perialist ambitions looked south- decision to withdraw the British forces from North China is not
In this
a fields for the operation of tanks the path.
Yet, now that Mussolini is at enterprise. A good tarred road great barracks; there is
No doubt he war, the attack on Egypt be- was constructed along the whole plentiful supply of drinking and motors.
recognised that that slender road comes an immediate possibility. shore from Tunis to Egypt. water.
One hundred miles eastward along the coast could be bombed Without Egypt he is cut from Neither the French in Tunis nor his colony in Abyssinia. With the Egyptians counted it worth lies the modern naval base of from the air and shelled from No doubt he estimated out Egypt he is cut from his while to continue the road in Tobruch. It commands the 200- the sea.
their own territories, but mile strip of sea between the the difficulties of importing trade through Suez.
in Libya, apparently, easy African coast and Crete. But petrol across submarine infested It seas into this barren land. No manoeuvre from east to west drinking water is scarce. was an advantage to be gained must be brought from Derna. doubt he realised the dangers of One hundred miles eastward mechanised war in the heat of at whatever price.
Money was prodigally spent. again, at Bardia, is another Africa, the restraints imposed Some two-thirds of the Colony's garrison; their water, too, must by the sweat inside. the tanke. expenditure was met from the come from Derna. A few miles Perhaps even someone mentioned frontier, and a hundred miles Just at the time of this visit motivated by any considerations of have sufficient acumen to look far not always well-stocked Ex- further on comes the Egyption to him the sore topic of water. immediate emergency. Rather, it is enough ahead into the future.
ment. Colonists were imported. Joyous mesange received from our
ments and all modern fortifica- Milan, How high up on the any emergency that may arise will correspondent with the evacuees who Military, naval and air bases road with barbed wire, entrench- between the two Axis Powers at
Brisbane yesterday) were constructed. Increased not find Britain at a disadvantage I arrived
tions, stands the Egyptian fort agenda figured those accumulat- temporary Inconveniences there is occasion for bargaining.
corner of Mussolini's high road, the only road, for an eastern evacuation are best forgotten; our by heavy subsidies. has for some time made it clear that feelings now should be one of relief,
"I could do ten times more army striking at Suez, Even at barren, expensive province?
Two Britain's forces in North Chinn, both coupled with the determination that
We may soou know, naval and military; could-count-on-no the people of this part of the British with the money in Sleily," said the gates of the first obstacle-
--Mersa- Matruh-the--invadera-hundred thousand white troops support in the event of an emergency. Empire are now ready and prepared the Libyan farmer.
be Yet there was reason in this would have had to tug their are not massed. in Libya merely Weihaiwel was more or less abandon-1 to render any service they may
called upon to offer to the Cause in
to impress the Senussi. oul future.
apparent generosity towards the water 300 miles and more. ed as a naval base before the break of war in Europe; the British garrison at Tlentsin, one Company execpted, was withdrawn shortly after the outbreak of war in Europe and, in Shanghal, the British patel area in the International Settlement has been rendered more or les untenable by the encroachment of the Japanese.
a long-range decision, ensuring that light (and also in the light of the chequer of the Italian Govern- beyond, guarding the constal a military pact had been signed
attend- the
Japanese penetration southwardsant upon the initial stages of food production was encouraged of Mersa Matruh. This is the ing offensive forces in the north-
Dn
two
The truism that unlon is strength a no better illustrated in the military Any sense than in the Far East.
would emergency that would arise find the British forces scattered and weak. But
additional battalions to the garrison in Hong- kong would ald in making this Co-i lony impregnable to the extent that an enemy would hesitate more before launching un attack. It will be re- called that the pre-War re-fortifica- tion plan for Hongkong drawn up by Major General Bartholomew envis- aged the military strength of the Co- Jony being brought up to nix battalions of Regulars, plus a greatly augmented Volunteer Corps. Should the battalions now stationed in Shanghal be transferred to Hongkong
the as seems likely to be the case, Bartholomew Plan will be completed.
un
Hongkong has witnessed an parolleted degree of milltary pre- paredness during the past three years -all part of the re-fortification planı laid down aftor the Japan:cso abrogated the Washington Treaty and paved the way for the security of the Colony (under the Washington Treaty Hongkong could not be re- fortified). This activity has beca completed--we have the guns, we have the forts and all we need now are the two battalions of troops Major General Bartholomew Ilaid down as being necessary for the proper de- fence of the Colony.
The withdrawal of British troops from North China will doubtless cause dismay in Shanghai and anxiety in Washington. But to Hongkong the move should be a welcome one. It. will permit Britain to further con- solidate her position here and remove nny danger that another Power retains the bargaining power the presence of inadequate forces in North China gives. If we look at the evacuation from Hongkong of our women and children. In this light that their presence here constitutes a greater mensco than their withdrawal to a place of safety and that by their withdrawal owo reba potential oggressor of a weapon that can be como mightier than the sword-we have reason to be thankful that there- are men at the head of affairs who
To
10 AUSTRALIA
MOURNING FOR THE DEAR DEPORTED
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