1940-10-24 — Page 3

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MAGAZINE PAGE

The Fifth Column

3 Demoralisation Caused French Debacle

By Col. William J. Donovan and Edgar Mowrer.

The masterpiece of the "fifth column" was un- questionably the French debacle. Here everything that Hitler had promised came to pass with almost mathematical precision.

He did not strike until he was in touch with certain im- portant Frenchmen who were He ready to treat with him. needed but one swift blow.

He terrified the soldiers by his noise-making engines, he demoralised the officers by the surprise and power of his at- bewildered the tacks, he

generals by the daring of his strategic conceptions, he troubled the entire population by his radio propaganda that insisted that France was be- ing betrayed by Britain and by the French gera."

"war-mon-

He spread horrible rumours through villages, issued fear- some reports by wireless, and then, when the populations had congested the roads in their flight, machine-gunned them to heighten their panič.

Meanwhile, his agents within France, presumably-by- clandestine wireless senders, kept him informed of what was going on and he could thus choose the precise mo- ment for Italy's entrance into the war when French disarray was at its climax.

As a result France was not

beaten far only

more for more thoroughly and casily than Poland, but unlike Poland, France cracked mor- ally as well and a new set of leaders sought to purchase the German's mercy, if not his respect, by submission to France's conquerors.

Admittedly this could not have been accomplished save during a low ebb in French history. The French masses were increasingly remember- ing the experiments of the Popular Front Government of 1936-37, the latter resentful of the attempted Fascist coup d'etat in 1934 and the un- punished "Cagoulard" Fascist conspiracy later.

Morcover, the peculiar French form of parliamentary government was creaking and the bulk of the people had lost their nearly all faith in leaders. This enabled Hitler (and Mussolini as well) to keep up propaganda pressure,

the often through

Com- muniats, and prevent the out- the armament indus- put in trica from over reaching a satisfactory level.

The crucial test justified all Hitler's efforts: When the French soldiers had a chance of fighting on equal terms, they fought fairly well; when nothing but heroism could have made up for superior

equipment, German Fernch infantry, repeatedly deserted by their officers,

melted away.

What happened

to

the

the

French officers? Simply this: For the most part thoy had

Third of a series of dispatches on "fifth column" activitios in Europe as released by Secrotary of Navy Frank Knox.

ceased to believe in freedom, democracy Or any of the slogans which alone could galvanize the entire country.

While

pro- not exactly Fascist (and certainly not pro-German), they were hos- tile to the Third Republic: many had come to believe that an authoritarian regime like. that of Italy and Germany was really preferable.

It would, they thought, save the position of the privileged classes? and really save France from the disagreeable necessity of defending itself. If there was to be a war, then let it be against the Bolshe- viks.

In other words, at least half and perhaps the majority of influential French citizens had come to believe what Hit- ler wanted them to believe.

Ποιν had Hitler ac- complished this? By patient activity. For years his agents in France, Friedrich Sleburg the author, Otto Abetz, "pro- French" consuls like Nolde, many others, had "worked" the French lenders.

When necessary they were assisted by beautiful women: The Baroness von Einem, the Princess von Hohenlohe and others of lesser brilliance.

They "got in" with certain of those leading French wo- men who, at the moment of defeat, exercised such a de- vastating influence on certain French statesmen. They went everywhere, saw everybody, came to know everything, dipped into French politics through scandalously venal French newspapers.

To the weak and the cynical they preached defeatism; to the unsuccessful, hatred of the Jew; to all the possibility. of living on good terma with Germany, if only France would brenk relations with the Bolsheviks and "money- minded" Britain, cease med- dling in Central and Eastern Europe and propitiate the Italians by the gift of some "unimportant" French ter- ritories.

*

For years this sort of thing went on more or less in broad daylight. During

ap-

And a majority of cynical and cowardly politicians rushed their country into one of the most contemptible sur- renders on record. Just as Adolf Hitler had said they would.

What of Hitler's "fifth column" in "Great Britain? Short of the supreme test, it is impossible to say for sure. What is evident is that during the appeasement period, the Germany spun a web of friendship for Nazi Germany among the more gullible or dissatisfied members of the ruling class.

It is obviously a triumph in so proud a country as Britain to have created even so weak a satellite of parly as the British Union Fascists. Organisations like The Link, the Anglo-German Fellow-

ship, the Christian Fellowship, duped any number of highly placed Englishmen.

✩

✰ A

Female members of British society were induced to look kindly upon Hitler's aims by the flattering attention of handsome young German aris- tocrats. British visitors to Germany never lacked con- genial guides,

The fact that the British police found it necessary to arrest a mem- ber of parliament, Captain Ram-

on the charge-of-having-tran-- smitted to the German legation at Dublin treasonable information given nim by Tyler Kent, cipher Clerk

at the American Embassy In London, would seem to show that many finely spun some of the threads from Berlin to London still remain. One hears hints of a per- the sistent "pro-Germanism" in London city.

But it must be stated emphatic- ally that the vast majority of the British, unlike the French, under- went radical change of heart after It became apparent that Hiller had duped Chamberlain at Munich, al-

still though there were

oppensers ready to try to bribe the Nazis to be good with R Hudson-Wohlthat plan for economic concessions to Germany.

Moreover, with British patriotism at the white hent of to-day under threat of Imminent invasion, the fate of confessed "fifth columnists" in Britain would be short and un- enviable.

This time the British police were war. At the prepared for the

of hostilities they failed opening

German some 400 of the best agents. Later ralds tended to show that the backbone of the organisa- tion

then. The in- was broken voluntary confinement of over a thousad Britishern, mostly followers of Mosley, further cleared the alr.

* M

*

All in all, foreigners in Britain have the impression that the several branches of the competent British police are masters of the situation, and that the British soul was never really tainted by Nazi propaganda.

to Lord How Everyone listens Haw but his words arouse more laughter than bellef. A nation that faces mortal peril with the gries at least. Britain has Joke: "Well,

the peasement period the; Ger- mans were actually aided by certain members of the Bri-renched the finals!" seems sound.

tish Embassy in Paris.

Not until two months be- foro the outbreak of the war did anyone dare to take action against the numerous German agents and then the vacil- lating Daladier talked big and did little.

A

class healtant officer brought about sure defost for the army. The army's defeat frightened the army leaders lest the soldiers seek scape- gonta among the generals.

Nonetheless, many foreigners be leve that if the worst should hap pen and an invasion of Britain and hitherto octur, some positive

of Hitler's pro- unrevealed fruits paganda would appear in the shape of a not entirely insignificant Dri- tist "fifth column","

This like the French, would find Britain why numerous reasons should rather "come to terms" with Hitler than continue single-handed a desperate struggle, the outcome. of which is bound to contain some social change.

Whether such

"Afth colum.”

could as in France come to supreme .. power is quite another story.

·

FUNNY SIDE UP

Over 1948 by United Posture Bradwala, kwa.

"Wrap up the price tag.

City

Land

if she likes that I'll come

back for the necklace!"

Is No

Man's For Invaders

"I BELIEVE that three months ago, 2,000 parachutists dropped in the open spaces round this-city-could-have-taken Edinburgh," said a staff officer to me. "It's a very different story By DUDLEY BARKER

now.

*

Now it would take a tremendous enemy force to capture the capital city of Scotland, If it could be cap- tured at all.

And the reason for this change simply the of circumstances is Home Guard.

What

There are several battalions of them.

nearly ull Scots, could be more formidable than

eir city is ringed and ringed again

with strong posts, and its centre is peppered with pillboxes.

They gave the contract for camouflaging the pillboxes to an artist, a camouflage expert of the last war. He has done the job splendidly,

You

notice, perhaps, a stretch of railing with some trees growing behind Not till you get close do you realise that the railing and the trees are paint, and a gun. muzzle lurks unobtrusively in the follage.

I myself passed at least three large pillboxes without realising they were there until it would have been much too late.

The Attack

But these things are only the bones of Edinburgh's defence. Its flesh and blood are the Home And to see how well they

Guard.

do their job I spent an evening with one battalion on the south- west outskirts.

Parachutists were supposed to have dropped somewhere in the that close the hilla Lothians, majestically round the city. No- body knew how many parachutists, or just where they had dropped.

But the job of this battalion was to man its defences, hold off any attack, and, most important of all send in accurate information.

Digging In

. Here, In this field, are middle- aged men in shirt sleeves, digging themselves methodically in.

Plenty of time here, they tell me, the Boche is away yonder in the hills yet, with quite a lot of little surprises in between.

We drive rapidly through the outskirt roads of the city, A man and a rifle materialise from hedgo, and sink into obscurity.

An oficer points out to me a lino of rifies lying hidden along the edge of a potato field.

We swing round a corner, and

more rifles follow us from a bend in a ditch. We drew up beside a rough stone wall, and the armed guard is there, too.

"We've sent for reinforcements, sir," says a cheerful Scotsman at e massive road block. "You passed the moler-cyclist on the way down. "We've got a patrol out-the Boche is ahead there somewhere. And we cover all this valley across to the next post yon."

Enemy Ahead

You can just see the next post, crouching behind a bush on the hillside on that side of the valley and if you push your way into a little ornamental garden on this, you stumble neress a sandbagged circle, Its rifles pointing away. across the hille.

"We've got the little surprises Atted up, sir," says the Scotsman cheerfully.

They showed me one of the little I may not surprises. Obviously describe it in detail.

We are up now in the advance posis, and the parachutists cannot be far away. In fact, there are 50 of them ahead of us now-or there were.

"Pity I can't send these rain- forcements up in cars," grumbles an officer in support. We told the advance section they were being attacked by 50 parachutists, and naturally expected they would ask

help, "But

But those lads wouldn't admit could bent then. They've anything sent back word they've mopped up all 50, and no help required-and God knows what else they're sup posed to have done."

for

We found that section eventual- ly, having a lovely time.

They'd retired a bit, they ad- mitted, because they'd just dealt with 80 Nazis and blown up a bridge to stop their advance, and suffered ono casualty for whom they had sent back for strelcher bearers.

When asked how they had do- molished the bridge one volun- teered hopefully that they had lone it with Mills bombs: another said nay, they had guncotton.

The staff officer smiled, made a little note. The section, obviously, had been a bit too enthusiastic but that is what practices are for, to find out where the mistakes would be made.

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